I received a nice family photo from Rich Nakamura as a Christmas greeting and thought I would share it with all of you.
And here’s one of our gang as we gathered last Sunday and Monday:
Merry Christmas JCC family! Thank you for all your support and love for us!
Luke 2:28-32
Joseph and Mary are starting out their lives as parents by being obedient to all the Jewish requirements. Eight days after his birth, their son is circumcised and named Jesus, the name given by the angel Gabriel.
Leviticus 12 required that the mother go through a purification rite, requiring two offerings – A lamb and either a pigeon or a turtledove. In hardship cases where the couple could not afford a lamb, then two birds were acceptable. Apparently, Joseph and Mary could not afford a lamb.
According to Numbers 18:15-17 the firstborn humans were supposed to be redeemed from God for five shekels of silver. The firstborn cow, sheep and goats (considered holy) were not to be redeemed but sacrificed. The firstborn of unclean animals, as well as humans, were to be redeemed. It is interesting that Luke does not mention the redemption of Jesus. Perhaps there is a message here that Jesus was not an ordinary human and that he was the lamb of God who would be sacrificed for the sins of humanity.
There was a man named Simeon, who was righteous and devout and advanced in age. The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he saw the Messiah. Guided by the Holy Spirit, Simeon entered the temple as Joseph and Mary brought Jesus there. Simeon took the infant Jesus in his arms and praised God with a song.
Simeon had been hoping that the Messiah would appear during his lifetime. Even though Simeon would not be able to see the works of the Messiah, he was more than content to now go to his death. The Messiah was the hope for God’s rule to be established. Not only was this going to be glorious for Israel, but God was also going to reveal the Messiah to the rest of the world so that they too could see God’s salvation.
It is interesting that v. 33 tells us that the parents were amazed at what was being said about Jesus. They surely would have already concluded that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, so they wouldn’t be amazed by that. Were they amazed that Jesus was going to be the salvation, not only for Israel, but also for the Gentiles? This may have been the case, since Gabriel, in his announcement to Mary had said, “He will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Although the fact that the salvation of the whole world would include Gentiles was hinted at in the Old Testament, the focus of the Jews was understandably focused on the salvation of Israel.
Simeon then blessed them and then told Mary that her child is going to be the cause of the falling and the rising of people. Coming in to contact with the Messiah is going to force a choice to either accept Jesus as Lord and Savior or not, and this will either result in a falling or a rising of each person.
Once, after explaining to someone how one can gain salvation, the person thanked me for explaining what the Bible teaches, but he wished that I had not done so. He explained that he now understood that he had a decision to make but was not ready to make that decision. I had to remind him that in this case, not making a decision meant that he was making a decision. If he was not accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, it was no different than rejecting Jesus.
This made me stop and think about if I had done the right thing for this person. Should I have tried to figure out if the person was ready to make a decision before delving into the gospel? Was I blowing the chance for this person to be saved by choosing the wrong time to present the gospel? But the Holy Spirit quickly reminded me that my job was to present the gospel when the opportunity presents itself and trust the Holy Spirit for the rest. We want to be guided by the Holy Spirit as to the timing and what words to use, but the rest is up to God. As Jesus explained the parable of the sower, it is our job to sow the seeds and it is God that does the rest. We may be saddened by the results, or be joyful by the results, but the results are up to God.
Simeon rejoiced that he had seen the Messiah – the savior of the Jews as well as the Gentiles. Even though he would die before the Messiah begins His salvation work, Simeon rejoiced. We did not get to see the birth and works of the Messiah, but through the Bible, we are told. Not only about His birth and life and death and resurrection, but how He brought salvation to the world. Not only that, He has chosen us to carry on telling the world about Him. And in this, we should also rejoice.
Christmas is only a week away. As we gather with family and friends, and as the Holy Spirit gives us encounters with strangers, let us be filled with joy in the Lord, and let that joy lead us to declaring that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.
(The above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano during our Sunday worship on December 18, 2022.)
Here is the winter edition of the newsletter for the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Church of Christ.
To go to the actual online version where you can read all the articles and see everything go HERE.
Luke 1:67-79
Our theme for this Advent Season has been “The Songs of Christmas” ….and by that we don’t mean another version of “Santa Claus is Coming To Town” being piped in over the loud speaker at the mall, but instead…. songs which are sung by important characters in the birth story of Jesus in the opening of Luke’s gospel.
