Where's my Wife?

22 January 2012

Dar Phyllis,

We are one more week closer to that great moment when the trump shall sound and Christ will appear. Oh my goodness that will be wonderful!

This past week has been interesting. Last Sunday Pammy asked me if she could go to her former town of Lamping to visit some people. There is an Akah sister (they are a minority hill tribe group) who belongs to Peter's church, where we go once a month, and she knew some Akah Christians in Lampang. It lookded like a pretty ordinary day to me. I was a little surprised when Pammy got on her motor bike with two helmets. I asked, “Why do you need two helmets?” She said the second one was for the sister going with her. I was surprised and asked, “Are you going to ride that bike to Lampang?” It is 100 km. She said she was, and countered that it was not as far as I rode to Mae Sai a month ago (250 km). I wasn't happy, but said okay. She promised to be home by 5:00 o'clock that evening. I really didn't expect her to be back on time, but got concerned when it got to be 8:00 o'clock and she still wasn't home. She usually is very good about calling if she is going to be late. We haven't had money enough to pay last months phone bill and our telephone has been disconnected for the past three weeks. I tried to call her on a cell phone she had given me, but I couldn't figure how to make that wicked thing work, and finally gave up with my mind racing wondering what happened to my wife.

There was only one explanation I could come up with. It seemed obvious that she had had an accident, and was either dead or in a hospital. She had no identification that would tie her to this address, and virtually no way anyone could get in touch with me. I spent the night tossing in my sleep thinking about a funeral and what I would do if she was gone. The logical thing was to quit Thailand, and go back to Japan.

By noon the next day, it was obvious that something serious had happened. That afternoon I had my friend Mike call one of Pammy's friend to ask if she had some way of tracing her. By 4:00 that afternoon Mike had been successful in contacting her friend and learned she was still in Lampang, but had bike trouble. At 5:00 I was finally able to speak to her by Mike's cell phone. She said she was part way home with a sick bike at a bike repair shop, but would be home as soon as possible. At 7:00 she called Mike again saying that the bike was fixed and she was on her way back.

I was never able to piece together the details, but was greatly relieved when she finally walked in the house at midnight. With a marginal motor bike, she had gone extremely slowly and stopped at a Christian friend's house half way to thaw out from the cold. She was freezing cold when she did get home.

The whole incident was so bazaar, there was no way I could believe she was telling the truth. Fortunately she had taken a bunch of pictures and had documented everything that happened during that mysterious two day absence –including several pictures of the bike stripped in pieces at the repair shop.

The first lesson I learned from this was that this is another illustration of how the devil can create an unbelievable scenario making communication impossible, and causing a major disruption between a husband and wife – or just plain Christian friends. I was greatly relieved when she was finally able to explain to me what had happened, and convince me that it was all true.

The Lampang testimony was a good one. There was an Akah man there who was born with only one leg and half of a left arm. His parents didn't want him, and threw him away as a baby. He was raised in a government facility, and then taken in by someone who wanted to use him as a beggar. People have been known to disfigure children to make them more effective as beggars. Someplace along the line, this man had gotten saved, got up off the street, and became a responsible family man. He had a good wife and two normal children. He was able to buy land for his own house with a large plot behind where he wanted to build a church. She had spent a day and a half with this family and came home with a great burden to help them.

Unfortunately her innate instincts as a single lady pastor kicked in, and we have had an on-going struggle with the conflict of her burden for others and her role as my wife. She feels it is almost unthinkable that I could be so unchristian as to not go down there every week to have services for them. And if I can't go, at an absolute minimum, I should let her go down there to be the pastor of that church. Pammy has never worked with a segment of Christianity that takes a stand on what the Bible says about women taking a position of leadership in a church. All her teachers, friends, and fellow Christian workers go the opposite way. Unfortunately she married a man who takes a very strong stand on issues that I feel are black and white in the scripture. I ain't moving. It has been a hard week for Pammy.

I am not opposed to helping these believers in Lampang except that the Lord has called me to work here in Chiang Mai. There are others who have volunteered to go to Lampang and I can't see my way to go down there at this point. I am sympathetic to their needs, and wish them well, but it looks strange to me to talk about putting up a building on their land when the group only consists to one family and perhaps one or two others.

