The Victimized Sister

30 October 2011

Dear Phyllis,

The other night Pammy and I were at a prayer meeting and heard a heart-rending testimony. I very fine sister was there who gave a positive testimony that she had just gained access to one of her three children. Over a year ago her husband had left her for another woman and taken her three children with him. For over a year she had not only been abandoned by her unfaithful husband but deprived of her children. That kind of antics does marvels for my adrenaline system. I would love to go castrate the vile man who could pull a stunt like this.

But the rest of the story tripled my enthusiasm to put him on a pig spite and roast him over the flames of hell. What I heard after that just made me want to vomit. It turns out that her husband is a gifted guitarist on a praise team and the lovely lady that he has chosen as his bed partner is a very well known gal, who profess to be a lady-pastor and runs a large praise center. More than that it was reported that before she got in bed with the guitarist, she first had sex with his brother. How sick can you get?

Since our initial encounter with Noi, the victimized sister, Pammy has become close friends with her. The part of town and Christian circle where this drama is taking place is close to where Pammy lived for two years, and the Christian circle are Pammy's closest friends. She – along with everyone else in that area – knows the husband and the other woman. I was utterly thunder struck that such a thing could go on with no one raising a voice against it. It would appear that a major factor is establishing the morality of this disgusting sin – and acceptance by the Christian community – is money. The lady is very wealthy, and no one wants to jeopardize their relationship with her and her money. Further more her Praise Center is a very well known establishment, and the Christian pastors want to continue to have access to their talent.

It really is none of my business except that somehow there seems to be something wrong with this picture. The Name of Christ is being hosted in a sewer. It would seem to me that someone should do something about it; but the main ones involved are silent. I have been agonizing over what – if any – is my role in this matter.

Friday night I had a very unusual experience. For several weeks there has been talk about a big combined meeting of several churches at a resort. It sounded like a real good deal. To the best of my knowledge, I was supposed to be the main speaker. Keosari, who was sponsoring it, had personally asked me to speak, and Pammy frequently reminded me. I really felt the Lord had given me a message to share with these people that night. Keosari was supposed to stop by to pick us up at 4:00 that afternoon. Being military, I am very sensitive about being on time. This is a huge culture conflict here in Thailand as everyone in Thailand runs on Thai time – which is any time you get there. No one is expected to be on time, and punctuality has never been considered as Christian issue. To me, keeping your word is a very serious issue, and I refuse to compromise on that subject. I wasn't surprised when Keosari didn't show up at 4:00, but by 4:30 I was having a severe struggle with tolerance. At 4:45 I said, “Hang it!”, changed my clothes, and went back to work. At 5:20 Keosari cheerfully showed up. She politely apologized for being late again, and I nearly took her head off. But I cooled down enough to changed my clothes again, and got in the car to go to the meeting.

It was horrible! I pleaded with the Lord to “create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10) so I could speak. No soap. He didn't do it. By the time we got to the meeting, I told Pammy to tell Keosari that there was no way I could speak at her fun fellowship meeting. Count me out! The main attraction she had was a very good guitarist and a female singer who led the praise, and were front and center all night. I was as defeated as I have been in many years. After we got home Pammy spoke a real word of wisdom to me. She said, “All right, I will be honest with you now. The guitarist was Noi's husband and the singer was the adulteress woman.” Bang!!! I thanked Pammy for not telling me sooner. After she told me that, I understood why the Lord never lifted my spirit that night. It wasn't me that was upset. It was the Holy Spirit that didn't care for the party.

The next morning Pammy told me more details about the sordid mess. The situation reminds me of the time a surgeon friend of mine was operating on a young boys leg. He had no idea what was inside until he opened it up, and was horrified to find everything was purifying cancer. The situation with Nit, the adulterous female pastor, is well known among all the pastors in that fellowship. Keosari knows in detail what is going on but is trying to help her get reestablished as a Christian leader. There is talk that she and the man she stole from Noi might even get married. Nice talk!

As I shared with you before, church discipline is a major problem in Thailand. Thai pastors seem especially reluctant to take corrective action to cleanse the Thai church and make a barrier to keep Christians from sin. It is one thing that ordinary believers live in open sin, but when it comes to high profile Christian leaders getting a pass; this is an especially serious issue. If no one else is willing to raise a voice of protest, I feel especially constrained to do all within my power to see this sordid matter is dealt with properly. I have a bit of a stand to do this. I am a respected senior missionary among these people. Keosari has been very desirous to have me work with her, and frequently has me speak at her meetings.

Tomorrow I plan to have a serous talk with her. There is no question but what she is complicit in this horrible act of adultery. To have two Christian leaders be so blatantly involved in sin of this nature, and then sponsor and endorse them, is to be a partaker of their sin. The scripture warns at least three rimes about being partakers of other men's sins (1Tim. 5:22, 2Jn. 11, Rev. 18:4). By inviting them to be a main feature in her fellowship meeting, Keosari is complicit in the sin.

Furthermore I am disturbed that the Thai pastors are aware of this situation and remain silent. Yesterday I spoke with an American missionary who was much involved in this fellowship. About a year ago, when he saw what was going on, he felt constrained to pull out. He told me that he felt it was wrong to stay in fellowship with people who were engages in deep sin of this nature. He told me, “I don't know what can be done or how to handle a mess like this.” My reply was, “I don't know what can be done but I do know one thing that is wrong. That is to be silent!”

