Sharing Your Testimony

LAST Sabbath, we heard a message on the power of giving the accounts of our personal experiences with God. Like the Samaritan woman at the well, sharing our encounters with Christ to others is powerful and effective in leading others to Christ.

Reflections

Here's what a couple of our sisters think about the sermon given by Bro. Seth, "Twice Upon a Time."

"It's a timely and profound message that brings us close to Christ. Very practical, brief and direct to the point." -Dorah Momanyi

"Even if I don't know much about the Bible, I realized that I can still share God through my personal testimony. It's encouraging knowing that." 

-Emmie Okada

If you missed this sermon, you can check it out on our YouTube channel, OSAKA SDA.

THhe Power of Our Words

Our words can discourage or inspire, wound or heal, build up or tear down. An unknown poet wrote: “A careless word may kindle strife; A cruel word may wreck a life. A bitter word may hate instill; A brutal word may smite and kill. A gracious word may smooth the way; A joyous word may light the day. A timely word may lessen stress; A loving word may heal and bless." Solomon said it best: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21). Someone near you is fighting life’s battles at great odds. Look out for that person today. Instead of harsh words, speak words of comfort and encouragement to inspire them with hope.
Credit: Samuel Koranteng-Pipim (http://eaglesonline.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a263b56490405bb83081ea113&id=c3eebcea59&e=4246cc632c)

Indeed, many things erroneously done may be fixed but such rarely applies to words. Wrong words may be withdrawn but too often their impact cannot. Like a broken egg splash on a floor, it can never be taken in a better shape as before. Watch your words for their impact go far than you can imagine. Jesting, unwise jokes and unnecessary statements are to be carefully guarded against. It is said of Christ that men wondered as His words, for he spoke so much unlike the people of His day. Many people we meet daily may forget our names, but few will forget the impactful words they heard us speak-- positively or negatively. GO bless your world with your words. 

Greetings from Germany!

WE received an email from Rolf, a German brother who visited us back in March. He sent us a group picture he had taken with us and thanked us for our hospitality.

During his visit, some of us took him to a family restaurant and gave him a  プリクラ experience (^_^;)

"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it." 

- Hebrews 13:2

Family of God

WE welcome our new brother, Katsuhito Yamane and sister, Yukiko Okazaki in our Osaka SDA family!

Let us keep them in our prayers as they embark on this wonderful relationship with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

😊😊😊

Also this weekend, some of us also went to Hyogo for an overnight trip and fellowship. We had a great barbecue and our hearts were glad to be away from the busyness of the city life. We basked in God's great creation and enjoy one another's company.

Join us next time!

Fortunes of Misfortunes

Alas, how often we show ingratitude for the gifts of misfortune! How frequently we display little appreciation for sorrow, disappointment, and failure! Wrapped in darkness, delivered with suddenness, and often greeted by disbelief, misfortunes are the fortunes that can easily be missed by the proud, careless, and ungrateful. Yet, through them we acquire wisdom, sympathy, humility, and a healthy dependence on God. The gifts of misfortune won't always be appreciated, but can be converted to meet our needs. Tomorrow’s fortunes are enveloped in today’s misfortunes. Let’s redeem this hidden wealth by developing attitudes of gratitude for life’s vicissitudes (Philippians 4:4-7; 1 Thessalonians 5:17, 18).-- 
Samuel Koranteng-Pipim. (http://eaglesonline.org/weekly-nuggets/nuggets-archives/)

Barbecue First!

THIS Sabbath's sermon is entitled "Barbecue First." Summer is here! Perfect time for some camping and barbecue. So what does it have to do with church?

In Acts 2:42-47, Paul gave us a picture of an authentic community:

The Fellowship of the Believers

⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

 So how do we get to experience such community? You guessed it right! You gotta BARBECUE FIRST! Relationships just don't happen. We need to spend time to get to know people. An authentic church knows the needs of its members and meets them. KNOWING comes first. We need to get to know one another. We need to build a loving and trusting relationship for God said that the world will know we are His disciples by our love for one another.

Life in Japan is fast-paced and everyone is busy--all the more reason for us to slow down and re-think our priorities. At the end of the day, God will hold us accountable with what we have done with the relationships He's given us. He will not count our possessions, or check to see what we have achieved in this life.

Our REAL Groups exists so we can fellowship, open up and get to know one another more. Let's be praying for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives and for God to give us the grace to respond. The Christian life is not to be lived alone. We all need one another. Let's take time to get to know our brothers and sisters! 

This summer, lets enjoy some downtime and maybe have a barbecue party!

The Rough Mountains

There are no smooth mountains. If our mountains were smooth, they would be difficult to climb. So, when God gives us mountains to climb, He leaves them rough. The bumps and rocks along the way—the obstacles and hurdles in our path—are actually stepping stones in our mountain climb. Thank God for your rough mountains—your trials and afflictions, your temptations and setbacks, your disappointments and sorrows. Without these jagged sides of life, there'll be no maturity and growth, nor mountaintop experiences. Faith climbs rough mountains. Therefore, welcome your struggles and challenges. By faith, Caleb said: “Give me the mountain” (Joshua 14:12). May we dare to say: “Give me my ROUGH mountain.”—

Credit: Samuel Koranteng-Pipim (http://us3.campaign-archive2.com/?u=a263b56490405bb83081ea113&id=9b91377be5)