Last week Shun spoke about “the Song of Mary” – sung by her after she had heard from the angel Gabriel that she would bear a child, the long awaited Messiah. This week we look at another song of praise found in Luke 1. This time it is the song of Zechariah, a priest, and the father of John the Baptist.
In Luke chapter one we have the miraculous foretelling and birth of two babies: first – John, who we later come to know as John the Baptist, and secondly, Jesus – born to Mary and Joseph. In each case the angel Gabriel announces the miracle of birth. To Elizabeth, miraculous because she is too old to have children. To Mary, because she is still a virgin. We are also told that Elizabeth and Mary are relatives….although we are not sure exactly how.
Zechariah is a priest and one day when he is chosen to perform special duties in the temple, Gabriel comes to him, announcing that he and Elizabeth would have a child, and that they should name him John. This child would be a great prophet and would turn many in Israel back toward God. Zechariah is shocked and asks “How will I know this is true? We’re too old to have children.” Then he is told that he will be unable to speak until the child is born. Everyone he works with…and all the neighbors are surprised at this turn of events. When the baby is born and they are naming John, Zechariah is suddenly able to speak again and he sings the song that we are studying today in verses 68-79. I’ve outlined below what Zechariah emphasizes in his beautiful song.
Zechariah’s SONG
God’s FAITHFULNESS
God’s SALVATION
God’s PEACE
Can we take these beautiful words in Zechariah’s song and apply them to ourselves – and to our church today?
Luke 1:46-55
The gospel according to Luke starts out by Gabriel announcing to Zechariah that even in her advanced age, Elizabeth, Zechariah’s wife, was going to give birth to a son, who is to be named John. Six months later, Gabriel announces another miraculous birth, this time to Mary. He tells her that even though she has not had any relations with a man, she would become pregnant and bear a son, who will be named Jesus.
Gabriel makes it clear that this son of Mary will be the long-awaited Messiah, by telling her, “32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Gabriel also tells Mary that her cousin, Elizabeth, is miraculously with child, so Mary visits Elizabeth. When Mary greets Elizabeth, John leaps in her womb, and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth (and John) confirms that the child Mary is carrying is the long-awaited Messiah. Mary reacts by praising God through the song found in vv. 46-55.
In the first three verses, Mary praises God for choosing her for His purposes. Although she was in low standing from a societal point of view, she will now be considered by future generations as blessed.
The rest of the song anticipates that what He has done for Mary, He will do for the poor, the powerless, and the oppressed of the world. It also speaks about how all of this is what was promised to Abraham and to his descendants.
Reversal seems to be a major theme – The proud are scattered; the powerful are brought down; the lowly are lifted up; the hungry are filled with good things; and the rich are sent away empty. Although these actions are yet to come, the past tense is used. This signifies that what God promises are as good as done.
In content, Mary’s song echoes the song of Hanna, found in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. Hanna was barren and God intervenes and gives her a child, and in her song of praise, she also sang about reversals to come. Although God’s people are being oppressed now, there will come a time when this will all change.
Reading through Luke, it appears that Mary did not have an easy life. Joseph, her husband is mentioned as being there when Jesus was twelve years old, but once Jesus starts His ministry at the age 30, Joseph is no longer mentioned. Presumably, Joseph passed away sometime between those two milestones.
After Elizabeth’s affirmation that her son is the Messiah, there were other affirmations – the shepherds coming to them in Bethlehem, Simeon and Anna at the temple dedication. It would be natural for Mary to assume that Jesus will someday reveal himself as the Messiah, sit on the throne of David and free Israel from Roman rule.
The only ominous sign Mary received was from Simeon in Luke 2:34-35: “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
Once Jesus left home to start his ministry, Mary would start to hear about Jesus speaking of his arrest, torture and execution. This must have been perplexing to her and difficult. Then she would witness this happening, with her son dying a horrible death on a cross. Until the resurrection, the only glimmer of hope Mary could cling to would have been Jesus’ words about coming back to life after his death.
Once the resurrected Jesus appeared, Mary understood why Jesus had to die, and that God’s promises of a reversal is still to come. Although it did not happen during her lifetime, she knew that someday, it will.
Now that we are past Thanksgiving and the next big celebration is Christmas, what things occupy your thoughts?
When I was a child, the anticipation of Christmas started when the Sears “Wish Book” arrived in August/September. We got to put in requests for what items we wanted, and we would most likely get one of them on Christmas morning. Gathering of family and friends were secondary, since they only took time away from playing with our new toys.
