“What’s the greatest gift you’ve ever received?” Graham asked the crowd gathered on the second night of the Celebration of Hope and Love in Shikoku. For some, it called to mind a favourite birthday present or a handwritten note from a loved one.
But Graham explained that God’s gift of salvation far outshines any earthly thing we can receive.
The crowd of 1,300 people heard Graham read John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (NKJV).
“God’s love for you caused Him to do something,” he continued. “He sent His Son on a rescue mission—there is nothing that we can do to restore our relationship with God … [He] had to do something for us.”
Graham looked around at the crowd, many of whom come from a Buddhist background. He reminded them that God wasn’t asking for a pilgrimage or a specific prayer, he just wanted their heart in a relationship with Him.
“Faith is believing and then acting on that belief,” he said. “I’m asking you to put your faith in Jesus tonight.”
Yoshiko* was moved by Graham’s definition of faith. As she listened, her heart softened and, at the invitation, she went forward to enter into a personal relationship with her Saviour.
Yoshiko first heard about Jesus many years ago, but living in a community that’s opposed to Christianity, she was hesitant to fully surrender to God. Her husband is especially resistant, which left her feeling stuck.
“This is Japan—everything’s based on Buddhism,” she said. “To go outside of that framework is a really difficult thing, especially living in a rural area.”
Yoshiko’s friend Midori* has faithfully told Yoshiko about God for several years and invited her to the event on Tuesday.
Relationships are very important to Yoshiko, and she was afraid of her friends and family rejecting her if she publicly declared her relationship with Christ.
But on Tuesday night, she came down to the front of the stage with a courage that could only come from the Lord. She knows that God will guide and sustain her in her new walk with Him.
During the two-day outreach, over 3,000 people heard the Gospel—many for the very first time—and more than 150 made decisions to follow Jesus.
As believers in Shikoku praise God for this mighty work, they’re praying that He’s not done with their island or country. Area churches will soon begin preparations for next year’s Celebration of Hope and Love with Will Graham in Kansai, Japan’s second-most populated region.
*Names changed for privacy.
Will you pray for the new believers in Shikoku that they will boldly live out their new faith in Jesus? Also, ask the Lord to strengthen the local churches as they disciple their new brothers and sisters in Christ—and that He will begin preparing hearts for next year’s outreach.
Read more stories from night one of the outreach.
