Scripture
10God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.Hebrews 6:10-12
Observation
It wasn’t that the church here had rebelled, it’s just that they were discouraged. Their discouragement led to a lack of motivation and a sluggish faith that was about to give up the fight. They had been waiting for so long to see some kind of change for their suffering and they had little to show for all of their work. Paul would go on to use the example of Abraham as someone whose faith we should imitate. I’m so grateful for this, because Abraham was by no means perfect at patience. Ishmael anyone?
Application
I’ve just come back from a week in Japan and I was privileged to spend some time with saints whose faith I want to imitate. Sensei Shota of Evergreen Chapel, Joy Tani, the team at Zoe Japan, Pastor Talo of New Hope Tokyo and so many more (Here's a quick look at what Jesus is up to in Japan). I’ve had to repent of my lazy Western Christianity that knows nothing of the fruit of The Spirit of long-suffering. If I don't see change come quickly I'm tempted to move on to the next thing instead of contending for the fruit. In contrast I see the saints in Japan serving tirelessly in a land where less one percent are Christian. To say “yes” to Jesus in Japan is to say “no” to family, friends, and centuries of tradition and false religion in Shintuism and Hinduism. Zoe Japan shared with our team some sobering stats revealing the challenge of Christian ministry in Japan. In the U.S. there’s one Christian church for every 800 people. In Japan there’s one church for every 16,000 people in Japan. Often their first contact with the Bible will happen through one of these Christian ministries. When I don’t see someone I’ve invested time in come back to church the next week I often get discouraged and feel that the work I’m investing is pointless. Yet, Paul promises that “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” My time with the Church in Japan challenges me to go deeper in my faith. The day and age of a faith that’s a mile wide and inch deep won’t work anymore. This isn’t about me anyway or some number I can post up to show my worth or value. This is about loving one person at a time over a long period of time. Yes, and sometimes, you get to see the fruit of that longterm investment as we saw firsthand in Japan. Over the course of two days we saw 14 people come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. This is revival level stuff and would be akin to a couple hundred people coming to Christ in an average American Church. How did this happen? There’s no room for lazy Christianity in Japan. There’s no room for lazy Christianity in America either!
Prayer
Lord, please forgive me for being so results oriented. I don’t want a legacy of Ishmael because I was unwilling to wait for You to bring Your promise in Your timing. Thank you for teaching me through the maturity of the Jesus followers in Japan. They have reminded me of what I’m working for… You!
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