Unfortunately, every Thai pastor I know has the same vision to build a large church and trust the Lord to fill it. This is a very common malady shared by a large numbers of pastors. Somehow they think if they can put up a building large enough, that will guarantee that they will have a large church. There are several reasons why I don't like this. One is that I see church growth comes from within – not something external. I see nothing wrong with putting up large church buildings if the congregation grows so large they all can't get in their present facility, and they are having two and three services on Sunday. The responsibility for putting up a church building should be upon the believers – not some wishful thinking of the pastor who hopes others will come and pay for it. There are not a few places where the pastor has stuck his neck out too far, and a small congregation gets stuck with a staggering debt that they can't sustain. And the Name of the Lord has been greatly dishonored by such foolish planning.

This morning I had a very different experience. Pastor Kichikun was going to be away, and asked me to preach for him. This is no problem as I have promised him that he is #1 in my book. I will work with him unless there is an invitation to speak somewhere else, and he doesn't need me. I was delighted to take my turn in the pulpit, and cover for him. I thought I knew the mind of the Lord of what He wanted to say, but the message was an odd one. I told the Lord He was going to have to straighten it out as I spoke.

I was startled when we got to church to find the entire congregation was only one elderly lady and a young boy, who had never led singing before, to be in charge of the worship. I told Pammy she was going to have to lead the service. As I prayed, I told the Lord that He promised that if only two or three were there, He also would still attend. And we were four. Pammy stood up front with the young man who was picking his guitar. I was amazed how well they did for only one other lady and myself. I thought the singing was exceptionally good. When I stood up to speak I was pleasantly surprised to see that a number of other people had come in, and one fine brother came forward to be my interpreter rather than Pammy. He really was first class.

The message the Lord laid on my heart was “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased”(Mt. 3:17; Mk. 1:11; Lk. 3:21). Recently I have been reading the Letters of Samudel Rutherford. Oh my goodness I LOVE that book! He lifts up our Lord Jesus higher, and makes Him look more wonderful than anything I have ever heard or read. Oh how I wish I could lift up JESUS! I don't believe I have ever heard or met anyone who has thought about – much less tried – to lift up our Lord Jesus the way Rutherford does. I don't know of a better verse in the Bible to give you a platform to attempt to show forth their beauty of Christ than what the Father had to say about His Son at His baptism. I pointed out that there were three occasions in the life of Christ when the Father spoke in a audible voice from heaven.

The first was at His baptism. One of the reasons for this was for John's sake. John and Jesus were second cousins and undoubtedly knew each other well from their youth. As they grew up, John became a famous prophet, but Jesus simply followed His father as a carpenter. John's mission in life was to introduce the Messiah to the nation Israel. He knew the Messiah was somewhere around, but had no idea who He was. One day Jesus came to him asking for baptism. John said, “No way! You are a better man than I am.” (Mt. 3:14). I told the folks this morning how they give invitations for salvation in the states and at evangelistic meetings. The only ones that go forward are sinners. It is embarrassing. I said, “Let's make two lines here. One for their good guys and one for the bad ones.” I told them, “Now all you men who have cheated on your wife and done a bunch of really bad things I want you to stand in a line here.” And I got a group of women to line up up front. “Now over here, let's have a line of the good guys who have never done anything wrong” And I had one boy stand there. Then I said, “Here comes Jesus.” And I had another man come forward.“Which line does He stand in?” By having nearly everyone in the church dramatize the baptism of Christ by standing in two lines I demonstrated the humility of Christ in seeking baptism of John. Then I had Jesus get baptized. When He came up praying, the Holy Spirit descended like a dove and landed on Him; and a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son. In Whom I am well pleased”. By this John knew that Jesus was the Messiah (Jn. 1:30-34).

I said that with the 1^stVoice from heaven the Father spoke two messages. The first was Jesus' position. Her was the Son of God. The second was His performance. The significance thing was that Jesus had done nothing up to this point, except obey His parents, live a clean life, and humbled Himself for baptism with the rest of the sinners.

The 2^nd time there was a Voice from heaven was on the mount of transfiguration (Mk. 9:2-8). This time Peter suggested, “Let's build three bungalows up here; one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”At that time there was a Voice saying “This is My beloved Son –hear Him!” I said it was insulting to compare Jesus with Moses and Elijah.

The 3^rd Voice was hours before the arrest and crucification. Jesus said, “Now is My soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father glorify Thy Name. Then there was a Voice from heaven saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again” (Jn. 12:27, 28). I asked the believes, “When you are in trouble, is this the burden of your heart and what you ask the Father for?”

We had an amazingly good service this morning. The message came out much different than what I had planned, but there was a marvelous awareness that Jesus was indeed with us today.