Pammy suggested, “Perhaps we should just pray and let the Lord deal with them.” But 1Cor. 5 is very clear that the church has a serious responsibility to deal with evil offenders. You can't get much clearer than 1 Cor. 5:6 that commands, “Put away from yourselves that wicked person.” If we don't shoulder our responsibility and do what God commands, it is pointless to ask God to do anything or help us. There is such a thing as God-given responsibility of administration. There is such a thing as God-ordained vertical structure in both society and within the church. The Bible clearly speaks of “those who rule over you” in both cases (Rom. 13:1,2; Heb. 13:17). In the case of a bank robbery or murder, it would be just as reasonable for a police chief to say, “I don't think i should do anything. God is the judge. I will just stay here in the police station and pray, and let God deal with them”; as for mature Christians to fold their hands, endorse the most wicked form of sin, and then say, “Well, I will just pray for them. and let God deal with this situation”. That is the epitome of irresponsibility.

People have asked me, “Do you have any command of God that you should get involved and speak to these people?” My response to that is; that I have as much a call of God as Phinehas did when he speared Zimri and Cozbi. In Num. 25:1 we read, “Israel began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.” Zimri was the son of one of the top men in Simeon. To show his defiance to the law of God and Moses, he took the daughter of the chief of Midian and had sex with her “in the sight of Moses and all the congregation of Israel”; who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle (verse 6). Why didn't Moses do something? I don't know. Apparently he was praying. When Moses, Aaron, and the rest of the leaders of Israel didn't move and were silent; Phinehas grabbed a spear and spiked both of them to the ground as they were engaged in the very act. He had no business acting like he did, but God gave him an A+ rating (Num. 25:10-13). A friend warned, “When you go to speak with these people, please be very kind.” I replied, “I certainly don't want to be any less Christ-like than Phinehas when he speared that wicked couple in Numbers 25.”

Along with Nun and Nit, the wicked adulterous couple, and Keosari – who is endorses them – there are also a number of Thai pastors who are silent to supportive. Needless to say they also are on my conversation list. Peter is a very fine pastor. I spoke in his church two weeks ago, and am scheduled to speak there again next Sunday. I have great respect for him. But he knows all about the mess with the wicked praise team and Keosari, but he felt it prudent to remain silent and speak at the fellowship meeting Friday night. That puts him in bed with the other three.

Most Christians who are aware of that odious mess at the House of Praise agree that something needs correction, but ask, “What can be done?” My response is, “Why not do what the Bible says?” Paul gives very specific instruction in 1 Cor. 5:4,5 – deliver them over to Satan. This is not just some idle suggestion but something that Paul practiced himself. He told Timothy that he had “delivered Hymenaeus and Alexander over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme” (1 Tim. 1:20). We also have Paul's Elymas prayer in Acts 13:8-11.

I knew a situation several years ago where a group of elders were dealing with a very defiant adulteress. The meeting turned into a shouting match. They got mad and shouted at her, and she shouted right back at them. She could thumb her nose at them and they were powerless to do anything. They asked my advice, and I said, “Why not obey the Bible? (1Cor. 5:5). They were horrified at such a suggestion.

Small wonder the church is in a mess. This isn't just a local problem but one that is rampant virtually world wide. It certainly is true in America where over 80% of young people see nothing wrong with free sex; and the church is saturated with open sin. We have the same situation here in Thailand. And I suspect this is a common problem in most countries.

It will be interesting to see what the Lord will do when I speak to Keosari and then push forward to the core of the problem. Something desperately needs to be done. If I can find some men with guts enough to take a stand and spiritual authority, perhaps a vile situation can be cleaned up. And maybe a little fear of God instilled in the bystanders. We wonder why there is no fear of God in the churches today. Maybe this is the reason. Pastors are silent to supportive. Few men will take a hard stand, and fewer still have any spiritual authority.

May God give me grace to stay low enough that He might use a maverick weak servant. Lord Jesus,do it for Your own Names sake.
bill

Hang Tough for Jesus

23 October 2011

Dear Phyllis,

In August 1965, after a one year furlough, I got back to Karuizaw for another crack at language study. A new gal with TEAM had just shown up as a first term missionary. Mary Ellen Gudeman was a phenomenon like I had never seen – before or since. To say she landed running hardly describes it. The first week she was in Japan she was leading souls to Christ at Matsubarako Bible camp. And she never slowed down. Mary Ellen had been there about three weeks before I got back, and we met at the language school to study Nihongo (Japanese) together. I was a 2^ndterm missionary with six previous years behind me serving the Lord in Japan. In those days I thought that made me quite senior, and, for new missionaries, I was looked upon with a certain degree of respect and awe. But Mary Ellen was cut out of a piece of cloth like we had never seen. She was so filled with Christ that I would have considered marrying her; except she was 12 years older and slightly taller – both of which were disqualifying features. But we were very close friends. In Christ our hearts could not have been more one. Forty six years later she still stands in an almost mystical category in my mind among the hundreds of missionaries and Christian workers I have known.

Mary Ellen grew up in Indiana as a teenager during the 2^nd WW. She loved dancing and was a volunteer worker at the USO clubs. During the war, the US military had USO clubs in many towns to provide moral boosts for lonely servicemen. There was nothing immoral about it, but many young girls worked at these clubs just to be sisters away from home to talk with and entertain these soldiers. That was Mary Ellen's contribution to the war effort – to be a friend and dance with soldiers.

Somehow during this time she got under the sound of the Gospel and more or less got saved. She taught Sunday School, but her heart was very much in the world. She loved the world and all it had to offer. Then when she was in her early 30s she came down with cancer. She knew she was ready to die because of her hope in her fire-insurance salvation, but she didn't want to because she loved the world. The Lord did two things for her while she was in the hospital. He healed her of cancer; but more importantly, He cured her of the world. Being face to face with death sobered her up to the futility of building your nest in this world. She was a highly efficient secretary and was making good money, but she cashed in everything to quit business and go to Bible School. Upon graduation she had no idea where to go, or what to do, and decided to attend a Deeper Life conference in Fort Wayne. She said the organizers of that conference must have despaired over an resounding failure of a conference. They had invited one of the top conference speakers in America, and, in an auditorium that would hold more than a thousand, only a handful of people showed up. By every visible account the conference was a total blow out. With one unseen exception. God got a grip on a sister who had just graduated from Bible School that He spoke to through that conference; and she sat up all night weeping. As it turned out, all the blessing that God had to pour out on hundreds of people got deposited in one single girl. The sponsors of that conference will never know until they get to heaven, but it can arguable be said that was the most productive conference for the Kingdom of God that they ever held. Theologically I can't explain it, but, somehow, she got a does of the fullness of Christ like I have never seen in any other person.

