October 2022 RCMI Newsletter
Japan -- "The Cozy Nest" Stirred Again and Again
Japan -- The world's third largest economy --
and the United States are the only two developed countries
with populations over 100 million.
The Chinese Church in Japan in the pandemic -- As of 2022, Japan now has one hundred Chinese churches.
1.2% of Japan's 126 million people are Christians, and 60% of these are new believers. 40% are Roman Catholic. After Jesuit missionaries arrived in Kyushu in 1549, due to conflicts between Christianity and Shintoism (the native Japanese religion) and Buddhism, Christians in Japan were persecuted during the 16th and 17th centuries. An estimated 6000 Christians were martyred over that period. Finally in 1947, Japan adopted a constitution guaranteeing freedom of religion and the official policy to suppress the promulgation of Christianity was abolished.
September 10th is the Feast of the Blessed Martyrs of Japan commemorating 205 missionaries and Japanese Catholics executed for their faith between 1617 and 1632 under the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Japan's Mission Harvest Field:
It has been said that Japan is "spiritual hard ground" and "a missionary graveyard," and that "On average, it takes a Japanese ten years to become a believer." There are many churches in Japan and many elderly pastors, but the workers are few. The greatest challenge for the church is the attrition and lack of workers. May God move, send missionaries to Japan, revive and transform the Japanese church through the Holy Spirit; and may He raise up a generation of young people in the Japanese church!
Shiloh Bible College (H.K.) in Japan:
I am very grateful, honored, and happy to be able to register for a course of study through Hong Kong Shiloh Bible College. Their courses are all taught in Mandarin Chinese.
I came to faith in Christ as a freshman in university in Japan. Later I received a calling from the Lord and stayed in Japan to preach the Gospel and establish an international church. After I graduated, the Lord led me to work in a large Japanese company. This helped me understand real Japanese culture in a deeper way. By applying truth, living my daily life by the Lord's love, and humbly praying, I learned how to get through all kinds of difficulties that I met in my work environment of this different culture. Thirteen years went by, seemingly in the blink of an eye, during which time I worked at my job and served in the church. My pastor was Pastor Ruth Pong of my church in Sakai, Osaka. In the church, I was involved in the visitation ministry, led worship and prayer meetings, shared God's Word, etc.
One Scripture passage has often encouraged me in my heart: "Because of the LORD'S mercies we are not consumed, for His compassions do not fail. They are new every morning: great is Your faithfulness! The LORD is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I hope in Him" (Lamentations 3:22-24).
shares in Revival Christian Church, Osaka
Revival Christian Church, Osaka, with Pastor Ruth Pong
After praying and waiting for a few years, I became a student of Shiloh Bible College. I would like to thank Pastor Dennis Balcombe, Pastor Samuel Cheng, and Pastor Samuel Lau for their teaching and encouragement, especially Pastor Samuel Cheng, who took time out of his busy schedule a number of times for me, so he could understand my situation and my thinking.
Those months of online Bible School courses enabled me to study God's Word more carefully, become familiar with it, and get myself equipped. It gave me plenty of opportunity to reflect and gain new understanding. Also, especially, our classroom sharing among the Chinese students from all over the world helped us all know and understand one another better. The mutual encouragement and prayer we all shared as classmates was really wonderful! In my upcoming years of study, I want to seek the Lord more and diligently equip myself to be a vessel pleasing to Him!
All glory to the Lord Jesus!
Wang Miaomiao,
Revival Christian Church, Osaka, Japan
Revival Christian Church, Osaka, Japan
Pastor Ruth Pong's Newsletter -- 30 Years
of Missionary Work and Church Planting in Japan
Dear Ones in the Lord,
Blessings to you! Greetings to each of you from Japan in the Name of the Lord.
The pandemic's outbreak has greatly affected every part of the world, right up to the present. Also, climate change has brought on various disasters, and we see unfathomable changes in the world's government situations. All these things truly make us feel that Jesus' Return is getting closer and closer! Christians need to unite and preach the Gospel with one heart!
During these two years or so, the pandemic in Japan has 'risen and fallen' again and again. Even though the government's 'pandemic prevention plan' has not been as severe or strict as in some countries -- people have been quite free to do as they like -- still, the economy has declined drastically.
Pastor Ruth Pong Sharing the Word on Sunday
Handbells -- Christmas Songs
A Brother Was Baptized
We thank God that last year, December 24th, one brother received baptism. At that time the pandemic in Japan was severe, so after our Christmas service, we only had a quite simple, small Christmas meeting, and we performed Christmas songs on the street with handbells for an hour or two.
The Lord says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is perfected in weakness." Although for the time being we are in this situation, still God keeps leading new friends who are unbelievers and also some supervisors of sisters in the church to attend our Sunday worship from time to time.
We are earnestly asking God to do a great work in Japan, to move people's hearts and bring them to Himself. Please intercede for us and support us! May the Lord bless you all!
"Therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58).
In Him,
Revival Christian Church, Osaka, Japan
Pastor Ruth Pong
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