After a week of walking for miles around the city, meeting with ministry leaders, and teaching a church planters conference, Sunday finally came. And I thought it would just be another day of the trip, simply spent visiting at a local church. But I was wrong. It was much more. In fact, it wrecked me.

When we arrived to the small space that Life Church is renting, it was a quintessential church plant. Young people, excited about what was in store, were welcoming us. The screen and lyrics were ready to go. And as the band strapped on their guitars, I was ready to just soak in another Japanese experience.

But then they began to sing.

The songs were songs that I knew. Songs that churches in America have done a million times. But hearing it in another language, surrounded by my Japanese brothers and sisters in Christ, was a powerful moment. I stood there fighting back tears as I realized that the Church truly is the only hope of the world. That what we do every Sunday at OneLife is so much bigger than just a gathering in Knoxville. It’s a piece of a huge family, a huge movement dedicated to making Jesus famous and changing lives everywhere.

If that moment wasn’t enough, as the sermon began I noticed a young, 17-year old boy sitting to my left absolutely engrossed in the sermon. I didn’t have a clue what was being said, but this young man was hanging on every word. For the first time in his life he was attending church as a Christian. Just that week he had given his life to Jesus and was given his first Bible. He is the first convert this new church of only 7-months has seen, and already he wants to multiply. As the service ended, he came to the pastor and eagerly motioned to the front door. His mother was there. She stopped by because she was worried about her son’s new religion. But the pastor assured her that she would only see positive changes in her son from this point forward, letting her know that Jesus is in control of his life now! The whole time, this young man was beaming with joy and an obvious burden for this mother to experience the same. And I believe she will.

In a city and nation with less than one percent Christians, this is a huge deal. To put it in perspective, it would be like having only 2,000 Christians in the entire city of Knoxville. We’ve had that many people visit OneLife in the past two years! What if that was the entire sum of believers in our city?! Celebrating the one would take on a whole new meaning.

As I return, that is my biggest takeaway. That we at OneLife are part of a massive, world-wide movement and shouldn’t take the life-change of one single person for granted. Because in some places, it would be the exception – not the rule – and to be part of a church that sees lives changed every single week is a gift. A gift I will cherish and hang on to every step of the way.

Welcome to Life Church!

Pastor Shindo preaching about the need to multiply and share your story.

Set up and tear down - The universal language of church plants!

Ladies praying together after the service.

When I left Knoxville on Monday, I had no idea what to expect about Japan. Would I love it here? Would I be able to understand what’s going on? What would I eat?! Would there be anything I could offer? Would there be anything similar in ministry to what I’m used to?

While I’m still trying to figure some of those out (definitely not the food – it’s been GREAT!), over the course of the last two days, the last question has been answered. There are definitely similarities in our ministry goal at OneLife Church and the goals of so many missionaries and pastors here.

While the cultural differences couldn’t be any greater – 35 million people, an average commute of 75 minutes one-way to work by train, a much stronger work ethic averaging 60 hours per week, living in high-rises, everyone is skinny and most are short (I feel like a giant) – the ministry needs and hurdles are similar.

First, religion is superstitious more than devotely practiced. Many Japanese go to temples or shrines to pray, but they often don’t understand why or what they are praying. The more devote worshippers often have a Japanese specific worship that combines Buddhism, Shintoism, and Confucianism into one, though thye don’t even realize it. This is similar in that many in East Tennessee think they are Christian, but their understanding of it is merely supersitious and cultural. In both places, they simply need to have a relationship with Jesus.

Second, the pastors here are trying desperately to get their people to live on mission. Just like we try so hard to get OneLifers to do more than attend on Sunday, but to have spiritual conversations throughout the week and look for opportunities to share Jesus, the Japanese pastors and church planters are doing the same. And the same reasons many Americans buck against this idea – fear, insecurity, stubborn rebellion – are the same reasons the Japanese fight against this idea, though probably at even greater degrees.

So at the end of the day, I am reminded that even though I am halfway around the world, the Gospel and its need to be shared in a grass roots, rapid reproduction kind of way are identical no matter where you go. The goal of seeing disciples make disciples who make disciples so that churches can reproduce churches that reproduce churches is no different! It was Jesus’ intent in the Great Commission, and it is my goal to be part of seeing that happen wherever OneLife gets involved.

Please join me this week in praying for the people and churches of Japan that are trying to see this started in a nation where less than 1% know Jesus!

The world's busiest intersection - literally. Also home to the world's busiest Starbucks.

With 1300 in weekend attendance, Tokyo Baptist Church is one of the largest churches in the entire nation of Japan.

Our team sharing at the first session of a church planters conference at Tokyo Baptist Church.

Buddhist Temple

Shinto Shrine

Former VP for HR at GE and Lehman Brothers, now at DHL, talking to us about Japanese businessmen sharing Jesus in the workplace.

