Today started out with early prayer time and then off to the store to get some needed food because of the 4 day New Year’s Holiday! There was major blowing snow with -1C temperature at 9:30am. Glad to have snow tires on our car thanks to my friend Mr. Fujinaka who “loans” me a set of snow tires every year for about 3 months! The local discount supermarket was very crowded with last minute shoppers buying up special foods used for the holiday. Some days it would be good to have an “aisle traffic cop” in the stores.
Sharon and Stephanie stayed up until 4am talking last night. This cold weather gives me some extra aches and pains so I went to bed early. Kikuko is coming over for her birthday dinner. She is one of the first members of Gideon’s Army IN Japan (GAIN) having accepted Jesus Christ as her personal savior on July 9, 2008. Since then eight people aged 28-100 have confessed Jesus Christ as their Lord. There have been three more in the month of December with the oldest being a 63 year old lady whose husband committed suicide last year. Her daughter became a Christian earlier this year in May. God is working on many previously Buddhist families with grandchildren reaching their parents and even the grandparents with God’s Love. Intercessory prayers from ministry partners all over the world are causing these family doors to be opened to the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
After returning home I noticed a Christmas card from Singapore. It is from a former Hindu man who worked at a Christian owned hotel I used to stay at when traveling through Singapore. He had a severely handicapped son who was born prematurely with many serious physical problems. A few years ago I put this man on my daily prayer list. When arriving at the hotel he always greeted me with a wide smile declaring, “Welcome home Mr. Corbett”. I took an interest in the welfare of his son praying for him daily and bringing small gifts or Japanese snacks on arrival. Three years ago I traveled there to hold a final church leadership transition meeting. A couple days before my departure an email arrived from the man informing me he was to be baptized the Sunday before my arrival. He later wrote a letter stating that the prayers and acts of kindness were what made him decide to turn to Christ and away from his Hindu gods. PTL!
There have been two Words from the Lord to me the past week that are directed toward the coming 2010 New Year. The first one is that we are to live from the “Fat of the land”. The second is that the New Year’s theme is “Hope in God”. When we first came to Japan in the US military nearly 42 years ago we taught English conversation which opened up doors to share God’ Love with Japanese friends. We were not touched by or concerned with the world’s stock market fluctuations or currency exchange. Then when we came in 1979 we taught English conversation which made up for the lack from the denomination support. In 2009 while being self-supporting, we have been hit with a 15% devaluation of the dollar against the yen. Once again, God is telling us to live primarily from sources of income from within Japan. We would appreciate prayer support in that aspect. We need to hear God's Voice clearly in all we do in 2010, both in ministry and finances.
2009 has been punctuated by wars, economic crises, social and political changes that have left heads spinning not knowing which way to turn. God is still on His Throne. We are the ones who need to change our focus. God’s Word is true and His Promises to supply the needs of His children are still in force. We need to pray, praise and sow seeds of His Love being assured that He will supply all of our needs as He has promised us as His children.
May God bless you richly as you look to Him in 2010!
Dan Corbett
“Reaching One Among Millions”
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Remember to Forgive
"Forgive and forget!" we often hear people say this. My opinion of that axiom has changed. Instead, I believe that we should REMEMBER to FORGIVE. We also need to remember that we are forgiven. We are forgiven by God for our sins and disobedience. We also need to REMEMBER that we have FORGIVEN others for the pain, offenses, and unkindness they have inflicted on us!
Forgiveness is not an emotional reaction. When understood from a biblical perspective, forgiveness is a conscious choice that is an amazing step of faith. It is crucial in our relationship with God and those around us. Here are just a few well-known scriptures.
Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. KJV
Matt 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. KJV
Matt 18:21-22 Then Peter came to him and asked, "Sir, how often should I forgive a brother who sins against me? Seven times?" "No!" Jesus replied, "seventy times seven! TLB
PERSONAL APPLICATION
I have struggled with the part about forgiving and then trying to forget. There have been individuals that have inflicted great undeserved and unprovoked pain in my life. Some of them were Christians and even ministers. It was especially hard because this was not expected from them. At first there was shock and surprise, denial, and then anger. Soon conviction from the Holy Spirit would remind me that I must forgive them. I would pray and ask for God’s help in doing this. But self-preservation would set in. After all, it would not be good for them spiritually if they were to repeat this same mistake. So defenses would be put place to make sure this would not happen again. Of course, this process would impede any true Christian fellowship or being able to work together effectively.
