CHRIST IS ALL

Winter (December 2022, January and February 2023)

Dear Friend in Christ,

 

From the start of December, I continued to do outdoor preaching and distribution of Gospel literature in towns and neighborhoods somewhat more distant from my house in the town of Matsuida. I always thrill to plow new ground. May it yield fruit. Then on Thursday the 16th, I rode the fast trains far south to Oogaki City in Gifu Prefecture to preach at the 7 PM service that night in Mino Mission’s Oogaki Bible Church. Then I lodged at Mino Mission, preaching at 10:30 AM and 7 PM in their Tomidahama Bible Church on Sunday the 18th. Two days later, I departed Mino Mission on the 5:24 AM train, to go far south to warm Ibusuki City in Kagoshima Prefecture.

A typical weekday in Ibusuki City for me: I walk 16 paces or so out from my house at 6:10 AM to the very front of my property (that being my own parking lot) (adjacent to Japan Railroad (JR) Nigatsuden Train Station) to stand only about 7 paces from the train platform (by God’s Gracious Provision, standing on my own property) where souls are waiting on the platform to board the 6:21 AM train to ride to their job location to toil away all day for self, employer, and nation. And I sing hymns of praise to their Creator God, into their ears, the following 11 minutes till the train’s doors close.

The 1st and 2nd trains of the morning come thru this station between 5 AM & 6 AM. I do not go out to sing at the time of those 2 trains, because very few souls board at that early hour. And some of my nearby neighbors are still in bed at that time, and would think the worse of me awakening them.

Then I sing to the following 3 trains: 6:54, 7:24 & 7:31 AM departures, rejoicing in larger congregations congregating close to me at these times, to allow my melodious praise to their Creator to flow thru their ears straight to their hearts, souls, and consciences. Every weekday, these congregations faithfully flock unto me here.

“Thank Thee, Sweet Lord Jesus, for miraculously planting me right against this small, quiet, unmanned train station to which many precious lost Japanese souls flock daily.”

Reader Friend, you well know that numerous sunrise services are held worldwide once annually when religious people commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. I might be just a tiny bit slightly prejudiced, but I personally believe that my 5 days a week sunrise services of singing praise to the Creator of these Buddhist and Shintoist souls, a captive audience, will hold a candle to any sunrise service worldwide! Glory!

I then hurriedly stalk away from Nigatsuden Station to the school I have decided on for this morning, to sing near its entrance to the students walking or riding bicycles into that school.

During the day, I keep personal chores to a minimum to spend as much time as possible preaching in public in various places, & walking from house to house, leaving Gospel literature at the door. Two or 3 afternoons a week, I wait outside one of 6 or so grammar schools to offer the prayer balloons to these children as they walk away from school. Then I get back home between 4 or 5 PM, to sing out front of my house when a good number of souls are present for the afternoon and evening “rush”, alighting from the afternoon and evening trains, or boarding them. Rainy days hamper my outdoor evangelism, but I can stand under my small porch roof to sing or preach, well within range of a good number of ears, souls, and consciences close by.    

When I first started interacting with Japanese children and teenagers in early 1974, just about all of them would flock to me. Presently, most of them scoot away from me in public when they approach me or when I approach them, keeping distant from me.

“Well, Richard, that’s because you were a handsome young man 50 years ago. But now you are a rugged-looking old codger.”

Likely, that is a small part of it. But it is mainly due to adults in charge of them warning them that I am a terrible person, to be avoided. And due to the young’uns constantly staring at numerous likenesses of devils on every kind of glowing screen imaginable ever since they were 1 year old or so, bringing them under the control of those devils, which bring great fear upon the kids under 12 years old, when they sight me.

“Lord Jesus, please set them free from all satanic power that binds them.”

Fellow Christian, please lift up your voice to the Highest Heaven to voice your agreement with my above plea!

“Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:19)

“Heavenly Father, Thy Holy Bible tells us that Thou art not willing that any soul should eternally perish in the never ending flames of Hell’s torments. Thus, please listen to our earnest pleas that we now send up to Thee on behalf of these captives of Satan. Set them free, Lord, we plead. Amen.”

God gave me many days of good weather in that mild southern climate. That (along with a burning desire to let the Light of God shine into darkened hearts) fired me up to do much outdoor evangelism, abiding with my Lord without the camp. In the past, devilish opposition has always been strong on that southern island of Kyushu. But this time it was furious, stronger than ever before, I think. For the 1st time there in Ibusuki, a grammar school principal called the police onto me for legally standing beside a public street, offering prayer balloons to kids going home from school. He had absolutely no legal grounds on which to do that. God turned it into a glorious “camp meeting” with 2 kind policemen and a dozen or so precious children gathered ever so close to me there, and drivers rubbernecking as they slowly drove by, as I sang hymns to their Creator God. Excellent attendance, without me doing any inviting!

