Minemachi Christ Church Message English

Sunday, October 18, 2026
“Bring Them to Jesus”
Pastor Joey Anjiki

1. Present day diseases through the lens of paralysis
* Paralysis: Symptoms of numbness and inability to move the arms and legs resulting from the aftereffects of a brain disease (i.e. stroke)
* Values that can also be said to be present day diseases:
(1) Materialism
(2) Decreased self-image
2. Bring them to Jesus
* Mark 2:4 “Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.” (NIV)
* Break down the barriers that hinder sharing about Jesus Christ
3. The One who has authority to forgive sin
* Matthew 9:4-5 (See above) *The logic that if a more difficult task is able to be done, then the easier task would naturally be able to be done
* This proved that since the more difficult task of enabling a paralyzed man to get up and walk was possible, then the easier task of having the authority to forgive sin also took place
* The greatest problem of our lives: death

Thoughts to share at mini church:
1. What kind of things are values that can be said to be present day diseases?
2. Have you experienced a change in those values after coming to know Jesus?
3. How has the resolution of the problem of death impacted your life?

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Sunday, October 11, 2026
“Jacob Blesses Pharaoh, King of Egypt”
Pastor Hiroyuki Anjiki

1. The meeting of Paraoh and Joseph’s brothers
2. The meeting of Pharaoh and Jacob
* Genesis 47:7 & 10 “blessed” = “baruch” in Hebrew

Thoughts to share at mini church:
1. Why did Joseph choose the land of Goshen for his family? What did you learn from this?
2. What do you think of Jacob’s blessing of Pharaoh? What can we learn from Jacob’s faith?

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Sunday, October 4, 2026
“The One Who Has the Authority to Subdue Evil”
Pastor Joey Anjiki

1. The existence of the devil and evil spirits
* Matthew 8:28 (See above)
* The origin of the devil and evil spirits: Isaiah 14:12-15
“How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.” (NIV)
* 2 Corinthians 4:4 “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (NIV)
2. Authority to subdue evil spirits
* Matthew 8:29 (See above)
* C. S. Lewis: Two wrong attitudes toward the devil and evil spirits
(1) Denying the existence of the devil and evil spirits
(2) Having an unhealthy fascination with the devil and evil spirits
* Martin Luther’s Protestant Reformation
* 1 John 4:4 “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (NIV)
3. God’s plan to win against the wisdom of evil spirits
* Matthew 8:31 (See above)
* Matthew 8:34 (See above)
* However, this incident let to the miracle of bread for 4,000 people
* Revival in China

Thoughts to share at mini church:
1. What is the origin and purpose of the devil?
2. What should we turn our eyes toward when tempted?
3. Remember that God has a plan to win against the wisdom of the devil.

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Sunday, September 27, 2026
“The Reuniting of Jacob and Joseph”
Pastor Hiroyuki Anjiki

* Isaiah 55:9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (NIV)
1. Jacob setting off for Egypt
* Reasons for worshipping God:
(1) Praising and thanking God
(2) Repenting
(3) Confirming His will
2. Jacob’s family, who moved to Egypt
3. Reuniting with Joseph and Joseph’s proposal

Thoughts to share at mini church:
1. What did you learn from the three reasons to worship God?
2. Why was Joseph insistent on the region of Goshen? What can you learn from Joseph’s insistence?

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Sunday, September 20, 2026
“The Path of Following Christ as His Disciple”
Pastor Joey Anjiki

1. Why follow Jesus Christ?
* Matthew 8:19 (See above)
* Matthew 8:20 (See above)
* The meaning of Matthew 8:21 (See above)
* The Japanese belief in divine blessings
* Why do we want to follow God?
* The Korean War: A mother’s love
* 1 John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us.” (NIV)
2. Finding Peace in the Midst of Trials　
* The storm on the Sea of Galilee
* Matthew 8:24 (See above)
* When believing in Jesus and walking with Him, this peace in Jesus will be given to you even amidst the storms of life
* Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States
* 1 Peter 1:7 “These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (NIV)

Thoughts to share at mini church:
1. Why do we follow Jesus?
2. What can we gain through trials when following Jesus?
3. Have you ever experienced a deepened relationship with God and growth through a trial?

