2025 Year in Review

 

Another year of serving in Japan has come and gone. It is time to once again reflect upon the last year. Here is the theme verse of this year:

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” – Galatians 6:9 KJV

This year has been characterized by carefully plowing and planting gospel seeds in the rocky spiritual soil of Japan. At times it does not seem like much is happening, however God is always working even when we cannot readily see every detail. We have been reminded continually by stories of Japanese people hearing the gospel decades ago and finally accepting it in their old age. We have continued to meet people in our local community, form relationships, and share the gospel slowly. In a country that is the furthest away from the West culturally it certainly takes considerable time to communicate new concepts found in the Bible. In the last year many Japanese people have come to visit the mission, and for that we are thankful. A few have decided to continue relations by attending the Sunday children's school. Here we have been using opportunities to teach free English and Bible lessons to children. We have also used this opportunity to teach Bible lessons to the parents attending. We also continue to consistently teach many adults English using the Bible throughout the week. The Bible is such a foreign concept to Japanese people, whose identity is deeply shaped by their culture, that it can seem completely alien to them. So, it is not surprising that it can take a long time for them to understand what is being communicated.

Many centuries ago their ancestors chose to reject God and taught their children to do the same leading to the situation that they find themselves in today. In a culture that has no concept of sin the first obstacle is always communicating what sin is and why it is an issue. The next issue is to communicate who God is to them, and their need to establish a relationship with Him. The people seem to understand that they have a void in their life, but are uncertain about how to find true peace. The final issue is encouraging them to follow through with making peace with God even if the group is opposed to God. Unfortunately, they appear highly skeptical of anything outside of the norms acceptable to Japanese society. This culture has taken every measure conceivable over many centuries to shield itself from God. However, it is not completely impossible to reach them, as we have been able to lead a few Japanese people to the Lord this year. Using biblical example, to us it seems as though the camel cannot pass through the eye of the needle, but to God nothing is impossible.

We have also been able to do various outreaches to the many foreign groups living here in Japan. Many foreign people here in Japan and online appear to be far more open to the gospel. This year with online ministry outreach alone we have personally led 171 people to the Lord. Through these experiences I have had a lot of interactions with Muslims enough to write a book on the matter called, “Four Paths out of Islam”. In the last year I have personally encountered Muslims from Indonesia more than any other time living in Japan. Japan itself is at a crossroads of deciding on what to do with the influx of foreigners as well as the critical issue of population decline. From the time that I came here in 2014 to now the population has gone from 127 million to 123 million, and that is even with the increase of foreigners moving here! Many Japanese people desire to return to the old ways while others realize that the old ways do not have solutions to modern problems.

This year many foreigners have visited Japan as tourists after many campaigns to promote Japan have been pushed for years by the government. The result has been over 40 million people coming to visit Japan this year. The Japanese people seem to be fatigued in general by the influx of people visiting. Rapid exposure to various cultures has caused many people from a historically isolation-oriented society to become increasingly fatigued with foreigners in general. An already overburdened public transportation system seems even more overwhelmed with tourists flowing into certain populated areas. The media has also consistently blamed foreigners for all of Japan's problems. In reality only 3.2% of the nation consists of foreigners. In the past Japan has traditionally closed itself off from foreign influx at various times, leading to isolation. In recent days it seems like the Japanese people want to make it more difficult to live in Japan, and more costly to visit Japan. As the Japanese economy declines more the average person is having a hard time paying the bills. When they see foreign people coming to Japan, traveling around, eating expensive foods, and having fun they become increasingly bitter. They have told themselves for years that their system is the best, but are faced with the hard reality that things are not perhaps as good as they have been taught to believe. Will these cracks in the system demonstrate that no system made by man can create a utopia on earth? For some looking for the truth these cracks will be what is needed to consider God in their lives, for others these cracks will mean that they need to try harder to maintain the system already in place. Systems will fade, but only God remains. We hope and pray wherever this is reaching you around the world that you have a Blessed New Year!

