God at work

Japanese people excel at persevering. You often hear them say ganbare (do your best) after natural disasters, during sporting events, and for most things in between. But it be can be hard for us foreigners to persist in language learning when we can’t even recall the words we learned last week or to continue in ministry in Japan when there is no visible fruit, and we begin to wonder whether it is all worth it. But by the grace of God, when we do witness visible fruit, God’s Spirit at work, and someone becoming captivated by the love of Jesus, our hearts sing and the discouragement begins to fade. Over the last couple of years, I have experienced this with two ladies.

Maiko worked at a shop not far from my home. As I went through the register one day, she asked whether I taught English. Before long, she was a regular member of my English class. But she seemed particularly captivated by the Bible talks. After a couple of months, she started coming to our evangelistic Bible study and yearned to know everything she could about God. She began meeting with our pastor and reached the point where she surrendered her life to God. Not long after becoming a Christian, she was rocked by the news that she had a serious illness. Yet throughout the arduous treatments, she shared her gratitude that she knew God’s strength and peace in the midst of the turmoil.

Although her family were not supportive of her taking the next step of baptism, she realised she needed to be obedient in this area and told me that she wanted to get baptised. Just recently, before I left Japan for home assignment, she texted me saying how thankful she was to God that we met in that shop two years ago. But she doesn’t know how incredibly grateful I am that we met or how encouraged I have been in witnessing God’s transforming work in her life.

The second lady is Seiko, whom I first met when she came to church with a friend. Growing up, Seiko had no sense of home. The strict regime of her family’s Buddhist cult had left her feeling lost and guilty. She hit rock bottom when her own marriage failed.

All she had heard about the Christian faith was from a television show that concluded the Bible could not be trusted. But in spite of this, she felt drawn to Christianity. After having been invited to church a number of times, she finally accepted early last year and experienced a sense of peace. Once through the doors, she immediately felt embraced by the warmth of the people and was keen to study the Bible.

We started meeting to read the Bible together. Seiko was like a dry sponge soaking up everything she could about God. She said that meeting God through his Word gave her a sense of coming home. Ephesians 2:19–20 is particularly special to her: “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone” (NIV).

She was so moved when I shared with her about God’s unconditional love that she clapped her hands and gushed, “I’ve been waiting my whole life to hear that.”

Seiko was baptised this year, and the sense of celebration in the church was palpable. She exudes a joy that flows from her relationship with God and is a huge encouragement to those around her. 1 Peter 5:10 is a special verse for Seiko and also for me because I am seeing these qualities of strength growing in her: “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

Seiko hopes to use her professional skills for God’s glory. She is also a light among her family and friends. Her young daughters love coming to church and have been retelling Bible stories to their school friends. Seiko’s mother now regularly comes to church and has started meeting with the pastor to study the Bible. Her ex-husband, whom she continues to have contact with, is struggling and in desperate need of God’s grace to flow in through the windows of his life. She regularly shares with him about the Bible and prays that one day he will come to church.

Maiko, Seiko, another friend, and I regularly meet to read the Bible together, but it is now as Christian sisters, mutually encouraging each other. And gradually both ladies are learning to pray out loud with less and less trepidation.

The stories of these two ladies remind me of Matthew 16:18, which says “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” While expending all our energy in evangelism and making every human effort to convince people that Jesus is the way, it is easy to forget that it is Jesus’ church and that it is he who does the building. When our Lord God does decide to work, nothing will stand in his way. The gates of hell do not stand a chance. Even our failures, our language errors, and our weaknesses cannot stand in his way.

So be encouraged, as I have been. I’ve been humbled by the privilege of being near these women as they fell in love with Jesus, but I am fully aware that there was nothing I did to help bring about their conversion. It is God’s work. While we don’t know where the Spirit will blow, be encouraged to persevere: God is at work in Japan and we have the honour of being along for the ride. Ganbare!