TellJapan.com Blog

Called or Compelled?

2012-01-19T22:25:00.005-05:00

Have you ever wished for a Post-It note from God telling you exactly what He wants you to do? No ambiguity, no wondering, no anguishing over which direction to go in. Your calling would be clear.

We often throw around the term called. God called me to go to _______ or start ________. We seem to believe that we must know what that calling is or we will miss what God has for us to do. But not everyone in scripture is called. When they are, it's REALLY obvious:

Moses was called to lead Israel out of Egypt. (Exodus 3:1-21)
Gideon was called to be a mighty warrior. (Judges 6:11-27)
David was called to be king of Israel. (1 Samuel 16:1-13)
Saul was called to be an Apostle to the gentiles. (Acts 9:1-18)

Note that none of their journeys was easy, the paths they took were hard, full of trials and didn't travel in a straight line. But the end result was never in question. When Jonah was called to Nineveh and didn't want to go (Jonah 1:1-6) God saw to it he went anyway (Jonah 1:17-3:5). My point is, to be consistent with scripture a call must be something that is not subjective: i.e. a dream, vision, or angel clearly telling me what is going to happen; and then it does. Can that happen today? Sure. And we are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). But I doubt that's what most of us mean when we say we are called.

So what does that mean for those of us who have yet to have such a clarifying moment of revelation? Are we supposed to keep waiting and praying for our Post-It, paralyzed by the fear that we will chose the wrong path? I don't think so. In fact, its just the opposite. We are liberated by faith in God's sovereign control to be compelled by the Holy Spirit. Many people in Scripture are compelled rather than called:

Nehemiah was compelled to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 1:1-2:8)
Jonathan was compelled to battle the Philistines. (1 Samuel 14:1-15)
David was compelled to strike down Goliath, who defied God's armies. (1 Samuel 17:33-37)

Acts 20:22 tells us Paul was "constrained (compelled) by the Spirit" to go to Jerusalem even though he didn't know what would happen there (except that it would generally not go well) Thats the point. When someone is called the outcome is revealed and there is an expectation of success as the world defines success. But when someone is compelled there is no guarantee that things will work out the way they are "supposed to" and that is O.K. Even when someone is called it doesn't always go the way we think it should, it didn't for:

Steven when he was stoned. (Acts 7:54-60)

Hosea who was asked to be a painful picture of God's patience. (Hosea 1:1-3)

John the Baptizer when he was beheaded. (Matthew 14:1-12)

When we seek God and are compelled by the Spirit of God and we obey we are forced to accept God's sovereignty and trust that He is in control even when we don't get the results we expected (Acts 1:7).

The truth is we already have a Post-It note telling us what God wants us to do, 95% of God's will is written in black and white in His word (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Our problem is we generally ignore it, or at least the parts we don't like, while falsely claiming we are willing to do what ever God want us to do. If we start with that 95% and seek God we can be compelled by the Spirit rather than compelled by our fear of the unknown and leave the results in God's hands.

I'll end with two questions:
If you have been called to be a follower of Jesus (Romans 8:29-30), if not then you need to start with that (1Corinthians 15:1-28), what are you compelled by the Spirit to do?
and
Why aren't you doing it?

What Paul doesn't ask them to pray for...

2011-10-12T22:07:00.001-04:00

I've been struck lately by the many prayer requests that the Bible seems to be missing; what people didn't pray for. I'll be reading and say to myself, "that's not what they should have prayed for!" I came across another in the last chapter of Colossians this morning. Paul is in prison but does not ask that the Colossians pray for his release. How many of us would ask for prayers to be set free? Be honest! I would. But what Paul writes instead:

"pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak."

He asks for more opportunities to proclaim the Gospel and that he would do a good job. Wow. That really puts into perspective what our attitude should be when we are in a place or position that isn't what we envisioned or where we think we should be. Paul tells us to:

"Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."

If Paul can make that his priority, at the expense of his freedom, comfort and rights, then I have no excuse for complaining about my job/house/neighbor/fill-in-the-blank. It seems to me that my prayers, and the corporate prayers of the American church as a whole, are very self-serving. Our passion for the Gospel has been buried in our passion to see answers to selfish prayers.

20/20 or Necessary?

2011-09-21T14:42:00.001-04:00

If we were allowed to start our journey over again, things would look very different. We would make different decisions, go different places, and say different things. We wouldn't make the same mistakes or miss the same opportunities to serve people for God's glory. But here's the irony: without going down the path we followed, we never would've learned as much as we have or come to the convictions we now hold that would cause us to act differently. It was the very path we would change that led us to fully grasp and understand how we fall short and need to daily turn back to God in humble repentance as we make our lives about His glory. It is God's sovereign grace that led us down that path so that we would seek Him!

Acts 17:24-27 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.

God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us."