And may He stay with us to glorify His Name this coming week.

bill

My Life's Manuscript

15 January 2012

Dear Phyllis,

Yesterday morning I thought, “This has got to be the happiest day of my life.” Nothing special happened, but I couldn't imagine another man on this planet any happier than I was. In the three phrases of life – past, present , and future – I must be one of the most privileged men on earth.

When I was 20 years old, had I sat down and written a manuscript for what I wanted my life to be, there is no way I could have dreamed of such a rich, exciting, and profitable life as what Jesus has given me. Fifty six years later there are very few men who can reflect on such a varied, privileged life as what I have experienced.

For the present, it can't get much better than what I have right now. If contentment is any index of happiness, I must be right at the top. Our home is not a palace, but kings in palaces could not be more content than I am here. I enjoy this environment immensely. Domestically, the Lord has given me a wife that is the most aggressive witness for Christ I have ever met. My friend, Mike, and I have been walking the streets of our muban (housing area) every Wednesday night to pray for every street and house; to see the Kingdom of God come to this muban. Since Pammy joined us, things have been radically different. She is aggressively friendly and gets right to the point. Last Wednesday, as we were walking, we met a lady that I have seen every day for nine years, but never spoke to. Pammy has talked with her several times. Last week she collared Mike and I and said, “We must pray for Thim. She wants to go to church.” Thim was overwhelmed as the three of us stood around her, laid hands on her, and prayed for her. I have never seen anything like that, but that happens regularly as Pammy ties into people talking about their needs. She isn't perfect, but she is the one that Jesus sent to me, and she is just the one that the Lord has prepared to be my helper and mold me to be a better man. There certainly have been so interesting challenges, but all of these have been lessons the Lord is teaching me.

Physically I couldn't be healthier. I have zero physically problems, a total absence of pain, and am still as strong as I was when I was 30. If the Lord would give me Solomons palace and harem, I could not be more content than I am right now and certainly I am much happier than poor Solomon was with his palace and harem.

As for the future; our future is so unimaginably wonderful, there is no way you could compare it with anything present on this earth

In the days of bloody Mary and the Scottish Covenanteers, the story is told of a Scottish lass who was on her way to church one morning when she was apprehended by a Roman soldier. The soldier demanded, “Where are you going?” It was a matter of life or death how she answered. She wisely replied, “I am going to my Father's house. Our Elder Brother died, and today they are reading His last will and testament.” I love that statement! What a privilege we have of going every week to our Father's House. But what our Elder Brother left us in His will is unutterable.

As the writer of Hebrews was explaining to us the benefits of the New Testament, he inserted a confusing note in Heb. 9:16 when he said, “Where a testament is there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.” To our thinking this seems totally out of place. In our English language there is a basic difference between a covenant between two parties, and a last will and testament. In the first case there certainly is no death involved; but, obviously, a last will and testament is only valid after the testator dies. Andrew Murray points out that the solution to this perplexing statement lies in the fact that in the Greek language there is only one word for both documents. To underscore the enormity of Christ's death and the certainty of our inheritance, he alludes to the last will and testament aspect of the New Testament. It is safe to say that Christ is the heir of heaven. The Father has given everything He has, all of heaven, to His Son. But when Jesus died that inheritance fell to us.

Another story is told of a wealthy land owner in Africa who had a prodigal son. The rascal was just plain no good, and his frustrated father decided to cut him off from his last will. He had a faithful slave who had served him all his life, and willed everything to the slave. He left in his final will that if the prodigal son did return after the death of the father to collect the inheritance, he was to be told he could only have one thing. He had his pick of anything in the fathers estate, but would be allowed only one item. Everything else went to the slave. When the farther died, the son did return, and was told to pick one item. He chose the slave. When he got the slave he got everything else. Our heavenly Father has only given us one thing. But the thing He gave us was His Son. “He that hath the Son hath life” (1Jn. 5:12). If we have the Son we also have the inheritance also.

Another way of looking at this is the fact that we are the Bride of Christ. And as the Bride we are co-heirs with Christ of all that is His.

Oh my goodness! Who can take that in? We haven't fathomed the thousandth part of what waits us in heaven. Knowing that my anchor is fastened within the veil in heaven, there is no way I can begin to calculate the inestimable future that awaits me just one heart beat away.

Thailand rightfully reveres their king. There is probably no country on this planet where the king is held in higher honor. Needless to say he is wealthy and the most blessed man in Thailand. But – were it possible – there is no amount of money that could entice me to trade places with him. He is a very frail old man today with only the darkest future in front of him. In a short time he, no doubt, will be sailing out into eternity stripped of all his wealth and kingly paraphernalia. As a naked soul, he will have to stand before God for final judgment; and – barring some unheralded salvation of Christ – he has a terrifying future in a lake from which there is no exit. I wouldn't swap my salvation in Christ for ten minutes of trading places with anyone on earth. My future couldn't be more wonderful.