“Having done all, stand.”

“Amen, Lord Jesus, by Thy Mercy and Grace, I desire to do just that until a thermonuclear bomb soon instantly evaporates me, and my soul and spirit go floating up toward Thee, as I shout to the masses of souls and spirits of Japanese around me who just got evaporated with me, that I am ever so thrilled that I repented and trusted in the Saviour of mankind to save me!!”

Lukewarm Laodicean Church Member, constantly sitting before the evil glow of a big screen, your heart failing you for fear as you nervously watch God increasingly destroy this abominable end time generation of rotten human flesh by increasingly wiping larger numbers of souls off the face of this earth to send them to their eternal abode; you could instead be calmly standing or sitting out in public with the most serene countenance ever, while singing “Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace, Coming down from the Father above, sweeps over my soul like an infinite calm…”

Ever so spiritually dumb a saved Christian be, to be scared to death by observing a Perfect, Pure, Upright, Holy, Righteous God rain down Righteous Judgment on the very most extremely unrighteous perverted, perverse, abominable, unholy, impure generation of stinking, rotten human flesh that has ever covered the surface of this God-created earth.

“Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments.”

“Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.”

(Psalms 119:164 & 165)

“Holy and Righteous Heavenly Father on Thy Throne of Marvelous Glory, L love Thy Law that decrees that the wages of sin is death, and I heartedly praise Thee for Thy Righteous Judgments that Thou art presently executing by daily in increasing numbers, putting to death rebel humans who hate Thee. As long as I remain on this earth in this flesh, please fortify my body, soul, and spirit to ever be a faithful watchman, warning the human race around me to flee the wrath to come. I thank Thee for Thy great Peace, Joy, Victory, and Assurance that fills my soul as I do so. Amen!”

As I stood before many adamant faces this winter in southern Japan, (“Be not dismayed at their faces.”), I was so blessed to clearly see the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of several children, a few teens, and a scant few adults.

“Choose them, Lord Jesus, in accordance to Thy Divine Will. Amen!” (John 15:16)

Praying Friend Intercessor, please intercede for the following adults, captives of Satan.

The Chain-Smoker Man: Weekday mornings, he commutes by train to Nigatsuden Station, next to my house. As soon as he alights from the train, he is pulling off his Covid protection mask and getting out a cigarette as he walks out from the small station building, He stops, lights up & starts smoking it right in front of the entrance to my property. (Smoking is forbidden on the trains, so he has a powerful craving for nicotine when he comes off that train.) I have observed him for about 4 years now. I often come out of my house at that time to sing hymns to the good number of souls alighting from that train, or boarding it. At first, he showed an angry face at me singing wonderful hymns so close to him, tho I was on my own private property (onto which he was blowing stinking smoke). And he would angrily stalk on out the street a ways to stop and smoke there, still within hearing of my singing. He never greeted me for 2 years or so. (Please keep in mind that I am there less than 3 months each year.) But a year ago, he began to greet me genuinely friendly, continuing to do so this year. May Christ show great mercy to him to save him.

The Demonic Screaming Pacer Man: He commutes from this station each weekday morning. When he daily departs, he arrives here on his bicycle more than 5 minute before the train arrives. If I am present singing praises to God, he immediately starts pacing up & down on the platform, nervous-like, and angry. At times, he will scream out most furiously. The other Japanese close by who hear that screaming, simply ignore him. Likely they know it is the devil in him. Please intercede for God to set this captive free from devils and all evil forces, I beg.

The Woman Who Hides Her Face: With her hat or umbrella, this woman commuter hides her face from most everyone around her, but especially from me. She is not a daily commuter to or from a job site. But boards a train at varied times. Afternoons, if I come out to start singing, often she is sitting on the short bench next to the station building, on the side nearest to my house. When she sees or hears me, she angrily gets up & stalks further away, while badmouthing me somewhat loudly. I have strained my ears to catch her words, but have not yet understood one word. She is speaking so fast and furiously. And the words might not be Japanese, but rather another language spoken by devils inside her. Pray for her.

These 3 eternal souls are somewhat typical of my daily encounters with the human race around me, as I let the Light shine. I am so ever blessed!

“This Little Light of Mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!!!”

Reader Friend, are you letting your little light shine??? “Hide it under a bushel? NO!” I’m gonna let it shine…!!!”

I thank you who intercede for these souls, and who pray for my welfare also. Possibly some of them try to call on demons to harm me.

“Thank Thee, my Lord Jesus, for Thy Protecting Blood, and for angels around us to guard us children of Thine. My life is in Thine Hands, so why should I worry, fret or fear. Amen and Amen!”

Daily, these perilous times are growing more perilous. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” May each of us faithfully occupy until Christ comes for us. Rich blessings be upon you! Thank you for praying and for giving to support me in Japan.

Christ’s servant in Japan, Richard Yerby.

 

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