Yuta Nakayama

Pastor Yuta Nakayama Testimony

Recent Ministry:

Ms. M., a woman in her 30s, received Christ as her Lord and Savior and was baptized this month after completing our baptism study. Thank you for your prayers. Our prayers were heard. When she was baptized, Ms. M. testified that she had no intention to believe in Jesus at the time she attended her first Bible study. As she continued her study of the Bible, she learned through the Word of God that the cross of Jesus Christ was for her sins. When she believed and received Jesus’s Love, the emptiness in her heart was filled.  

Ms. M was first led to our church due to the Bible reading we started earlier this year. Through our prayers last year, my wife and I decided to start a Bible reading group. We started with the idea of continuing it steadily, even if there may not be very many who would come at first. At that time, a church member received a call from Ms. M. saying she would like to know more about the Bible. We invited her to the Bible reading, and she attended our second reading session. We then started an individualized Bible study with Ms. M, and she expressed the desire to be baptized. I am amazed by God’s timing and His way. 

There were hardships within the church as we approached the baptism due to emotional and physical illness. But we are thankful that we, as a church, overcame them all with the grace and support of the Lord so we could celebrate M.’s baptism ceremony together.

• Pray that my wife and I can continue our work with faith, no matter the situation.
• Pray for Mrs. M’s spiritual growth in the Lord.
• Pray for the salvation of Ms. Y., who has been coming to our guitar class. Y. has not been to a worship service yet, and we know that she is relying on various non-Christian spiritual things.

Recent contacts

This month, the mother of Mr. M., a visiting member of Shine Church, came to the Sunday Service. Mr. M’s wedding was just around the corner, and she came from Tokyo to attend the wedding.  

Update and our plan for the coming month

Another guitar class is planned for next month. Ms Y., a non-Christian woman in her 50s, is continuing to attend. Please pray for her salvation. Your prayers can be that the Holy Spirit will draw her to ask questions or respond to the seeds of the gospel we try to share in the guitar class. This relationship is an opening to develop Ms. Y’s confidence that we are representing Jesus Christ and that she will see our compassion and concern for the whole community.

We are also planning to hold a church meeting next month. We hope to share the church vision and discuss Christmas outreaches. We are also planning to renew the church website soon. Many people in Japan enjoy the decorations of Christmas, but we want to inform them that Jesus, the Son of God, was born and draw them into a Bible study so they will know why Jesus came to earth. Your prayers can help.

Prayer Points 

• Thank you for your prayers. I recently contracted COVID-19 and was in isolation for a week. My wife is also infected, and she still has a cough and phlegm tangle and has difficulty breathing. She is taking her medication, and I think she is getting better day by day. We would be grateful if you could pray for her speedy recovery and that she will not have any aftereffects. 

• Every Sunday, we have a worship service at Clover Plaza, a facility run by the prefecture, and I have to carry sound equipment and musical instruments from my house, as well as other things needed for the church, every week. This is a very difficult task, as we have to carry the equipment, set it up, take it apart after the service, and carry it back to the car. Then we arrive home and unload them. We are praying for a new base of operations. If we have a permanent hall, we can have a prayer group meeting in the morning, we can use it as a place for evangelism, and the members can feel a sense of home. Of course, considering our financial needs, it seems almost impossible, but we would be grateful if you would remember us in your prayers, believing in what the Lord will do. 

• I have recently been involved in three Bible study groups. I think we have been able to have good fellowship and challenge ourselves to grow. We have a family who is thinking about transferring their membership to Shine Church, so we are planning to have ongoing pre-transfer studying sessions to teach them the doctrinal emphasis of Shine Church.
  
• I feel the importance of small group sharing and preaching messages from the pulpit. I am thinking that I will not be able to teach all the small group fellowships alone. I would appreciate your prayers as we develop leaders who will become the teachers of small-group Bible studies.  

The challenges of the church are always present, but I want to look to the One who is righteous and true. I desire to do what I need to do faithfully. May the Lord richly bless all of you who pray and support us. 

