O Holy Night in English, Indonesian, Samoan, and Japanese.
performed by: Jun, Mark, Malolo and Jinggo
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Special Worship Service for Seminary Schools
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Special Worship Services for Seminary School
On June 30, it will be Special Worship Services for Seminary School. The first and second worship services will be held respectively. Lu San from Myanmar, a seminary student at Seinan Gakuin University will give the sermons.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Daimyo Cross Garden
Pastor Yoshida, and a representative, Brother Sumida participated in the inauguration ceremony at Fukuoka International Church on June 23, 2013.
After the ceremony, they visited Daimyo Cross Gurden, a new church in Tenjin area of Fukuoka.
https://www.facebook.com/daimyocrossgarden
After the ceremony, they visited Daimyo Cross Gurden, a new church in Tenjin area of Fukuoka.
https://www.facebook.com/daimyocrossgarden
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Welcome Home
June 16, 2013 Sermon Summary
Luke 15:11-32
The prodigal son goes to a “distant land” (15:13). This “distance” is not just referring to physical distance but the “distance” of relationship. He had cut off his relationship with his father. ◆There was someone who said, “To cut off a relationship is to kill that person within you.” I see. People who have denied God’s existence are like the prodigal son. ◆However, humans become truly humans in God’s presence. As it says “God made man in his own image” (Genesis 1:27), humans cannot cut themselves off from God.◆In verse 17 it is written, “He came to his senses.” To “come to one’s senses” is to return to your true self. And our true self is when you is when you turn to face God the Father. This is repentance. ◆The reason Jesus came is to lead us humans back to God the Father. He is the way back.◆The reason we can return to God our Father and be held as “His child” is because of the sacrifice of Jesus’ life. The reason why we are greatly touched when we read this parable is because the one speaking is none other than Jesus himself.◆The gospel of the Bible is, “Everyone, welcome home in Jesus’ name!” Through Jesus, we can enter the kingdom. Through Jesus, we can become God’s children. That is the true blessing for us and allows us to be truly human.
Luke 15:11-32
The prodigal son goes to a “distant land” (15:13). This “distance” is not just referring to physical distance but the “distance” of relationship. He had cut off his relationship with his father. ◆There was someone who said, “To cut off a relationship is to kill that person within you.” I see. People who have denied God’s existence are like the prodigal son. ◆However, humans become truly humans in God’s presence. As it says “God made man in his own image” (Genesis 1:27), humans cannot cut themselves off from God.◆In verse 17 it is written, “He came to his senses.” To “come to one’s senses” is to return to your true self. And our true self is when you is when you turn to face God the Father. This is repentance. ◆The reason Jesus came is to lead us humans back to God the Father. He is the way back.◆The reason we can return to God our Father and be held as “His child” is because of the sacrifice of Jesus’ life. The reason why we are greatly touched when we read this parable is because the one speaking is none other than Jesus himself.◆The gospel of the Bible is, “Everyone, welcome home in Jesus’ name!” Through Jesus, we can enter the kingdom. Through Jesus, we can become God’s children. That is the true blessing for us and allows us to be truly human.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
As the Children of God
June 6, 2013 Sermon Summary
Mathew 5:9
Now, I want to focus on the
verse “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”◆When we confess and believe that Jesus Christ is the
Redeemer of our sins, we become children of God. Do you remember?That’s why we
have to be peacemakers because we are the children of God. Today, I believe
that we have special mission here at Beppu International Baptist Church.◆Currently, there are conflicts and terrors occurring
everywhere all around the world. There are many people who suffer from poverty.I
think it can be the first step to make peace, if, with merciful and meek hearts
we can build relationships together with people from other countries.Breaking
the walls, building bridges and peacemaking are indeed the things that the
world is looking for today. Here, we are like this, having a wonderful
relationship with each other. We have been given an environment where we can
send many people all over the world to spread the gospel from this church. ◆In The Tower of Babel, God judged humans’ pride and
haughtiness therefore God scattered people to different countries by confusing
their language. However, with gospel as the common “language”, God is using us
to make and realize peace. Are you following this calling, everyone? （Deacon Tetsuaki
Endo）
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Live Richly Toward God
June 2, 2013 Sermon Summary
Like 12:13-21
The event in these verses took place when Jesus was teaching the crowd like usual. Among the crowd, there was a man who was troubled over family inheritance so he asked Jesus to solve the problem for him.◆A quarrel similar to that appears in every generation. Sometimes, a quarrel can even lead to murders. I think possessions and wealth are such scary things because they can distort humans’ hearts. ◆Of course, I’m not saying that wealth and possessions are “evil” things. What’s important is how we utilize them. We must not sell our souls to wealth and possessions; we must not be controlled by them.◆That is a sound argument. Everyone here probably agrees to it, too. Still, wealth and possessions have the power of an evil desire, “greed”, which can suddenly enter our hearts and control us against our logic, without us even realizing it.◆This is not a problem of one man who is worried over family inheritance. This is a trap into which all humans can fall easily; this is our weakness. ◆“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions”.――The point that Jesus focuses on in this parable is “death”. The problem does not lie in wealth. It is in “death” which inevitably comes to visit everyone, regardless of their wealth.◆When death comes, there are meaningless things that we must let go of. Or, to put it differently, there are things that cannot separate us from death even if we cling onto them.◆This parable is not meant to say that “No matter how hard you work to amass your fortune, you’re only human and you’re destined to die”. This parable is an invitation, asking us “How should you live so that you are rich in the presence of God?”
Like 12:13-21
The event in these verses took place when Jesus was teaching the crowd like usual. Among the crowd, there was a man who was troubled over family inheritance so he asked Jesus to solve the problem for him.◆A quarrel similar to that appears in every generation. Sometimes, a quarrel can even lead to murders. I think possessions and wealth are such scary things because they can distort humans’ hearts. ◆Of course, I’m not saying that wealth and possessions are “evil” things. What’s important is how we utilize them. We must not sell our souls to wealth and possessions; we must not be controlled by them.◆That is a sound argument. Everyone here probably agrees to it, too. Still, wealth and possessions have the power of an evil desire, “greed”, which can suddenly enter our hearts and control us against our logic, without us even realizing it.◆This is not a problem of one man who is worried over family inheritance. This is a trap into which all humans can fall easily; this is our weakness. ◆“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions”.――The point that Jesus focuses on in this parable is “death”. The problem does not lie in wealth. It is in “death” which inevitably comes to visit everyone, regardless of their wealth.◆When death comes, there are meaningless things that we must let go of. Or, to put it differently, there are things that cannot separate us from death even if we cling onto them.◆This parable is not meant to say that “No matter how hard you work to amass your fortune, you’re only human and you’re destined to die”. This parable is an invitation, asking us “How should you live so that you are rich in the presence of God?”
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