Gothold Beck-Part 3

Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness ____ perfumed___ with all the powders of the merchants? Song of Sol 3:6

This is the only verse I know in the Bible that is a snapshot of Church history. The Bible speaks much about spiritual fragrance and S. of S. deals more with that subject than any other book in the Bible. Spiritual fragrance can be summarized by one word – atmosphere. It is that detectable atmosphere that characterizes every person you meet, and every meeting you are in. S. of S. 3:6 says that the perfume is the powders of merchants. Merchants are people who buy and sell. Salvation is free, but a good testimony or a successful ministry comes with a price. Gothold Beck was more sold out to Christ than any man I ever met. The law of reproduction is that everything reproduces after its own kind (Gen. 1:21). Gothold Beck reproduced hundreds of believers that were just like himself in total abandonment for Christ.

There was an incident where a Christian in Shikoku had died, and the family called the headquarters in Kichijoji asking that 200 Bibles be sent down to give to the people who would come to the funeral. There wasn't a way in the world where they could ship 200 Bibles to Shikoku and get them there in time for the funeral. Two believers heard of this problem; they walked off their jobs, bought 200 Bibles out of their own pockets, then got on a plane to fly the Bibles to Shikoku to be on time. I have never heard of such unimaginable sacrifice in Japan.

Any assembly of this kind of dedicated, sacrificial, believers will produce an atmosphere in meetings. And I was privileged to experience that in some of the most blessed moments of my life. For two millenniums of Church history, all revivals, and Christ-filled meetings, have been characterize by one singular unique atmosphere– an overwhelming sense of the presence of Christ. If you are in a meeting with 10 people, who are singing Issac Watts hymns, with no instrumental accompaniment, and four out of ten have tears coursing down their face, you know that Jesus is there.

Sunday wasn't just a day when you went to church. Every Sunday was like children waiting for Christmas. I was riding in a car with some friend one day and one lady said to another, “How did we ever live before we had Sunday?” It would start at 9:00 AM at the meeting and go until midnight continuing to fellowship in homes all over town. Getting two Kichijoji believers apart was like trying to get two teenagers, who are in love, to go home. They just craved fellowship.

I was at a home meeting in Niki one night, and the wife of the home was sharing her testimony. Both she and her husband had gone to Bible school and had faithfully served the Lord ever since being married. They were active members in a conservative church. But she said, “I was just wore out. I told the pastor that I couldn't go on carrying the load in the church.”. The pastor replied, “Sister, if you back out the church will collapsed”. She added, “And I was an awful wife”. Then she heard about a Kichijoji ladies mid-week meeting. She felt guilty going to a different church ladies meeting but in desperation gave it a shot. Jesus was there. She eventually was able to pull her husband away from their regular church to attend Kichijoji meetings in Kobe. She said it was just like getting saved all over again. Life flowed back into them and they fell in love with Jesus and with each other anew. She wept as she gave that testimony. After the meeting I was talking with her and said, “Sister, that was terrific! I know hundreds of Christians all over Japan who are just like you were. They are just wore out serving religion. But it is not yarikata (way of doing things); it is Jesus.” She nearly shouted at me, “Yes, yes, yes!”. Many people think that it is yarikata (format of service), but there are dozens of Plymouth Brethren assemblies scattered all over Japan that operate exactly like Kichijoji, but they are as dead as a door nail. The difference is Jesus.

Gothold is not a proselytizer. He prefers not taking believers out of other churches, but there is a stamped of starving Christians all over Japan. He is draining churches with wore-out, famished, believers who are pouring into Kichijoji shukais.

It would fill a small library to tell of all the amazing testimonies of Kichijoji meetings and Christians. I have never seen anything like it. Gothold wrote several books but his first one was the testimony of his third daughter, Heidi, who died of cancer. In addition to that, Kichijoji produced a series of books called Hikari Yo Are (Let there be light). These were a collections of Kihijoji Christian's testimonies. In Japan, a best seller Christian book might run 5,000 copies. Kichijoji books were self-produced, but out-sold all other Christian books in the country by a factor of three or four times. These books have had an impact on Japan of producing untold numbers of conversions – as well they should. They are fantastic!

There are more Mercedes Benzes parked outside Kichijpji meetings than any other place in Japan. Some of the highest strata in the country fellowship with some of the lowest. One brother is a nationally famous designer and is a millionaire. They have a modest home, but his wife has 70 college age kids home for lunch every Sunday. He told me, “All I want is a closest size room where I can get a little rest. The kids can have the rest of the house” There are many top level doctors, lawyers, college professors, alcoholics, drug addicts – you name it – they have them all.

The wife of, perhaps the number one TV news commentator in Japan, had a Christian friend who invited her to the Wednesday morning ladies meeting in Kichijoji. Sachiko attended the meetings for two or three weeks before she spoke to Gothold telling him that she was the wife of Chiyaki Ozawa. (This story is true but I am not sure the name is right). She told him that her husband was in the hospital with cancer. Gothold said, “I will go see him immediately.”. His wife panicked and said, “Oh, please don't. My husband is extremely well traveled and he is very anti-Christian”. Gothold replied, “That's fine I will go see him anyway”. Sachiko was terrified. Chiyaki met him at the hospital door and his opening remark was “Kirisuto-kyo is mecheck cha (a mess).” “Yes, I agree.” “Aren't you a missionary?” “Yes I am, but I am not promoting Kirisuto-kyo”. “What are you selling?” “I'm promoting Jesus Christ.” “Oh, that is different.” And Gothold led him to Christ. Sometime later I was talking to my friend, Takako, and asked how Chiyaki was doing. She said, “He's fantastic. I was in their home the other night and he was wonderful. Physically he doesn't have long to live with his cancer, but he is rejoicing and on fire for Christ”. When he was in the hospital with his last bout with cancer, many national TV and news organizations wanted to see him. He refused to see any news people, but if it was a Christian - any brother or sister from Kichijoji - “Please come in”. His funeral was probably the most televised Christian funeral in Japan's history. NHK, Juji TV, and others had it on prime time all over Japan – including much of Gothold's message. That was probably the biggest fish Gothold ever caught.

I started out this letter quoting a verse from Song of Sol. that I said was a snapshot of Church history. From a secular stand point, and to look at much of Christianity world wide today, Christianity is not a real pretty picture. But neither are the Seven Churches in Rev. 2 & 3. What you have is the real Church mixed in with the plastic version. The Kichijpji meetings I attended were what the Methodist meetings must have been like in the days of Wesley. And any time or place there has been a genuine moving of the Holy Spirit they have all been characterized by a tremendous sense of the presence of Christ. Oh, the fragrance of that is wonderful. And that comes when you have merchants who have sold all to buy the Pearl of Great Price (Mt. 13:44-46). Gothold did and he got it.

To be continued by one more letter. bill