Testimony Continued:

I was envious of my friends who fell in love, dated and had fun just fooling around on Sundays. Because I knew the Word, I felt guilty about my own sins. I would think, “What a rotten family I was born into!”

Despite all these internal conflicts, I attended church meetings and never missed a Sunday service. That made me proud, and I started judging other people! So, on Sundays, I lived as a Christian, and the rest of the week, I lived like a man of the world. I became a nominal Christian and started making lots of mistakes that I was uncomfortable admitting to the people at church.

When I was 20, we were given time to pray in response to the sermon at a meeting. For the first time, I was given the desire to respond to Jesus’ words, “Follow Me.” The Cross appeared in front of me, and I knew that Jesus was in front of me. I experienced His presence for the first time. Surrounded by the love of Jesus, I could only shed tears. When illuminated by the light of Jesus’ love, it also brought my dirty heart into the light, and for the first time, I realized what a ridiculous sinner I was. In my heart, I asked Jesus, “Do you love me even though I am so dirty?” He said, “I love you and was crucified for you.” He spoke so kindly. With that one moment, I understood the meaning of the cross, that Jesus did give up his life for such a ridiculous sinner. This was the moment when my faith became my own, true, genuine faith. Then Jesus told me something else. “You will be happiest working for me for your entire life.” It was an invitation to dedicate myself to Him. I was surprised at this sudden development, but I confessed to Him that I would obey. So, my encounter with the cross and my call to ministry happened at the same time.

More than 15 years have passed since then, and I can say what the Lord said was true. Working for the Lord brings many hardships, and it is a good reminder of my weaknesses. But it is the best way to know and rely on the Lord. And now I can confess that there is no happier path than being one with the Lord and serving him with my life.

Ongoing Ministry for Your Prayers:

We reported last time that Ms. M, a non-Christian woman in her 30s, came to a Sunday service in April. She also participated in our monthly Bible reading on May 10 and said she enjoyed it. She plans to come to the Bible reading in June. Please pray for her salvation. Another guitar class is scheduled for next month. Ms. Y, a non-Christian woman in her 50s, continues to attend. Please pray for her salvation as well. Pray that more seekers will attend and be saved. Your prayers lift Shine Church and move us forward. Thank you very much.

On May 12, Pastor Philip Tan, a pastor in Singapore from an organization called Love Singapore, came and gave a message. When I learned he would be giving a Sunday message, I took two days off on Monday and Tuesday of the week before and was spiritually and physically refreshed. My wife also took time off to visit her parents’ home in Yokohama for five days, and she returned to Fukuoka refreshed and reenergized. It was a needed time for my wife, who had been diligently helping me pastor the church. I anticipate having some quality downtime to relax and pray next month. I hope to be well prepared for the busy and hot summer by being still before the Lord. Thank you all for your precious prayers. Please continue to pray for our family and our church.

We are beginning to see signs of glimpses of the new salvations we have been praying for.  Quite a few people have unexpectedly come to worship services and church events. The Lord gave us the vision and the idea of opening a new door for missionary work. When we decided to have a guitar class, a non-Christian interested in playing the guitar showed up. When we were about to start a Bible reading session, people interested in the Bible came to the Sunday service. We are pleasantly surprised by God’s timing and believe a new season is coming to Shine Church. However, I often feel that attacks by the enemy are trying to keep the church from being mission-oriented. I desire to continue doing mission work while standing firm in the Word of God and building up with prayer. Please pray for the church and our family.  

This month, four non-Christian family members of Mr. A, a friend of a church member from work, came to the kids’ Easter service. They participated in the kids’ programs, such as games, Bible messages, and praises. All church members were overflowing with joy, having this family join us. 

On the following Sunday, Ms. M., a non-believer woman in her 30s, came to join the church service. She is a church member’s friend and contacted her friend the previous Saturday to share her desire to learn more about the Bible. After the service, M. and I talked about the Bible, and I prayed for her for God’s blessing. I believe that the Holy Spirit touched her heart. I am praying that she will be led to study the Bible more.

We plan to hold another Bible reading session and distribute flyers about it to our community. We will also continue to hold more guitar classes. We have held three guitar classes, but we know building good relationships with seekers with a long-term perspective takes time.  