Small wonder I felt so good yesterday morning. With a future like that, who wouldn't feel happy?

When we lived in Karuizawa we used to climb Mt. Asama every summer. The last 5,000 feet of that beautiful volcano is nothing but endless volcanic ash. Climbing to the top is a monotonous series of putting one foot in front of another and just keep plodding along. It seems like the top never moves, but occasionally we would look back. As you would look back and see the substantial progress you had made, it was tremendously encouraging to know that you were just that much closer to the top. As I look back at the 55 years I have walked with Jesus, there is no question but what the top is not far from here. And that blessed little chorus is true – Every day with Jesus is better than the day before.

It was no wishful thinking to declare that yesterday was the greatest day of my life. I have had a fantastic path walking with Jesus thus far. Few people can match my history. For the present I am as content as any human on earth today. And the future..!!! How could it get any better?

Don't know how I got on that theme. That is not what I wanted to share with you today. In a letter that I sent you a couple weeks ago, I believe I said I had hit the darkest day of my life. That was arguably true. These past few weeks have been a roller coaster going straight up and down like I have never experienced. Perhaps one of the reasons I feel so euphoric is because of a tranquil moment. The Lord has also been showing me things I should have learned 50 years ago. Actually there is little new here that I didn't know 50 years ago, but somehow I tend to forget basic lessons, and every time I get into conflict it seems like it is the first time.

The Apostle Paul told us in Eph. 6:12, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”. This is not news to me, but there is still a great deal I don't know. I have been involved in spiritual warfare off and on for well over 50 years. But recently I have been reminded that a great deal of our fighting with flesh and blood is really not dealing with horizontal problems, but spiritual battles that can only be fought on a different plane. Somehow in the back of our mind we should know that a lot of our problems are satanic attacks. But because they are human relationship problems, we wind up in a titanic struggle with flesh and blood. The other day I took a terrific broad side hit. A few minutes later a friend stopped by and asked, “Did you pray about it?” Yes, of course, I had been praying, but there is a difference between talking to God, and dealing with evil spirits who are giving you a bad time. My dear friend, Dave, happened to be there at the time, and so the three of us, on the basis of Mt. 18:18-20, bound the evil forces that were at work. Jesus said if two or three are gathered in His Name, that He promised to be there also. There was that awesome awareness that indeed Jesus was with us and heard our prayer. The situation looked utterly hopeless, but within a couple of hours everything was changed like there had never been a problem. I should have known this. Several months ago Pammy and I were having a fairly heated argument. I was trying to keep cool, but getting very frustrated. Then she said some things that were so badly out of line that it triggered the thought in me that I wasn't dealing so much with Pammy as it was the devil trying to gain access to our home. While she was downstairs, I told the devil I was not going to tolerate any of his pranks in our home. There may be some natural explanation, but I was impressed how thirty minutes later Pammy came back upstairs in a much different mood.

Recently I reread a very interesting booklet by J A MacMillan on The Authority Of The Believer. In this helpful booklet MacMillan told of several incidents where excessive rage or fear was being encountered. By not dealing with the victim who was being driven by out-of-line emotions, but with the evil spirit who was causing the problem, he was able to control difficult situations. I am convinced that much of our horizontal problems are basically spiritual, and the devil is enjoying every minute of it as we wear ourselves out wrestling with flesh and blood.

My goodness, why shouldn't we be happy? Jesus has done everything for us. Whether it is six months or sixty years, what an awesome privilege it is to know, love, and walk with the Lord! Luther expressed it beautifully when he wrote, “What more can He say than to you He has said: to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled.” Not everyone enjoys the tranquility that I enjoyed so much yesterday morning. Some days I feel like I am going out of my mind, but every day forward is a day taking us closer to that inexpressible moment when we shall see Him as He is. The roller coaster goes up and down and the trail winds around many strange corners, but He has given us every reason to rejoice.

