Dear Friend of Creation,
“Japan is a graveyard for missions…” This was a common saying, or arguably, a common curse that most young missionaries heard when they expressed interest in bringing the Good News to the Japanese.
There has been a long history of discouragement of Christian outreach in the East Asian island nation. In 1614, the country banned Christianity for 260 years! Missionaries and converts who didn’t keep their faith hidden were brutally tortured and executed, many by means of crucifixion. For centuries, Shintoism (spirit worship) and Buddhism effectively went unchallenged. Then, when the ban ended, believers courageous enough to challenge the pagan stronghold discovered a nation steeped in cultural barriers that often prevented them from having much success. In 1946, General MacArthur saw a “spiritual vacuum” in Japan from WWII and called for 10,000 missionaries to come to the country. But only a handful responded. Why? Perhaps few Christians wanted to do ministry in “a graveyard.”
Today, according to the Joshua Project, the Japanese of Japan are the second-largest unreached people group in the world. Only 1-2% of the population is Christian, while some 97% are Shintoists and/or Buddhists. This means a huge majority of the 124 million people who live there have never had a Christian relationship, read a Bible, or heard the Gospel of Christ. According to a 2020 Pew Research survey of 20 countries, 88% of adults in Japan accept evolution - the highest acceptance rate of all the countries surveyed. It’s not surprising since the surveyors themselves noted how evolution was less successful in “Christian” countries, while nature-based religious believers like “Buddhists, Hindus, Taoists, and the religiously unaffiliated were generally more likely to accept evolution.”
Special Expansion Opportunity for Creation Moments: Japanese Outreach
Why do I tell you all of this? Because, much like the Berlin Wall, a great barrier symbolizes a great need! This September, our unique radio program has been recommended, and a door has been opened to Creation Moments. I’m writing to inform you that the seed of the Sower has taken root. Our Saviour is on the move. And there is hope for Japan!
In Morioka, Japan, there is a 400-year-old tree known as Ishiwarizakura: “the stone-breaking cherry blossom.” In their reverence for the harmonies and amazements of nature, people from all over the country visit it every year - to see it for “its great accomplishment”. Four hundred years ago, a small cherry blossom seed sprouted in a crack at the center of a solid granite rock 68 feet in circumference. As the years rolled by, the tree's roots expanded, millimeter by millimeter, inch by inch, until CRACK! The giant boulder split in two.
Nothing is more powerful than a move of God, our Creator and Savior. Like Ishiwarizakura, and the “grain of mustard seed” Jesus speaks of in Matthew 17:20, our faith has the ability to do the impossible! There are new reports of increased openness to the Gospel, particularly in the Japanese youth, than past generations have seen! Rod Plummer, a missionary working in Japan since 2002, said in a recent interview, “The Japanese aren’t hard, they just don’t know.” In one year alone, his team reported 24 baptisms of new Japanese converts.
Paul writes in Romans 15:20-21, “I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation: But as it is written, ‘To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand.’” It is part of our calling as a ministry to do just as Paul did - bring the Good News of our Creator and Savior to those in the farthest and most difficult places, where Christ has not been spoken of, so that all might have a chance to experience the joy of knowing Him now and for eternity! Will you join us?
Our friends at Trans World Radio, who have thus far facilitated the successful launch of our radio program on 6 international broadcast stations with listenability in over 40 countries, have presented us with another incredible opportunity. For $18,000, we can have the very best of our creation-evangelism program professionally translated into Japanese and aired once weekly, year-round, on 4 different stations within the country. Our 2-minute program will even be expanded to 5 minutes for detailed Japanese localization. Overall, our broadcasts will have the potential to reach 5,378,698 people in Nagasaki, Okinawa, Hokkaido, and Aichi! The locations of the stations have been strategically selected for optimum effect on the people of Japan.
But we need your help. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, our global impact is determined by the donations of those willing to partner with us
in ministry - in the “great commission.”
As we pray about this new Japanese initiative, I believe the Lord has highlighted the word “enjoy”. For many years, suicide has been the leading cause of death for Japanese youth. Japan has long been in the higher percentile for suicides overall. Only Christ can give true meaning, purpose, and enjoyment of life. He said so Himself in John 15:11. After preaching about the “vine and the branches” and abiding in Him, He said, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” Shintoism will never bring true joy. Even the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism begin with a message that “life is suffering,” and that only by “eliminating cravings and attachments” can one find relief from suffering. This is a message so incomplete and ultimately despairing. Jesus offers us “life, and (life) more abundantly” by attaching ourselves to Him (John 10:10)!
I’ll say it again, there is hope for Japan! And Hope’s name is Jesus Christ, the Savior and Creator of the universe. Help us share this life-changing message throughout Japan. Like “the stone-breaking cherry blossom,” our little act of faith will continue to crack the demonic strongholds in Japan. Where there is depression, He will bring joy. Where there is false philosophy, He will bring truth. It is good to remember that where there are barriers, we serve the one who can walk through walls (John 20:19)! He is, and will always be, “the way, the truth, and the life” for you and me, and the people of Japan. Japan is not “a graveyard for missions,” it is a nation unaware of its great need for Jesus, on the eve of revival.
Would you prayerfully consider donating today?
Any donations that exceed our $18,000 goal for Japan can be used to increase our radio outreach of biblical creation-evangelism in the United States. People need biblical hope and truth everywhere! The Christian Satellite Network has offered us a discounted rate at $1,500/month (or $18,000/year) to begin playing our program for their audience of 4 million on 409 new radio stations, 5 days a week across 42 states! Together, both costs equal $36,000. It’s a price we believe to be well worth the increased proclamation of creation and salvation in this present Age as we await Christ’s second coming!
As a thank you for your gift of $50 or more, we’ll send you Great for God: Missionaries Who Changed the World. Read the stories of courageous believers who accomplished incredible things for Christ! Inside, you’ll find the biographies of 23 missionaries, with chapters highlighting the amazing truths of God’s power at work. You’ll find yourself moved to “attempt great things for God” and “expect great things from God,” as William Carey once stated. This book is written to inspire every Christian, small group, and family devotional time!
For your donation of any amount, we’ll send you a set of 4 of our NEW Creation Gospel Tracts (ages 13-35). Help the next generation overcome misconceptions about science and evolution and receive salvation! Reach the world with the “everlasting gospel” (Revelation 14:6-7) while experiencing the joy of participating with the Holy Spirit in winning people to Christ.
We covet your prayers and humbly ask for you to give generously as we look to reach Japan with the Good News. Christ is the only hope for the world, and the only means of salvation! The Lord is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Let’s partner with Him in the great longing of His heart! To give to this worthy cause, click the donate button below or call us at 1-800-422-4253 (Mon-Thurs 8 am – 4:30 pm CST).
Yours in Christ,
Mark Cadwallader, Board Chairman
P.S. Don’t forget, for your donation of $50 or more, we will send you Great for God: Missionaries Who Changed the World, plus a complete set of 4 Creation Gospel Tracts. If you are unable to donate $50 or more but still want to help us reach our $18,000 goal, the set of tracts is yours for a gift of any amount.
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