My friend’s son, a twenty-year-old pastor, moved to Fukuoka for a new job, and he will be with us at Shine Church. Please pray for his future ministry in our church.

Everyone in the family is doing well. My wife and children pray before they go to bed to give thanks for the day and their needs. One night, our son prayed for a character toy, and his uncle, who knew nothing about his prayer, unexpectedly bought my son the toy; this allowed our son to experience God as real and to believe prayers are heard and answered.  

My wife and I continue to pray together at night. Our prayers have given us victories in many areas, such as protecting the faith of church members, healing, and advancing the mission. We feel the importance of praying together so earnestly.

We sense your prayers and are supported by them. We can never move forward on our own. Because of your prayers, we believe the Lord hears our prayers and supports our walk as the church. Thank you for your continued prayers for Shine Church and our family. 

Guitar Class

Ms. Y returned to our monthly guitar class after the service. I have not initiated any conversation covering the gospel directly yet, but I pray that we will be able to build a good relationship with her and know when to share the gospel with her.

We are starting a Bible reading session and invite unbelievers interested in the Bible. We will have tea or coffee, read the Bible, and talk about the Bible in a relaxing atmosphere.

Pray for new believers this year. We want to reach out in various ways, but we realize there are limits to what we can do on our own. We are reminded that it is truly by God’s work that one soul can be saved. In the course of missionary work, we are sometimes disappointed and discouraged. Please pray that through the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, we will not give up but persevere in our missionary work. Please pray that we, as a couple, will have faith like Abraham and that we will work with hope for the future. 

My family is doing well. My son recently became excited about soccer and spends most of his free time kicking a ball around the yard. My daughter enjoys baking bread and cookies, and she makes so many that we have trouble consuming them. But as a parent, I am happy that both of them find things they enjoy in their everyday lives. 

Thanks to your prayers, we can continue our pioneering mission. I hope you will continue to pray for Shine Church and our family.

Please pray that souls will be saved.

Recently, more and more friends of church members have visited our church. A family of four who are friends of a church member came to visit us after the service one Sunday. Their youth participated in Sunday School, and we chatted over coffee. They said they would like to come to the church again. People visit us on Sunday afternoons to hang around, chat, and enjoy the time. However, they have not yet come to our morning worship service, but I sense that each member of our church’s desire to share the gospel with friends is growing stronger.

Please pray that the Lord will give me wisdom as I balance my outside ministry and my desire to put more effort into pioneering and that the Lord will show me and give me a good mentor.

We did not have any newcomers at our worship services this month. Yet,

Pray for the monthly guitar class to be used for our mission work.

Ms. Y. came again to a guitar class on Sunday, and we look to build a relationship with her and share the gospel when the opportunity arises.

Continue to pray for our church’s future building and location.

We are praying toward leasing a hall room, which may accommodate about 100 people, within a 20-minute walk from the station, a kitchen, and separate men’s and women’s restrooms, for a monthly rent of less than 120,000 yen, equivalent to about $800. If we were to purchase such a property, it would cost around 60 to 80 million yen, equivalent to $400,000 to $530,000. Considering our current church finances, it would be challenging to plan that much money, but I trust that nothing is impossible for what the Lord will do. Please pray that the Lord will lead us to a church hall for His glory.

Thank you so much for your gift of love.

Thank you for your generous Christmas gift of the desks for our son and daughter. My son and daughter have homeschooling classes at home, so those desks are a huge help for them and us; they love it. They are constantly studying hard and are reading books at these desks.

Prayer requests:

We held our first guitar class on December 3, and a church member’s friend, Ms. Y, came. We plan to have guitar classes for her on an ongoing basis. On December 17, we had a Christmas concert with our mother church, which had 43 attendees.  Five people came to the concert after receiving the church flier; twelve attendees were unbelievers, and four were people who had been away from church. It was very moving to see people touched by the love of Jesus and weeping and to see those away from church return to Jesus. I thank God for the great blessings He has poured over us. I sensed more prayers for this concert than ever before. I will continue to pray that the seeds sown on that day will one day sprout. Thank you all for your prayers.

