Thank you to those who came out on Saturday to help with the All-Church Cleanup Day and the Sunday School / Children’s Church workshop and classroom setup for the next school year to begin this coming Sunday. Please come to the 9:30am Promotion Assembly on September 5 to join in with the new classes for this coming year.

Thank you to Nadine Yamamoto for the Children’s Message, “Where is Heaven?”  Nadine realizes, no one really knows where Heaven is, but knows that the bible describes it as a very wonderful place. With the help of some from Children’s Church, they described what some people might think are ways to get to heaven: Doing good things, like feeding the poor; loving others; giving money; reading the Bible every day; or singing praise songs. None of these ways will ever be enough to get someone into Heaven. We are never good enough on our own, but God has His perfect plan for us. We can’t climb our way to heaven, so God came down to us with His Son, Jesus. It is God who loves us so much, He sent us His one and only Son, Jesus, that as we love and believe in Him, He makes the way for us to be with Him. Doing good things, sharing, loving, giving, Bible reading and worshiping, are all good things to do because we love Jesus, but not to earn salvation.

Thank you to Pastor Eric Yata for bringing the message from Romans 8:28-39, “Why God?” In our lives, there are times of victories, such as Saturday, August 28, the Kung Fu Pandas, a softball team with members of SanLo (including Pastor Eric), took the Division title! Sometimes with those victories, there are also time of difficulties and trials, whether it is global or personal. In the middle of these times, we sometimes wonder, “Why God?” We find comfort in God’s Word, particularly from today’s passage.

1) God reminds us of His glorious plan for us. (vv.28-30) ²⁸And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. ²⁹For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; ³⁰and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. God had foreknowledge of His great plan of salvation. He also predestined those who He would call. We did not choose God, He chose us. God extended the calling to us in an invitation or summons. We have been justified, acquitted, or declared righteous, freed and saved by faith in Jesus. We are all guilty, but declared innocent because the penalty for our sin was paid in full by Jesus, the perfect sacrifice.  Those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ will be glorified, when upon our passing, we will be given a new body and eternal life. It is important to know these doctrines so when we go through times of trial & strife, this promise will carry us through suffering. Because we know that in the end, we win in heaven. When hard times come, our faith will equip us to better endure, despite the difficult circumstance we may find ourselves in.

2) God reminds us of His gracious sacrifice for us. (vv.31-36) ³¹What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? ³²He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?  ³³Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; ³⁴who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. ³⁵Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  ³⁶Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” Nobody can over take us because God is for us. Nobody can separate us from Christ.

3) God reminds us of His amazing love for us. (vv.37-39) ³⁷But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.  ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We are more than conquerors. God’s love is so powerful. Nothing can ever separate us from His love and care. His love is so amazing.

Have you allowed God’s love to embrace you and carry you through the difficulties in your life? We have victory in Christ.

Have a blessed week in God’s glorious plan, His gracious sacrifice and amazing love,

Stan, for SLZJCC

“Essential Truths of the Bible,” Adult Sunday School class begins at 9:30 a.m. on Sun., Sept. 12 to Nov. 28. You will learn the essential teachings (doctrines) of the Christian faith.  We will use a book from Bruce Bickel & Stan Jantz, the same authors of Bible 101.  Please contact Pastor Brian to purchase a book.

We’ll answer questions like:

• Can I know for sure that God exists?
• Is He personally involved in the details of my life?
• What is the Trinity? Is God really three in one?
• How did God create the world?

We’ll answer these questions and much much more.  We’ll see going through several of the key Christians doctrines. Come join us for this life changing class!

Thank you to Pastor Brian Tekawa for the message from Hebrews 12:1-2, “The Great Race”. There are many examples of those in sports who persevere to the finish line, often times pushing themselves beyond their own capabilities. The life of the Christian has been compared to running a great race, a spiritual race. What is it that motivates us to endure the race?