We had a Wednesday night prayer meeting for the missionaries in Karuizawa. Mary Ellen was teaching English in Minami ko High School about half an hour from Karuizawa. Every week she would report on how many got saved that week, and request prayer for others. In a nation where the national average is about one soul a year that a missionary leads to Christ, she was seeing several saved every week.

One time I was riding a train talking to three men sitting across from me. A high school girl was sitting next to me listening to the conversation. After half an hour she chirped up with a question slam on the mark. I left off talking to the men and devoted the rest of the time to this high school girl. I thought she might get saved, but we came to her eki (station) before I got that far. But the next week I got a letter from her saying she wanted to come to Karuizawa to see me. I was single in those days, and couldn't have a girl visit me, so I asked Mary Ellen if they could stay with her. At 3:00 o'clock I went to the eki to meet this girl and a friend she brought with her, and took them straight to Mary Ellen's house. She invited me to come back for supper. At 6:00 I went over there to be greeted by three weeping females – two of which just got saved.

Mary Ellen had a little prayer box with the names of contacts she knew and would take out one card to pray for them before every meal. She said the prayers were always the same and considered whether or not she should throw the prayer box away. But one night she had a dream. She saw her prayer box tied with a beautiful ribbon. An angel came down from heaven and opened the prayer box. Beautiful music poured out. She shared this experience with us at prayer meeting and said, perhaps her prayers sounded monotonous to her but sounded different to the Lord. On that account she decided to keep the box.

There was one girl at Minami ko that was particularly hateful. She would write Mary Ellen letters telling her how much she loved Buddha and hated Jesus. Needless to say, Takeuchi was the object of considerable prayer. Ten years later I was over in that town and met a girl about 28 years old. I asked where she went to high school, what years, and what was her name. I was stunned that that was Takeuchi. The next week she came to a dendo Kai (evangelistic meeting) in Karuizawa to hear the Gospel. The following week I happened to see Mary Ellen and told her that I had met Takeuchi and she came to church. Mary Ellen gasped, “I was just thinking about taking her name out of the prayer box.”

There is a scriptural law that says all seed “brings forth after its own kind” (Gen 1:21,24,25). To a large degree this is also true spiritually. Many years after I first met Mary Ellen, I was attending a New Years conference at Matsubarako Bible Camp. I went into a room, and saw a young man sitting at a small table on the floor. I sat down to have a chat with him. It didn't take long to tell where he stood with the Lord. The man was on fire. You could feel the heat coming off him. I asked, “How did you get saved?” He replied, “I was a university student and an American missionary, Mary Ellen Gudeman, came to our university...”I stopped him and said, “Say no more. I know the rest of the story. You have the same spirit as Mary Ellen.” Indeed there was a strange characteristic about the people that Mary Ellen led to Christ. Most of them stuck. That is unusual in Japan. And most of them had her fervor.

One time we had an unusual young man come to Karuizawa for language study. He was slam different than the rest. The man had a tremendous passion for Christ and for souls. One day I asked Joel how he got saved and wound up in Japan. He said he was raised in a strong Christian home and his parents were very active in missions. He said they always had missionaries in their home. One of their frequent guests was Mary Ellen Gudeman. I told him, “Naru hodo (I see), that explains everything. You have her spirit.” That is what made him different. She imparted that same burning passion to him.

I say all this because I am wondering if I haven't married the next generation Thai version of Mary Ellen Gudeman. I have only known Pammy three months. Time will tell what is actually going on, but what I have seen so far is something I have never seen in Thailand, and seldom seen since the days of Mary Ellen Gudeman. I spent my entire letter last week talking about her, and I could write a full letter about her every week.

All the young boys in this muban (housing area) love to come to my shop to make things. They are a bit of a nuisance but I have put up with them for five years. They pilfer through my scrap pile for little sticks to make guns and swords. I always stop what I am doing to help them cut sticks where they draw the lines, and nail things together. I have prayed for them and greatly desired to share Christ with them, but language has been prohibitive. The first day Pammy was here she told them to come next week and she would have a Bible study for them. They did, and she led all five to Christ. That was the second Saturday she was here.

The other day a mother came to see me asking if I would teach her son English. That must have required a great deal of courage for that woman to come to my house and make that request. My friend, Mike, is interested in working with young boys, so I had Pammy set it up for Mike to teach them. School is out in Thailand and they had class every day. Pammy is working with Mike interpreting for him.

Last Thursday one of the boys stole Pammy's cell phone. She came home upset that she lost it. That afternoon the guilty culprit brought it back. Pammy was out at the time, but I told Mike's house keeper what happened. The phone came back, but the case was missing. Pammy stopped by Mike's house on her way home, and An told her that the boy had returned her phone. She saw the boys and suggested, “I'll bet you could find the case also.” They did. Pammy stopped by the boy's house to talk with his mother about the incident. An hour later she came here and sat outside talking with Pammy. It almost brought tears to my eyes to see those two women bonding. They are like sisters. Pammy asked the little thief why he stole the phone. The other kids are sons of wealth parents but his folks don't have that kind of money. Pammy had four cell phones and gave one to the guilty boy. Needless to say he was thrilled. Of course Pammy shared Christ with his mother who said she wants to go to church with us. Caw (the boy) went to church and Sunday School with us today.

