Eternity? Trinity? Can't Get it!? 永遠？１＋１＋１＝１？

Last week, I was able to share the Scriptures, John 1:1-5, with some of my non-Christian friends at dorm. Gospel of John is a awesome book!!! It is very simple but so profound!

In the Study, I made three points
1. Jesus is eternity
2. Jesus is God
3. Jesus offers the Best (which is eternal life with Him)

J. Vernon McGee said "So when you read, "In the beginning," go as far as your little brain can go into eternity past, put down your peg- and Jesus Christ comes out of eternity to meet you."
It is so impossible to fathom this character of "eternity".

The word, God, in Greek is "Elohim" ,which is specifically plural form.
"The Lord is One"(Deu. 6:4) The word "one" is, in Hebrew, "echad" which is also plural.
I was completely overwhelmed during that study!!!
I wish I could share more though, it will be too long if I do that.

Lastly, all things are made through Jesus.(Col. 1) If God created me, He knows everything about me. When something is wrong in my life, He know where and how to fix it.
Do you believe that? or You believe you are the result of "random chances" of evolution process?
He created us to have fellowship with Him, to glorify Him!!
God is the source, the strength and the reason of our lives!!

この前の木曜の夜は寮でバイブルスタディをやって、新しいシリーズ”Ｂｅｌｉｅｖｅ　８７９”が始まりました。
　ヨハネ１：１－５の箇所を、みんなと分かち合いました。
　その中での三つのポイントがありました、
１．イエスは永遠におられる。
２．イエス・キリストは神。
３．イエスは最良を提供してくださる。

　イエスは神な訳ですから、初め”に”おられる、訳で、”初めから”だとちょっと難しいことになる。
　「初めにことばがあった」
　「万物は御子にあって造られたからです」（Ⅰコロサイ１：１６）
　私たちの小さな頭では、「永遠」がどれだけ前からあるのか、どれだけ続くのか、ほんの少ししか想像できない。それが凄い！！！　
　そして、イエスにあって、神は私たちを創られた。
　神が永遠におられて、私たちを造ったのなら、彼は私たちのことを全て知っている。
　私たちのどこが間違っているのか、人生のどこで逸れてしまったのか、いま抱えている問題は何か・・
　そして、「万物は、・・・御子のために造られたのです。」（Ⅰコロサイ１：１６）
　キリストが、私たちの源泉であるだけでなく、理由でもある！！
　キリストは私たちがどのに行くべきかを知っている！　
　
　私たちは、それでも、自分の人生がどのに行くべきが知っているふりをしてしうことはないだろうか？
　イエスが永遠におられて、イエスが私たちを意味を持って造られたのなら、私たちはそれを知るべき。
　それは、「神と永遠の交わりを持つため」。　
　神は私たち愛していて、時間的な意味だけではなく、それよりも”質”を伴った「永遠のいのち」を私たちに受け取ってほしいと願っておられる。
　神のこのプレゼントを受け取るかは、私たちに委ねられている。
　なぜ？それは”プレゼント”だからね。

When I Worship

I know it has been a while since last post..... ( though I know there are some who is graciously checking my blog. Thank you if you are!! )

Worshiping God with praises and songs is one of my favorite time in my life.
Moreover, it is part of my life. ( I know it is not always the case for my lack of faith.)
I say it from my experience.
One of the things that got me to get serious with God is worship songs. As a Jr.High student, I just started learning English. I was wondering and interested in what the English song meant. I would sing a song at church, and memorized some words in the song and look up in dictionary!!
Coming to know those words brought me joy; God was teaching me what it is to worship Him.
(Of course I would sing in Japanese, my mother tong, as well, but somehow it looked plain to me.)

But, the more I learn about worship, worshiping at church, leading Jr.Highers Worship or being worshiper, the deeper I find how worshiping God is.

The frontman of Switchfoot, the popular Christian Rock-band, Jon Foreman said

"For me as a singer and songwriter, I am continually wrestling with the idea that if I'm going to sing it, I have to live it....... I want to be alive within the context of the words I'm singing. There's a tremendous amount of humility I take when I'm writing songs"

I think when we worship God, we need to remember this kind of sense.
My prayer for my own personal worship is just as Jon Foreman said, the words I sing will have reality in my life.

How about you?? How do you want your worship to be like?

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
Romans 12:1

Fellowship, So Blessing!!!

As 2009 is coming to the end, I am lately looking back this past year and seeing so many blessings.
One of the blessings that God reminded me of today is that He has blessed me with wonderful guys and girl to have fellowship with.
Of course I have many brothers and sisters in Christ in Okinawa (I dearly miss you all!!) and in States(You guys too!!), but I'd like to mention specifically Tokyo peeps.

I get to hang out with them not only on Sundays but other days too. We'd go eat and play games and just chat sometimes.
Needless to say that I enjoy all of these things, but what I love most is that I get to hear what God is doing in their lives and ministries. I am blessed and learn every single time when we share God's blessing and talk about God's goodness.
Yesterday, I got to see some friends from Tokorozawa. I hadn't seen them for a while, so we had so much to share!!! I was really excited whole time; hearing what God is doing in their lives and in their church!! They encouraged me in my ministry.
Today, at dinner, we took tim
e to share what good thing God did in this year. We shared about our ministries, our devotions, our weakness and so many things!! I learn so much from my older brothers.
My prayer is that I will continually learn from, first of all, God and those older brothers around me!!
Glory to God alone!!