As a parent of young children, I would think about what presents to get the kids, as well as where to have Christmas dinner and who to invite. Also, there were church related things to plan out. Do we have a service on Christmas Eve? Christmas morning? Do we try to do some sort of outreach during Christmas? Christmas program?
As a grandparent, the focus shifts to grandchildren – Asking their parents as to what we should get them. How to best have gathering with family and friends as to not disrupt too much from the grandkids playing with their new toys.
There is nothing wrong with us anticipating these things and planning them out. However, there are also things that we could learn from Mary’s song. She does not even mention the birth of Jesus in it. What the song does is praise God for not only the things He has done, but mostly for things that He will be doing in the future.
There is nothing wrong with celebrating the birth of Christ – After all, in Luke 2, we see the heavenly host celebrating. However, we need to remember that the heavenly host was praising God in celebrating the birth of Jesus. So, in our celebration of Christmas, praise of God should be prominent in what we do.
As Mary sang her praise in anticipation of what God was going to do, she was determined to do her part in God’s plan. We should also be praising God for not only what He has done for us, but what He will be doing in the future, and we too should be determined to do our part in God’s plan.
We can’t help but to be thinking of our family, friends, and especially the little ones in our lives, as Christmas approaches. But let us keep our focus on God and praising Him for what He has done for us and what He is planning to do in the future. Let us take this opportunity to be witnesses for Jesus, and let those around us know that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.
(the above is a summary of the message shared with us by Shun Takano at our worship on November 27, 2022.)
(The following is a communication from Rachel Wolff…. and describes a special fund raising effort that she is involved in on behalf of her good friend in Nepal. Please read and if possible, follow the link to her Go Fund Me page to help with this urgent need.)
Happy Thanksgiving from Nepal to our friends and family far and wide. We are grateful this year for our wonderful church here in Kathmandu, which brings together Christians from all over the world to worship and fellowship. This includes refugees who have fled persecution from neighboring countries because of their decision to follow Jesus. It has been eye-opening to fellowship with these courageous families, building a life in Nepal while hoping some day to start permanent new life in third countries like Canada, the US, etc.
One such family, who have become dear friends to us, have an urgent need that we’ve felt led to support. Hannah* (names changed for safety in case ever forced to return to their home countries) needs urgent surgery in Dallas to correct a rare and painful spinal condition that the American surgeon has assured her is completely treatable. Chris and I would be grateful if you’d take 5 min to read Hannah’s story below and spread the word to your church, friends, and others. We hope to raise the required amount rapidly so Hannah can make the trip and start her road to recovery.
Thank you, friends! May your Thanksgiving be richly blessed,
Rachel’s friend Hannah needs rare surgery, organized by Rachel Wolff
Rachel E. L. Wolff
Acts 27:21-38
Paul gave his defense in front of Festus and Agrippa, and their conclusion was that Paul had done nothing unlawful and that he could have been set free, if it were not for the fact that Paul had exercised his right as a Roman citizen to appeal to the emperor.
Under guard, Paul’s journey to Italy by sea begins. The winds were against them, and it took much longer to reach Fair Havens. Paul advised against continuing because of the dangerous conditions, but the pilot and the owner of the ship thought they could make it to Crete, where they could spend the winter, so they head out.
But they ran into a violent storm, and they had to throw the cargo overboard. The storm was persistent, and they could not see the sun nor stars for many days, and they started to think that they were not going to make it.
An angel appeared to Paul assuring him that he, as well as all on board, will make it safely to land. Paul urged them to eat some food, since they had not been able to eat for 14 days.
The next morning, they thought they were going to make it, but the boat struck a reef and started to sink. The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners, so that none would escape, but since the centurion wanted to keep Paul safe, he stopped them. They all jumped overboard, and all 276 passengers of the ship made it safely to land.
There are several things that stand out about Paul in this chapter. When everything is going wrong and people are assuming the worst and expecting to die, Paul calms them down and even gets them to eat. And when the soldiers are about to kill all the prisoners so that they cannot escape, the centurion saves them because the centurion does not want Paul to die. Without Paul, not all 276 people on board would have survived this voyage.
Verse 1 tells us that the name of the centurion who was put in charge of Paul and the other prisoners on this trip was Julius. It appears that Paul and Julius had established some kind of a rapport, since verse 3 tells us that “Julius treated Paul kindly, and allowed him to go to his friends to be cared for.”
The passage does not tell us how Paul established this kind of a relationship with the centurion. However, Paul’s own writings can shed some light on this.
1 Corinthians 10:33 . . . just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, so that they may be saved.
2 Timothy 2:24-25 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, 25correcting opponents with gentleness.
Titus 3:1-2 1Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone.
