Re-Definition of the Disciple of Christ...

Japan needs a radical re-definition of what it means to be a dangerous disciple of Jesus Christ.  There is a perception that the church is too serious, irrelevant, boring, and non-Japanese.  This is perpetuated by a 1950's church model that hasn't changed in many settings.  There is a "weak" form of ego-centric Christianity that has no appeal whatsoever to the Japanese soul.  However, Jesus' demands of His disciples has great appeal.  He calls us to have no higher affection, no greater possession, no greater cause, than to follow Him.  He invites us to willingly lay our lives down for the sake of the Kingdom of God.  He calls us to a life of radical commitment, sacrifice, and suffering in order to make a difference in the spiritual battle.  I believe in the soul of every Japanese is a ingrained sense of honor that, when focused on Christ, will produce some of the most faithful and world-changing believers the world has ever known.  

A Strategy of Multiplication...

If Japan is to be reached there must be an kingdom explosion of discipleship that will grow exponentially year after year.  The concept of reproduction and multiplication must be a part of any ministry strategy to reach Japan.  If you spend 21 years reaching 1 person per weekend you will reach approximately 1092 people in 21 years.  If you disciple 2 people every two years and teach them to faithfully reproduce you will reach over 177,000 in 21 years. That means that each believer must be trained well and given the vision to be a multiplier.  In the heart of every single believer is the seed of a potential Kingdom movement.  That vision must be cast again and again.  And training must prepare each believer with transferable concepts.

A Special Kind of Leader...

I believe that Japan needs a generation of young leaders that will give their entire lives to reaching Japan.  Short term missions can do very little compared to the investment of a life of disciple-making.  Japan needs leaders who are sold out to Jesus Christ , who are naive enough to trust God for big things, and who stand with undaunted courage when the odds are stacked against them.  This battlefield needs leaders who will live and serve each day fully surrendered to the power of the Holy Spirit depending on God to take their imperfect efforts and with His power, to change the world.  They need to be ready to suffer, ready to struggle, and ready to fight daily for every Kingdom inch.   This battle will be long and the results may not be fully visible until the first generation of leaders is in heaven.  Our sons and daughters may see the change, but our grandsons and grand daughters surely will feel the tide changing.

   A Generation Committed to Unity...

Japan needs a generation of young leaders who take Christ seriously when He says that the world will know that we are His disciples by our love for one another....that are committed to working together side by side with other believers to reach their country.  I once asked a missionary what the toughest part of mission work was in Japan and he answered..."Other missionaries!"  Because of the scarcity of fruit there is fierce territorialism, envy, pride, and insecurity.  Certain seminaries teach conservatives and charismatics to be "anti" each other.   Many pastors allow their differences in minor doctrinal areas to cause divisions and prevent them from uniting.  Or they are just plain insecure about other churches growing larger than theirs.  Imagine a generation of kids who know nothing of the divisions, nothing of the disputes, nothing of the rivalries.  They simply love God, are committed to reaching their country, and will work along side anyone who calls Jesus Lord and holds to the essentials of the faith.  What kind of spiritual army would gather if they could just work together...There needs to be a day when the disciples of Christ ride together into battle for the soul of Japan.