Acts 19:10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

The Japanese uses a slightly different phoneticization of “Asia” here to differentiate from the continent we refer to by that name, but that distinction is artificial, because the name of the continent is actually an expansion of the name of the province referred to here. That said, this is a somewhat jarring statement when we read it today. The area referred to was about the size of a Japanese prefecture, and the population density certainly wasn’t what we see in Japanese urban areas, but this is still a rather remarkable record, considering that all communication was either hand-written or face-to-face. Paul and those with him certainly didn’t talk personally to everyone in the province, so that means those who heard from Paul in turn told others. Frank Laubach was very effective in literacy training in the 20^th Century, first in the American South and then in various other countries. His mantra, which was extremely effective, was, “Each one teach one.” In other words, you didn’t have to have a teaching certificate to teach someone else what you had just learned. That is exactly how the Gospel is supposed to spread. We tend to think we have to have all the answers before we try talking to anybody, when that is emphatically not the case. I’m reminded of the statement by the man whom Jesus healed when he had been born blind: “”Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25) When believers understand this, nothing can stop the spread of the Gospel.

This is a massive issue here in Japan, because Japanese culture tends to relegate everything to “experts.” That’s no way to spread the Gospel! I am seen as an “expert” for a number of reasons, but I am not personally very effective at evangelism, partly because as a Caucasian I am seen as “other” by most Japanese, so they don’t take what I say as applying to them. Japanese culture is “shame based,” rather than “sin based.” That means that people do things or don’t do them depending on whether it would be embarrassing or not, rather than whether it is empirically right or wrong. Parents tend to discipline their children with, “People will laugh at you,” rather than with “That’s bad.” Japanese are famous for being poor at learning foreign languages, and a big part of that is they hesitate to speak because they don’t want to be embarrassed by getting it wrong. As an English teacher I’ve struggled with that for over 40 years! It is a far more serious issue that Japanese believers seldom if ever share their faith, because of a fear of being rejected or laughed at. I am reminded of Jesus’ words: “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26) My goal is for every Japanese believer to speak freely of the Lord who saved them!

Father, You’ve given me a goal that is humanly impossible, but that’s just like You! Many years ago You gave us the vision of Omura again being the foremost Christian city in the nation, and that too is humanly impossible. Help me take my eyes off of human weakness, my own or that of the believers, and fix them on You, for whom nothing is impossible, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!