It does not mean that just because we treat others as Paul teaches, that we will be able to establish good relations with people. However, if we do not follow Paul’s teachings, it would be very difficult to establish any sort of relationship with the people we encounter. It is good to remember that there are no coincidences when it comes to God – We need to consider everyone we come across in our lives as someone God intended us to encounter.
When all seemed lost, Paul witnesses to the people, telling them what the angel of God told him – That not only Paul will make it to Rome, but that also not one of them would perish. He then declares that he has faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. He then proceeds to encourage everyone to eat, which gives further belief that Paul expects everyone to live.
Paul ends up saving the lives of everyone on board through his faith in God as manifested in his words and his actions, as well as with the relationship he has established with the centurion.
What can we learn from this? In this instance, Paul had the advantage of an angel appearing to him and assuring him that all on board would be saved. Paul basically just had to believe it and announce it to the others with confidence that God can and will do what He says.
For us, when we are in the midst of some crisis, we normally do not have an angel appearing to us as to what is going to happen. So, we are not able to confidently stand and tell others that they are all going to come through the crisis just fine. We are not able to tell people that they are going to be healed of their disease or find a new job or that a war can be avoided.
However, even if angels are not sent to us to tell us what is going to happen, we do have the Bible and the Holy Spirit to help us interpret it. Although the Bible does not tell us about what is going to happen in our lives, it does tell us some very important things. Things like being assured of an eternity with the Lord once this life is over, and the fact that God had created us to do works for Him, to spread the good news of the Kingdom and of Jesus Christ. Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we can be assured of these things, to the point where we can confidently declare that “I have faith in God”.
And if we live our lives as if we really have faith in God, then this is going to affect the people around us, both Christians and non-believers alike. This is how Paul lived, and we can also, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
(the above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano with us during our worship on November 13, 2022.)
Acts 26:24-32
After being imprisoned by Felix for two years, Felix is succeeded by Festus, who decides to consult with King Agrippa. Paul is brought in front of Agrippa and starts his defense. He tells of his background – how he grew up in a strict Jewish sect and was a Pharisee. He was so convinced that Jesus was not the Messiah, he persecuted Christians, sending them to prison, and then condemning to death. He was so eager to punish them, he even went chasing them into foreign cities.
He then talked about how he met the risen Jesus on the way to Damascus, who told Paul that he would testify for Him to both Jews and Gentiles, so that they might receive forgiveness. In obedience, Paul preached to those in Damascus, then Jerusalem and throughout the countryside of Judea, and to the Gentiles. And now, Paul is preaching to King Agrippa.
After this, Agrippa, Festus and Bernice all agree that Paul has done nothing wrong under Roman law, and that Paul could have been released, had he not appealed to the emperor.
Although Paul believed he was doing the right thing by appealing to the emperor, it turns out that had he not done so, he would have been released. Instead, Paul remains a prisoner, and will have to travel to Rome under guard and make an appeal to the emperor.
Sometimes, even if we did things that we thought were the Lord’s will, we end up in situations that are worse than had we not acted. When that happens, we tend to wonder what went wrong and what we should have done differently. When bad things happen to us, we immediately focus on our situation and wonder how we are going to get out of it.
Paul doesn’t seem to think like this. He acts as if the unexpected bad things that happen are opportunities to witness for the Lord. He first thinks of ministry, rather than how to get out of the tough situation.
How would our lives look different if we are able to take the same approach that Paul did? Instead of crying over “spilt milk”, we could be seeking means to use the situation to witness for the Lord.
Sometimes things happen unexpectedly and we’re not sure what to do about it. Our tendency might be to fight the situation if we don’t like the direction. Or go with it if it seems good to us. But if we choose solely based on whether it seems good for us, then we may be passing up an opportunity that the Lord is giving us. It is always good to not lean on our own understanding, but to pray about it and give the Holy Spirit a chance to guide us as to what the Lord would have us do.
Paul ends up sailing for Rome in autumn of 59AD, and reaches Rome in the spring of 60AD, after many adventures. He will stay under house arrest in Rome for 2 years. This means that because he appealed to the emperor, Paul spends at least an additional 2.5 years as a Roman prisoner.
On the surface, this does not sound like a positive outcome for Paul. However, at the same time, Paul accomplished many things for the Kingdom of God through the appeal to Rome. He witnessed and preached to rulers, soldiers, Jews and Gentiles. He healed and witnessed for the Lord through his actions during crisis, as well as saving lives.
