Pacific Rim January 2007 Prayer Emphasis:
The Shizuoka Urban Center of Japan

“Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.” Deuteronomy 29:4, NAS.

Shizuoka Prefecture is on the South-central part of Japan, facing the Pacific Ocean. The famous Mt. Fuji is located in Shizuoka, and its natural beauty includes hot springs, lakes, coastline, mountains and rivers, which makes it a popular tourist and vacation destination. More than 3.7 million Japanese live among the cities and towns of this rural area of Japan.

Japan is still less that 1% Christian despite an uninterrupted Christian witness dating back hundreds of years. The majority of the Japanese Christian population is in the larger urban areas, so the actual percentage of Christians in Shizuoka is even smaller than the general population. Japanese have typically rejected Christianity as a “foreign” religion. However, IMB personnel living in Shizuoka area are finding that most Japanese are not closed to the Gospel, they simply have never heard about Jesus, nor, more importantly, seen Christianity being lived out in the life of a family member or close friend.

Take Mr. Makino, a 70-year-old Japanese man who recently decided to follow Christ at a house church meeting. When he came to faith he shared that he had never heard of Jesus or even held a Bible in his life until just this last year! A decision by Japanese at a first time meeting to follow Jesus is very rare, and when it happens, too often they do not follow through with baptism or true life transformation.

Earlier this year Mrs. Harumi a Christian lady from Tokyo, introduced IMB missionaries to her friend, Mrs. Noriko, who lives in Shizuoka. Mrs. Noriko did open her heart to Jesus, has followed Him in baptism, and is growing. She is an active witness and is sharing with her daughters and all of her friends who see the difference that Jesus has made in her life!

Pray that:

The Holy Spirit will burden Japanese Christians like Mrs. Noriko in Shizuoka to share the Gospel broadly and boldly with all who will listen.

God will guide believers to people of peace in the Shizuoka area.

New and more effective strategies for sowing the Gospel will be developed. The Bible is available, but, for whatever reason, it is not getting into the hands of the Japanese.

New believers will be willing and eager to be formed into house churches that will rapidly multiply throughout the Shizuoka Prefecture.

God will call out thousands of intercessors for reaching the Japanese. Click here to sign up as a prayer partner for Japan.

IMB personnel will have wisdom and guidance on how to best to use their gifts, time and resources to impact the Shizuoka Prefecture.

The Holy Spirit will tear down the “foreign” perception of Christianity among the Japanese living in the Shizuoka area.

Mr. Makino will grow in the knowledge and grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and will follow through on his decision to be a Christian.

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