After the war, Fuchida was called on to testify at the trials of some of the Japanese military for Japanese war crimes. This infuriated him as he believed this was little more than "victor's justice". Convinced that the Americans had treated the Japanese the same way and determined to bring that evidence to the next trial, in the spring of 1947, Fuchida went to Uraga Harbor near Yokosuka to meet a group of returning Japanese prisoners of war. He was surprised to find his former flight engineer, Kazuo Kanegasaki, who all had believed had died in the Battle of Midway. When questioned, Kanegasaki told Fuchida that they were not tortured or abused, much to Fuchida's disappointment, then went on to tell him of a young lady who served them with the deepest love and respect, but whose parents, missionaries, had been killed by Japanese soldiers on the island of Panay in the Philippines.
For Fuchida, this was inexplicable, as in the Bushido code revenge was not just permitted, it was a responsibility for an offended party to carry out revenge to restore honor. The murderer of one's parents would be a sworn enemy for life. He became almost obsessed trying to understand why anyone would treat their enemies with love and forgiveness.
In the fall of 1948, Fuchida was passing by the bronze statue of Hachiko at the Shibuya Station when he was handed a pamphlet about the life of Jacob DeShazer, a member of the Doolittle Raid who was captured by the Japanese after his B-25 Mitchell ran out of fuel over occupied China. In the pamphlet "I Was a Prisoner of Japan"[5] DeShazer, himself a former U.S. Army Air Force Staff Sergeant and bombardier, told his story of imprisonment, torture and an awakening to God. Fuchida became more curious about Christianity but couldn't find a Bible at the time in post-war Japan, but in the spring of 1949, again at the statue of Hachiko he met a man from the Pocket Testament League selling the New Testament of the Bible, and he bought one. Later that fall, while reading the Bible, he understood for the first time why the young lady had forgiven her enemies and took his first steps in becoming a Christian. In May 1950, he and Jacob DeShazer met for the first time, as friends. Wikipedia
I have to confess that this subject slipped up on me today when I saw a calendar in the bathroom, of all places. I noticed that today, Dec 7th is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day in the USA. Suddenly a flood of thoughts and memories came to mind. I feel a bit overwhelmed about this subject. It is critical to the life of a believer. I am praying God will help me to present to others what He has entrusted to me. Well, here goes!
FORGIVENESS is not EMOTION!
FORGIVENESS is not EMOTION!
Forgiveness is not an emotional reaction. When understood from a biblical perspective, forgiveness is a conscious choice that is an amazing step of faith. It is crucial in our relationship with God and those around us. Here are just a few well-known scriptures.
Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. KJV
Matt 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. KJV
Matt 18:21-22 Then Peter came to him and asked, "Sir, how often should I forgive a brother who sins against me? Seven times?" "No!" Jesus replied, "seventy times seven! TLB
PERSONAL APPLICATION
I have struggled with the part about forgiving and then trying to forget. There have been individuals that have inflicted great undeserved and unprovoked pain in my life. Some of them were Christians and even ministers. It was especially hard because this was not expected from them. At first there was shock and surprise, denial, and then anger. Soon conviction from the Holy Spirit would remind me that I must forgive them. I would pray and ask for God’s help in doing this. But self-preservation would set in. After all, it would not be good for them spiritually if they were to repeat this same mistake. So defenses would be put place to make sure this would not happen again. Of course, this process would impede any true Christian fellowship or being able to work together effectively.
The forgiving was required and necessary, but I remembered what was done to me. What was forgotten was the fact that, in many cases, I truly did forgive them. When a memory was triggered I would REMEMBER the trespass and FORGET the FORGIVENESS that had taken place. The pain and anger would be rekindled. I spent too much time and effort in trying to forget the offense and would forget that I had truly forgiven the other person. I am not sure how clear this is. Some may disagree and conclude that I did not completely forgive the other person. That is possible, but not the case in many situations. I simply forgot about my step of faith in forgiving the person.
