Sunday, December 17, 2017

“The One Thing That is Necessary”

Luke 10:38-42

1. Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus

* Matthew 4:4 “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (NIV)

* Psalm 1:2-3 “…but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.” (NIV)

2. Martha, distracted

* Luke 10:40 “distracted”

Direct translation = “to slip out of place” “to be pulled to a side street”

3. Jesus’ evaluation of the two women

* Luke 10:40 “all the preparations” = for hospitality

* Luke 10:41 “worried” = troubled over, anxious about

* Luke 10:41 “upset about” = discontent, run into trouble, get involved in a problem

* Matthew 26:12-13 “When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” (NIV)

* “God’s Word” a poem by Genzo Mizuno (English translation)

“God, please give me a Word today too

Just one is fine

Because my heart is small

Even if I receive a lot, they will just overflow

And that would be a waste”

Thoughts to share at Mini Church:

1. What is the “one thing that is necessary?”

2. Why do you think that is necessary?

3. How to you ensure that necessity in your lifestyle?

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Sunday, December 10, 2017

“How Do You Read It?”

Luke 10:25-37

* John 14:1-3 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 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)

1. Questioning & answering between the expert in the law and Jesus

2. The parable of the “good Samaritan”

3. Jesus Christ, the good Samaritan

Thoughts to share at Mini Church:

1. Who do you think is “your neighbor?”

2. What do you think is the message of the parable of the “good Samaritan?”

3. What do you think is the common point between Jesus Christ and the “good Samaritan?”

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Sunday, December 3, 2017

“Our Joy, Jesus’ Joy”

Luke 10:17-24

1. Our joy

* Philippians 4:3 “The book of life”

(Revelation 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:15, 21:27)

* Revelation 21:27 “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (NIV)

* Luke 9:25 “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?” (NIV)

2. Jesus’ joy

* Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis I’s speech

(On June 24, 2014 at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican)

“The Crisis of the Catholic Church”

* “The Desire to Want a Happy Death” by Yasuyuki Shimoinaba

An incident that occurred at the Eikoh Hospital Hospice Center

Thoughts to share at Mini Church:

1. What should we really be joyful about? Why do you think so?

2. What is the joy of Jesus? Why is that?

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Sunday, November 26, 2017

“With the Lord of the Harvest”

Luke 10:1-16

1. Clear goal

2. Firm determination

* Luke 10:9 “near” (perfect tense) = “It’s already near, so it is here”

* 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 “That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” (NIV)

* The work of Hudson Taylor (Founder of the China Inland Mission) 1832 - 1905

3. Precise judgment

* John 4:35 “Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” (NIV)

* Romans 13:11 “And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” (NIV)

* Revelation 13:16-17 “It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.” (NIV)

Thoughts to share at Mini Church:

1. What should we Christians have as the goal of our life?

2. In order to achieve that goal, what should you do?

3. What kind of era does the Bible say that it is now?

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Sunday, November 19, 2017

“Set Your Face Directly on the Face of God”

Luke 9:51-62

1. Samaritans who refused the hand of Jesus’ salvation

* Luke 9:51 “Fixed his face in the direction of Jerusalem.” (direct translation)

* “The Desire to Embrace a Happy Death” by Yasuyuki Shimoinaba (Words of Life Press Ministries)

2. Mental preparation to be a disciple of Jesus

* Luke 14:26-27 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (NIV)

* Matthew 19:29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (NIV)

* Luke 6:23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.” (NIV)

Thoughts to share at Mini Church:

1. How can you talk to people who refuse the salvation of Christ by saying “I am Buddhist”?

2. What kind of things can you think of as reasons to hesitate to become a disciple of Jesus?

3. What does the Bible say about the “reward” for those who obey Jesus?

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Sunday, November 12, 2017

“A Way of Living That Shines With Light”

Luke 9:37-50

1. Live while maintaining contact with the life of God

* Matthew 17:20 “He replied, ‘Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.’” (NIV)

* 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray continually.” (NIV)

* Ephesians 1:19 “And his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength” (NIV)

2. Live obeying the mission of God

* 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)

* “A Man Called Norman” (movie)

3. Live with a humble heart

* Matthew 18:3 “And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’” (NIV)

* The faith of Dr. Albert Schweitzer

Thoughts to share at Mini Church:

1. Why were the disciples unable to drive out the demon at that time?

2. What type of stance does God desire us to live in? (Acts 20:35)

3. What type of person do you think is the “least?”

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Sunday, November 5, 2017

“The Transfiguration of Jesus on the Mountain”

Luke 9:28-36

1. Dead people are alive

* Dwight L. Moody (American evangelist)

“Someday you will read in the papers, 'D. L. Moody of East Northfield is dead.' Don't you believe a word of it! "At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now.”

