Love Letter

“Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” Acts 5:42 NIV

Many Japanese are open to explore Christianity while they are living abroad. Those who make faith decisions in foreign countries often return to Japan and want to share Jesus with their family, but they are not sure how to do so. Mr. S.* fits this category. He came to faith while working in Canada. When he returned to Tokyo, he wanted to share the hope he had found with his father – especially since his father had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.

Through a mutual friend, Mr. S. had met and started studying the Bible with IMB missionary, Mark Busby. He said, “I want to tell my father about Jesus, but I’m not sure how.” Busby suggested that he be bold and just tell him. They committed Mr. M’s father to the Lord in prayer, and Mr. S. committed to share the gospel with his father.

At the hospital Mr. M’s father had tubes down his throat and could not talk. Mr. S. shared about how he had become a Christian. After sharing he asked his father if he wanted to follow Jesus. The father violently shook his head, no.

While Mr. S. was disappointed by his father’s reaction, he still felt compelled to share the gospel one more time. He asked Mark what he thought about writing his father a letter. Mark encouraged him that a letter was a great idea, and he suggested that he should ask his mother to read it to him so she could hear the gospel too. They again prayed and committed Mr. M’s witness to God.

Mark said, “You should share the gospel with your wife and three sons. Who knows, if they all come to faith, we can baptize your entire family.”

“Can we do that?” asked Mr. S. Mark assured him that he could baptize his family as soon as they came to faith in Jesus.

Believers like Mr. S. represent the hope of reaching the 33 million Japanese who live in the Tokyo metroplex; the largest urban center in the world. He is learning about the joy and privilege of sharing his faith boldly. As his friends and family come to faith, Mr. S. will be taught how to gather them together into house churches. Ultimately, Mark’s vision is for house churches to start multiplying all over Tokyo.

Over the past five years, the traditional church in Japan has declined, and fourteen churches closed. Only 0.39% of the population is Christian. It is obvious to Mark that a new strategy is needed to reach the masses of this huge metropolis. Training believers like Mr. S. is the starting point to realizing Mark’s vision for Tokyo. Mr. M’s love letter to his father may very well be the beginning of God’s movement to reveal His great love for the Japanese people living in Tokyo.

*Full name was not given to protect the privacy of the local believer.

Pray that:

Mr. S’s entire family and friends will come to faith in Christ and that a church will form as a result.

A mighty movement of house churches will cover Tokyo and millions will find peace with God.

Pacific Rim is a Region of the International Mission Board, SBC.