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Sunday, September 13, 2026
“Jacob, who Regained his Will to Live”
Pastor Hiroyuki Anjiki

1. Invitation from Pharaoh
* Harmony with the parallel passage in Luke
* John 14:3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (NIV)
* Job 1:21 “… Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (NIV)
2. Jacob’s joy
* Genesis 45:27 “…Jacob revived.” = chaya ruach (in Hebrew) = “his spirit was alive (revived)”
3. Jacob’s story as end times prophesy
* The national revival of Israel
* Zechariah 12:10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” (NIV)
* Romans 11:25-26 “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: ‘The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.’” (NIV)

Thoughts to share at mini church:
1. What kind of difficulties do you think there were for Jacob’s family immigrating to Egypt?
2. What countermeasures did Joseph take to address that?
3. When and how is the national revival of Israel going to take place?

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Sunday, September 6, 2026
“The Faith of the Centurion”
Pastor Joey Anjiki

1. Seeking God and finding Him
* Harmony with the parallel passage in Luke
* Luke 7:4-5 “When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” (NIV)
* The centurion sought the true God and found Him
* Acts 17:26-27 “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” (NIV)
2. Reflecting God’s nature
* The centurion sought Jesus to heal his servant
* Ephesians 4:13 “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (NIV)
* A story from Kosuke Haga’s childhood
3. Trusting in Jesus’ Word
* Matthew 8:8 “…But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” (NIV)
* The testimony of a healing in India

Thoughts to share at mini church:
1. Please pray for people whom for which you would like to meet Jesus.
2. Have you ever felt the love of Jesus through the love of someone?
3. Have you
ever experienced God speaking to you through His Word?

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Sunday, August 30, 2026
“The Reconciliation of Joseph & His Brothers”
Pastor Hiroyuki Anjiki

1. Joseph reveals his own identity
* Genesis 45:3 “because they were terrified” = “they were so shocked by what happened they were flustered” (different translation)
2. Joseph explains God’s plan
* Genesis 45:10 “the region of Goshen” A place located in the northeast of the delta region of the Nile River. A place good for keeping livestock, but not for pursuing agriculture
3. Joseph requests a message to be passed on to his father
* Genesis 45:12 “You can see for yourselves”

Thoughts to share at mini church:
1. Try to imagine how brothers felt when they found out who Joseph really was
2. Why didn’t Joseph hold a grudge against his brothers for what they did to him?
3. Why was Joseph able to say such a thing as he did in verse 12?
4. What kind of meaning does the fact of the “resurrection of Jesus Christ” have in your faith life?

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Sunday, August 23, 2026
“How to See the One Who is Invisible”
Pastor Kenichi Osumi

1. Preparing for the return of the Lord
2. An era obsessed with what is visible
* A conversation between psychiatrist Hideki Wada and artist Tadanori Yoko
* Some words from Pastor Akira Hattori
* The testimony of Pastor Tadashi Kosaka
3. Why can’t people see the One who is invisible?
* (1) Fear: Elisha’s servant
* (2) Desire: Balaam
* (3) Disappointment: Jacob
4. How to see the One who is invisible
* Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (NIV)
* Psalm 51:17 “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” (NIV)
* Hebrews 12:2 “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (NIV)

Thoughts to share at mini church:
1. Why do you think it is that we become obsessed with what we can see, and don’t make an effort to see?
2. What should we do to be able to see the One we can’t see?

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Sunday, August 16, 2026
“Judah Offers to Take
Benjamin’s Place”
Pastor Hiroyuki Anjiki

1. Joseph’s plot
* Genesis 44:2 “silver cup” Silver cups were used for divination. Stealing ritual items was a serious crime punishable by death.
* Genesis 44:14 “Judah and his brothers” Judah’s leadership
2. Judah’s intercession
* Genesis 44:16 “servants’ guilt”
* Genesis 44:18 “went up to him” A determined, deliberate attitude
3. The one who would come as a descendent of Judah
* 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.” (NIV)
* “foundation” = Jesus Christ
* “house” = action (gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, straw)

Thoughts to share at mini church:
1. Why did Joseph come up with such a plot?
2. How did Judah feel, who interceded?
3. Is your life built upon Jesus Christ? What kind of materials should we use to build a house on that foundation?

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