Missionaries have been living in this mubaan for over 14 years. I have been living here full time for the past eight years. To the best of my knowledge this is the first time a Christian has taken someone from this muban to church with them. Pammy doesn't just tell people about Jesus. She prays with them for salvation, and then takes them to church. We plan to have a BBQ at our house this coming Wednesday. I have wanted to do this ever since I have lived here. Pammy said, “Of course, we will have a Bible study afterwards.” I have wanted to have a home ministry for the past 22 years and this is the first time that it looks like that is becoming a reality. I am preaching almost every Sunday now in various Thai churches. Domestically we are doing very well but the spiritual fire that is taking place is a cause for inexpressible thanks giving.

On a totally different subject, Thailand is under water. We came within 20cm (8 inches) of having a historic flood here three weeks ago. But the cities further south are having floods like no one dreamed was possible. The only way to get from here to Bangkok is by air. The TV news of Bangkok is unreal. Major portions of that city are totally submerged. Unlike any flood I am familiar with, they say this one will prevail for weeks. Our floods here in Chiang Mai only last for two of three days, but the water there looks more like a lake than a river.

Jesus is coming and it isn't surprising that things like this are happening.

Let's hang tough for Jesus,

bill

"When I stopped doing Dendo".

16 October 2011

Dear Phyllis,

I'm having an interesting time at the New Creation Church Bible School teaching a course on evangelism. I told them at the beginning that evangelism is a subject about which I unqualified to teach. Forty years ago I was an authority and could answer any question. Today I have more questions than answers. I doubt that anyone else is getting much out of it, but I find it very refreshing for myself to teach that subject.

I spent four weeks just talking about the introduction of Why to evangelize. I said there are there reason why people evangelize. One is for self –to make OUR church bigger. The second is humanistic. It is because sinners are in bad shape and we don't want to see then go to hell. The third is for the Savior's sake. It is because Jesus shed His Blood to buy humanity back to the Father. We discussed the Lord's prayer and examined how our first and most passionate concern should be for he honor and glory of God. Hollowed be Thy Name. Secondly our goal should be for the extension of His Kingdom. Thy Kingdom come. And thirdly the compass of everything should be that the will of God is being done. Thy will be done. I feel very intense about this subject. If this is not the driving engine for everything we do in life, I wonder if we are actually serving the Lord, or just doing our own thing.

The fifth week I discussed the command to evangelize by reviewing the first five chapters of Acts. We saw that the enemy's primary tact is to silence us; and when the angel of the Lord got the apostles out of the slammer in the middle of the night, his command was “So, stand, speak” (Acts 5:20). This is a command that is incumbent upon all of us. This is the will of God for all of us – go, stand, and speak. I told about JB Friend and his vow to open his mouth to the Lord and verbally share Christ. It was like death to him, but he saw hundreds –perhaps thousands brought into the Kingdom through his ministry.

This last week I told them, “In all likelihood there is nothing I will say to you about evangelism that you don't already know. The problem isn't that we don't know that we should witness, but we just don't do it.” I said, “All that I taught them last week could be summed up in two words consisting of only four letters – DO IT!” The reason that church is not growing is because they aren't doing it.

I told them about churches I have been in in China where you couldn't get in the building because it was packed inside, and they had 50 chairs outside for people who couldn't get inside. I told them about Kichijoji where they have a church that could hold 200 people but there were 400 people jammed inside, and twenty more standing outside in the rain with umbrellas worshiping God. I mean to tell you that place is phenomenon the likes of which is seen in no other place in Japan! Inside that building every Sunday is just like a Tokyo commuter train. People are standing is every square inch. They are sitting on the stairs, the hall is packed, and you can't go the toilet because five people are jammed in there. I told the people that Thailand is no more difficult than Japan. Actually Japan is a harder place to evangelize than Thailand. And they could have the same thing in Mae Jo if they witnessed like they do in Kichijoji.

Gotthold Beck is arguably the finest missionary in post-war Japan. And he may be the best missionary that ever served the Lord in Japan. When he first came to Japan in 1953 he had a brief stop in Hong Kong. While there he was introduced to the work of Watchman Nee's Little Flock. He purposed at that time, when he got to Japan he wold try to let that be his model for evangelism. His first eleven years he was with German Lebenzellor Mission. That was 11 years of a running war. In his first five years he started three churches, baptized over 75 believers, put 11 young men in Bible school, and buried a son. There was no missionary in Lebenzellor that came close to his production, and he was continually at war with the field counsel over missionary tacts and policy.

After 11 years he quit Lebenzellor to go on on his own. He had zero support and everyone said he would starve. He joined himself to the Plymouth Brethren missionaries and got a house in Kichijoji that some missionaries had had for several years, but never got anything going. Gotthold began teaching German and English in a few universities and soon had a handful of young men saved. I was very close to Gotthold in the early years when he first got things going in Kichijoji. There were about 20 young folks who would gather each Sunday to have a Brethren type of worship service. I the late 1970s Gotthold got into high gear and pulled a stunt like I had never heard of. He had a week of special evangelistic meetings every cotton picken month for 36 months straight!

Practically every decent church I knew in Japan would have a week of special dendo (evangelism) at least once a year. This seemed to be something Pastor Bayun of the New Creation Church had never heard of. I said, “You contact the top evangelist in Thailand, mobilize everyone in your church to make a max effort to invite all their friends, neighbors, and relative to come to the church for special meetings.” Every night is a special dendo kai where the top speaker preaches the Gospel and an invitation is given for salvation.

