The Institute (協会)

And They Prayed and Wept For Japan

Here is one of my first reflections about my time in Japan. I posted it at World Magazine's web-zine. The title is "They Prayed and Wept For Japan."

I wish I was fluent in Japanese. I would have understood more of the prayers at a Tokyo house church I recently visited. I was convicted, actually. In praying for friends and the nation at large, church leaders wept (some of them praying in English, for my sake I think). It was refreshing to be around a group of Jesus followers who so loved their country, their families, and friends that tears flowed from earnest desires for the Holy Spirit to move people to follow Jesus. Only 4 percent of the population follow Jesus in Japan and, on average, career missionaries told me, it takes over 8 years (some say 10 to 15 years) of regularly hearing the gospel of redemption before a person becomes open to believing the truth of the covenant gospel story.

I don’t weep over America or my friends and family members who are not followers of Jesus. I hardly ever pray for them. I have no excuse. If I love them, like I claim to, one should think that I would desire to pray and weep for the Holy Spirit to move in a country as idolatrous as America. But I don’t. Instead of loving my country and its people I spend a lot of time throwing rocks at the big, bad “culture.”

Hurling rocks at non-Jesus followers for not living and thinking like those who are guided by Holy Spirit seems silly and is pathetically bloodsport for many of us.

Read the rest here.

Actually, I've been writing on a host of issues the past few weeks ranging from environmentalism to Christianity and politics. I forget to post them here sometimes: here's the rest.