During his two years in Rome, he wrote four letters that are part of the New Testament – Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. These letters would minister to believers for centuries to come.
A few years prior to this, around 57AD, Paul wrote the letters to the Roman church while he was in Corinth. In it, he expressed his desires to visit the Roman church on his way to Spain. This became a reality when he finally reached Rome.
Paul’s main desire for his life was to be a witness for Jesus Christ through words, deeds and behavior. He did the best in trying to have his steps be guided by the Holy Spirit. Whether he took the right steps or not, he ministered as best as he could through all situations and places in which he found himself.
We all make many decisions in our lives that affect our lives. Sometimes we make it for selfish reasons, other times we make it thinking that we are following the Lord’s will. Sometimes things happen in our lives that are unexpected and not under our control, and yet, change greatly the course of our lives. Some of these are large, but many times, it is a series of small changes. Each one of us can look back on our lives and see the cumulative effects of all these course changing events that got us to our present situation. We can anticipate that there will be more of these to direct our paths going forward.
Although we can’t change the past, we can learn from it. Instead of making decisions based just on facts, we can be in prayer and see how the Holy Spirit might guide us. But even when we are not sure at the moment that we are making the right decisions, be confident that the Holy Spirit will help us to witness for the Lord, even if we didn’t make the best choice.
We should take to heart what Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:2 – proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable.
Whatever situation we find ourselves in, whether the time is good or bad, proclaim the message. This is the attitude that Paul had, and so should we.
(the above is a summary of the message shared with us by Shun Takano during our worship on October 30, 2022.)
Acts 25:1-12
After Paul made his case to Felix, Felix kept Paul in custody, but gave him some freedom and allowed his friends to come and see him and take care of his needs. Felix was familiar with Christianity, and his wife was Jewish, and they would speak with Paul about faith in Jesus Christ. Paul also discussed things like justice, self-control and the coming judgement, which frightened Felix. Felix kept Paul imprisoned for two years, hoping that Paul would give him money, but that never happened. Then Felix was succeeded by Festus.
Festus travels to Jerusalem and the Jewish religious leaders give him a report against Paul and ask Festus to have Paul brought to Jerusalem. They were planning to ambush Paul along the way and kill him.
When Festus returned to Caesarea, the Jews also came down from Jerusalem, bringing many serious charges against Paul. Paul defends himself and declares that he has committed no offense against the Jewish laws, the temple, or against the emperor.
Festus asks Paul whether he wants to go to Jerusalem and be tried before Festus on these charges. Paul wisely states that he wants to appeal directly to the emperor, and Festus and the council agreed that this should be so.
After this, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea to welcome Festus, and Festus decides to consult with Agrippa. Agrippa wants to meet and hear Paul, so that was arranged, and Paul defends himself, as well as giving his testimony about Jesus Christ.
In Paul, we see someone who is totally committed to doing the work that the Lord has assigned to him. Back in Acts 9, the Lord reveals the plan He has for Paul to Ananias – To bring Christ’s name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel. As Ananias was ministering to Paul, he informed Paul what his role is to be for the Kingdom. Paul also was told that there will be much suffering as he goes about doing this work.
From the beginning, Paul was informed that this was not going to be an easy life for him. In fact, Paul recounts his experience in 2 Corinthians 11:24-27.
24Five times I have received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers and sisters; 27in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked. 28And, besides other things, I am under daily pressure because of my anxiety for all the churches.
Paul continued to preach that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and the Savior of the world, knowing that this would put him at odds with people in power that could do him harm. He witnessed in front of angry Jewish mobs, Jewish religious leaders who determined to kill him, Roman governors, and Roman appointed kings. Knowing that if he continued to witness for Christ, things would not work out well for him – yet, he continued to preach.
What made Paul such a great witness for Christ? It was his faith in Christ, his dependance on the Holy Spirit, and his knowledge that he was created to do Kingdom work. He understood that if he put his personal desires and goals aside and devoted himself to doing the work the Lord appointed to him, that he would find true joy, peace, and meaning for his life, as well as the assured promise of eternity with the Lord.
What about us? If we were told that if we accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, there might be suffering and your goal in life will change from chasing your own dreams to doing the Lord’s work, would we have accepted that? Well, Jesus did tell us that – It was not just to Paul.
It is written in Matthew 16:24-26 24Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 26For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? This is recorded in the other gospels also.
Paul encountered situations where there was injustice and hatred and ridicule. And yet, Paul didn’t bother trying to strike back or avoid these encounters. Each time, he took it as an opportunity to tell people about Jesus Christ and how he came to believe.