In the 70s we had a terrific combination going in Karuizawa. Dick Dennis was there going wide out working with high school and university students. He had Japanese kids coming out his ears'. Poor Millie, when she went to bed at night, she never knew how many would be there for breakfast. They would come in in the middle of the night, and sleep on the floor. His car made so many trips to the eki (train station), all he had to do was hit the ignition, and the car could drive by itself to the eki. Pastor Takahashi was a very good pastor at the Fukuin Kyokai (Gospel Church). Dick would take all his kids over there for church on Sunday. And once a years Brother Takahashi would have Takimoto sensei come for special meetings. He was excellent in drawing the net. One night I was having an all night prayer meeting with about 30 people. I asked each one to give a brief testimony on how they got saved. Two thirds of the people there had been saved through Takimoto.

Gotthold Beck did this only he did it every month for three years! When Gotthold told me what he was doing I was shocked. I said, “You will kill everybody! No one can stand that kind of pressure”. Gotthold replied that his purpose was to keep the people so busy doing dendo that they wouldn't have time to fight.

For a few years I drifted out of contact with Gotthold, but in the mid 1980s got back in fellowship. Kichijoji had exploded! It was then that they had grown to over 400 each Sunday with people standing outside who physically couldn't get in the building. Not only there, but the Kichijoji movement had gone nation wide, and was running in the thousands

I was personally involved in the phenomenon of what happened in Kobe. Sister Koyama had been saved 14 years previously in Tokyo. When her husband went to be with the Lord, she returned to her home in Kobe. She went to a few traditional Japanese churches but wasn't satisfied. She called Gotthold asking his advice. He said, “Why don't you start your own meeting there in Kobe?” Sister Koyama lived in one small apartment and rented another one beside hers. Brethren policy is that there are no pastors, and the Bible teaches that women should be silent. Sister Koyama got a couple of ordinary brothers to come to her apartment to have meetings for her. We were there in the early days when there were only about 10 people sitting on the floor. Man howdy, you never saw anything like it in your life. The women were silent. The men could do only one of three things. Someone could say a prayer, read a verse from the Bible, or ask for a hymn out of the seika (hymnal). There was no leader, no piano, no structure; but – oh my goodness –the presence e of the Lord was overwhelming! For one year I was never at a meeting that you couldn't look around the room and see tears pouring down the faces of Christians as they read and sang about Jesus. That place exploded from five or six to over one hundred in a year. Those were some of the best services I was ever in. I have never been in a fellowship of Christians who were more on fire for the Lord.

A Pentecostal pastor called me one night and said, “Cook san, I understand you know something about Kichijoji. Could I see you to talk about it?” I was living by myself in those days, and asked Miyuki Hirota to have Pastor Ijima for supper. Without telling me, she also invited another Kichijoji brother to come to share that night. I held my breath. Kichijoji is adamantly opposed to Pentecostalism. Anything Pentecostal is of the devil. How these brothers were going to handle a Pentecostal pastor staggered my imagination But I sat there in silence for three hours with tears running down my face watching something that I never thought I would see outside of heaven. Those three men had fellowship in Christ of the highest order. At 10:00 o'clock Pastor Ijima took the breath away from me. He is the finest Pentecostal pastor I have ever met. I mean he is truly outstanding. That huge man of God said to Hirota and Yamashina san, “I acknowledge what you all have is the Holy Spirit. Could you tell me how I could have more of Christ?” Crash! I never heard a remark like that in my life.

It has been years since I have had any contact with Kichijoji. I have no idea how they are doing. But in their golden moment, when they went from a handful to thousands, I asked Gotthold, “What is the secrete of your success?” He said, “When I stopped doing dendo.” He said for 36 months he had ONE evangelist come for a week of special meetings. But when he quit EVERYONEbecame an evangelist. That is true. Everyone in Kichijoji was an evangelist. Everyone was wining souls.

If that happened in the New Creation church, maybe they would have people standing outside who couldn't get in the building. But realistically it isn't that easy. There is no question in my mind what happened at Kichijoji was not a sincere missionary doing evangelism a certain way. It could only be described as a moving of the Holy Spirit. I told the believers in that day, “Don't think the secrete of your success is because you are worshiping the Lord in a certain way.” This is not“yarikata” (way of doing things) .This is the Holy Spirit moving in your midst.”

I told the folks last Tuesday of a couple of other places that I personally knew that experienced phenomenal growth and then completely disintegrated. Leo Kaylor's work in Kyushu went to from 800 to 12 believers in a short time. Jim Norton's church in Osaka went from 100 to 5 in three weeks when Jim got sick and had to leave Japan. In 53 years of serving the Lord in the Orient I have seen a lot of evangelism. Psalm 127:1 is correct. “Except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it.” The folks at New Creation Church have asked me to come to teach them HOW to do evangelism. I won't teach them HOW, but if I can get them more in touch with Jesus, maybe He can do something through them.

Tonikaku (anyway) this is a good time for me. Praise God.

bill

Little Bit of a Nut

9 October 2011

Dear Phyllis,

Last Thursday Pammy and I celebrated our 2^nd anniversary. Actually it wasn't an “anniversary”but I don't know how to say “month-versary”. It has now been two months that we have been married. Friends ask me, “How are you doing?” The short answer is “Good”. The long answer is considerably more complicated.

Pammy and I scarcely knew each other before we were married. It was only 18 days from the first “hello”to the final “I do”. Needless to say, now were are beginning to get to know each other. The thing that has impressed me the most about her, is that she is a little bit cracked. She is just not normal. She is one of the most aggressive witness for Christ – and perhaps one of the most effective witnesses – I have ever met. I say she is not normal; what I mean is, there seems to be no holding back. And when I say she is cracked, you have got to be a little bit of a nut to just walk up to strangers like that and sail right into talking about Jesus.

The other day we were at a restaurant near here for lunch. The restaurant was fairly full, and there were no empty tables. There was one long table with six chairs, and two men were sitting at the far end. With no other place to sit, we sat at the other end. We hadn't got settled in our seats before she started a conversation with them. The waitress hadn't brought the menu yet before I heard “Iesu” (Jesus) in the conversation. I was embarrassed. I started quietly praying – more for myself and my embarrassment than for her and her courageous witness. I thought, these poor men will think she is a complete crank. But, to my amazement, they seemed to really open up. Rather than tension, there were smiles. They turned out to be two PHD professors at Mae Jo University. Then, to my utter amazement, one fellow turned out to be Mark's neighbor, and he knew me. Oh my goodness, it was terrific! I remembered talking to him three years ago, and used his electricity to build Mark's car port. By that time they asked me how I became a missionary, and I spent twenty minutes giving a detailed testimony on how I got saved. We spent a blessed hour taking to these two men. Two days later we were at Mark's house and saw one of the men. Pammy screamed, “There is Dr. Niuta!” We stooped and had another great five minutes talking with him. A terrific bond has been established as a result of her diving into a conversation to tell them about Jesus.

There are three security gate guard men at the entrance of our mubaan (housing area). We have been praying for these men for 13 years, but no one has done anything. Pammy hadn't been here two days before she established a close relationship with them. One man was sick, and she took my friend, Mike, and I there to pray for him. Pammy said, “Next week he will get saved.” The next Wednesday night, we walked through a horrible heavy rain to go to the gate to speak to him. Ten minutes later Pammy was praying with him to accept Jesus as his savior. In thirteen years, he is the first person I have seen saved here. That excludes the four young boys, that like to come to my shop, that Pammy led to Christ the second week she was here.

The other day she stopped by the New Creation Church, where I teach in the Bible school, just for a brief chat. While there, she met the aunt of one of the believers. She spent two hours sharing Christ with her. One of the Christians that happened to be there, simply remarked to Pammy, “Oh, she isn't a Christian”; but no one had tried to lead her to Christ. When Pammy came home and told me how she had spent the afternoon, she said,“Next week that lady will get saved.” She probably will.

I mean to tell you, that girl is a phenomenon! I have said, “I would be willing to put up with a life of misery just to have a partner who can win souls like that.” But praise God, living with her is no misery.

It is a strange phenomenon that God has to practically ring blood out of our nose to force us to accept His greatest gifts for our life. Virtually no one wants to get saved. God has to bring us under terrible conviction of sin, or the most dire circumstances before we open our hearts to say yes to Jesus. It is almost universal that no one wants to surrender their life to Christ. Again, it takes terrific pressure to bring a soul to surrender. Most people don't want to be a missionary; but, like salvation, and a surrendered life, everyone says when they get to the mission field that it is the greatest blessing of their life.

I can honestly say, marrying that girl is one thing I definitely did not have in mind. I didn't seek it, I didn't want her; and yet I was amazed how the Lord worked in my heart to bring me to the place where I would accept someone I really didn't want.

In 1994, when Roald Lidal was looking for property for his new printing plant, he found an excellent piece of land in Hatoyama. But the owner said flat NO – he would not sell that property to Roald. Sometime later, this unsaved Japanese called Roald and said, “Your God is the true God, because He has changed my mind to where I want to sell my property to you.”That is how New Life League bought their land in Hatoyama.

We read in Ezra 1:1; “To fulfill the prophesy of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia”. Sending the Jews back to Jerusalem, and rebuilding Jerusalem was not something that Cyrus had in mind, but God stirred up his spirit and gave him that impulse. In the last days we even read, concerning the ten partners with the anti-Christ, “ForGod hath put in their hearts to fulfill His will and to agree and give their kingdom unto the beast (the anti- Christ) until the Word of God shall be fulfilled.” (Rev. 17:17). One of the reasons I felt so strongly that it was the will of God to marry Pammy was how surprised I was how the Lord kept changing my heart to do something that was against my nature or natural choice.

Many years ago I said to a marriage counselor, “I love my wife because it is the will of God to do so.”He was almost offended, and, with a concerned tone replied, “Don't you think that is pretty legalistic?” I responded “I don't know if it is legalistic or not, but I do believe it the right thing to do. And I believe the Holy Spirit confirms that choice by giving me all the warm emotions that go along with it.” This is certainly the case with Pammy. Frequently I look at her and wonder, “How did I ever marry you?” But I can honestly say that the Lord has put a very genuine love in my heart for her, and, with deep conviction, I thank God for this precious gift He has given me.

My biggest criticism of her is that she is antiseptically clean. Operating rooms in hospitals are not as spotless as her kitchen and our bedroom. Oh my goodness this is hard on me! I have lived like a pig for 21 years. Now I have to take off my shoes to come in the house and change my shoes again to go up stairs. When I first met her, she looked terribly sanguine, and I thought her room must be a mess. Reality has proved to be the reverse.

The second week we were married we were out with Pastor Kichikun visiting, and he put a cute little puppy in his car. I asked, “Whose dog is that?”

“Mine. I am going to take her home.”

But when we got home, he left the dog beside our house, and started to drive away. I asked, “Isn't that your dog?” Kichikun replied, “No. Pammy wants her.” Shock! I love dogs, but I wasn't prepared for that. I told Pammy, “If we keep a dog, it must be in the house like a child.” She said, “No, dogs are outside” The first night the dog had flees, so she wound up outside.

I asked Pammy, “What shall we call her?”

“Black Canyon”

“No. What a stupid name!”

Black Canyon is really a fabulous adorable little puppy. The other night I came home a little late and Black Canyon was sleeping in the house. I put her out for the night. The next morning Pammy asked, “Why did you put Black Canyon out? She belongs in the house.” That is a little illustration on how we are happily adjusting to each other and getting along.