I believe this to be true, for one reason, in that that many believers are troubled in their Christian walk because they FORGET that they have been FORGIVEN! This is why water baptism is important. Baptism is a public testimony witnessed by others that we have received forgiveness from God by faith in Jesus Christ. Those present are our witnesses. It also helps us to remember. Communion was set forth by Jesus so that we would remember and “show forth His death” until He returns in the rapture. Membership in a local body of believers can help us when being attacked by the “accuser of the brethren” a true brother will stand by us reminding us that we are indeed a Child of God and have been forgiven.
FAITH to FORGIVE
Luke 17:3 So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." 5 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" NIV Of course, Jesus took this further and told Peter to forgive his brother seventy times seven. All of this cannot be done without faith. It takes faith to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. It takes faith to believe that He has forgiven us of our sins. Faith is also required to FORGIVE and RELEASE someone who has attacked and hurt us or those we love. We believe that God will handle the problem. We believe that He will deal with any debt of punishment or retribution. Rom 12:19 Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God, for he has said that he will repay those who deserve it. [Don't take the law into your own hands.] TLB
REMEMBER to FORGIVE
When wronged first of all, remember that you are forgiven by God and others too. Then remember that God has given you the ability, authority and responsibility to forgive that one who hurts you. Ask God to give you the faith, strength and love to forgive the individual. Do so by a conscious act of faith. This can take place in a private prayer to God. It might require a telephone call, email, or visit. In some cases, when this is public then it might take place in a group setting. This must be done in the right spirit. There is no pride involved in true Godly forgiveness. Those who make a show of this have their reward on earth rather than Heaven! In my personal experience, when wronged by someone, God required me to ask them to forgive me. Wow! That was hard. I argued when told to do so. It was just not right or fair. I had been waiting in one case for years for the guilty party to ask my forgiveness. Then God forced me to ask him to forgive me. I did have anger, bitterness and judgment in my heart. Oh, by the way, it works. When done in true repentance and honesty this will method almost always break the barriers of broken fellowship and relationships. For me, it can only be done because of God’s Grace and Love working in me. I cannot do this on my own.
PEARL HABOR DAY of REMEMBERANCE
I did not forget the title of this article. When this came to mind today I got excited because of some wonderful things learned a couple years ago when doing some research on World War II. If possible, I will include three links that you can follow to learn the surprising details behind this historical tragedy.
On December 7, 1941 a large squadron of Japanese airplanes attacked Hawaii. Over 2,000 people were killed and over 1,000 were wounded. America lost a large portion of their battleships and over 200 aircraft. This attack helped bring America fully into the war that had been raging in other parts of the world. As the news of act of war was announced over the radio a sergeant by the name of Jacob DeShazer was stationed on an army base in Oregon. He was said to have shouted, “The Japs are going to have to pay for this”. He definitely was not ready to FORGIVE Japan for the death and misery caused in Hawaii.
In March 1942 DeShazer volunteered to be a part of a top secret mission later known as Doolittle's Raiders. A group of B-25 bombers were launched from an aircraft carrier to bomb Tokyo. They were not able to return back to the ship and were supposed to land in a free area of China after the bombing raid was complete. He and many others ran out of fuel and were then captured by Japanese soldiers in China. He was kept in prison in China and then later in several locations within Japan. During 40 months of captivity he was in solitary confinement for 34 months. Of his five man crew three were executed, one was starved to death, while Jacob’s death sentence was commuted to a life imprisonment by Emperor Hirohito himself.
He was severely beaten and badly malnourished during the time in prison. During his captivity, DeShazer persuaded one of his guards to loan him a copy of the Bible. Although he only had the Bible for three weeks, he saw its messages as the reason for his survival and resolved to become a devout Christian. His conversion included learning a few words of Japanese and treating his captors with respect, which resulted in the guards reacting in a similar fashion. Wikipedia. After the war Jacob returned the USA and entered a Bible college and returned to Japan as a missionary. He moved to the city of Nagoya which was the very city that he bombed during the war.
