New Life and Great Joy

Yesterday was another special day for Izumi Church.  When we chose the name Izumi (meaning 'spring') for the church, we hoped this would express our desire that many who are thirsting would find their way to Jesus to drink living water.  Although our numbers are by no means large, it was a real joy to add another believer to our church as he was baptised during the service.  When we first talked about baptism after he believed in Jesus, there was some talk of the sea or a river but sub-zero temperatures in Sapporo at this time of year led us to the somewhat more comfortable alternative of warm water in a bath which we borrowed for the occasion from another church and set up in our dining area.  Quite a number of buckets of water later and it was ready for baptism.  Before that though we had the privilege of listening to Wataru share his life story - of the hard times, the struggles, the issues he had to face.  But so too we heard a story of someone brought through to faith in Jesus, even when it looked like this would not happen.  He shared about several turning points in his life which led him to the point of commitment.  After his baptism, we all shared together in a very simple communion.  What a joy in one service to see the grace of the Lord in action as we witnessed a baptism, to know the grace of the Lord as we listened to his Word, and to taste the grace of the Lord as we partook of bread and wine to remember all that had been accomplished for Wataru and for all of us on the cross.  Later on in the day we had a really happy time of fellowship together.  One of the joys of Izumi Church being small and still meeting in a home is to have that kind of intimacy.  Wataru now faces many challenges.  He is just about to start a job.  That will place demands on him as it does on so many here.  He has many issues to face as a new believer in Jesus.  By we believe that as we walk together with him on the path of following Jesus, we will be able to help each other but we also know that, as he shared in his testimony yesterday, he is not alone and will not be abandoned by the God he now serves.  A good day - may there be many more like it to follow in the months and years to come in the life of Izumi Church.