It is really amazing that we are getting along so well. But the devil would be terribly dilatory if he didn't challenge this relationship that has the potential for honoring the Lord so much. Along with the good times, there certainly have been times of serious challenges. But the encouraging thing is, that these times of conflict have proven to be the most profitable. Instead of being stumbling blocks, they have been helpful building blocks to build a strong house. The ability the Lord has given us for problem management is most encouraging. You have got to admire the devil for his ability to take absolutely nothing and make it into a huge squall. We had a ding dong one night over how to hang a mosquito net. The next night I got it up the way I knew was best and there was no issue. One day we were having one that had the potential of being a first-class fight. Before things got totally out of hand we stopped to pray. An hour later I couldn't remember what the issue was.

The other night we were having a problem that was a bit of an eye-opener to me. The thing started when I foolishly said, in jest, something I really didn't mean, but it hurt Pammy. I was stunned at how deep the emotions ran; and was utterly bewildered at what to do. Apologies and rational discussion didn't help a bit. Pammy got in a terrible mood, and I was at a loss as to how to reach her. Nothing I said helped or slowed down the stream of horrible destructive expressions pouring from her mouth. While she was taking a shower, it occurred to me that what was going on was a direct assault by the devil. My acting negatively certainly was no help. Finally, I decided to take on that attack head on. Rather than trying to get things settled with Pammy, I faced the spiritual forces we were dealing with. I told the devil that I would not allow any of his presence in our home. Our home belongs to Jesus and there was no room for the devil. Then I pleaded with the Lord to show me how to deal with this problem, and thanked Him for His salvation. Ten minutes later, Pammy came back in a much better mood. She mentioned a couple of divisive issues, but I refused to discuss them. I said, “This is not the time to talk. This is the time to sleep.” As we lay in bed, a few minutes later Pammy said, “Bill, please pray for me.” I asked what should I pray for?”Surprisingly, she responded, “Pray that the Lord will protect me.” That remark hit me with considerable force. Of course that is one of my primary responsibilities. My vow to God was to love, protect, and provide for her. As the weaker vessel she is more vulnerable to attacks by the enemy. It is my responsibility to protect her from that. Her responsibility is to stay under my covering. But as we mutually have a unassailable commitment to do the will of God, that leaves very little leverage the enemy can get on us.

This is a first time experience for both of us. But as we walk together in following Jesus we are finding this to be a very enjoyable and profitable journey. Praise God.

bill

Spiritual Fragrance

2 October 2011

Dear Phyllis,

This morning I was speaking at The New Creation Church here in Mae Jo. I had a message that had been burning in my heart for over a week, and I had no question but what that was what the Lord wanted to say to us today. But things got totally out of hand . Thai churches are notorious for starting late. That took a big bite out of the time. The praise service was very good but went on for over an hour. By the time I was introduced to speak I only had 15 minutes left. I feared the message I had would be at least an hour and a half – if I cut it short. To try to get in an hour and a half message in 15 minutes is pretty challenging. When I finally stood up in the pulpit, my opening remark was, “I have no idea why I am here. I had a very good message but left it at the front door.”From there on I was almost speechless.

But I had had a very good time Tuesday speaking to the Bible school. I told the story about the Moravian boys who sold themselves to be slaves to reach those 3,000 black slaves on St Thomas Island. Their parting cry, “May the Lamb receive the reward of His sufferings.” I reviewed the three reasons for evangelism: (1) to make your church bigger, (2) because the lost are going to hell, and (3) for the sake of the Lord. The first reason is self-centered. The second is human-centered. And the third reason is for the sake of the Lord. That theme burns deeply in my heart.

During the praise service they were singing a very fine song with the theme “may Thailand receive the blessing of heaven”. As they were singing that I thought, there is something wrong with this picture. The thought came to me; rather than being concerned that the blessing of heaven come to Thailand, shouldn't our passion be ; “May Thailand be won for Jesus”? As I thought about this, tears flowed down my cheeks. I pleaded with the Lord that Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Laos, China, and other countries become the Lord's possession. Jesus shed His blood to buy back these countries for the Father. Shouldn't our concern be that they become His possession rather than the blessing of heaven come to Thailand?

They sang another song that basically was alright. It was honoring to the Lord, but the last line said,“when Jesus died above all He thought of me”. Evangelistic speaking this sounds very good, but I really don't think that was primary in Christ's mind as He died on the Cross. I don't believe His main thought was focused on sinners, but a deadly commitment to honor the Father and do the will of God. I suspect that His thoughts were more on the Father rather than being concerned for sinners. This smacks close to humanism. I felt like hitting that hard when I got up to speak, but I only mentioned the first point that our main motivation should be more for the Lord's profit than for what we can get out of salvation.

After devoting seven minutes to that subject I told the folks that my message this morning was to be on spiritual fragrance. In dealing with the subject of spiritual fragrance,I reminded the folks there that we simultaneously live in two worlds. Of course no one will question that we live in a material world. But along with the material world, we also live in a spiritual world. It is hardly necessary to try to prove that point as everybody in Thailand lives in fear of evil spirits. The Thais are very conscious of the spirit world. Just as we are related to the material world through our five sense; the same five senses exist in the spiritual world. There are numerous references to looking unto Jesus, or look to the Lord. (Sight) The Bible speaks a great deal about hearing the Voice of God; or God speaking. (Sound) We talk about touching the Lord. (Feel) The scripture speaks of “Of taste the Lord”, “If any man thirst” and such verses that deal with (Taste). And finally there is such a thing as spiritual fragrance. (Smell) The Song of Solomon deals more with spiritual fragrance than any other portion of scripture.