We thank you for being a part of our journey! God has put an unexpected twist in our path, and we are seeking Him for wisdom in how to proceed from this point on.

James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him."

We asked God to give us an answer about serving in Japan through SEND International and CRASH. His answer was "no," so we have resigned from SEND with sad, heavy hearts.

We are so thankful for our SEND family and those who have given and prayed for the irreplaceable opportunity to serve in Japan and to allow God to teach us many things through our experiences there. We never would have learned about spiritual warfare, trusting God alone, how repentance is essential, and the power of prayer - things which shape our lives and will have untold impact on our future ministry. We truly appreciate your gifts, monthly support and prayers and have been sharing what God taught us with those around us! We are leaving SEND with more confidence in our good God, renewed passion for the Gospel, and new convictions about God, faith and money.

One of those convictions is that if we are wholeheartedly seeking God, He will give us the desires of our hearts as our will becomes conformed to His will.

Psalms 37:4 "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

Psalms 145:19 "He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;"

Romans 12:2 "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God,what is good and acceptable and perfect."

As a result of daily prayer and other godly counsel we feel that our desires are drawing us either toward missions in Japan or a church plant in America, possibly New England. We are open and willing to working elsewhere if God leads us in that direction, but at this time this is what compels us! Our elders would like for us to exhaust options for serving cross-culturally first, before pursuing ministry in the States, so we are actively looking into other mission boards and opportunities to return to Japan. We would greatly appreciate your prayers for wisdom and discernment as we seek God's will in this matter.

Those of you who have been supporting us financially will be receiving a letter from SEND International. All automatic bank drafts will cease after September 20011. Please do not send any gifts for us to SEND. The money that has accumulated in our account at SEND (we only receive a salary when we are on the field) is designed for use within SEND Japan, so we can use it for a short-term trip to Japan next summer or it is possible that the funds can be transferred to another mission board if that is how God leads us.

We will continue sending email updates regularly as we discover what God has for us to do next. Our hope is that you will continue with us on our journey!

For His Glory,

Nate, Michelle, Troy & Connor Mikoski

I Pity the Fool

2011-07-26T23:52:00.000-04:00

Paul writes in I Corinthians 15: 19 "If we have placed our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone." Looking at the Churches, Christians, pastors and missionaries around me, I can't think of any reason why most of us would be pitied if Jesus is not who we claim.

Paul lived a life of sacrifice for the Gospel that included beatings, imprisonment and eventually death. We live a life of sacrifice that skims a little off the top of our very comfortable lives. So little, if fact, that there is no appreciable differance between those claiming Jesus and those who do not. We divorce when our spouse doesn't make us happy, pursue personal wealth while giving just enough to sooth our concience, and find every excuse under the sun to avoid proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ (wrapping it in terms like "friendship evangelism" to make it O.K.) all while living "a good Christian life".

Pascal's Wager says that even if the existence of God cannot be prooven through reason, a rational person should wager that God (specifically Jesus) exists, because living life accordingly has everything to gain, and nothing to lose. The problem is, if I live like what I read in Scripture I will have to take radical steps that will involve real sacrifice and a live life that looks so completely different from everyone around me that people will actually "recognize me by my fruit". I will literally lay up my treasure in heaven instead of here, on earth.

Am I that recognizable or do I just blend in? If Jesus did not rise from the grave defeating death and sin becoming my propitiation what would I be losing? Anything? OR do I use my time and money and life, making sacrifices for the sake of the Gospel to the extent that it would really suck if Jesus was not who I believe?

Jesus Heals in Fukushima

2011-06-07T21:21:00.001-04:00

Edited from: "Two Months After the Earthquake in Japan, English Version" about the work of Machida Christian Center.

See the original full length version at: http://vimeo.com/24081017

It's worth watching the full length version if you have the time :-)

Troy's Lego Wipeout

2011-05-04T21:14:00.001-04:00

Troy's first attempt at stop motion animation combining two of his favorite things, legos and Wipeout!

Signs on old vans...

2011-05-02T18:58:00.006-04:00

Have you ever found yourself involuntarily cringing at crudely painted "Jesus" signs on the sides of 1980's conversion vans? I have. When I read of Paul reasoning with people in Acts (17:1-2; 18:4; 18:19; 24:25) and contextualizing the Gospel for the Athenians (17:22-31) it seems a far cry from signs on the side of a van.

But, I received this e-mail from a couple in Japan through a mutual supporter.

