Minemachi Christ Church Message English MINEMACHI CRIST CHURCH

Sunday, June 9, 2024
“The Birth & Increase of the Nations”
Pastor Hiroyuki Anjiki

1. The meaning of the lineage record
2. The descendants of Noah’s three sons
(1) Genesis 10:2-5 The descendants of Japheth
(2) Genesis 10:6-20 The descendants of Ham
　Genesis 10:6 “Cush” = Ethiopians
　Genesis 10:6 “Egypt” = Egyptians
　Genesis 10:6 “Put” = Libyans
　Genesis 10:6 “Canaan” = Palestine area indigenous people
(3) Genesis 10:21-31 The descendants of Shem
　Genesis 10:21 “Eber” = to pass over/by (in Hebrew)
　Genesis 10:25 “Peleg” = to separate (the incident of the Tower of Babel)
3. The increase in human sin and God’s plan for salvation
* Genesis 10:9 “before the Lord” = “thanks to the Lord” (another translation)
* Acts 17:26, 27, 30 “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… In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” (NIV)
* 1 John 4:9 “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” (NIV)

Thoughts to share at mini church:
1. What is the lineage record in chapter 10 telling us?
2. Where do you think “God’s grace” is shown in this lineage record?

MCC20240609.mp3

Sunday, June 2, 2024
“You Have Indeed Been Resurrected”
Pastor Joey Anjiki

Background
* Mark 15:47 “Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.” (NIV)
* Mary Magdalene went to the tomb first, saw it was empty, and went to tell Peter and John. Then the other women arrived at the tomb. (This is what is taking place starting in verse 3)
1. The rolled away tombstone
* Mark 16:4 (See above)
* The guards and the seal (both the seal breaker and soldier would face the death penalty)
2. The women were witnesses to the resurrection
* Luke 24:11 “But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.” (NIV)
3. The change in the disciples thereafter
* The majority of the 12 disciples were martyred thereafter
4. The tombstone and seal were removed
* Tombstone and seal = Symbols of death
* Romans 6:5 “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (NIV)

Thoughts to share at mini church:
1. Review the three pieces of evidence of the resurrection.
2. Do you have secure hope of going to Heaven after you die?
3. What does having hope for going to Heaven bring about in your life here on earth?

MCC20240602.mp3

Sunday, May 26, 2024
“The Cloak of Love”
Pastor Hiroyuki Anjiki

1. Noah drunk with wine
* Proverbs 20:1 “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.” (NIV)
* Proverbs 23:29-35 (Reference)
* Ephesians 5:18 “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” (NIV)
2. The sons’ response
* Genesis 9:24 “youngest son” = “Ham, the father of Canaan”
* Genesis 9:24 “what had been done to him” = ?
* Genesis 9:22 “saw his father naked”
* Leviticus 20:17 “If a man marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They are to be publicly removed from their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible.” (NIV)
3. Blessing and Curse
* The confession of a Girl in the Korean War in 1950
* 1 John 4:18 “The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan.” (NIV)
* Genesis 9:27 “Japheth” = “to spread out”

Thoughts to share at mini church:
1. What was the sin of Caanan?
2. Does this passage mention a curse against “black people”?
3. When have you recently used a “cloak of love”?

MCC20240526.mp3

Sunday, May 19, 2024
“I am a Disciple of Jesus!”
Pastor Joey Anjiki

1. The two individuals
* Mark 15:42 (See above)
* John 19:31 “Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.” (NIV)
* What generally happened to the bodies of prisoners on death row (Valley of Hinnom)
* The two individuals who took action: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus
2. Why were they changed?
* Nicodemus’ conviction
* John 3:14-15 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” (NIV)
* Joseph of Arimathea’s conviction
3. Standing up in God’s timing
* The confession of a Girl in the Korean War in 1950
* 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (NIV)

Thoughts to share at mini church:
1. Reflect on the two individuals. What was the common point of both of them?
2. Why were the two individuals able to publicly profess their faith?
3. If you have any experience testifying to someone in God's timing, please share.

MCC20240519.mp3

Sunday, May 12, 2024
“A Rainbow as a Sign of the Covenant”
Pastor Hiroyuki Anjiki

1. God’s blessing
* Population increase
* Food problem
* Sanctity of life
2. God’s covenant
* Subject of covenant
* Target of covenant
* Content of covenant
* Sign of covenant
* 2 Peter 3:7,10 “By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly… But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.” (NIV)

Thoughts to share at mini church:
1. How do you feel when you see a rainbow in the sky after it stops raining?
2. What kind of covenant did God give Noah after the flood?
3. What is the sign of the covenant?

MCC20240512.mp3

Sunday, May 5, 2024
“When the Curtain was Torn”
Pastor Joey Anjiki

1. Darkness came over the whole land
* Testimony of historians
* When darkness covered the whole land... The time for Jesus to experience harsh pain
2. The reason for quoting Psalm 22
* Why did Jesus quote Psalm 22 when he was experiencing pain on the cross?
(1) To express his current state of mind
(2) To proclaim that prophesy was being fulfilled right then
* Psalm 22:14 “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me.” (NIV)
* Psalm 22:18 “They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” (NIV)
* Psalm 22:7-8 “All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. ‘He trusts in the LORD,’ they say, ‘let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.’” (NIV)
(3) The words He cried out in place of us
(4) To proclaim that the pain of the cross didn’t end in pain, but in victory
3. The salvation of the centurion
* Luke 23:46 “Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last.” (NIV)
* Mark 15:38 (See above)
* Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (NIV)
* The salvation of the centurion: Foretelling that the time will come when the barrier between the two nations will disappear and the Gentiles will be able to be saved
* John 1:12 “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (NIV)

Thoughts to share at mini church:
1. How can we know that the whole land became dark is a fact?
2. What is the reason for Jesus quoting Psalm 22?
3. What kind of privileges have been given to you now?

MCC02040505.mp3