❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Listening and Conveying Proverbs 13 Andy Nagahara Today, I would like us to focus on the word “word” in Proverbs chapter 13 and think about how we should live as people who believe in Jesus as God. Let’s begin by reading the central proverb for today, which is verse 13. He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded. A. The concept of “words” as conveyed in the Bible The NIV paraphrases the word “words” here as instructions (from God). In addition, many Japanese translations prior to the New Interconfessional Translation use the term “Word of God.” The…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) The Joy and Grief of Living With Jesus John 16:16-24 Mari Yoshino Today, continuing from last week, we will read from the Gospel of John. Today’s passage is 16:16-24. The Gospel of John is now approaching its final stages. For some time now, we’ve been reading Jesus’ farewell message to His disciples, and that will conclude next time. Today’s passage begins with a conversation between Jesus and His disciples that feels a bit roundabout, although there’s probably deep meaning there. Let’s start reading. First, verses 16-20. A. How long is “a little while”? (16-20) 16 Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) The Holy Spirit Guides Us Into God’s Love John 16:5-15 Mari Yoshino Today we continue with the Gospel of John, reading from the latter half of verse 4 through verse 15 of chapter 16. Both Japanese and English Bibles title this passage “The Work of the Holy Spirit,” as it is where Jesus explains the work of the Holy Spirit to His disciples. Today’s message notes are designed so that by following Jesus’ explanation, we can understand the work of the Holy Spirit. “A. In place of the invisible Jesus,” “B. Unveiling the meaning of the Cross,” “C. He guides us into God’s unchanging love.”—that…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Love defines justice Andy Nagahara Today, I would like to focus on some proverbs from the 12th chapter of Proverbs. Firstly, let me introduce two proverbs. A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted. (3)In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality. (28) These two proverbs are today’s theme. Despite the atrocities committed in the name of “justice” around the world, here is our hope. The justice described here is, of course, not the justice that the tyrants of the world are selfishly claiming today, but the justice that God seeks. It says that even…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Amidst Conflict and Confusion John 15:18-16:4 Mari Yoshino Today, I’d like to return to our series on the Gospel of John after some time. We’ll be looking at John 15:18–16:4. I believe this passage can be easily misunderstood if not read carefully. Let’s start reading right away. As usual, we’ll read it bit by bit. First, verses 18–21. A. Things to remember when undertaking God’s work 1. The world that hated Jesus was the very world He desired to save.（18-21) 18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) The leaves of the tree of life Andy Nagahara As we return to the Proverbs series, today’s message is　also with next week’s huddle meeting in mind. A huddle is a meeting of members who have signed the Your Church Covenant. This is a meeting where we discuss and pray about various things so that Your Church can walk in accordance with God’s will. Today’s proverb teaches us what it means for us to be a “church” and the values ​​that guide the church as it walks in accordance with God’s will. Today I will be focusing on some proverbs from chapter 11, so there will…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Where does the strength come from to keep the Your Church Covenant? (Your Church Covenant II) Andy Nagahara Last week we heard a message about the Your Church Covenant. Today I would like to continue talking about the Covenant. That being said, I won’t be repeating the content. Remember the three pillars of the Covenant? They are to love God, love one another, and love the world. Now, I would like to ask those of you who were members of the Covenant last year: Please raise your hand if you were able to keep 100% of your Covenant commitments. So, then how about 50%… if…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) A Promise to Live Loving God and Loving Others (Your Church Covenant) Mari Yoshino 1. Love and serve God a. Trust and obey God above all else (Mark 12:29-31, 8:34-37) 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31) These two commandments spoken by Jesus encompass all three commitments of…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Heroes and villains (Proverbs 10) Andy Nagahara The Proverbs series has been on hold for a while, but starting today we will begin a new part both in content and format. The section we will be looking at today, from chapter 10 to chapter 22, is the second part of the book of Proverbs, entitled “The Proverbs of Solomon.” It contains 375 proverbs, each verse counted as a proverb. Although there are some unusual parts in the structure, most of the book presents two opposing ideas and encourages us to live a good life.However, what we should understand is not so simple, and there is…

❖ Video ❖ Audio (Message) Remain in Jesus (John15:1-17) Mari Yoshino The new year has begun. How are you feeling? For the first worship service of the year, I always choose a Bible passage I want to keep in mind throughout the year. This time, I felt a passage continuing from the Gospel of John was fitting. It’s a well-known passage from Jesus’ words: “I am the vine; you are the branches.” In the Old Testament, the vine represents the people of Israel and is often spoken of in a lamenting context, signifying that despite being planted and nurtured by God, it failed to bear fruit. Jesus, of course, knew…