The sufferings that we might encounter in trying to do the Lord’s work are probably nothing compared to what Paul went through. Yet, the temptation to avoid hardships or difficulties will be there, unless we rely upon the help of the Holy Spirit.
The next time we are feeling overwhelmed or timid or reluctant about doing the Lord’s work, remember Paul and how he lived his life for the Lord. Also remember that the same Holy Spirit that helped Paul is also living within us.
True joy in this life is going to come not from chasing our own dreams, but by being in the will of the Lord Jesus.
(The above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano during our worship on October 23,2022.)
Acts 24:10-21
I have a hope in God—a hope that they themselves also
accept—that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.
Paul’s accusers, along with Paul, were called in front of Felix, the governor. Tertullus, the attorney for the high priest and the elders spoke about how Paul was a leader of the Christians and that not only was he agitating the people, but that he was profaning the temple.
Paul was then given a chance to defend himself. He denied the charges and told Felix that his accusers cannot prove any of their charges. He stated that all he was doing was worshipping and that he was not disputing with anyone nor stirring up the crowd. Basically, according to Paul, it came down to the fact that Paul believed in the resurrection of the dead, while some of the accusers did not, and that was the reason he was put on trial.
So let us look a little closer about the resurrection of the dead. When we hear the word, we tend to first think about how Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead. This was not simple coming back from the dead, only to die again later, like Lazarus, or any of the people who we hear about coming back to life after their heart stops. Jesus’ resurrection was permanent – He came back to life bodily and will not die again.
We also think about the resurrection of the believers. The Bible promises to us that if we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we also will be bodily resurrected and live eternally with God and our fellow believers.
What about those who die without accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior – Do they simply become extinguished? They are resurrected also – Paul states in v. 15, “. . . there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous”.
This means the everyone will be resurrected. The difference is that the believers will live with God once they are resurrected, while the nonbelievers will live without God. The Bible speaks of this place without God as dark and agonizing, where the fires do not cease and there will be gnashing of teeth – Definitely not a pleasant place. Eternity without God is not something you would wish for, for yourselves, your loved ones – probably not even your enemies.
The last part of the book of Revelations, chapter 20, depicts the scene where the dead are judged. Everyone is going to be judged according to their works. Presumably, everyone is going to be judged as failing to meet God’s standards. It sounds like each person will know that they have failed to be judged as worthy and should be thrown into the lake of fire. But then the book of life is mentioned – anyone whose name is found in that book will not be thrown into the lake of fire.
So, how does anyone get their name into the book of life? It is simply a matter of faith – Faith in Jesus Christ. Anyone who accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior will have their names written into the book of life.
I am aware that many loved ones and friends, as far as I know, have passed away without coming to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. But I know that most of them did get an opportunity to hear about the Lord. So, my hope is that sometime before they died, even if it were in the last seconds of their lives, they had a change in heart. This hope is based on the fact that the Lord does not wish for anyone to perish, and that every chance would have been given. The Bible tells us that the return of Jesus is being delayed so that more people are given the chance to come to faith in Him.
We know that there is nothing we can do for those who have already passed away. However, we should take seriously the task of telling the living about Jesus Christ – How He is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.
For whatever reasons, it seems that society has lost its manners. Behaviors that would have been considered rude and unacceptable a few years ago have become common place. It has become much more unpleasant. From experience, once these lines are crossed, societies don’t revert back so easily. We can expect that it will steadily get more crass, ill-mannered and violent.
Physically, this world has some truly beautiful places, and yet, we know that it is also in a fallen state. The Bible tells us that in the end, a new earth will take its place. Whether this means that this earth will be renewed and restored to the original state, or a brand new one will replace this one, it is going to be a far lovelier place.
As unpleasant as this world can be, for those whose name is written in the book of life, they can be comforted to know that this is the closest to hell that they are going to get. But for those whose name is not on the book of life, this world is going to be the closest they are going to get to heaven.
Like Paul, we believe in the resurrection of the dead. We also have been told that after resurrection, only those with their names written in the book of life are going to avoid the lake of fire and be able to spend eternity with God and other believers in a new earth.
So, like Paul, let us commit to telling as many people as we can, as many times as we can, about the saving grace God is offering us through His Son, Jesus Christ. It is not always easy, but the Holy Spirit will provide us with the words, love and power as needed.
(the above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano during our worship on Sunday, October 16, 2022.)
Japanese Congregational Church 