Newsletter 2025 August, September, October

 Newsletter 2025 August, September, October

Praise the name of the Lord.

We can feel autumn, but suddenly there are many chilly days as well. In this newsletter, I have written about the summer camp report, discipleship training, interns, seminary situation, and prayer requests. I hope I can share how God is working. I would be grateful if you could read to the end and pray.

Summer Camp

This year's summer camp was held at Hamanako Bible Camp for two nights and three days. This time, the student leaders discussed the themes they wanted to study and structured the camp themselves.

Messages 

We decided to study together on the theme of "hope" this time. I was also assigned to give one message at the gathering, and from the theme of hope, I decided to speak about idolatry—placing our hope in falsehoods. We studied together from John chapter 4, the Samaritan woman. Idolatry can happen to anyone, even Christians, when we believe in something other than God and desperately try to obtain what can only be obtained from God. However, we know that nothing other than the true God can satisfy us. Nevertheless, we continue to worship idolatry in our hearts. John Calvin left the famous quote, "The human heart is an idol factory." I gave the message and then hoped that they would think about what idols they are relying on to live instead of Christ. I hope they come to repent, and become the one who seek only Christ again.

For students especially, I thought relationships and career would come up as things they think are their hope.

It was my first time being in charge of a message at camp, so I was a bit nervous, but I'm grateful I was able to deliver it.

Prayer 

Please pray for  each of us who creates various idols in our hearts, but may we repent and may each of our idols be replaced with Christ.

Discipleship Training

 Chuki will finish his final discipleship training this semester with me. Caleb has entered graduate school, so we will be able to continue discipleship training together for a while longer.

Caleb - Forgiveness 

When I asked them what they wanted to study this semester, Caleb said he wanted to study "forgiveness." I think this is one of the most well-known but least practiced things among Christians. Everyone has someone in their life they cannot forgive. And even as Christians, while we may understand the doctrine of forgiveness intellectually, we struggle with it in real life. We intend to study this together. I also purchased new materials to study more about forgiveness to prepare for discipleship training with him. I am preparing while reading the book

"Forgive" by Tim Keller. Among them, the story in Matthew 18:21-35 is impressive. I shared it with him as well. The first half of the story is about God's forgiveness. God took on the debt we cannot bear ourselves. However, even though God took it on and forgave us, the debt itself does not disappear. Someone must pay for  it. It was paid on Christ's cross. We have become those who received that grace. However, in the second half, the human, despite being forgiven, lives a life without mercy, not forgiving others. The second half depicts humanity's failure to forgive. It really makes us think about whether we, despite being forgiven, lack the practice of that forgiveness. 

Matthew 18:35 lSo also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother mfrom your heart.”

What does this mean? This shows that a person who has truly experienced God's forgiveness and has a heart transformed by God will show the same heart and mercy of forgiveness they received. A person who does not grant forgiveness to others shows that their own heart has not experienced God's forgiveness.

Forgiveness is extremely complex and difficult, but the Bible clearly writes about forgiveness.

Prayer 

Forgiveness is accompanied by various emotions for us, and painful experiences may resurface. I told the same thing to Caleb and told him that his heart should be ready. Humans want to forget the terrible things done to them. I would be grateful if you would remember him in prayer. May forgiveness be given through faith. I don't yet know what painful things he is carrying. However, may the truth of the gospel be increasingly revealed, and may we understand how much we are forgiven. May he walk as a disciple of Christ. Thank you for praying together. 

Chuki - Word and Prayer 

It's very basic, but he said he wanted to finally study the importance of the Word and prayer. In the end, while it seems very simple, it comes down to knowing the importance of the Word and reading it yourself. Sometimes we don't understand how important the Word is, or even though we know we should read it, we put it off.

So we studied together from John 15:1-11. The part about the vine and the branches. We are the branches, and Christ is the vine. The source of all fruitfulness is through union with Christ. As long as we continue in fellowship with Christ, we will grow. What does it mean to abide? To abide is an inner, continuous personal fellowship. This is positive and active. We also need to actively abide in Christ. And He will bear fruit.

