Japan Christian Link
Japan is the second least reached country in the world with under 0.5% of the population believed to be Bible-believing Christians. While there are no legal obstacles to becoming a Christian in Japan there are strong social and cultural barriers which made it difficult to share the gospel with Japanese people and invite them to get to know, love and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
St. John’s is associated with Japan Christian Link as Ian Maclennan, one of our members, is Director of Operations of the charity. Founded in 1903 by Barclay Buxton and Paget-Wilkes, Japan Christian Link exists to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with Japanese people and to make a significant difference in the advance of the gospel amongst the Japanese people across the world.
How can you get involved? It would be great if you could join us in prayer (click to scroll down for some suggested prayer points), you could also help by making a gift which would be very much appreciated.
About Japan
Japan is an island nation, just like the UK, made up of 14,125 individual islands (although just four large ones).
It is rightly famous for delicious food and the variety of the tastes and flavours on offer…..
…… as well as for its culture and art, including anime and manga, which are known throughout the world.
Japan’s capital, Tokyo, is the most populous city on the planet (14 million in the central areas, stretching up to 41 million if you count the suburbs.
Japan is prone to earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural disasters such as floods and landslips.
Very sadly, only a tiny proportion of Japanese people are Christians who know and love the Lord Jesus and trust the Bible (0.5% or under 1 million out of 126 million).
While in principle there is freedom of religion in Japan and there are no legal obstacles to becoming a Christian, the pressure to conform to expected social norms and to follow traditions is immense.
Which is where Japan Christian Link comes in…..!
Japan Christian Link
Japan Christian Link’s vision is to help make a significant difference in the progress of the gospel among the Japanese people over the first half of this century. We seek to do this through educating, encouraging and equipping the Body of Christ so that, more and more, through an expanding network of relationships, the good news of Jesus Christ will be proclaimed clearly, and disciples of Jesus Christ multiplied, among the Japanese people, for His glory.
We do this by:
Sending partners to work amongst the Japanese either as full time missionaries or as workers in Japanese organisations and businesses who are looking to share the gospel with Japanese colleagues and friends.
Making available Bibles, New Testaments, books by Christian authors and tracts to support those who are reaching out with the good news of the gospel to Japanese people around them.
Helping those returning to Japan who have become Christians while abroad (or those who want to continue looking into who Jesus is) to find suitable churches and fellowships near them. Supporting meetings of returnees for mutual encouragement and growth.
Encouraging Christians to pray for Japan and the growth of the gospel there. Why not join us at one of our monthly prayer meetings for Japan here at St. John’s? See our calendar for details.
Encouraging outreach to Japanese communities and individuals everywhere (the UK, Japan and beyond).
Check out our website ==> https:/www.jclglobal.org . You can also use this button if you would like to leave a gift to support Japan Christian Link:
Points for prayer
Thanks for praying for the advance of the gospel among the Japanese people, we appreciate you standing with us in the critically important task of prayer! Here are some suggested points to pray about:
Very few Japanese know and love the Lord Jesus Christ. Please pray for an outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit on this spiritually needy people (126 million, of whom under 1 million are Bible-believing Christians).
There are many social, cultural and family obstacles to Japanese people coming to Christ. Please pray that these will be removed so that many can come to receive life in all its fulness from the Lord.
Japan is prone to many natural disasters (e.g. earthquakes, tsunamis, landslips, typhoons, etc.). Please pray that many in Japan will respond to these situations by turning to the hope of the gospel of Jesus.
Missionary work in Japan is tough. It is a costly place to live and work, there are few workers and social and cultural pressures on missionaries are intense. Please pray that the Lord will protect his workers and provide for all their needs.
Christians are a small minority in Japan. Frequently it is hard to stand out as a Christian and to witness effectively. Few Christians are willing to reach out with the good news to others. Please pray that the Lord will bring about change and embolden his people to share the good news with friends and family.
Photo credits – commons licence from Wikipedia or © Japan Christian Link or Ian Maclennan 2024 – all rights reserved