2. Glory becomes the power for trials

3. The voice of God you can hear when you obey his will

* The voice of God in the life of Jesus Christ

(4) When being baptized in the Jordan River

(5) When being transfigured on the mountain of glory

(6) When praying in the Garden of Gethsemane

* “Shiokari Mountain Pass” by Ayako Miura

Thoughts to share at Mini Church:

1. Where are those who believed in Jesus Christ and have died, and what are they doing?

2. Why do you think Jesus showed himself in a transfigured form to three of the disciples?

3. Have you ever heard the voice of God that echoes in your heart? What kind of time was it?

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Sunday, October 29, 2017

“Who Do You Say Jesus Is?”

Luke 9:18-27

1. Peter’s confession

* Matthew 16:17 “Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.’” (NIV)

2. The prophesy of Jesus’ suffering and victory

* Matthew 27:46 “About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’).” (NIV)

* Psalm 22:1 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?” (NIV)

* Psalm 22:27-28 “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations.” (NIV)

* John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (NIV)

3. The readiness of Jesus’ disciples

(1) “Deny yourself”

(2) “Take up your cross”

(3) “Follow Jesus”

4. The happiness of those who save your life

* The words in a large auditorium at a Roman university

“And after that is eternity. Eternity.”

Thoughts to share at Mini Church:

1. Who do you say Jesus Christ is?

2. What do you think is the meaning of Christ’s words in Matthew 27:46?

3. What does it mean to “save your life?”

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Sunday, October 22, 2017

“Faith and Marriage”

Ephesians 5:22-33

1. Human relationships are suffering

* The relationship that serves as the true base of human relationships is the “husband and wife relationship.”

2. The “husband and wife relationship” and “relationship between Christ and the church (us)”

* The passage in Ephesians 5 teaches that rather than “married life being an example of ‘the relationship of Christ and the church,” instead that “in order for the ‘ideal image of the relationship of God and humans’ to be made known to us, God created the relationship of ‘marriage.’”

① Prior to “male and female relationships,” the “relationship between God and humans” existed.

② The “relationship between God and humans” became broken, so the “husband and wife relationship” also became broken.

1 John 4:20 “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” (NIV)

3. Live in a “truly abundant relationship”

* God is longing to have an “intimate relationship” with each and every one of us.

* God desires for us to honor the married lifestyle and enjoy happiness.

Hebrews 13:4a “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure...” (NIV)

* It is possible to experience a truly blessed and satisfying marriage relationship because of walking in a “relationship with God.”

Thoughts to share at Mini Church:

1. Do you have the desire to “form a more intimate relationship with God?”

In order to realize that desire, what can you “do,” and what are you “doing?”

2. Who has the most intimate relationship with you here on earth? Do you desire to form an intimate relationship “with God” that exceeds that of the relationship “with that person?”

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Sunday, October 15, 2017

“When Words Become The Word of God”

Matthew 8:5-12

* “Words” and “the Word of God”

* When “words” become “the Word of God”

1. When trusting in God’s authority

* Luke 7:3 “The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant.” (NIV)

* Luke 7:4-5 “When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” (NIV)

* Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (NIV)

* Matthew 8:13 “Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.” (NIV)

* Hebrews 4:2 “For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.” (NIV)

* Tomijiro Kobayashi (Creator of “LION,” a detergent company)

* Hebrews 12:11-12 “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.” (NIV)

2. When responding in faith

* Luke 7:7 “That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.” (NIV)

* Matthew 14:28-29 “’Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come,’ he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.” (NIV)

* The testimony of Kinya Kuwayama

* 1 Peter 4:2 “As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.” (NIV)

* Psalm 81:6 “I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket.” (NIV)

Thoughts to share at Mini Church:

1. If the words of the Bible do not resonate in your heart, why do you think that is?

2. If you have ever experienced “words” becoming “the Word of God,” please share.

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