By Gary Chang
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Heb 11:1)
Our church pulpit ministry has followed Abraham’s life in the last several months. Indeed, most Christians know about his story; we all know he is our father of faith. Nevertheless, as we slowly go through every instance of his life, the ups and downs, successes and failures, we learn that God’s grace and faithfulness toward him ultimately kept him on the right path.
We can all quickly judge the weaknesses and lies he made so that he can preserve his life. Yet, imagine if I were in his shoes; I might do the same because we are weak and uncertain about the future. God is gracious toward Abraham; whenever he is weak and doubting, God shows him the promise and guides him to the right path. Over time, his faith grew, and he focused on God instead of his circumstances.
This coming week, I am about to preach the ultimate test of Abraham’s faith: offering up Issac as a burnt offering. He obeys God’s command despite not knowing what will happen. He trusts in the Lord because he begins to realize God’s absolute sovereignty and even says that (somehow) God will provide. Abraham started this faith journey at age 75 and received God’s promise of Isaac at age 100.
There were 25 years of waiting and a lot of ups and downs. God trained and stretched Abraham so his faith could grow and become an example to us all. In the same way, when it comes to mission, so often, we think of going out to do mission work as something we want to do for God. Still, the reality is that it is a journey that God calls us on so He can work in us and eventually through us so His name will be praised.
The process can be slow and needs a lot of patience. Missions in Japan are especially slow. It is a journey like Abraham’s. We don’t know what will happen next. In the context of Hebrews 11, we all know how it ends with many heroes of faith in the bible. God lists their example there so we can learn and believe He will also care for us. Abraham finally lived out what Hebrew 11:1 said, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.“ We are also on the journey to learn and experience this verse. May God continue to sustain us in this mission journey.
Learn about Japan:
- Japan Population, click here.
- Operation World, click here.
- The population in Japan is declining drastically, affecting not only society, but also churches. Many churches do not have enough next generation to continue the ministry. Many pastors in our association cannot find new pastors to continue the church ministry; some face the possibility of closing down. The extremely low birthrate and aging population make things worse. Please pray that the Lord will send hope to this nation.
- (Note: the 1.5% Christian is the total number of Catholics and Protestants. For evangelical, only 0.5%)
- There are 1909 missionaries from about 100+ organizations currently working in Japan. We are thankful to the Lord that the number of missionaries coming to Japan has increased in 2023 and 2024.
- Please pray that the Lord will bless and use all of us to further the gospel in Japan.
Discussion Questions:
On your social media or in the comment section here, answer one of the questions below.
- As you reflect on your own personal journey of faith, think of how many people God brought into your life before you started following Jesus. Focus on how many years elapsed in that time. Share your story.
- Write out a prayer for Japan with a link to this blog post.