Dear Prayer Partners,
God is so good! Today we had the privilege of praying with T-san as he gave his life to the Lord! It was a precious time. He shared how since the earthquake he realized that his life was not in alignment. He knew something was missing. He wanted to have peace and happiness. He saw this in his wife but thought he could find it for himself. He realized that it had to be through a relationship with God. This morning as many of you were praying, he went to Kobe to run an errand. He was sitting at a stop light and a van came by that had this painted on the side, "Jesus died on the cross for your sins and three days later he rose from the dead!" He laughed and said, "God sent me a sign, a real sign!" Brothers and sisters, we witnessed a miracle today! Today was the day of salvation for T-san. There are many more just like T-san that are thinking about the real purpose of life since the earthquake and tsunamis hit up north. Please continue to pray for T-san as he will be baptized this Saturday. Pray that God will protect him from doubt and fear. Pray that he will be able to meet for discipleship training. He is a senior manager of a major hotel and has a very hard work schedule.

Thank you so much for praying for this time today! Now, lets commit to continue praying for him. We will keep you updated and please pray for the baptismal service that will take place at 12:00pm Saturday (Japan time) or 10:00pm Friday America time. Thanks again for partnering with us.

I would note that the sign was the gospel, but I must admit that I now have to hold open the possibility that God really did ask that guy in the beige Ford to paint that sign on the door... and it's awesome that another Japanese person met Jesus :-)

TellJapan Blog 02/09/2011

2011-02-09T18:56:00.001-05:00

Reflecting on God's glory vs. our own...

How Stupid!

2010-11-08T08:37:00.001-05:00

Here's the thing, how is striking a rock with a stick and expecting enough water to satisfy millions of people any less absurd than speaking to the rock? And yet, God says Moses did it because he didn't trust God. That means Moses, somewhere in the back of his mind, was seeing a need to "help" God get it right. I look at that and I'm going, "how stupid! Moses, dude, WHAT were you thinking!". But if I'm honest, I have to admit that I go around whacking everything with a stick laboring under the impression that I have to do it or it won't happen, when the truth is I am just unwilling to trust God; how stupid!

Numbers 20: 1-13

The entire Israelite community entered the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and they settled in Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there.

There was no water for the community, so they assembled against Moses and Aaron. The people quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the LORD. Why have you brought the LORD's assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? Why have you led us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It's not a place of grain, figs, vines, and pomegranates, and there is no water to drink!"

Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting. They fell down with their faces [to the ground], and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. The LORDspoke to Moses, "Take the staff and assemble the community. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will yield its water. You will bring out water for them from the rock and provide drink for the community and their livestock."

So Moses took the staff from the LORD's presence just as He had commanded him. Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?" Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them." These are the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD, and He showed His holiness to them.

Grace Academy Oct. 20, 2010 Field Trip

2010-10-28T07:04:00.002-04:00

Follow Troy through the Corn Maze at Muddy Boots Farm in Albemarle, NC.

Thank You to Faith Baptist 2010 VBS

2010-10-12T20:48:00.002-04:00

A Thank You video to the VBS kids from Faith Baptist Church in Prosperity, WV for providing us with a new Zoom H4N!

Numbers

2010-10-11T15:51:00.002-04:00

Every firstborn male in Israel, whether man or animal, is mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for myself. And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel. Of all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the Tent of Meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary.
Numbers 8:17-19

I was reading Numbers this morning and couldn't help but notice this section. I've read it before, but it's Numbers and I'm ADD and sometimes my mind wanders...

The levites are in reality slaves, called to take the place of the first born that God spared at the Passover. I can't help but think about Paul when he describes himself as a "bondservant" (Rom. 1:1) or about Jesus, who is alive, and is our substitutionary atonement. (1 Peter 3:18)

A Christian Nation?

2010-09-16T12:16:00.001-04:00

This is a screen shot showing a google map. We can get to most places on this map in 1 to 1 1/2 hours. You see the ~~hundreds~~ thousands of orange dots? Those are churches.

I find it hard to believe that in the most prosperous country in the world that missionaries are struggling to raise support. We have lost our passion and vision for those who haven't heard about Jesus.

Is Japan really cutting edge?

2010-07-27T12:11:00.001-04:00

As we were flying to the U.S. Michelle and I were talking about things we had expected to find in Japan, but didn't. One of them was our perception of Japan as this bastion of technological wonder; it simply isn't. We further talked about Japan's lack of direction and leadership (5 Prime Ministers in 4 years!) and how it almost seemed as though Japan never progressed past the early 90's.
On top of that, while Japanese society works hard (and long) it is often woefully inefficient. It seems that corporate culture and organization has reached the point were the "rules of operation" dictated turn 4 hour jobs into 10 hour jobs.
Then, a few days ago we got turned on to this Time magazine article by one of our CIT profs, Tom McCormick.

The same stagnation and lack of action is influencing many Japanese churches. But not all! The way we see it, the answer to Japan's malaise is simple, Jesus :-)

Shout Out to NVF's Fuel Youth from Japan

2010-06-22T03:54:00.010-04:00

Reason why Missonary Kids are AWESOME #2

2010-05-11T23:40:00.004-04:00

PERSISTENCE.
Yes, thats a piece of seaweed that Troy's trying to grab out of this bowl of ramen.