That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

— 1 John 1:3

２００９も終わりに近づいてきて、今年を振り返ることが多くなったこの時期に、多くの神の祝福を思い起こす。最近気付かされたのは、フェローシップの祝福。
　もちろん、沖縄とかにも多くのキリストの兄弟姉妹はいるけど（会いたい！！）、特にここ東京でのそれが今回はフォーカスを当てられた。

　昨日は、ＣＣ所沢の人たちとフェローシップを持った。しばらく会っていなかったので、分かち合うことがとっても多くあって、時間がとても短く感じた。神が彼らの中にどう働かれているか、彼らのミニストリーをどう用いてられているかを聞くことができ、とても喜びだった。また、ミニストリ－自体についても話して、励まし合うことができたのは本当に祝福だと思った。
　今日は、ＪＣの人たちと今年に主がしてくれた良いことを一人一人からディナーのときに分かち合うことができた。そこでは、個人の生活で、ディボーションで、ミニストリ－で神がどう働いてくださったかということが出て、本当に励ましであり、祝福された。
　いつも、年上の兄弟とフェローシップするときには、何かミニストリ－について、またはみことばを学ぶことができる。これというのが、とてつもない祝福だということに最近気付かされた。
　フェローシップ、ギリシア語ではコイノニアというのは、「キリストが中心の」という意味を持っている。自分に与えられているフェローシップがそうなっていることは神の祝福以外の何物でもない。　

”私たちの見たこと、聞いたことを、あなたがたにも伝えるのは、あなたがたも私たちの交わりとは、御父および御子イエス・キリストとの交わりです。”　１ヨハネ１：３

Father's Love

Just wanted to introduce this video.
I actually have not watched the whole movie "Most" yet, but I think this short clip illuminates the Father's Love towards us, mankind well.

Hope you'll like it.

God bless

Best present EVER!!!

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

John 15:13

"For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8

　It is simply amazing how God teaches me things in my daily life.
I know it has been a while since I posted last time. But, God, in His grace, is still teaching me about His great love.

I was preparing for the Bible Study which I share the Word with usually a few guys weekly. This time, as Christmas is coming soon, I decided to share some thing about Christmas.
So as I was praying, studying and preparing for the time, God totally broke through my heart.
I had known that the greatest gift of Christmas is Jesus Christ, Himself.
But, I found myself taking it for granted.

We all know that Jesus wasn't born on Dec. 25th.
We all know that this date derived from pagan event.
We all know that one old guys with white bear comes from chimney and leave some presents.

But, what is Christmas really means to us?
It is a day we remember God's goodness, especially sending His Son to us.
Somehow, the meaning has been twisted into wrong stuff.
(here in Japan many celebrate Christmas with KFC chickens)

We all look forward to Christmas day. Wait, do we all??
There are many who cannot look forward to.
Maybe they are in poverty, they are in broken home, they are suffering from disease. The list goes on and on

In the darkness, God sent His Son for His love towards us.
God sent His Son to earth, Jesus took all the pain that we would ever go through and was obedient to the death on the cross. Why? So that God can have restored relationship with us, and He might become our richness, He might become Father to the fatherless, He might become our healer.

When I learned this, my heart was overwhelmed with awe and .....what can I say..
Jesus is our only Hope!!!
His name shall be called Emanuel, God with us!!
He is with us forever!!

His Love is Supernatural!!! スーパーナチュラルな愛！

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” . The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Romans 8:14-17 (NKJV)

I just finished studying Romans. God totally blessed the time of study and showed me so much.
If you never read through Romans, I highly recommend to do so. I was listening to the message of Pastor Tim Chaddick of Reality LA on this passage, which was really impacting. So I'd like to share how God spoke to me through this passage.

Chapter 8 is one of the most inspiring chapter of the Bible. ( I even once heard this joke "All the scriptures are inspired by God, but not all scriptures are inspiring as Romans 8" )

The work of the Spirit is indescribable. He enables us to call God "Abba, Father" !!!!
I was once so far from God. But, Spirit convicted me of my sins and brought into the relationship with God. Once, I was slave of sin but now child of God!!
This is supernatural awareness, awareness of where I have been adopted from, by and into.

We are to obey God. But, how do you do it? What makes and motivates you to do it?
It is Love, Supernatural Love of God.
It is the beauty of the gospel and His love that melts our hearts and makes us want to respond to the Love. So the fact that I can say that I love God, itself is supernatural.
We try to tell non-believers how great God's love is. I have hard time to understand why they can't get it. But, it is not really our work to show the love. It is work of the Spirit to help man to understand and appreciate the love and to be moved and affected by the love!!

I also found the beautiful work of Trinity there.
God's love was revealed through the incarnation, the cross and the resurrection of Jesus, the Son. And His Love is poured out into our hearts by The Spirit.
Francis Schaeffer said "If God were not the Trinity, He would not be Love."

His love is so deep and wide that I cannot fully understand this supernatural affection. But, Scripture remedies the supernatural.