A Message by Pastor Katsumasa Hirota,


1st Sunday, at Oita Evangelical Christ Church, on February 1st, 1998

Sermon: "Following the Example." Ephesians 4:11-16.

Last week, supported by your prayers, I attended the "Discipleship Convention", which has been well-used and greatly blessed in Japan for about ten years. This movement has an emphasis on fellowshipping with the Lord personally as much and as long as possible. This ministry was started by a Korean pastor.

Though it was such a blessing, I still experienced a number of sorrows: I lost my bag in the train -- yes, these things happen to pastors too. Fortunately, Mr. Uchino was there to help me in locating it. I also lost and recovered my cell phone there. Ironically, I was able to help return the favour, right after we came back to Oita, when we attended 'Oita Praise Night' at Little House. There, I helped Mr. Uchino find his lost jacket. ..Anyways, I had quite an experience last week..

Back to this "Discipleship", it emphasizes small groups (cell groups) in the local church. It is the common misconception that a pastor, or the pastor, is always the center of a church. He does everything! Right? A pastor is often compared to the captain of a little boat, who has to direct the boat all the time.

Turn with me, please, to Mt.16:18. Here, we can find the true and correct image of the Church. The Church is linked to Peter's confession of faith. We, Christians, don't think of Jesus as being one of the saints of the World because He is God, the Son of God, our Saviour and the Almighty God. This confession of faith is always with the work of the Holy Spirit. To honestly make such a confession, that Christ is God, is not possible except through the power of God's Spirit in us. Jesus, Himself, said that He would build the Church. The Church doesn't belong to pastors, but to Christ!

Mt.28:18-20. This is what Jesus wants us to do in our life so that the Church can be completed. As you know, Japanese people are scattered everywhere in the world on business. But, all of those people can't help confessing that no matter where they went they found Christian missionaries. This is why some of them have accepted His commandments to go out into the World.

Acts 2:41-47. This is the early church that is our ideal. To search after the ideal church, we can find in this passage what it is they did. The early church consisted of those who were called by God. They continued to gather every day at the Temple and, at other times, in their homes.

Let's look at verse 42. They kept observing what the disciples had told them to do. They memorized the words of Jesus, and scripture, and church sayings, and they fellowshipped together. They ate together. They shared what they had. In finding what they did in the Early Church, we know that it was the ideal congregation of love. Without having good relationships with one another, it is very hard to dine together. Watching these Christians (as non-believers called them), those who hadn't known Jesus started joining in, and becoming Christians too. Today, we call this kind of small group gather a "cell group". They are bound firmly together enough to take care of each other. The opposite of the word "love", by the way, is "indifference". With love, you just cannot ignore people. If you love someone, you just can't but think about him or her, and do things for that person.

At the convention, last week, I met a christian couple who had started one of the biggest cosmetic companies in Japan. They are people of love, who pray for the sick whenever they find them. Of course, through the gathering of a cell group, they learned what it is to wait on others.

In his letters, St. Paul also mentioned the house church that is now called a cell group. Refer to: Titus 1:4; Philippians 1:7; Jude 3.

In life, we are sent to different places as a witness, but when we get together, we can be united with the same Lord and with the same faith. We often say that we had a very good time after getting together, which means that we felt the same warmth inside at the gathering. Unless we have the same love, faith, and salvation inside, it is impossible to feel the same warmth.

Looking back again at Ephesians 4:11-16, we are to work together so that the body of Christ may properly work. We are each organs of the Body. Verse 16 ..every supporting ligament.. this is a cell. As a cell, we are joined strongly together in love to grow and build each other up. In the near future, we hope to find some such cell groups in Chapel Noah.

Every time that I have attended this Discipleship Convention, I feel something inspiring me deep inside. The korean pastor proclaimed that the Revival in Japan has started in this new year, during this time of crisis. This pastor, who had experienced the great revival in Korea, said that when the Revival of God happened then, there were many human problems there both spiritually as well as physically.

I do know God is strongly working in Japan -- so that His mighty work will be shown.


Translated by Junko Okamoto - Edited for the Net by Shido
For another sermon see: Oita Evangelical Christ Church
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