Mitsuo Fuchida was a bomber pilot before and during World War II. He was very skillful and highly trained as a pilot. He rose in rank and became a well known instructor. Fuchida flew missions in China, Sri Lanka and Australia. As the flight commander of Japanese 1st Air Fleet he led the first wave of 183 bombers in the attack of Pearl Harbor. He was the one who initiated the infamous command Tora, Tora, Tora signaling that their surprise attack was successful. He remained in the air over Hawaii coordinating and overseeing the success of the attack. When he safely landed on his aircraft carrier he was surprised to see that his plane had 20 large anti-aircraft holes and his main control wire was held together only by a thread. He became a hero and continued in other battles. Many times his life was in danger and barely spared by circumstances which seemed to indicate some kind of divine protection.
MITSUO FUCHIDA POSTWAR
After the war, Fuchida was called on to testify at the trials of some of the Japanese military for Japanese war crimes. This infuriated him as he believed this was little more than "victor's justice". Convinced that the Americans had treated the Japanese the same way and determined to bring that evidence to the next trial, in the spring of 1947, Fuchida went to Uraga Harbor near Yokosuka to meet a group of returning Japanese prisoners of war. He was surprised to find his former flight engineer, Kazuo Kanegasaki, who all had believed had died in the Battle of Midway. When questioned, Kanegasaki told Fuchida that they were not tortured or abused, much to Fuchida's disappointment, then went on to tell him of a young lady who served them with the deepest love and respect, but whose parents, missionaries, had been killed by Japanese soldiers on the island of Panay in the Philippines.
For Fuchida, this was inexplicable, as in the Bushido code revenge was not just permitted, it was a responsibility for an offended party to carry out revenge to restore honor. The murderer of one's parents would be a sworn enemy for life. He became almost obsessed trying to understand why anyone would treat their enemies with love and forgiveness.
In the fall of 1948, Fuchida was passing by the bronze statue of Hachiko at the Shibuya Station when he was handed a pamphlet about the life of Jacob DeShazer, a member of the Doolittle Raid who was captured by the Japanese after his B-25 Mitchell ran out of fuel over occupied China. In the pamphlet "I Was a Prisoner of Japan"[5] DeShazer, himself a former U.S. Army Air Force Staff Sergeant and bombardier, told his story of imprisonment, torture and an awakening to God. Fuchida became more curious about Christianity but couldn't find a Bible at the time in post-war Japan, but in the spring of 1949, again at the statue of Hachiko he met a man from the Pocket Testament League selling the New Testament of the Bible, and he bought one. Later that fall, while reading the Bible, he understood for the first time why the young lady had forgiven her enemies and took his first steps in becoming a Christian. In May 1950, he and Jacob DeShazer met for the first time, as friends. Wikipedia
CONCULSION
God works in the affairs of man when and where we least expect it. Japan decided to attack Hawaii to prevent America’s interference in its aggression across Asia. The plan backfired completely. The Japanese Navy sent their most brilliant aviator to coordinate the attack on Pearl Harbor. He then escaped death many times as if divine providence was at work even though he was not yet a Christian and definitely did not believe in or practice FORGIVENESS!
God used an angry young Jacob DeShazer who was unwilling to FORGIVE Japan for the attack on Pearl Harbor. God protected him from death when all his crew died while he still was not yet a Christian and still did not understand forgiveness. Alone in a Japanese prison cell Jacob received FORGIVENESS from God and immediately began to practice the same with cruel prison guards. God used the Japanese Emperor Hirohito to commute the death sentence so that Jacob could later bring his testimony of forgiveness to the Japanese people he had bombed earlier during the war.
God then put the two enemies together in Japan as FORGIVEN brothers in Christ. Jacob baptized Mitsuo Fuchida in water and the two worked together in evangelism and church planting for many years. Later Pastor Fuchida toured America seeking forgiveness from the people he had bombed years earlier. He also preached and demonstrated the power of Forgiveness.
