Monthly Archives: January 2011

For Men Only (resources for the battles all men fight)

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Whether you are fighting a battle against lust or trying to encourage a friend who is drowning in pornography, you are facing a “giant” which is no less terrifying than the biblical Goliath was to a young God-worshipper named David. The only way we can fight the fire of lust is with the white-hot passion of true devotion to God. The Bible explains that when Jesus Christ (the God-man) humbled himself to become a mere mortal and took human flesh, he experienced all the temptations of a man. Don’t be ashamed to take your struggle to the Lord. He really understands how hard it is to remain pure. But He did it and He can help you do it too!

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.
(Hebrews 4:15 )

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
(Psalm 51:1-2 David wrote this psalm after his sin with Bathsheba led to tragedy in his life and others…)

Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.
We are far too easily pleased.
(C. S. Lewis)

Sexual immorality is a symptom of something deeper (John Piper)…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDlrBQbWaoQ

Avoiding sexual sin – Part 1 (Mark Driscoll)…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyTN8cCPazM

Avoiding sexual sin – Part 2 (Mark Driscoll)…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bel7HxYW5T4

Masturbation is a sign of passive manhood (Dennis Sy)…

http://www.dennissy.com/uncensored-porn-and-masturbation/

Resisting pornography (Perry Noble)…

http://www.perrynoble.com/2005/08/17/thought-on-pornography/

Porn-Again Christian free e-book (Mark Driscoll)…

http://relit.org/porn_again_christian/toc.php

The biblical standard for Christians never changes:
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.
(Ephesians 5:3)

January 2011 Newsletter

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New Year 2011 with the Yamada Family

Thank you for your prayers!
We were able to drive to Nagoya during the last week of 2010 and visit with Satomi’s parents. Makimi went with us and Satomi’s brother and his family also joined came by during the week. Both Migiwa and Toshiko had some health issues this past year but both looked very good. We were very thankful that they have recovered so well and appreciate all your prayers for our family.
We drove back to Yokosuka on January 1st after having our tradtional Japanese New Year meal together and enjoying several days of reconnecting with our Japanese relatives.

Other Prayer Requests

  •   Special Prophetic Assembly (Jan 30)
  •   James’ finals for this semester (Jan end – Feb start)
  •   First Men’s Victory Weekend in Yokosuka (Feb 4-5)
  •   African Childrens Choir Japanese Website (almost done)
  •   New small groups for Japanese men and women


Yokohama, Minato Mirai 21 disctrict

Links

www.yokosukachurch.com

www.raymercer.net

www.everynation.jp

www.africanchildrenschoir.jp

 

How to give

You can send a financial gift to help support our work in Japan by simply clicking on the following link and following the instructions:
https://admin.everynation.org/giving/?P=010229 

January 11, 2011                                                                   

Yokosuka Church 4th Anniversary!

We are going to start our fifth year by re-focusing on hearing God’s voice. We have called the church to fast and pray from January 26 to 28th and will follow that with a special prophetic meeting the following weekend. I have invited two pastors in our group of churches here in Japan to come to Yokosuka and minister prophetically.
The church is growing both spiritually and in numbers. We often have 80+ or even 90+ in attendance on Sunday mornings. I feel a fresh responsibility to seek God for direction. He is the real Pastor and I am the “assistant pastor” working to build the way He wants to.
During the coming year I am hoping to see an expansion of our leadersip. Eventually I would like to be working alongside Japanese, Filipino and American pastors who share the burden and the vision for making world-changing disciples in Yokosuka and who can help turn us into a church planting factory which plants churches all around Tokyo and Japan.
I recently heard of a type of bamboo that doesn’t sprout for four years after planting. On the surface it appears that nothing is happening. But then, in the fifth year, in a matter of months, it suddenly grows 60 to 90 feet. I am praying that our roots are going down deep and sure now so that when God brings the miraculous growth we will be able to handle it!
We are about to go into our fifth year as a church and this is my prayer;
“Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor. The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the LORD; in its time I will do this swiftly.” (Isaiah 60:21-22)
Please pray with us for this scripture to come to pass in Japan.

Kings don’t fight alone

One classic message I heard preached years ago by a Nigerian preacher was “Kings don’t fight alone.”　In the Old Testament, alliances would be made and counsel would be sought before going to war. I am very privileged to be in this spiritual battle with a team of mighty partners who invest their prayers, their finances and their lives in our ministry of church planting in this unreached nation. That is you! We are really out here on the front lines and we deeply appreciate how you help in many ways. Thank you for partnering with us for so long and so faithfully.
It has been a long time since I have visited the U.S. and I am praying that the opportunity will come again soon. In the meantime though, I also have a great team of fellow pastors that I meet with almost every week in Yokohama for encouragement, accounatability and prayer. We are meeting in the same part of town where the foreign minsters gathered last month for the APEC summit to discuss policy. Please continue to pray that the spiritual seeds we are sowing will change Japan even more than economic or political policies ever could. I’ll keep you updated on our progress. It is going to be a great year.