¹Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  ²fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (NASB)

In this passage the Christ-follower is encouraged to endure the race because of the cloud of witnesses (v.1) and the joy (v.2) set before you by fixing your eyes upon Jesus. When you seek to accomplish anything, like running a race, you focus on the finish. You will train hard, discipline yourself to be consistent, and run to get in shape. The Christian life is much the same, it is like a marathon. It is not a short quick burst of energy it is a lifelong journey. It can be tough going at times. The writer of Hebrews knew from observing Greek athletes in training, the toll it took on the athlete’s body. While training and competing, everything else is a distraction. The focus is on the prize and finishing. Forget the crowd’s cheers or jeers. Focus on the basket, the goal, the finish line, the win. If you lose that focus you are likely to lose your concentration. For the Christ-follower we need to be so focused upon the desires of Jesus, nothing else matters. Jesus is our prize, and winners keep their eyes on Him.

We see from scripture that you should endure the race because of the “great cloud of witnesses” surrounding us and “the joy” set before us. Therefore is a key word. To understand what is about to follow we need to reference what was said previous. To find out who are “the cloud of witnesses”, we need to read Hebrews 11.

1. Because of the WITNESSES – (v.1) We endure the faith because of those who have inspired us by their faith. Maybe it was your parents or your siblings, close friends, church members, etc. Hebrews 11 known as the “faith chapter” lists “The great cloud of witnesses”. Men and women of faith who God saw fit to be our examples and witnesses. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. This group of people were amazingly faithful. They are not just Bible characters, they are also our witnesses. They believed God 100%, they lived their whole lives for Him, committing their resources, and reputation to God regardless of the cost. Many even died for their faith. But what is even more inspiring is that, “All these gained approval through their faith but; “Did not receive what was promised” Hebrews 11:39 They remained faithful even though they did not see the end result of their faith. Besides these outstanding examples of faith, maybe you can recall those who have been great examples for you because of their faith. It could be someone from the past or even the present. Someone who encouraged you through the way they lived or are living for Christ. Those people are your “great cloud of witnesses” besides the ones mentioned in Hebrews 11.

2. Because of the JOY – (v.2) Jesus, our example; for the joy set before Him, endured the cross. Jesus knew the end result of His life on earth was to do the will of the Father. There was no greater joy for Jesus than to do His Father’s will, which was to provide a way for all mankind to return to God. Now, Jesus is our Joy. Who else would die for you even if you ignored Him? Who else would love you completely, good, bad, and ugly? What greater joy can there be than to know God loves you so much that He sent His Only Son, Jesus, to make a way to heaven? Forgetting or not understanding how wonderful and awesome God is, His love, His forgiveness, and His holiness, is where many fall short. Even Christ-followers miss God.  Keeping your eye on Jesus, the prize, will keep you in good spiritual shape. Many don’t endure the race because they lose the focus on the prize set before them. They don’t endure the race because they don’t keep their eye on the prize, Jesus. I believe if the Christ-follower would make the pursuit of Jesus their goal in life, they would not only endure the “Great Race” but also experience the JOY of the race. Those who leave the faith often fix their eyes on family, work, church, relationships, or any other person or thing, rather than Jesus. When you fix your eyes on Jesus and sincerely search out who He is and what He has done, you will not walk away from the greatest news in the world. The good news of Jesus. Jesus knew the JOY set before Him and did not waver. This joy enabled Jesus to endure the cross.

Jesus is our joy set before us. We have two strong motivations to endure the race, the “great cloud of witnesses” and the “joy of Jesus.” As a Christ-follower our goal never changes. In fact the more you pursue Jesus the stronger you get regardless of age or physical ability. We will never fully know Jesus in this life but it should not prevent us from pursuing Him and enduring the race.

Enduring the race can be more difficult for some than others. As I think about Christ-followers in other parts of the world I realize how fortunate we are in America. For instance, Christ-followers in Japan have many challenges. One of which is the fact that 99% of the people don’t know Jesus, many Japanese have not even heard His name. Today we are privileged to hear from a few from our church who recently came back from spending a few weeks in Chiba, Japan. Establishing friendships and encouraging existing missionaries who have dedicated themselves to living among the Japanese for the chance to introduce Jesus to others.