APPLICATION
Growing up in church years ago I learned a song and a portion of the lyrics read, I don’t know what I would do without the Lord, when I look around and see just how much He’s done for me, I just don’t know what I would do without the Lord. That describes how I feel about forgiveness. I am alive today because God forgave me of my sins. He has helped me over the past few years to better remember that He has forgiven me. By His Grace, I am doing better at remembering that I have forgiven others. My prayer for you is that you will receive His forgiveness and walk in it by faith everyday. I pray you will seek God’s help to forgive all those who have harmed you. Then be sure that you do remember that you have forgiven them too.
May God bless you as you Remember to Forgive!
Dan Corbett
“Reaching One Among Millions”
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Why Hospitality?
Rom 12:13 When God's children are in need, you be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night. TLB
1 Peter 4:9 Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay for the night. TLB
1 Tim 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; KJV Titus 1:8 They must enjoy having guests in their homes and must love all that is good. They must be sensible men, and fair. They must be clean minded and level headed. TLB
Hospitality – philoxenos (fil-ox'-en-os); from philos; fond of guests, i.e. hospitable: KJV - given to or lover of hospitality, entertain strangers, “lover of strangers”.
The elder Apostle Paul writes to the younger minister Timothy giving him instructions on the qualifications of ordained church leaders. He lists over a dozen various characteristics that are required if these leaders would be ordained to minister to members under their oversight. In the midst of the several points Paul inserts the characteristic of hospitality. For years, that seemed completely out of place to me. It just did not appear to be a “spiritual” matter! Upon further reflection, this quality does very much reflect upon the “spiritual” nature of a believer or minister.
In the modern day church most of what a pastor or minister does takes place either from behind a pulpit or within the confines of church related activities. Hospitality is literally “out of sight” from the public eye. By the way, the church members are not free from this biblical requirement just because they are not ordained ministers. Peter was speaking to the church body rather than just the ministry as he urged them to be ready to share a meal or to provide a place to stay to those who were in need of such.
Hospitality in the Old Testament
In biblical times it was believed to be a sacred duty to receive, feed, lodge, and protect any traveler who might stop at one's door. The stranger was treated as a guest, and men who had thus eaten together were bound to each other by the strongest ties of friendship. (The New Unger's Bible Dictionary) Suffering Job was able to declare in Job 31:32 but no stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveler- NIV In Genesis 18:1-8 we read of Abraham’s hospitality toward the three “strangers” who passed by his tent. As a result of his kindness to these angels from God he obtained the promise of the birth of his promised seed, Isaac. He was also given the opportunity to intercede directly with God for the life of his nephew Lot and his family before the destruction of Sodom.
In Genesis 19:1-3 we see Lot extending similar hospitality to two men who were probably two of the three his Uncle Abraham entertained previously. Abraham sent his servant back to his clan to find a wife for Isaac. In Gen 24 Rebekah shows warm hospitality to the servant she had never met before when she gave him a drink of water and drew for all camels. Then she invited him to come to the house of her brother Laban. Many other examples could be cited.
Isa 58:7 I want you to share your food with the hungry and bring right into your own homes those who are helpless, poor, and destitute. Clothe those who are cold, and don't hide from relatives who need your help. TLB
New Testament Hospitality
Luke 14:12 Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." NIV
The test of a New Testament widow being cared for by the church included the question of hospitality. 1 Tim 5:10 She must be well thought of by everyone because of the good she has done. Has she brought up her children well? Has she been kind to strangers as well as to other Christians? Has she helped those who are sick and hurt? Is she always ready to show kindness? TLB Heb 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. KJV
What about Today?
