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An
Apostolic in the Land of the Rising Sun
By Naoko Ishibashi On
March 20, 1995, Japan experienced the "Tokyo subway Sarin gas attacks"
in downtown Tokyo. The attack killed 11 passengers and injured more than 5,000
by a deadly chemical put in a rush hour subway train by a cult organization
called Aum Shinri Kyo (full name: The Truth Of Creation, Sustainment and
Destruction of the Universe). It terrified the nation and reminded them religion
can be extreme and deadly. Sadly, this cult used “revelations” from
the Bible; they used no make-up and wore modest clothing.
In fact, they looked very much like Apostolics. Because
new cults constantly surface in Japan, people are generally defensive to any
religion. It is said only one percent of the population here is Christian.
People regard Christians the same as other religions, such as Buddhism and
Shintoism. When they see a Christian, they think they are Catholics. The
Japanese people seemed satisfied with material and money and don't feel the need
to seek the Lord. I encounter many people who say, "Not right now."
Hungry people come and go. Many needy people come to church ill and devastated.
They stay for a while, but then cares of this life lead them away from church. But
despite the daily challenges, growing up Apostolic in Japan is exciting. Since
there are no churches nearby teaching the oneness and Jesus name baptism, I go
to a church in Tokyo, which is two hours away from my house. I attend church
twice a week: Saturday Japanese Bible study and Sunday service. There are approximately 11 United Pentecostal Churches (six in the vicinity of Tokyo, five in Okinawa, and four preaching points) in Japan. We have about 30 to 50 in our congregation right now. I believe Jesus will add more people to church, but for now, I appreciate God and enjoy the privilege I have at this time. Although our numbers are few, I have had many more opportunities to learn from our many ministries, which I would have never learned in a large congregation. I have been given wonderful opportunities, such as translating books and interpreting services, mostly English to Japanese. I actually was baptized in Jesus name and received the Holy Ghost in the United States about five years ago. A good friend of mine from Yugoslavia witnessed to me about the Lord when I was an exchange student at the University of Texas in San Antonio. We had met in Wisconsin three years prior when we were both exchange students at Washington High School for a year. She didn't know the Lord at that time, but was saved along the way and had moved to Laredo, Texas by the time I arrived. She invited me to the local Pentecostal church and introduced me to Christians who gave me a Bible study. I resisted a whole year and was in and out of church, but the Lord was dealing with me. My stiffened heart was gradually broken. I took off my earrings and heavy make-up and was finally baptized in 1994 just before I went back to my country. A
few months later, I dropped by New York City on the way to Japan.
In New York, I attended a camp meeting and received the Holy Ghost,
speaking in tongues. I felt like praising and thanking God in such freedom for
the first time. All of my pride was gone. Looking at my hands and myself, I
literally felt like I had become a new creature. It
is now interesting to be an Apostolic with a career. In my current office, I
work with a well-known missionary's daughter, who seems to be a Christian on
Christmas only (along with several others). One of my non-Christian colleagues
said, "It is the best thing you can do to go to church on Sundays."
Yet, he doesn't go to church. Another non-Christian colleague asked me for a
tract and church information. He always encourages me with words such as,
"Keep up your good work with Jesus power!" But, he never visits
church. I guess most people in Tokyo are extremely busy with keeping up with
their own schedule and life. In my previous job, I worked with a supervisor who was Presbyterian and a colleague whose father pastored an independent Christian church. Whenever we had free time, we sang hymns such as “Amazing Grace” in the middle of our working hours! Our other colleagues joined us as well. Even though they are not Christian, gospel music, especially black contemporary gospel music, is popular among Japanese young adults. I asked one of my colleagues who took gospel music lessons to come to church with me. I said, "You can sing and learn at church as much as you want for free!" But she said no. In my colleagues' mind, gospel music is a popular trend and has nothing to do with religion. I
believe this is our time to make known our great God. People are discouraged,
weary, frustrated, and depressed here in Japan. Surely the harvest is great, but
the laborers are few. God,
I pray, send us people from the States who have a burden for the land of the
rising sun! ninetyandnine.com ã 2001, Naoko Ishibashi -------- Naoko Ishibashi works as a program coordinator at an American educational organization
in Tokyo. She teaches Sunday School, translates books, and interprets services.
She is a tremendous singer in the shower.
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