Mike Rodriquez (team leader): It has been 5 years since the inception of the vision of sending missions teams from FACC, and in conjunction with SLZJCC, there have been 4 teams sent so far. It is encouraging to see how God is making this connection possible with the churches and missionaries living and working in the Ichinomiya area where Pastor Sunao Shimada previously served before coming to the SLZJCC Nichigo department. Most of all it is not our work, but HIS work.

Joanne Yata: It was a touching experience to feel the answers to prayers as she was able to connect with people, particularly an elementary age special needs student, and sharing the love of people met, beyond any language barrier.

Dennis Yata: So thankful for being sent, even though not fully knowing how God would use him, but connecting with a 6 year old boy at the orphanage was a moving experience that will not be forgotten, meeting a couple at English Café, who are making plans to come to the US to visit, deepening the connection and opportunities to share the love of Christ.

Hajime Kanzaki: Mainly experienced the working of the Holy Spirit (Luke10:2) when in a situation where translation was needed, team member, Jayne, was prompted to join the conversation and provided translation at just the right time. Another time, when doing a pottery demonstration, Mike stepped in, prompted by the Holy Spirit to use the illustration of the pottery to share his testimony, not as planned, but making the most of the opportunity. Many were moved to hear about God in his life.

Jeremy Fong: Expressed his thanks for being sent as he enjoyed making friends, eating good food, and most of all appreciated all the smiles.

Jayne Fong: Deeply moved by the opportunity to meet the people and the missionaries of Ichinomiya and to develop relationships with them. At their Mishima homestay, the sole Christian in the household was able to witness through prayer to her own family because of the Fong’s being in their home. Hopefully they too, will be able to come to visit in the U.S.

Todd Fong: Through a multi-media DVD presentation, shared some of the sights, events, and people the team was able to interact with, to show how God used the Chiba 2010 team to accomplish His mission.

Pastor Brian concluded his message by asking the question, “Why should I endure the race?”

Because of the great cloud of witnesses and the joy set before you. Will you quit or endure the race?

Have a blessed week with your eyes fixed upon Jesus,

Stan, for SLZJCC

For those who attended the Adult Sunday School, Greg Ing began his five session missions class to learn about what God is doing worldwide. Please join in for any or all of the sessions.

Pastor Rod will be leading a two week class for those who are interested in learning more about our church: its history, beliefs, mission, and vision.  Pre-reading is required.

Thank you to Vernon Kam for bringing a message on “The Lord’s Prayer” from Matthew 6:9-15. A summary of highlights follows:

A. God as Father.

1. We pray to God the Father in the name of Jesus.

2. God wants us to have a close relationship with Him.

B. His name hallowed; kingdom come. Leviticus 22:23(KJ) Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the LORD which hallow you…. Is His name hallowed in us? Is He king in our lives? Do we submit to Him, obey Him?

C. Your will be done.

1.  When God exercises His will, ultimately good things will happen.

2.  Two ways of looking at God’s will.

a. God’s will of purpose.  This is God’s foreordained plan and purpose.  It will not change and cannot be thwarted.  God makes sure it will happen.  Example: Jesus dying for our sins. Job 42:2(NASB)  “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.”

b.  God’s permissive will.  God allows certain things to happen.  He doesn’t make them happen but permits them to happen.  When the Jewish leaders and the Romans crucified Christ, God permitted them to do it.  God always has a reason for allowing things to happen.  We see why Christ was crucified – so that we may obtain forgiveness of our sins.   When God allows an earthquake or cancer to happen, often we don’t comprehend His reasons.  In faith, we must believe in what He says: Romans 8:28 …in all things God works for the good …according to his purpose.

3.  How do we determine what God wants us to do?

a.  His general will.   Revealed in Scripture – what to believe; how to behave.   Examples: Believe in Christ.   Don’t steal, don’t commit adultery, be loving, be patient.

b.  His specific will.  Examples: Who should I marry? Should I take this or that job? Pray.  If your heart is set on doing God’s will, you will discern it.  He will reveal His will to you.

