Unworthy?
In a land where they are a vast minority, Japanese Christians need to understand God’s great love for them.
My heart was deeply moved as I talked with an elderly Japanese woman. She had served the Lord and matured in their faith during her fifty years of service to the Lord. She also shared testimonies of churches that had been started and strengthened. I loved hearing her pray softly and reverently in her mother tongue. What happened next, though, still brings grief to my heart. The woman confessed she was uncertain whether she was worthy enough to enter heaven.
In a performance-driven culture like Japan, the unspoken expectation of every area in life is perfection. People who do very well are acceptable. Those who don’t are expendable. Individuals who don’t perform well in school, or descend from a less than perfect ancestral line, are doomed to live outside the mainstream of society. In this worldview, Christians are near the bottom of the “successful” list.
In a country where 99% haven’t heard, or would rather not accept, that the creator God made them in his image, the value of life is diminished. The truth is that Jesus Christ came to earth with love for all people everywhere. He died for the past, present, and future shortcomings of each person, and rose again to provide salvation and an eternal home in heaven for all who believe in his name.
Many people who become Christians in Japan struggle with their decision to be baptized and become part of a local church. A “good” church member must be there on Sundays for several hours of activities following worship. For most Japanese people, Sunday is their only free time. But school clubs and neighborhoods also plan required activities, making it difficult for Christians to observe a Sabbath rest. People who can’t be one hundred percent part of something are considered unfriendly, selfish, and unworthy.
Japan is an easily accessed, wealthy country with freedom of religion and, yet, evangelical Christians are still a tiny minority. In light of this, how will Christians, as valued sons and daughters of Almighty God, live out their purpose to glorify the Lord where they live and work? How can we who are sharing the gospel with them make a difference?
We can entreat the Lord to help both Japanese believers and missionaries know without a shadow of doubt, how wide and long and high and deep God’s love is for them (Ephesians 3:18). If we truly know this, it will fill the body of Christ in Japan with overflowing joy and rock-solid peace as we look forward to spending eternity with our Lord-who gave up everything to have us by his side in heaven!
“The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior [Who saves]! He will rejoice over you with joy: He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them]: He will exult over you with singing” Zephaniah 3:17 (AMP).