But if a person wants to preach on spiritual fragrance, of course, the basic passage is the gospels account of Mary's anointing Jesus. It is highly significant that Jesus singled out this event and said, “Wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.” (Mt. 26:13; Mk. 14:9). Of all the events in the life of Christ, this is the only one that He singled out that would go together with the Gospel message. Watchman Nee suggests that the reason for this might be because this is what the Gospel is supposed to produce. Whatever the reason, there is no question but what that events sets forth spiritual fragrance as it is found in no other place in the NT.

In Leviticus, when the first five offerings are mentioned, each time, the phrase, a sweet savourunto the Lord, is uttered with them (Lev. 1:9,13,17; 2:2,9). This issue of a sweet savour unto the Lord is absolutely basic to the worship of the Lord. In Eph. 5:2, it says that Christ “hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour”. And 2 Cor. 2:15 says that “we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ.”

There are volumes that could be said on this subject. That is why I say I would be hard pressed to keep a message on this subject under an hour ad a half. But the first major point is that the sweet savour is inseparably joined to sacrifice. In Leviticus that phrase is always mentioned with the sacrifice. In reference to Christ, again it is that Christ gave Himself as a sacrifice. And in the gospel account of Mary's anointing Christ, what she did was a tremendous sacrifice. John comments that her spikenard was “very costly”. In our offerings to Christ, if it is not costly it is not a sacrifice. Cheap offerings can hardly be called a sacrifice. What Mary did cost her dearly.

To Judas, and several other disciples, they thought what she did was mottai nai (what a waste!) (Mk. 14:4). Is that possible? Is there anything too valuable to be poured out on Jesus? Watchman Nee told of an incident that happened to him at a very low point in his life. Things had been going poorly with his evangelistic work. One day he was discouraged when he met a former professor from his college days. They both were delighted to see each other and went to a tea shop for a chat. The professor asked how he had made out in life. He had little to show for his efforts. Watchman Nee said his professor looked at him with pity and remarked,“What a waste! We had such high expectations for you. You were so gifted and we expected you to do well in life. But now look at you.”Brother Nee said that remark was almost indescribably crushing. And then suddenly he was filled with the spirit of glory. He thought,“How wonderful! What a privilege to waste my life on Jesus!”

When Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, and the other three missionary men were killed by the Akah Indians in Ecuador in 1956, the world said, “What a waste!” But oh the glory that came to the Lord through their sacrifice! The fragrance of their sacrifice has blessed and challenged tens of thousands. By their sacrifice they accomplished far more than anything they could have achieved had they lived to see 80, and the entire time be devoted to missionary work.

If Mary had not broken that bottle of spikenard and poured it all out on Jesus, nothing would have happened that night. It was because the bottle was broken and poured out that the fragrance filled the room. Brokenness is basic to spiritual fragrance.

In the five references to the expression “sweet savour” in Leviticus 1 and 2, and the reference to Christ in Ephesians and Christians in 2 Cor. 2:17; in each case it is written “unto the Lord”. It is unto Jesus that Mary made that sacrifice, but everybody in the house got blessed. John 12:3 says that “the house was filled with the odour of that ointment”. This is one of the principles of spiritual fragrance. It is not when we pour ourselves out in community service, or humanitarian relief work; but when we are poured out in a sacrifice to Jesus that the fragrance of Christ emanates from our lives.

All that I have said up to now was only to be the introduction to the message that I planed to give at the New Creation Church this morning. I didn't get to one word of it. I never opened the Bible or gave one scripture reference. The message that I had planed to give was the OT sister passage to Marys anointing Jesus. My text was Song of Sol. 1:12; “While the King sitteth at His table my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.”Very clearly, this is the sister passage to what is written in Mathew, Mark, and John. In it we see the law governing spiritual fragrance. There are three things that are common to Song of Sol. 1:12 and the three gospel accounts. One is that Jesus is seated at His table. In both cases it is spikenard. And in all accounts it is the fragrance that goes forth.

One of the points that I like to emphasize in the Song of Sol. account is that it is when the King is seated. It is a real grief to me that we have nearly totally lost any concept of who we are dealing with in our modern Christianity. There is a frightening familiarity with Christ today that I feel is terribly disrespectful and delusional. The flippancy and disrespect we show to our Lord is startling. I respect for Buddhism for their insistence that respect be showed to their idols. If you go into a Buddhist temple, they will not permit the blatant disrespect to their idols that is commonly accepted and normal conduct in Christian churches. The prayers of Christians sometimes makes me wonder who in the world they think they are talking to. Thank God, Jesus is a friend of sinners, but He is not that fuzzy teddy bear that so many Christians toy with. No one knew Jesus better, or was more intimate with Him, than John. But when John saw Jesus in heaven, he fell down as dead (Rev.1:17). This buddy buddy attitude towards Jesus does not bring a person into the awesome presence of the Lord. It is when the King is seated that the fragrance goes forth.

The table of course, speaks of fellowship. We call the Lord's table communion. In any social situation, to be invited for a meal and sit at a table; the whole purpose is for fellowship.

 And in the Bible, sittingis the posture of rest or completed action.In Heb. 10:11, 12, we read of priests standing offering sacrifices that can never take away sin. The reason they are standing is because they are engaged in an impossible task. But “this one man (Jesus) when he had offered one sacrifice for sin sat down”.His job was done. The scene of Jesus sitting at His table does not mean sinless perfection, but there is such a thing as being right with God. Jesus is comfortable in our hearts. If He is seated, then the fragrance of Christ goes forth. The OT law of spiritual fragrance is simply the King being seated at His table; it is then that the spikenard sends forth the fragrance.

This is the message that I wanted to give this morning but I never got to say a word of it. I don't know, maybe if I get invited back again sometime, I might get into a little of it, but I can't imagine dealing with this subject in less than an hour.

 But may God be gracious and allow the fragrance of Christ to emanate from our lives to the people around us this week.

bill