I trust you are finding this to be your portion also;

bill

Financial Crisis

8 January 2012,

Dear Phyllis,

I am really komaru (big problem). It is Sunday evening and I don't have a thing to write. It isn't that big things haven't been happening. Actually these past two weeks have been the most tumultuous of my life. I week ago I told a friend, “Today is the darkest day of my life.” Arguably it was. But the Lord has proven Himself faithful again, and brought us through howling storms such as I never thought I would see. Two of the problems were horrendous financial crisis. Two times I got struck with bills that were not of my making that went totally beyond our ability to resolve. The devil was marvelous in telling me what a disaster these were going to be, and how Jesus would be greatly dishonored. But both times – quite miraculously – the Lord came through, and these huge bills were settled without having to go against my conviction of borrowing money. Much of some other highly critical issues are still somewhat hanging in the balance. Only time will tell what is going to happen, but, at the moment, the Lord has brought us into a calm where everything is peaceful and relaxed.

The work on the kitchen has come to almost a complete halt. I have done next to nothing in finishing that important project for the past two weeks. Hopefully I will get things moving again tomorrow. I wanted to get that done for a Christmas present for Pammy. I was able to get enough done so it is somewhat functional at the moment. The two main items – the sink and the stove – are working. Man howdy that feels good! Ever since I have lived in this house, all I had for a kitchen was a small sink to brush my teeth in, and about one foot of counter space. In my single days, when I did no cooking, that was all I needed. But as a married couple now we need something radically different. When I get done, I hope Pammy will have a dream kitchen that will be the envy of every house wife in Chiang Mai. But that is coming very slowly.

If there is one thing the Lord has shown me in these past days it is the value of trust. I have a relationship with a close friend that plays a major role in my life. Failed trust is about as deadly a thing as can happen. When that happens, most relationships are terminated right there. If someone proves themselves untrustworthy, what are you supposed to do? Most of my friends have told me in the bluntest terms, “Man, you are crazy! That person is flat NG – no good! Split! Get out! You can only get yourself in deeper trouble” And yet I have been extremely reluctant to cut my friend off.

The most notable thing my friend did was to tell me that he would not promise to do anything behind my back that he knew I did not approve of. That is a tough position. Here is someone I must trust and he tells me straight up that he will not promise to be faithful to me. Reason told me there was nothing I could do but cut him off. But then the Lord showed me a surprising thing. He showed me that is exactly the scenario He is stuck with. He has committed the entire on-going of His Kingdom and the preaching of the Gospel to men who are guaranteed to fail. When I consider my own character and how untrustworthy I have proven myself to be, I am astounded that Jesus still puts up with me. It is a first class tragedy that there should be anyone who claims to be a servant of God who has done as poorly as me.

Admittedly many missionaries are lazy. This is a big problem in Japan. As natural men, most Japanese are better people than many missionaries. They are more disciplined. They work harder. They are more loyal. And in some cases more honest than some missionaries. When an undisciplined missionary comes to a society where people are more industrious and disciplined, it is a hard sell to try to tell them that we have come to tell them how they can be a better people. Most honest observers would look at the comparison and say, “No thank you. I don't need that.”

Fortunately there are some truly outstanding missionaries. Their devotional life is impeccable. Their family life is explanatory. They are selfless and self-sacrificing. They live for others. Some are like the spirit of Daniel, who under the closest examination, his enemies said they could not find a flaw in him except in his religion (Dan. 6:5). Such people rightly deserve the title “servant of God”. But for myself; when I think of who I am, and what I should be, all I can do is hang my head and go to the end of the line.

With this in mind, it made it a little easier to give my friend a little more slack. It may be stupid to place confidence in someone who has proven that they cannot be trusted, but on the other hand, I know of nothing that is more therapeutic, and constructive, than to have someone place confidence in you.

I had a close friend many years ago who had an incorrigible son. I mean to tell you that kid was BAD! He was 16 and into just about every form of vise imaginable. He was regularly sleeping with a 14 year old girl. He was into drugs, and who knows what else. He had long matted hair, and was a disgrace to the family. I advised my friend, “Kick that kid out of your house! You are in sin against God by allowing him to live that life and still sleep under your roof.” To my anguish, my friend continued to put up with the intolerable. The bottom line was amazing. The kid finally got straightened out, and became the best Christian of the family. The little 14 year old girl got saved, and my friend told me, of all his children, she was hands-down his favorite. He said no one had a hunger for God like she did. The significant thing was; when the boy got saved, he told his father,“Dad, the thing that helped me the most was when you continued to place confidence in me, when you had absolutely no reason to do so.”