Next month, we will have a party with church members, and we will enjoy eating cake and playing games. I hope it will be a time of good fellowship.

Thank you for your continued prayers. It was a pleasure to meet Mr. Wheeler again in November. His words encouraged me and inspired me to do my best. Thank you to all who support us and for the generous Christmas special gift. Your support has consistently helped our family and encouraged me. With the Christmas gift, we will buy desks for our son Raiki and daughter Hosana. They are homeschoolers and have been using a table in our kitchen to study together but asked for desks for their studies.

Pray for our ministries in the new year: guitar class, Bible reading cohort, church flier tracts distribution, and worship at home. We hope to minister with these activities under the Lord’s guidance.

Pray for us to find a specific location for our church. Currently, Shine Church rents a facility operated by the prefectural office twice a week by the hour for worship services. Recently, the facility has become popular, and there were days when we could not rent the facility. Since we pray for outreach to our community and for each member to take root in the church body, we feel the necessity of our own church space. The number of church members is still small, and we cannot afford it financially from an earthly perspective, but I believe the Lord will provide a church building according to His Will. I appreciate your prayers.  

On January 7, seven mission team members from Korea, Mr. and Mrs. O, and Mr. and Mrs. M., came from Tokyo for our worship. Also, Mr. M, who moved from Tokyo to Fukuoka, and his fiancée F. came. All are Christians. Mr. M, who moved to Fukuoka, said he might continue attending our church service.

Thanks to your Christmas gift, we purchased a desk for my son Raiki and daughter Hosana. Thank you all for your gifts and love for us.

Prayer requests:

Pray God will use our starting guitar class for His glory and that Ms. Y, who attends and is not a believer, will come to faith. Pray for our church, particularly our future church location and building.

Please pray for God’s protection and grace upon my wife’s spirit and body, as she has not been well recently. She tires easily and has difficulty getting out of bed, and her emotional ups and downs are very intense. She is turning 45 this month and is surprised at the changes in her health. She wants to pray more and engage in mission work yet is frustrated that she cannot do much. 

Pray for me as I work on my wellness by building physical strength. I recently began exercising to improve my fitness by using a bench seat and dumbbells and have not felt exhausted like I used to after preaching three sermons and leading worship on Sunday services. Perhaps the muscle training had already paid off.

Pray for my prioritizing in-depth fellowship with the Lord. Pray for us as a church to be used by God as a witness of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit as we focus on outreach this year. No matter our difficulties, we aim for the Lord’s call, expect the Lord’s work, and do what we can for the Church this year while being encouraged by the Lord.

We held our first guitar class on December 3, and a church member’s friend, Ms. Y, came. We plan to have guitar classes for her on an ongoing basis. On December 17, we had a Christmas concert with our mother church, which had 43 attendees.  Five people came to the concert after receiving the church flier; twelve attendees were unbelievers, and four were people who had been away from church. It was very moving to see people touched by the love of Jesus and weeping and to see those away from church return to Jesus. I thank God for the great blessings He has poured over us. I sensed more prayers for this concert than ever before. I will continue to pray that the seeds sown on that day will one day sprout. Thank you all for your prayers.

Next month, we will have a party with church members, and we will enjoy eating cake and playing games. I hope it will be a time of good fellowship.

Thank you for your continued prayers. It was a pleasure to meet Mr. Wheeler again in November. His words encouraged me and inspired me to do my best. Thank you to all who support us and for the generous Christmas special gift. Your support has consistently helped our family and encouraged me. With the Christmas gift, we will buy desks for our son Raiki and daughter Hosana. They are homeschoolers and have been using a table in our kitchen to study together but asked for desks for their studies.

Prayer

• Pray for our ministries in the new year: guitar class, Bible reading cohort, church flier tracts distribution, and worship at home. We hope to minister with these activities under the Lord’s guidance.
• Pray for us to find a specific location for our church. Currently, Shine Church rents a facility operated by the prefectural office twice a week by the hour for worship services. Recently, the facility has become popular, and there were days when we could not rent the facility.
• Pray for outreach to our community and for each member to take root in the church body.

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