Not a good sign...

2010-02-03T23:57:00.005-05:00

I just tapped my Japanese study notebook intending to look up the meaning of a word. Nothing happened... I tapped again...

Then it dawned on me that this was a real notebook, not my iPhone; sad, very sad.

Gomen nasai! Baka gaijin desu!

2010-01-09T09:59:00.002-05:00

Feeling a little bad for them, I look into the rear view mirror of my borrowed Nissan van as I drive away. They have already begun to move my giant mess...

It began one morning as Steve and I decided it was a good day to get rid of the piles of furniture, clothes and other ~~junk~~ things that had been left over the years by SEND missionaries leaving Japan. The original idea was "I'll leave this perfectly good dresser for the next person, so they can save some money." But there are no dumps in Japan, everything is recycled or incinerated and large items are very hard to get rid of, so over time it had become a catch-all for any unwanted items.

At first we began sorting through what might be worth saving and began to carefully disassemble that which we would dispose of, by three o'clock we were hitting armoires with huge mallets. By the time we were finished loading the van, and Steve's car, we could not have found room for a peanut butter sandwich split between them. Steve told me to just follow him and everything would be fine; we set off for the Recycle Center.

When we got there, Steve pulled in, told the attendant where we were from and what we were carrying. The attendant came up to the van, peered in the windows and waved us on. I followed Steve into a giant warehouse with dozens of stalls and watched as Steve was ushered away. I tried to follow but was stopped by a friendly looking man with the name Hiro on his name tag. He approached and said something I didn't understand.

"Gomen nasai. Nihongo ga sukoshi wakarimasu." (I'm really sorry, but I only understand a little Japanese) I replied.
He said the same thing again...
"Gomen nasai. Wakarimasen." (I really am sorry, but I don't know what you mean) I say.
He says it again, slower and louder...
"Wakarimasen" (I still don't understand)
He says it again even louder and slower...
This goes on until eventually I cry out "Gomen nasai! Baka gaijin desu!" (I apologize! I am a stupid foreigner!) and formally bow out the van window.

Hiro laughed and magically three more guys showed up and pointed me to a corner. I backed in and the van was unloaded minutes later, leaving a huge pile of debris in the middle of the warehouse floor. I realized that they were going to have to move it to the correct bin half way down the building.

Feeling a little bad for them, I look into the rear view mirror of my borrowed Nissan van as I drive away. They have already begun to move my giant mess...

Connor's First Day at Hoikuen (Japanese nursery school)

2009-12-24T02:27:00.007-05:00

Connor has started going to hoikuen every Monday to help him
learn Japanese and to give us a much needed break! His energy
level never seems to go down...

He loves people and doesn't care what language they speak to
him in, so he really enjoys it! (I can't say as much for his teachers!)

Reason why Missionary Kids are AWESOME #1

2009-11-11T03:44:00.002-05:00

They seamlessly and effortlessly blend 2 (or more) cultures into their own unique culture - as shown here by our 7 yr old son, Troy, who has only been living in Japan for 3 months!

Familiar worship song in Japanese and English

2009-11-11T03:39:00.001-05:00

One of the highlights of the Church Planting Institute conference was the opportunity to worship together with Japanese believers using English and Japanese.

Traditional Dance at Tokorozawa Festival

2009-10-29T02:14:00.005-04:00

The kids loved watching this dog-demon thingy dance!

View of Mt. Fuji from SEND Center

2009-10-29T02:13:00.002-04:00

Wow! Our first good look at Mt Fuji on a clear day after a typhoon. It seems so close but it takes at least 2 hours to drive to Mt Fuji from here!

Making Taikyaki at Japanese Festival

2009-10-29T02:11:00.005-04:00

Taiyaki is a delicious waffle-like treat shaped like a fish with fillings like custard, chocolate, sweet bean paste, cheese, etc. If you are ever at a Japanese festival you should try one of these!

Ladies making dango at Japanese festival

2009-10-29T02:10:00.002-04:00

Dango is mochi (rice that is pounded until it is squishy and sticky) on a stick, flavored and roasted over a slow fire.
YUM!

Driving in Japan

2009-10-29T02:07:00.003-04:00

Narrow streets, slow speeds, pedestrian-dodging - this is driving in Japan!

Play area at Japan department store

2009-10-29T02:05:00.002-04:00

Place for kids to play inside a 9 story department store in Japan. Troy plays and Connor makes friends amidst the arcade noises.

Sunset in Japan

2009-10-29T02:02:00.002-04:00

Its hard to show how beautiful the view from our 4th floor apartment is. This sunset filled the entire Western sky. On clear days we can even see Mt. Fuji! Daily reminders of God's power, beauty and love.

Little Boy Sumo

2009-10-28T21:30:00.003-04:00

This is what happens when you let your little boys watch a sumo match on TV.