However, to bear good fruit, God prunes us. Verse 15:2 says that He cuts off those that do not bear fruit, but this is to bear more fruit and to bear abundant, high-quality fruit. God does this for our growth. For beginners in vineyards, the act of cutting off grapes seems destructive, but our Father God does this. When we are pruned, we feel pain. Through this, better fruit will be borne.

Also, we can learn from 15:7-8 about being nourished by God's Word. May God be glorified as the Word abides and abundant fruit occurs.

Prayer

 Since he will be graduating soon, there are a lot of  things I want to teach him, but there are limits to how much I can be involved. Please pray that he will continue to learn many things from the Bible as a disciple of Christ. The more we know how much we need the gospel every day, may we love God more and continue to read the Word.

Interns 

As a new initiative in Nagoya, we had a one-week internship. We recruited not only students from the Nagoya area but from all over Japan. In Nagoya, there are many Japanese staff, whereas in other regions there are many overseas staff. We did this to let them know how Japanese people work when they become staff and with what kind of heart they work. As a result of that recruitment, one intern each came from Kobe and Hokkaido. 😭

Campus work may be somewhat predictable. Talking to non-believing students, having discipleship training for Christian students, etc. However, this was content where they could experience just a little of the parts that were completely invisible until now, such as how discipleship training is prepared and what kind of discussions take place in meetings. For them, it was a short period, but I hope they could experience even a little of what staff do and prepare for their calling to staff in the future. I'm grateful that Japanese people are being raised up and considering becoming staff. Both who came this time are people who were saved through CCC. And one is planning to become a staff member starting next year. The other will continue to pray about it.

Prayer 

May God give each of them conviction in their respective guidance and may they be able to move forward. Many more workers will be raised to work in churches and CCC.

Seminary Situation 

This semester I am studying preaching. How is a sermon structured? What is the purpose of a sermon? How do we actually prepare? At the end of the study, each seminary student gives their own sermon. I will be doing Genesis 11:1-9 this time. I will write a sermon on the theme of human glory and God's glory. Through this study, may it be good training so that God's grace may be abundantly delivered to CCC students. 

Prayer 

Sometimes the more I study the Word, the less clear it becomes.

I am researching from various information sources, but please pray that I can organize the information so I can speak with conviction. Through this message preparation process, may I repent  through the Word.

Prayer Requests

1. I will be getting married on February 28, 2026. The wedding will be held in Korea. As preparations have begun in earnest, I need to adjust the pace of seminary and ministry. May we both be sanctified through the wedding preparations as well. In November, we plan to do marriage counseling. while discovering more of our differences, may we acknowledge those differences and be able to love each other.

2. Please pray for the student leader team. Currently, I am working with three students, but I am finding it difficult. One student comes on time each time, but the other two are often late. The previous leader team had fellowship time before and after meetings so it wouldn't become just a work relationship. However, with this current team, it's difficult to match schedules in the first place, and we can only meet late at night on weekdays or on weekends. Therefore, we only have meetings and can't have much fellowship time, and there's no time to hear what kind of heart they have in doing ministry together. May we be able to take time to share each other's feelings. Please also pray for their unity.

3. We will hold an SLM meeting in November. Here, we will hold a meeting centered on staff working on campus to hear voices from the field. I am deciding the content of this meeting, but while listening to the hearts and thoughts of those working in the field, may each person be able to look again at what the Bible says. In this meeting, for example, we plan to discuss the way of discipleship training and evangelism. How each person defines it will change how they work. May it be a place where healthy opinions can be expressed. May the staff be able to work in unity.

4. The Mission Grace Team (short-term mission team) will come again this year for one month from the end of November. Through them, may we connect with new people and may gospel seeds be sown.

Thank you for reading this newsletter to the end and praying. I plan to publish the next one around the end of December. Thank you for continuing to support us through prayer and donations.