Time

 

Growing up in America in the 90s my stereotypical idea of the orient was that of the Zen Buddhist image of peace, serenity, and harmony. When I first came to Japan I expected life to be very much along those same perceptions that were impressed upon me. However, when I arrived I found Japan to be very different from my Zen Buddhist conception. Outwardly the people were very quiet and respectful, but the reality of their daily lives did not appear to be that way. In Japan, especially Tokyo, people are very busy or rather tend to give the appearance of constant busyness. From a young age life is very planned and scheduled to the greatest detail. For most it is expected that at a young age one should be placed into a ideal preschool, then kindergarten, then elementary school, and so on with the ultimate goal being entry into the inevitable competition that leads to never-ending upward mobility. By the time one becomes an adult life becomes so planned that one must carry a calendar around at all times to schedule meetings with friends or family weeks ahead of time. Such is the reality of modern Japan. But, how did it get to be this way?

After World War 2 came to an end the Japanese people set about to reconstruct their country while discovering their new identity in the modern world. Written into their constitution was the solemn pledge to become a pacifistic nation which set them on the path to seeking greatness through economic means, and such they did. By the time the 80s came around Japan was number two economically only to the United States. From a young age Japanese people were put into a system that sought to prepare them to become corporate samurai; to give their life for the company. Hence, the company became number one. It was not until the 90s that the economic bubble burst leading to widespread despair. The hope of constant upward mobility ended abruptly. Yet, up until recent times the Japanese have continued on their path to producing corporate samurai. What other options were their? Now with mounting financial issues, family breakdowns, health issues, population decline, and general future uncertainty the Japanese people find themselves at another crossroads to determine their future. It is all coming down to life priorities.

To past generations the company was clearly the main priority. Now that Japan is a seemingly wealthy country with complex issues the company does not seem to be the main priority any longer. Perhaps family, hobbies, or even God are starting to be considered as relevant to daily life. After observing the realities of Japan's past, this current generation seems to be a lost generation seeking new purpose. The promises of godless capitalism seem increasingly empty to them. In a world where everyone appears busy, safe, and with life scheduled to the Nth degree; people are disconnected from one another, but what can be done? For many the solution is denying reality through some various form of escapism. Yet the senses can only be dulled for so long. For a small number willing to see, hope comes from God through the gospel message. In a world where time is gold, will there be a few brave souls willing to invest their gold into eternal returns? In the meantime I will take out my calendar and schedule a meeting with anyone here willing to learn about God.  

The 10-40 Window

 

Now that we have been back in the United States for three months we have had opportunity to visit with many churches to speak about Japan. One thing that I am somewhat surprised about is that there are still people that do not know exactly what the “10-40 Window” is. With that in mind I have decided to write a blog post on the 10-40 Window.

What is the 10-40 Window? Quite bluntly, from an American Christian prospective it is the area of the world that has the greatest population (4 billion) with the most needs, least Christian population, highest Christian persecution, and most neglected for missionary activity. From 10 degrees latitude to 40 degrees latitude, from Morocco in the West to Japan in the East, the 10-40 Window can be located on a map. It comprises of the Islamic, Hindu, and Buddhist dominated countries. From this link , under the 'map view' option, we can see exactly the reality of each country in the 10-40 Window.

How did this happen? Somewhere along the line in the past after the great flood someone's ancestor rejected God, choosing rather to worship created beings, and passing that knowledge down to further generations. Along the way knowledge of God was lost. In some cases idolatry has gone on for hundreds if not thousands of years, further strengthening the demonic power in these areas to this day.

Why are there so few missionaries in this region? Most of these countries are considered, “closed-countries” in which any kind of outside influence is either strictly prohibited or met with extreme punishment including death. Other countries are so far removed by distance, language, and education that an attempt to spread the gospel takes great resources, time, and sacrifice to accomplish with little immediate fruits exhibited. It is said that five cents out of every one hundred dollars spent on missions goes to this region! There is little glory yet great risk involved in going to this area of the world. Unfortunately, given the type of modern Christianity formed in the west, namely “me-focused” gospels, very few in up-and-coming generations are willing to sacrifice greatly to reach these areas, nor do they care to.

What can we do? We can pray for these regions that God would raise up people to reach them. We can also support legitimate missionaries working in this region. Whereas the Western missionaries have failed in this area, many Asian countries such as South Korea, Philippines, and India have raised up many missionaries to start works in many of these countries. Satellite TV, Internet, and Western Educational resources have reached a great many people in these regions directly and indirectly as well. God is working even through Covid-19 circumstances.

I encourage anyone reading to do some research on the 10-40 Window. Start praying for countries in this region and see what you can do to help.