The all-time classic is Nicky Cruz. Dave Wilkinson had an evangelistic meeting for the street gangs in New York. The cops were e terrified. There were more policemen in that auditorium than street gang members. The dumb stunt of the ages was when Dave Wilkerson decided to take up an offering, and asked the leaders of the two warring gangs to be the ushers to take up the offering. It was a howling joke. They everlastingly took up the offerings – mostly at knife point. When they got the loot, they went back stage, and one gang leader said to the other ,”Okay let's get out of here.” That was assumed. These were two of the worst criminals in New York. They could kill just for the pleasure of it. To steal was assumed. But Nicky Cruz replied, “No way. This is the first time in my life that anyone has ever placed confidence in me, and I am not going to fail him.” Nicky Cruz got saved that night. Not because of the Gospel that Dave Wilkerson preached, but because of the confidence that he placed in him.

In 1989, when my world exploded, I became marginally mental. There is no question but what much of my behavior was bazaar. The only explanation is that I was right at the edge of going completely over the brink. I was working on the big Kichijoji project in Karuizawa. The guy that was the job foreman called down to Nara asking that they send another man up there to replace me. He said, “Cook san is sick.” In one sense he was right. But the thing that saved me was Robby Edmans. Robby and I were working together. When Robby heard that the job foreman had requested a replacement, he was furious. He fired back, “We don't need another man. Bill is just fine.” It was Robby's confidence in me that strengthened me to keep going. Had he not done that, I most certainly would have wound up in a hospital.

In 1979 we had a very outstanding young man, Toru Saito, live with us. He was one of the best house guest he ever had. Toru took hold of the Lord, big time, while he was with us, and wanted to be a pastor. I encouraged him and said, “I see no reason why you would not make a very good pastor. But be careful what seminary you go to.” His family religion was Nihon Kirisuto Kyodan (liberal Christianity). I warned him against liberalism, but his family was furious and insisted he must go to their seminary. While in that seminary, a professor got him off the rails, and he got deeply into demon worship. A year later we got back to Japan from a one year furlough in the states. One night I ran into Toru in Karuizawa. I was delighted to invite him home for supper, but was stunned to discover he was slam full of demons. The next morning I took him back into town and told him, “Toru, you obviously have a serious problem with demons. There is help, and I can cast those demons out of you, but you must want help.” A deep sadness came across his face as he turned to walk away. Eight months later we were in Ikoma when I got a call from a believer in Karuizawa saying Toru had murdered his grandfather, a house maid, and a policeman. He was found mentally insane, and put in the funny farm.

Years later I met Toru in Karuizawa again. He had been released from the mental hospital, but was having a terrible struggle trying to get reestablished back into society . Quite naturally, no one would trust him. He hung on to me like a desperate man clinging to a float in the ocean. My heart went out to him. I was in bad shape myself at that time. I was homeless and in no position to help anyone else. If I had had a home and a family I most certainly would have taken him in again. I felt he was recoverable material. I believe the demons could have been dealt with, and he could have been salvaged to be a profitable contribution to the Kingdom of God. I felt I knew exactly where he was. His greatest need was for someone to place confidence in him.

I remember when Take Sakado came to us in bad shape. Her father had a history of mental illness. Her brother was in a revolving door going in and out of the mental hospital. She found him when he successfully committed suicide. That nearly put her over the brink. She had her option either to be hospitalized herself, or come to live with us. She was virtually a vegetable when she first came. It was pretty tough for the first few weeks. But then one day she was marvelously saved. What a difference! She was going to one of the only two Christian psychiatrist in Japan, Akaboshi sensei. After she got saved, she went for her weekly visit, and told him how Jesus had come into her heart and now she was different. Akaboshi sensei was furious. He replied, “You are a very sick girl!” – and doubled her medication. She was badly depressed when she came home that night. We talked about her problem and need of medication. I asked, “What do you think? Do you think you need that stuff?” She replied, “No. I feel fine.” I said, “Okay, let's forget it, and trust Jesus.”When I placed confidence in her, and told her she was fine, Take bloomed like a rose. She was a great help to us for the nest two years. The last I heard, she is now married and has her own family.

There is something tremendously helpful if someone places confidence in us. It is a tough call, but I have decided, if Jesus has this scenario on His hands, and has to put His trust in men who are guaranteed to fail, I may not be too far out of line in putting my money again on someone who has proven to be untrustworthy. If this does the trick, my friend may turn out to be a real man of God. Maybe this is what Jesus is doing for us.

