Message: "Whom Shall I send?" on Aug.8, 2021

2021-08-09

Message: "Whom Shall I send?" on Aug.8, 2021

I’ll share with you today the program for our "Mustard Seed Chapel" Service.

I have attached it at the bottom of this page for your reference.

Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

I'd like to explain a little bit about the book of Isaiah.

In the Old Testament, the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel are called the three major prophets.

The book of Isaiah is one of them, and it is said to have been written around the 8^th century BC. The author's name is Isaiah.

In the historical background, it was after the division of Israel into north and south.

Isaiah had served four kings (Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah) in Jerusalem, the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah, and is said to have been active for about 60 years.

At that time, the people of Israel had lost their faith and had become corrupt. Isaiah advised them to turn back to God, but neither the king nor the people obeyed or changed their ways.

Isaiah prophesied that the Northern Kingdom would be destroyed by Assyria and the Southern Kingdom would be destroyed by Babylon, but they did not listen.

At the same time, Isaiah prophesied to the people that Israel will come back from the Babylon.

It is also incredible that he predicted the Messiah (Jesus) would eventually come in the New Testament era where Jesus would suffer on the cross, die, and be resurrected.

Although Isaiah may not have always understood the meanings of these prophecies, he obeyed God and shared the prophecies to the people.

In the New Testament, Jesus, his disciples, and even Paul quoted Isaiah a lot.

Chapter 6:8 is the scene where Isaiah receives his call as a prophet.

During the summer vacation of my second year of junior high school (I was 13 years old), my father gave me the opportunity to go to my first "Christian Camp" organized by Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan, where many junior high and high school students from all over Japan gathered for four days and three nights. It was the first time for me to be away from my parents and the organizers asked me to give a "testimony" at the campfire on the last day. In Christianity, a "testimony" is where you tell a story about your faith in front of everyone.

When I gave my testimony, I chose this verse from Isaiah 6:8 and said, "In the future, my mission is to become a medical evangelist and go to Africa, so that God can use me.

In general, the main subject of testimony is "why did I become a Christian", but since I was grown up in a Christian home, I gave such a talk based on the premise that I believed in God.

In fact, on my birthday a year before I gave my testimony, my father gave me a book of Dr. Schweitzer's biography and I realized my calling and discovered my purpose is in life.

I am about to turn 70 years old and I am reminded of God's protection and guidance up to this point.

I have countless blessings and happiness along the way, but at the same time, there have also been times when I have made a lot of mistakes.

However, I am thankful to God from the bottom of my heart for all of them. Because despite my disobedience, the Lord never once abandoned me, and not only led me back to the right path but also gave me new hope and opportunities.

Of course, I had the love and support of my family behind me, my world was broadened by meeting three mentors whom I respected, and an unexpected turning point occurred when a mysterious helper appeared. I have received too many blessings to share with you, but I started this website to share some of them with you.

I hope it will bring some blessings to my family and friends who visit this site.