“Well, things have changed since Bible times!” We hear that all the time. No more miracles. No more of members of the church body sharing with others. 1 Cor 12:25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. NIV That is now only a biblical principle, not to be taken literally, we are told. Acts 2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. KJV Acts 4:32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. KJV
Several years ago when I taught on the two references in the Book of Acts someone told me to require that of the modern day church is like practicing communism. I was told that times have changed and that God never really “required” that of the early church. They just did it on a personal voluntary basis. The problem I have is that Jesus is the same “yesterday, today and forever” and we preach about the growth and power of the New Testament Church, but many do not want to pay the price that the early believers did. That could be why we don’t see the same results that they did then. I have just one word of caution to those who say such things. Persecution has frequently caused God’s people to rise up spiritually and band together. I believe that principle has not changed. If we will not love, feed, visit or cover our brothers then the Father may find it necessary to give today’s church some new motivation!
Personal Application
When we first moved to Korea for ministry nearly 40 years ago many regions and parts of society had not yet fully recovered from the Korean War. A large number of our early church members owned only one set of clothing. It was washed at night, dried on the heated floor (Ondol) and worn fresh the next day. On several occasions we visited Korean pastors homes and were served the last portion of rice that they had in their kitchen. It was a humbling experience to receive that kind of hospitality. While conducting a revival near the southern coast I was invited to an early morning breakfast by a church widow. Later I learned she arose at 3:00am to feed me and gave me her last chicken to eat. That was hard!
We too struggled with very limited funds from our church hdqrs. We were the first sent to that nation and little was known by them about the true cost of living and daily expenses. I can truthfully say that we suffered as a family while ministering there. We could only afford to eat beef twice a month. Sharon tells me that was less than 500 grams (1 lb) of meat. But we were required by God to turn around and share what we had with the many people who came to our home. Sharon did amazing things with little food and not much money to buy it. She is still doing the same things with food 40 years later.
After we arrived in Korea we came in contact with US military men and young Korean men who came to visit our home. In those days the government imposed a midnight curfew due to the dangers of North Korean infiltrators. So everyone had to be off the street by midnight or be arrested. One night some servicemen and a young Korean minister were visiting with us. Time passed and soon it was too late for them to get home safely by the curfew deadline. I invited them to spend the night sleeping on blankets on the heated floor. The Korean man got tears in his eyes when I told them to spend the night. He explained that no missionary in his denomination ever asked him to sleep in their home. I told him it was just “normal” and that he was welcome any time. Later he helped me with the strategy for establishing our first local church in Korea. Some years later he moved to Hawaii. While there he saw a sign to a local COGOP congregation. He contacted the pastor, Larry Biggers. He asked Bro Biggers if he knew me to which he replied in the affirmative. Over the next weeks Bro Biggers learned that my Korean minister friend was separated from his wife. By God’s Grace and a lot of love Bro Biggers was used to help restore the marriage of my Korean friend. My simple action of kind hospitality brought help in planting a local church and later on restoring a marriage.
Not all the results of hospitality are seen immediately. But, the regular practice of biblically based hospitality is probably one of the most powerful and effective sermons that anyone could ever preach! It cannot be recorded on a denominational monthly report. It cannot be put on a financial spreadsheet. It can’t be contained in a Podcast or streamed live on the Internet. In most cases it cannot be practiced in the church building. In truth it should take place in the privacy of our own homes. Even our church orphanages though a great and needed ministry cannot take the place of believers and ministers opening up their homes, hearts and pocketbooks to those God brings into their lives. We can use the media in every format to share the Good News. Beautiful buildings can be built in many nations to gather people to hear the Gospel. That is great, but there are those who will only listen to what we have to say after they experience God’s Love through the truly unselfish actions of opening our doors to those who are in need.
In closing, I think part of our problem today with hospitality is in honest mistakes in perception. We think someone needs to be in rags and homeless before hospitality can take place. That is wrong most of the time. In the New Testament this principle seems to be directed much toward our brothers and sisters in the faith as well as to true strangers. In recent weeks, in Japan God has opened the hearts of many mid 30’s Japanese young ladies to the Gospel. As I write this Sharon is downstairs praying and counseling with a believer and a 33 year old mother who has been seeking the way to God. She meets Sharon once a week. She cannot come to church on Sunday because of her husband. Last night we hosted 8 ladies for a Burrito Christmas party and impromptu birthday party. Each of them are employed and some drive cars much newer and nicer than ours. But, God has directed us to open both our hearts and homes to them. It seems the more willing we are to share what we have in our home and hearts they seem to be more open to hear what we have to say about God’s Love!