Thank you again for the privilege of your fellowship;

in the bonds of our worthy Lord Jesus,

bill

New Birth

1 January 2012.

Dear Phyllis,

Unbelievable! Who in the world could believe it? We have just opened year 2012. When I was saved in 1957 we spoke much about the coming of the Lord. In 1960 there was a great deal of speculation when Jesus would come again. It seemed like it would be highly unlikely that we would ever hit 1984 – that looked very much out of sight – but there was thing we could say with the highest confidence that when the year 2000 would come, we would be well into the 1000 year menial reign of Christ. We knew that there would be a seven year gap of the Great Tribulation, but there was no question but what that would be over and Jesus would be reigning on the earth by the year 2000. Oh my goodness, here we are in 2012 still glued in one piece! I can't believe it! But one thing we can say with no fear of contradiction – now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed. Joe Carroll used to pray, “Lord we thank You that we are one days march near home.” That is a very good evening prayer, and we can say with jubilation that we are one year nearer to that glorious moment when Jesus will receive the honor due Him on this planet.

This morning I was preaching at Pastor Kichikun's church from the text “Behold I make all things new”(Rev.21:5). One could hardly speak on any other subject on New Years morning. The occasion when the Lord makes that declaration is the moment we are all waiting for. Thank God that day will come. But the spiritual truth is a principle that permeates the entire fabric of the Christian life. The very nature of the Christian life is the new birth. That is well described in 2 Co 5:17 – “Behold, if any man be in Christ he is a new creature (creation). Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new”. If this is not evident, it is highly unlikely that any person is in Christ. By the very fact of birth there must be some evidence of a new life. And if old things are not passed away, it is difficult to say that this is a new life.

To what degree this is operative varies greatly from person to person. In my case, I was almost startled that, when Jesus came to live in my heart, sin suddenly fell quit like dead leaves falling from a tree. My filthy mouth was gone. My unconquerable bad sex habits stopped. For the first time in my life I was genuinely free; and suddenly I had a great craving for the things of the Lord. It wasn't a matter of believing whether or not something was true. It was impossible to deny that I was a new creature and the old life was gone. Not everyone is so black and white. Some people have terrible struggles with various forms of addictions. Sometimes it takes years for deliverance, but there must be some evidence that there is a new life in the heart or a persons salvation is just imaginary.

God is not in the business of fixing things. Fallen nature was so bad the Lord looked at it and said,“There is nothing here I can fix.” Jesus said, “The flesh profiteth nothing” (Jn. 6:63)'. Paul said amen to that when he told us that “In me (that is my flesh) dwelleth no good thing” (Rom. 7:18). When I was first saved I thought the Lord must be very pleased with Himself that he got such a good man this time. I thought I was several cuts above most of the Christians I knew, and I would be a real plus to the church. But then I was in for a terrible shock. When the Lord showed me what was inside me, I thought the Lord had made a terrible mistake in taking in someone with such disqualified fabric. Fifty five years later I think it one of the greatest acts of mercy God ever did was when He saved me. But the one thing I simply can't understand is how He has put up with me for so many years. I am one of the biggest embarrassment to the Name of the Lord that I know. I agree with both Jesus and Paul in there is zero material in flesh to try to fix or improve.

The Lord had only one solution – the garbage can. The only thing that could be done with flesh was to put it to death. But the mystery of all mysteries was that God's method of disposing of Adam's nature was to terminate it by the death of His Son. Somehow we can understand substitutionary propitiation –Christ died for us as our substitute. But the deeper truth of Christ cross is our death with Jesus. This is a spiritual truth that can only be explained and understood by the Holy Spirit. I can't explain it, but somehow I know it is true. This was best shared with us by Paul when he said, “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live– yet not I – but Christ liveth in me” (Gal. 2:20). Paul knew that when God placed Him in Christ he was so identified with Christ that Christ experience became his experience. When Jesus was nailed to that Cross he was there with Him. When Jesus died he died with Him. That is why he could say, “I am crucified with Christ”.

Once God dealt with the old man (flesh, sinful nature) ,the next thing He did was to create a whole new thing. This is called the new birth. This is even a greater inexplicable miracle. Some how the very Spirit of Christ is able to enter our heart so that there is a new birth. This is somewhat like what happened to Mary. The Angle Gabriel spoke with Mary telling her that she was going to have a baby. She asked how this was possible inasmuch as she didn't have a husband at that point. We all know that in order to create a baby, there must be a union of two seeds – the woman's seed and the man's seed. Gabriel told Mary that, in this case, it would be the something of the Holy Spirit that would be joined with her seed crating life in her womb. When that happened a tiny seed in her began to grow and multiply. Nine months later a little Baby was born that was Christ. Basically the same thing happens in us, only that with Mary, it was a physical thing in her stomach, but, in our case, it is the Spirit of Christ being joined together with our spirit in our heart. This is the new birth. This is God's new creation.

