Praying for Japan: Historical Strongholds and Spiritual Warfare

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Praying for Japan Historical Strongholds
andSpiritual Warfare

• RJC Midwest Conference
• October 10, 2009
• Dr. Stephen Dupree

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• 1Brothers, my hearts desire and prayer to God
  for the Israelites Japanese is that they may be
  saved. 2For I can testify about them that they
  are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based
  on knowledge.

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• 3Since they did not know the righteousness that
  comes from God and sought to establish their own,
  they did not submit to Gods righteousness.
  4Christ is the end of the law so that there may
  be righteousness for all who believes.
• (NIV - Romans 101-4)

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Brief History of Christianity in Japan

• First wave of Christianity in Japan -
• 1549 - Francis Xavier
• First Catholic mission to Japan
• By 1589 - 300,000 converts (1.6 of population)

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Brief History of Christianity in Japan

• Second wave of Christianity in Japan -
• 1872 - Meiji Restoration
• First Protestant mission to Japan - arrive in
  1859.
• 43,273 Christians in 1900 (.1 of population)
• Tokugawa government begins
  persecuting Christians

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Brief History of Christianity in Japan

• Third wave of Christianity in Japan -
• 1945 - Post WWII
• New wave of missionaries to Japan.
• 1950 - 4,100,000 converts -
  (5 of population)

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Brief History of Christianity in Japan

• Japan Today -
• Many missionaries from after the war have
  retired. There are not as many missionaries
  replacing them.
• 2002 - 2,000,000 converts -
  (1 of population)
• Bible schools/Seminaries have had to
  close or are greatly reduced in
  numbers.

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Worldview

• Western Two-tiered View of Reality

• faith
• miracles
• other worldly problems
• sacred

Religion
Excluded Middle

• sight and experience
• natural order
• this-worldly problems
• secular

Science
Paul Heibert, Anthropological Reflections on
Missiological Issues
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• Japanese view
• Religion encompasses all seasons of life through
  its ebb and flow.
• Shintoism - celebration of life
• Buddhism - celebration of death

Birth
Afterlife
Childhood
Death
Youth
Senior
Adulthood
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Japan Stronghold -

• Foundation of the stronghold in Japan
• Shintoism - Amaterasu (sun goddess)
• Strengthened during the Tokugawa Period
• Made a state religion during the Meiji
  Restoration.
• Hundreds of thousands of shrines in Japan.

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Japan Stronghold -

• Buddhism - brought into the Japanese Imperial
  court by Buddhist monks in 538 AD.
• Thousands of temples throughout Japan.
• Accepted in a society that is a both/and society

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Japan Stronghold -

• Powerlessness -
• Perception of being unable to change ones
  circumstances or make an impact on society.
• Shoganai - Cant do anything, but give up.
• Shikataganai - It cant be helped.
• Little confidence to change situation.

Keith Webb, Overcoming Spiritual Barriers in
Japan
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Japan Stronghold -

• Conformity - group consiousness
• Societal peer pressure to conform continues to
  control how a Japanese acts, thinks, and makes
  decisions.
• Suppress own personal desires, values and beliefs
  for group.

Keith Webb, Overcoming Spiritual Barriers in
Japan
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Japan Stronghold -

• Fear of Incongruity -
• Not wanting to be different
• Expectations within the family for traditional
  events, tied to religious festivals and holidays.

Keith Webb, Overcoming Spiritual Barriers in
Japan
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Japan -

• Stronghold
• Powerlessness
• Redemptive Gift
• Perseverance
• Japanese Christians can move past the defeatist
  it cant be helped attitude and move toward a
  godly perseverance
• We can do all things through Christ, who gives
  us strength. Philippians 413

Keith Webb, Overcoming Spiritual Barriers in
Japan
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Japan -

• Stronghold
• Conformity
• Redemptive Gift
• Cooperation
• Working together for groups to hear the gospel.

Keith Webb, Overcoming Spiritual Barriers in
Japan
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Japan -

• Stronghold
• Fear of Incongruity
• Redemptive Gift
• Feeling of Identification
• Help Japanese know they may be a Christian and
  Japanese at the same time. They do not have to
  give up their Japanese-ness to become a
  Christian.
• Example - Tsuchiura Church

Keith Webb, Overcoming Spiritual Barriers in
Japan
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Local examples

• Local pastor -
• Pressure to sign non-proselytize agreement.
• Small church in Miyagi Ken.
• After 10 years, still only pastor
  and his wife in worship service.

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Why Pray?

• God desires all men to be saved and come to the
  knowledge of the truth
• I Timothy 24

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• Be steadfast, knowing that our labor
  is not in vain.
• I Corinthian 1558

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Lets Pray for Japan