May God bless you as you open your home and heart to those in need!
Dan & Sharon Corbett
“Reaching One Among Millions”
P.S. The 33 year old mother did accept Jesus Christ as her personal savior tonight. Thank you for standing with us and praying. Please keep it up!
1 Peter 4:9 Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay for the night. TLB
1 Tim 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; KJV Titus 1:8 They must enjoy having guests in their homes and must love all that is good. They must be sensible men, and fair. They must be clean minded and level headed. TLB
Hospitality – philoxenos (fil-ox'-en-os); from philos; fond of guests, i.e. hospitable: KJV - given to or lover of hospitality, entertain strangers, “lover of strangers”.
The elder Apostle Paul writes to the younger minister Timothy giving him instructions on the qualifications of ordained church leaders. He lists over a dozen various characteristics that are required if these leaders would be ordained to minister to members under their oversight. In the midst of the several points Paul inserts the characteristic of hospitality. For years, that seemed completely out of place to me. It just did not appear to be a “spiritual” matter! Upon further reflection, this quality does very much reflect upon the “spiritual” nature of a believer or minister.
In the modern day church most of what a pastor or minister does takes place either from behind a pulpit or within the confines of church related activities. Hospitality is literally “out of sight” from the public eye. By the way, the church members are not free from this biblical requirement just because they are not ordained ministers. Peter was speaking to the church body rather than just the ministry as he urged them to be ready to share a meal or to provide a place to stay to those who were in need of such.
Hospitality in the Old Testament
In biblical times it was believed to be a sacred duty to receive, feed, lodge, and protect any traveler who might stop at one's door. The stranger was treated as a guest, and men who had thus eaten together were bound to each other by the strongest ties of friendship. (The New Unger's Bible Dictionary) Suffering Job was able to declare in Job 31:32 but no stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveler- NIV In Genesis 18:1-8 we read of Abraham’s hospitality toward the three “strangers” who passed by his tent. As a result of his kindness to these angels from God he obtained the promise of the birth of his promised seed, Isaac. He was also given the opportunity to intercede directly with God for the life of his nephew Lot and his family before the destruction of Sodom.
In Genesis 19:1-3 we see Lot extending similar hospitality to two men who were probably two of the three his Uncle Abraham entertained previously. Abraham sent his servant back to his clan to find a wife for Isaac. In Gen 24 Rebekah shows warm hospitality to the servant she had never met before when she gave him a drink of water and drew for all camels. Then she invited him to come to the house of her brother Laban. Many other examples could be cited.
Isa 58:7 I want you to share your food with the hungry and bring right into your own homes those who are helpless, poor, and destitute. Clothe those who are cold, and don't hide from relatives who need your help. TLB
New Testament Hospitality
Luke 14:12 Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." NIV
The test of a New Testament widow being cared for by the church included the question of hospitality. 1 Tim 5:10 She must be well thought of by everyone because of the good she has done. Has she brought up her children well? Has she been kind to strangers as well as to other Christians? Has she helped those who are sick and hurt? Is she always ready to show kindness? TLB Heb 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. KJV
What about Today?
“Well, things have changed since Bible times!” We hear that all the time. No more miracles. No more of members of the church body sharing with others. 1 Cor 12:25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. NIV That is now only a biblical principle, not to be taken literally, we are told. Acts 2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. KJV Acts 4:32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. KJV
Several years ago when I taught on the two references in the Book of Acts someone told me to require that of the modern day church is like practicing communism. I was told that times have changed and that God never really “required” that of the early church. They just did it on a personal voluntary basis. The problem I have is that Jesus is the same “yesterday, today and forever” and we preach about the growth and power of the New Testament Church, but many do not want to pay the price that the early believers did. That could be why we don’t see the same results that they did then. I have just one word of caution to those who say such things. Persecution has frequently caused God’s people to rise up spiritually and band together. I believe that principle has not changed. If we will not love, feed, visit or cover our brothers then the Father may find it necessary to give today’s church some new motivation!