There are two aspects to the new birth– the spiritual side and the human side. On the spiritual side we see that everything springs from the miracle of being in Christ. How do you get “in Christ”? There is only one way. No man can do it. John 1:13 is clear that it is not of the will of the flesh. No one can will themselves in. 1 Co 1:30 gives the answer when it tells us,“Of Him (God) are ye in Christ Jesus”. It is God that places us in Christ. This is an act of God.

But there is a very real human side also; and the degree that any believer will be a successful Christian is totally dependent upon their attitude towards authority. Jesus told us the parable about the Nobleman who went to a far country to receive a Kingdom. Before He left He passed out cash to His servants with the instruction to “occupy until I come” (Lk. 19:12-14). But the citizens had another opinion about it. They sent a messenger saying, “We will not have this man rule over us.” With that statement they spoke for all unregenerate humanity. There is nothing wrong with Christ's salvation. But there is a serious problem with His ruling over them. There are thousands of practicing Christians running around serving the Lord and yet they have determined “I will not have this Man rule over me!” Why? Because they are determined to due their own thing.

Stewart and Jill Briscal were in Karuizawa for the summer conference several years ago. They told the gut-wrenching story about how their son, who was a pastor, showed up at their house one night with the horrible announcement that his wife wanted a divorce. Stewart said that kicked off a ding-dong battle that lasted two years. They went to counseling and did everything. He said the bottom line was when the wife came to the decision to do the last thing she wanted to do on this planet. Something she would almost rather go to hell than do – that was obey Christ. That was the last thing she wanted to do. And that is the fundamental root problem in 90% of Christian problems today. We can talk about solutions, but the bottom line is, “Will you obey Jesus?”

We all have problems but the degree that we will be successful as Christians will be determined by whether or not we will obey Jesus. There was an outstanding missionary couple in Japan several years ago. The man was one of the best missionaries I knew. But his wife was terribly head-strong. Everyone knows what the Bible says about the role of a wife in marriage. One day she said to him, “I know what the Bible says –but I ain't gonna do it!” Fine. They have been home in America for many years now.

I knew a couple that loved each other very much and wanted to get married, but the sister had an elderly father, and she was an only child. It was a hard call whether or not to leave her father. The brother asked me to speak with her. I said,“Sachiko, your problem with guidance is very simple. You just need to deal with Rebeca's decision”. When Abraham sent his servant to get a wife for Isaac, everything went amazingly well until they came to a disagreement over her departure. Finally they put the issue up to her with this one question, “Will you go with this man?” That has been the fundamental issue every bride has to face. When a woman marries a man her entire future is decided. She is all through with guidance. She has only one responsibility. Follow her husband. She cannot tell her husband, “You live in Canada, I will live in Osaka.” If he goes to Canada she must go to Canada. Fortunately Sachet made the right decision and both of them are taking very good care of her elderly father now. She follows him and he loves his wife.

When I went into the Air Force, the first thing they taught us was to march. If a man can't walk with others he can't be a soldier. This is lesson #1 in any army. Then in pilot training there were several stages of things we had to learn in flying an airplane. One was flying by instruments. In the clouds you can't see a thing outside. You MUST rely totally on your instruments. There are times when your body tells you one thing, and your instruments tell you something else. If you capitulate to going by what you feel, it is certain death. Regardless of what every nerve in your body is telling you, you must obey what the instruments say, and fly the plane accordingly. This is no easy trick.

The other is formation flying. Some men could do it, and some men washed out. When you watch the Air Force stunt formation team, The Thunder Birds, they look like they are welded together. But formation flying is extremely difficult. If you want to get a small taste of what it is like, try riding a motor bike 20 cm (8”) apart along side another bike going 120 kph over a mountain road. And then imagine you had wings and could go up and down as well as forward and sideways. In flying formation every wingman has only one life and death responsibility. Stay in position! He doesn't have to think about where they are going. That is the flight leader's responsibility. They don't have to worry about air speed. That is the lead ships job. They have only one thing to think about – follow the leader and stay in position.

This is marriage. Five months ago Pammy made a very difficult choice She said she would be my wife. This meant she would obey and follow me. With that she began a whole new life. Her old life of running things the way she wanted to came to an end. On the 6^th of August my previous life ended. I am no longer a single man. I have a big responsibility to love, protect, and provide for my wife. We are joined together as one. This is an entirely new creation.

God is not in the business of renovation, but beginning new creations. On the 1^st of January 2012 it was highly significant that He said to us, “Behold I create all things new.”

The Lord was wonderful in giving us an exceptionally good service this morning. Thank God.

bill