4.  The major reason for most unanswered prayers is that they are not in accordance with God’s will.

5.  Although we cannot change the will of God, prayer can affect the timing of something God has willed. We see this in the following:

a. It was God’s will that Ninevah be destroyed.  But because of their repentance and prayer, the timing was changed. Destruction did not occur until 100 years later. (Jonah 3)

b. It was God’s will that King Hezekiah die, but the timing was changed because of his prayer.  He lived 15 more years. (Isaiah 38)

6.  Don’t be afraid to ask God for things.

D.  Our daily bread.

1.  Bread symbolizes all that is necessary to sustain life.

2.  God will provide for our needs.

E. Forgiveness.

1.  When we accept Christ, all our sins are forgiven.  Here we are praying for forgiveness for the sake of sanctification –  of growing spiritually.

2.  Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

3.  If our sins are not forgiven, then our prayers will not be effective.

4.  Not easy to forgive.  God will give us the power to forgive and love.

RY

For those who attended the Adult Sunday School introductory video for “Go: Cross Cultural” it was a great introduction and overview of God’s plan for the nations and an invitation to all believers, to join in what God is doing worldwide. In the next five weeks, Greg Ing will be helping us to discover what the Bible says about this. All ages are welcome to please join in for any or all of the sessions.

Thank you to Mitsu and Karen Nakamura for sharing their work with Japan Campus Crusade for Christ. Mitsu’s official title with JCCC is the National Strategic Team Leader. He is working in many areas of equipping other missionaries for the field, Bible translation work, and mentoring. He and Karen also work in campus outreach/evangelism; discipleship training; and creating evangelistic materials. They are faced with challenges/opposition to the work (escorted from a campus and asked not to return) and find creative access ways to engage people to offer the opportunity to hear the gospel message. They equip and prepare Japanese missionaries to be sent out to other countries. They are involved with Celebrate Recovery small groups, where they and others learn to grow in healthy ways by working through past problems. Karen is also active with Mom’s In Touch; Sunday School Kid’s Camp; and MK2MK a support group for missionary kids to help them with work through identity issues and care for fellow staff. Our church joined the Nakamura’s support team over ten years ago and we praise God for how He is working through their whole family’s lives (Emily-12, Miye-15, Abe-17). They drove 1,600 miles through Texas and the mid-west looking at colleges for Abe and they will drive back to Southern CA on Tuesday, then will return to Japan on August 23.

Mitsu is currently working on translating the book of Jonah into Japanese in conjunction with an entire team working on the whole Bible. So it is natural, he spoke from Jonah 1:1-3. Many are familiar with the story of Jonah, but he focused on the first three verses:

1) God’s Command: (vv.1-2) ¹ The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: ² “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, a people of much wickedness who were an arch enemy of Israel.

2) Jonah’s Response: (v.3) ³ But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. Jonah was a prophet of God who must have known you can’t run away or hide from God but with his hatred for the Assyrians, he chose to disobey and run. Although it is not certain where Tarshish actually was, it is thought to be near modern day Spain. The exact location is not important, other than it was in the opposite direction of Nineveh. So Jonah’s response did not reflect his understanding of God. We sometimes do the same.

3) Jonah’s Problem: Why didn’t Jonah go to Nineveh? It was not that he was afraid of them, but because of his own hatred for the Assyrians, and knowing that God would save them, chose not to obey God by going to Nineveh. He put his own convictions over God’s will. We see in other circumstances from the Bible, Jonah was obedient (2 Kings 14:25). So Jonah’s problem was that of “selective submission.”

4) Application: What happens when God sends you where you don’t want to go? Are there areas or things in our lives that we hold back from God? We do “almost everything” He asks us to do, but we stop short when it comes to things like: evangelism/missions; working through family issues; forgiveness; an addiction; or doing something for the church? When we have a problem with selective submission, we miss out on the blessings of personal spiritual growth. We are left out of opportunities to be used by God or to get to know Him better. We cannot experience true satisfaction. God doesn’t expect us to be perfect, but He does expect us to grow in every area of our lives.