Here are some quick thoughts of our first day in Tokyo. Somehow I need to be quick because this jet lag is kicking my butt and the bed is calling my name! Here’s how the first day unfolded:

• The day started in one of the largest churches in Tokyo, the Musashino Evangelical Free Church. Because the country is so unchurched, that means a simple auditorium seating less than 100 houses this “large” church.
• We spent some time being trained by one of the missionaries here about Japanese culture and churches. There are two American missionaries who have lived in Tokyo for decades leading our time.
• After lunch, we visited the Tokyo Municipal Government Building, similar to the former Twin Towers in New York City. From the observation floor, we were able to see the entire city and prayed over its 35 million residents.
• Next we visited a place that was very beautiful on the outside, yet had a spirit of darkness emanating from within. It is the Yasukuni Shrine where the “spirits” of those who have died in Japan’s many wars – including WW2 – are believed to reside. More than 2 million “spirits” have been enshrined here. We witnessed numerous people praying to the “god” that lives in the shrine and paying respects to the dead spirits.
• Before dinner wrapped up the day, we met with the national leader of Japan’s Campus Crusade for Christ, who is also part of a church plant and part of CRASH Japan – a disaster relief organization in response to last year’s massive earthquake and tsunami. It was fascinating to hear the creative strategies they are using to reach people, particularly Japanese business men.

This first day served to be a reminder of the urgency of the Gospel. Being surrounded by millions of people who don’t know Jesus (less than 1% of the country is Christian) has jolted me out of complacency to remember the mission Jesus put each of us on – to make disciples who make disciples. That’s the only answer for a city so large and so lost as this, and it’s the only answer for the city I love so much – Knoxville!

With that being said, here are a few quick personal thoughts from my first day:

• The food is good! Nothing too crazy, and I used chopsticks for lunch and dinner. Who knew that was possible?!
• We probably walked 10 miles today. Everyone walks, rides bikes, or takes the train. Kind of like in Powell
• I’ve started getting to know a Japanese church planter who launched a church called Life Church in Tokyo last October. It’s been amazing to share in the similarities with a church plant on the other side of the world. Check out their website and then help them by liking them on Facebook!
• I was so tired this afternoon that I drank my first coffee drink at Starbucks. Some kind of frapuccino. Unfortunately, I really liked it. It was unfortunate because Starbucks ain’t in the budget!
• There are six other pastors on this trip from all over the US – Chicago, LA, San Francisco, Portland, and Austin, TX. They are all from church plants ranging from 2 to 10 years old. I love hearing what God is doing all over the US in these new churches!

That’s all for tonight! Goodnight from Tokyo.

Our group hearing about ministry to urban professionals.

People walking to the Yasukuni Shrine to pray to the "god" and the spirits of the war dead.

A small part of the city as seen from the observation floor.

A street corner in Tokyo.

This Christmas I am learning a lot about generosity. We are in the middle of our Christmas series at OneLife called “[re]Gifted” where we are discovering what it means to become givers and redefining the concept of generosity. We called it “[re]Gifted” because of the fact that everything I have to give has already been given to me. That completely shifts my thinking to realize that I’m not really giving my own stuff away, but I’m giving God’s stuff away!

In addition to that, generosity needs to become who I am not something that I do. And when it does, I become more like the Father who gave his only Son and more like the Son who gave his only life; all for me, expecting nothing in return.

Honestly, I can’t really get my mind around that. But what I can get my mind around is that one way to become more like the Father and the Son this Christmas is to model their generosity in my own life. The same is true for our church as a whole. To become more like Him, we should be givers like Him.

That is one reason we are taking up a Christmas offering this Sunday called “The Big [re]Gift”. In 2011 we want to give away more than $30,000 to various needs and missions causes. As I said on Sunday, we could do a lot with that money for our own church and staff. But we would much rather make an impact all around the world. So we are taking a day to give specifically toward these causes, and every penny given will go straight toward this goal.

To see all the different ways this money will be used as we re-give what God has given to us, check out this brochure. And if you would like to give toward this offering as we redefine generosity in our church, you can do so this Sunday during the special offering time or at any of our services in December. Just be sure to use the blue “[re]Gifted” envelope so we know that’s what it is for! Or you can also do it online at any time by going to www.onelifeknox.com/give.

I am so excited to be part of something that is bigger than myself and is making a huge difference all around the world. And I am thankful that God is using it to teach me and to redefine generosity in my life. I truly want generosity to be who I am, not just something I do.

Last Sunday we announced an opportunity for OneLifers to demonstrate the love of Christ by being generous to those who may be “the least of these” in our community.

Partnering with Providence Church, one of the churches that helped to launch OneLife, we are collecting coats and can goods for the Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries. KARM’s mission statement is to seek to rescue the poor and needy of the Knox Area by providing recovery services in Jesus’ name. They do this by providing many services to the homeless of Knoxville. The coats that we collect will be given to those KARM ministers to this winter and the cans of food will be used to provide meals at the ministry center.

Not only does this provide coats and food for the homeless of our city, but it also gives us an opportunity to display generosity. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus said “whatever you did to the least of these, you did to me.” With that in mind, let’s challenge ourselves to be truly generous and help those in need.

So look through those closets, find that coat you only wear once or twice a year, and let’s give it to someone who will wear it every day. Take your family to the grocery store and instead of buying all the snacks and sodas we usually get, spend that money on buying food for someone who may only get that one meal each day. And let’s show our city that the Church truly cares!

The Details on Coats and Cans for KARM: