Last night I was thinking how the Lord was moving along the two mini-conferences (half-day), one in Chicago and one in Minneapolis. It is exciting and I am looking forward to being there with them. But my part has been very minimal. It basically has been two conference calls and the promise that I would show up. I won’t be doing a seminar, lead a meeting or even do a powerpoint, just show up.

Then I was thinking about all the other places that we should have half-day conferences, Columbus, OH, Nashville, TN, Michigan, East Coast, Hawaii, etc.  I was getting more tired as I slept. Then I realized in my sleep that I wasn’t the key to doing these things, but just needed to toss out the idea and give a few suggestions. The fact of my actually going probably isn’t as important as just doing some encouragement.

So I am wondering, maybe what we need is a little RJC Academy class on how to plan a mini-conference, a regional conference and an international conference.

Any thoughts?  Anyone want to help?

At the present RJC Academy has one basic course called Japan 101 which we have offered in the spring and fall. The course is on-line and free. It has been helpful for the person just starting out in Japanese ministries, but also beneficial for the veteran missionary living in Japan, and even Japanese themselves.

As of the fall of 2010 we are now testing our second course called Japanese Evangelism 201. This course is also on-line based and free. The sub-title explains the emphasis, Culture Specific Evangelism for Japanese Ministries.

Here are a few thoughts:

1. Since our understanding of God is colored by culture, experience and Biblical understanding, we need to be sensitive and not presume too much when we use the word “God.”  Or in Japanese when we say “kami.”
2.  Even when we are committed to the Biblical teaching, we must be humble to realize that we most likely have 1 to 90% distortion of the true Creator God of the Bible.
3. Even as each person from the Western world brings baggage and distortion to the word “God,” so Japanese bring large differences to their understanding of God or Kami.
4. The word “Kami” or “God” brings very different images which include the nature gods, past hero gods and family ancestor gods.
5. Romans 1:19 and 20 (NIV) says, “…what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” This passage tells us that God has been active in the past and still is active in Japanese hearts, revealing Himself.
6. So perhaps a good place to start talking about God with Japanese is not with a declaration, but a question, something like  “How have you seen the Creator God reveal Himself?”
7. It is helpful to use the Scriptural analogies when we talk about God. Concepts like “Father, “Lover,” “Creator (Maker),” “Shepherd,” etc. will be helpful here.
8. So we have an encouraging truth–God is already active in showing Himself, and a sobering truth–Japanese as well as Westerners continually hide and distort the truth of God.

by Don Wright