5) Conclusion: When God sends you where you don’t want to go don’t refuse His leading, obey Him. If you have problems doing this, seek help from others. Don’t keep using selective submission as Jonah did, you will come to know God better when you obey Him in every way.

Have a blessed week in the Lord as you submit to Him completely,

Stan, for SLZJCC



Missions (‘mis-shunz):

1. What God is doing in the world?

2. The main goal of the Church

3. Something that is very dangerous and illegal in some parts of the world

4. Something you are a part of

Come and Learn about cross cultural missions and your role in God’s plan in a 6 week Adult Sunday School class from August 1st to September 5th. Taught by our very own missionary Greg Ing.

Thank you to Gloria Kama and her staff for organizing the “High Seas Expedition” for VBS this past week. There were 90 registered along with the many helpers and team leaders. Some of the VBS crew led the praise singing in worship today.

Thank you to Greg Ing for giving the Children’s Message today from Acts 1:8. He encouraged Christians to go out into the world to tell others about Jesus. There have been many methods of transportation over the years, from foot, to sail boats, then power boats, airplanes, and who knows what in the future (rocket ships?) but the main thing is not about how to get from here to there, but to tell others about Jesus.

Thank you to Pastor Eric Yata for the message from Isaiah 6:1-7, “Holey, Holey, Holey”. Pastor Eric shared a personal story from his past which involved losing a basketball challenge. The payoff for his loss included an act of humiliation, which he felt discouraged and dismayed. In this passage, the prophet Isaiah is brought to a point of discouragement, ruin and inadequacy in light of the holiness of God. In this moment, he is radically changed by God.

1) Why is God holy?

God is holy, because He is the sovereign One. (v.1) ¹In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the temple. King Uzziah was a great king of Judah. He was the most famous since King Solomon, and they were in a time of great prosperity. With King Uzziah now dead, there was a great question, now who were the people to follow? Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up so he pointed the people to Jesus. Man will fail, but God will not. Who do you put your trust in?

God is holy, because He is the sacred One. (v.2) ²Above Him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. The seraphim covered their face, so they would not see Jesus; they covered their feet as they were considered unclean; they flew and served God with the other set of wings. They were separated from the holiness of Jesus, even though they were angelic beings. The seraphim demonstrated reverence before God. What is the view that you have of God? What do you focus on? What He can do for you? Don’t put God in a box, just thinking He is like a genie, who will give us what we want. There are many parts of who God is, including being just, righteous and holy. These attributes magnify His love and kindness. In similar contrast, we can appreciate heaven as opposed to hell; His grace, which covers our sin. This should cause us to praise Him all the more.

2) What God’s holiness does?

God’s Holiness causes us to stand in awe and praise Him. (vv.3-4) . ³And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” ⁴And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of Him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.  Three times the seraphim repeat the triad of declaration. Holy is the Father, Holy is the Son, Holy is the Spirit. There is none other like Him. Who do you praise and how often? We are encouraged to praise Him all during the week, everyday, all the time.

God’s Holiness causes us to see our own flaws and imperfections. (v.5) ⁵And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” When we look at our own sinfulness, we can see the holes in our lives. (Holey, holey, holey) It isn’t enough to just make the surface impressions look good. Through confession and repentance, we can ask God to forgive the words and actions of our lives that fall short. God wants to change us and make us holy. He doesn’t expect us to be perfect, but repentant.

3) What God did for us?

When we repent, God provides His sanctifying grace. (vv.6-7) ⁶Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” Here we see the picture of God’s purification and cleansing of our sin. God is the refiner of our souls. He sent us His Son, Jesus, who purifies us with His own shed blood. Jesus came to die for our sins. When we see our sovereign God in his sacred holiness, we can only respond in awe and praise. We will also see our own sinfulness and ask Him to forgive us and sanctify us by His grace. Confess and turn away from sin and turn toward Him.

Have a blessed week in awe of the holiness of our Lord, God,

Stan, for SLZJCC