Personal Application
When we first moved to Korea for ministry nearly 40 years ago many regions and parts of society had not yet fully recovered from the Korean War. A large number of our early church members owned only one set of clothing. It was washed at night, dried on the heated floor (Ondol) and worn fresh the next day. On several occasions we visited Korean pastors homes and were served the last portion of rice that they had in their kitchen. It was a humbling experience to receive that kind of hospitality. While conducting a revival near the southern coast I was invited to an early morning breakfast by a church widow. Later I learned she arose at 3:00am to feed me and gave me her last chicken to eat. That was hard!
We too struggled with very limited funds from our church hdqrs. We were the first sent to that nation and little was known by them about the true cost of living and daily expenses. I can truthfully say that we suffered as a family while ministering there. We could only afford to eat beef twice a month. Sharon tells me that was less than 500 grams (1 lb) of meat. But we were required by God to turn around and share what we had with the many people who came to our home. Sharon did amazing things with little food and not much money to buy it. She is still doing the same things with food 40 years later.
After we arrived in Korea we came in contact with US military men and young Korean men who came to visit our home. In those days the government imposed a midnight curfew due to the dangers of North Korean infiltrators. So everyone had to be off the street by midnight or be arrested. One night some servicemen and a young Korean minister were visiting with us. Time passed and soon it was too late for them to get home safely by the curfew deadline. I invited them to spend the night sleeping on blankets on the heated floor. The Korean man got tears in his eyes when I told them to spend the night. He explained that no missionary in his denomination ever asked him to sleep in their home. I told him it was just “normal” and that he was welcome any time. Later he helped me with the strategy for establishing our first local church in Korea. Some years later he moved to Hawaii. While there he saw a sign to a local COGOP congregation. He contacted the pastor, Larry Biggers. He asked Bro Biggers if he knew me to which he replied in the affirmative. Over the next weeks Bro Biggers learned that my Korean minister friend was separated from his wife. By God’s Grace and a lot of love Bro Biggers was used to help restore the marriage of my Korean friend. My simple action of kind hospitality brought help in planting a local church and later on restoring a marriage.
Not all the results of hospitality are seen immediately. But, the regular practice of biblically based hospitality is probably one of the most powerful and effective sermons that anyone could ever preach! It cannot be recorded on a denominational monthly report. It cannot be put on a financial spreadsheet. It can’t be contained in a Podcast or streamed live on the Internet. In most cases it cannot be practiced in the church building. In truth it should take place in the privacy of our own homes. Even our church orphanages though a great and needed ministry cannot take the place of believers and ministers opening up their homes, hearts and pocketbooks to those God brings into their lives. We can use the media in every format to share the Good News. Beautiful buildings can be built in many nations to gather people to hear the Gospel. That is great, but there are those who will only listen to what we have to say after they experience God’s Love through the truly unselfish actions of opening our doors to those who are in need.
In closing, I think part of our problem today with hospitality is in honest mistakes in perception. We think someone needs to be in rags and homeless before hospitality can take place. That is wrong most of the time. In the New Testament this principle seems to be directed much toward our brothers and sisters in the faith as well as to true strangers. In recent weeks, in Japan God has opened the hearts of many mid 30’s Japanese young ladies to the Gospel. As I write this Sharon is downstairs praying and counseling with a believer and a 33 year old mother who has been seeking the way to God. She meets Sharon once a week. She cannot come to church on Sunday because of her husband. Last night we hosted 8 ladies for a Burrito Christmas party and impromptu birthday party. Each of them are employed and some drive cars much newer and nicer than ours. But, God has directed us to open both our hearts and homes to them. It seems the more willing we are to share what we have in our home and hearts they seem to be more open to hear what we have to say about God’s Love!
May God bless you as you open your home and heart to those in need!
Dan & Sharon Corbett
“Reaching One Among Millions”
P.S. The 33 year old mother did accept Jesus Christ as her personal savior tonight. Thank you for standing with us and praying. Please keep it up!
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