Chapter 15 - Sacrifices of Praise

“Could I please meet some of God’s businessmen among the converts?” my guest asked. Freddie Crous, a publisher from South Africa, had come with his wife to visit us in 1965. I had been introducing him to a number of converts and Freddie was very impressed, but not satisfied.

“Oh yes,” I answered, “I’ll introduce you to some businessmen who have accepted Christ. They are faithful in their churches and tithe regularly to support them.”

“I’m not talking about tithing. I want to meet Japanese who are GOD’S businessmen who know that everything belongs to God, and whose businesses are working for God.”

Freddie Crous was just such a man. Every month the Japan Mission regularly received several hundred dollars from his business, and he also used his proceeds to give to many other missions. His question revolutionized my thinking.

Because there are so few Christians in Japan in comparison to its large population, the churches are relatively small and often struggling financially, for the cost of living is high. Whenever someone accepts Christ through the Japan Mission, the person is directed to the nearest church and urged to give it his support. Thus very little money was coming from the Japanese Christians to help support the Mission.

“I praise the Lord for all these people who have found the Lord,” Freddie went on, but you’ve got a one-track mind, Neil. All you seem to concentrate on after someone turns to Christ is introducing people to churches, and pushing promising young people through Bible College. I want to meet men whose business – not just their private lives find church activities – are dedicated to God.”

When this dedicated man returned to South Africa I went down on my knees and asked, “Why, should it be only the businessmen in South Africa, England and the United States who dedicate their businesses wholly to God? Please give us such businessmen among the converts here in Japan too. I’m asking you now, Lord, to give us I least one such businessman every year.”

One day in 1966 Mr. Ogaki, who did the printing for the Mission, walked into our living room “Gomen Kudadai,” “please honorably excuse me,” he said, bowing.

As soon as he had been welcomed and the greetings were over, he explained why he had come. “God has shown me,” he said, “that everything I have belongs to Him. You can have my printing press. You can have my stock. You can have everything I have got. As a matter of fact, I’ve got two million yen (about $6,000) in the bank, and you can have that too. You call have everything, because everything I have belongs to God.”

Peggy and I sat listening with tears of amazement running down our cheeks, as we heard this man’s unconditional surrender of everything he possessed to God.

“For the rest of my life,” Mr. Ogaki continued, “I want to be considered as God’s printer. When I die, I would like my printing shop to still remain in God’s service. I leave the arrangements in your hands.”

“But we can’t let you make a sacrifice like that,” I exclaimed. When Mr. Ogaki kept insisting I finally said, “Well then, we’ll pray about it. I’ll give you my answer later.”

“All right,” Mr. Ogaki said politely, “I’ll wait. But my mind is quite made up. I have made a deal with God. I want you to take over my printing press and give me young people. I’ll give you ten years to gradually take it over, and during this time I’ll train the young people for you. I want you to consider this printing press as the Japan Mission’s.”

Peggy and I prayed over this offer for three months before we could bring ourselves to accept such a sacrifice. I had not anticipated anything like that when I had prayed about businessmen for God!” But as we prayed about this offer, a plan came into our mind. For years we had seen the need for a center in the middle of Osaka City, which could serve as a base for bringing Christ to the millions of lost ones in that vast metropolis. We had already explored the possibility of purchasing land there, and found that it is very expensive. The site we wanted cost $12,000, and of course the building we hoped to put up would cost an additional fabulous amount.

But we began to see how God was fitting the pieces together in His own wonderful way. If Mr. Ogaki could trust God enough to give away his life’s savings of $6,000, surely we could trust God to provide the other $6,000 that would be needed to purchase the land. At last we could give Mr. Ogaki our answer, and accept his offer for the Lord.

So Mr. Ogaki again came to the house, this time bringing the money with him in cash and began counting it out!

“Just a minute,” I cautioned, “Let’s close the curtains.”

After Mr. Ogaki had gone, Peggy said, “Well, you’re good at hiding things. Now you’d better think where you’re going to hide all that money tonight!”

We had never had so much money in the house before, but while I was still pondering over some corner for a hiding place, Sato Sensei came in. He had heard about this gift, and since he was the treasurer he felt that he should take the responsibility for it. “I’ll take it to my house and hide it there,” he suggested.

I agreed, but I couldn’t let him walk home alone, or go on his bicycle with all that money, so I offered to take him home on the back of my scooter. And all the wav I prayed that we wouldn’t have an accident until I got Sato Sensei home with the two million yen.

The next day the money was to be taken into Osaka as a down payment on the property we wanted to buy there, so as soon as I got back home I phoned Mr. Maekawa. “Sato Sensei has the money for the property in Osaka. He’ll have to go on a crowded train tomorrow to take this money to the place where it’s to he paid. Could you please no with him?” Mr. Maekawa agreed.

In the meantime, Sato Sensei was thinking to himself, well, we’ve never had thieves breaking into our house before, but if they should come tonight it would be dreadful. I think I’ll hide this money up in the ceiling.

He climbed up and hid the money in the ceiling, But in the middle of the night he woke up and thought, what if mice find that money and chow it up? That would be terrible! He not up in a hurry, climbed up and got the money and put it in a tin to protect it from the mice. Then he went back to bed again, if not to sleep.

Early the next morning I hurried to the ringing phone. It was Mr. Maekawa. “I can’t go today,” he said. “I have a very important engagement that I had forgotten about,”

I was not so easily put off. “What’s more important,” I asked, “your important engagement, or two million yen in Sato Sensei’s packet? You have to go with him. You have to protect him.”

Mr. Maekawa saw the point and cancelled his appointment. He went with Sato Sensei, never taking his eyes off him as they shoved their way among the crowds, into the train, stood in the packed aisles. For the journey into the heart of the city and then hurried through the many pedestrians to their destination. It was a great relief to everyone when this mission was accomplished, and the money safely turned over to other hands.

What a dreadful noise. What can it be?” said a busy housewife, peeking out her kitchen window one bright day in April. She was not the only one who noticed, for a whole line of heads appeared almost simultaneously through windows all down the street.

Quite impervious to the fact that they were the center of so much attention, two men continued busily drilling a hole of some two inches in diameter into the ground, by means of a diesel engine. At a depth of three feet they struck water. But they were not drilling for water, so a pipe was inserted to keep the water out and the drilling continued.

Three days of labor and noise passed by during which the curiosity of the local inhabitants was tested to the full. Maybe oil had been struck in the neighborhood. Conjecture ran high! But then at 75 feet down the drillers struck what they were looking for and the drilling ceased.

A few days later eight little glass bottles, mounted in a beautiful case, plus a bill for $250 arrived at the Mission headquarters. “Two hundred and fifty dollars for, eight little glass bottles of DIRT?” Peggy exclaimed. I shared her reaction.

But when accompanying communication was read the mystery was solved. The Aumendanjochusichido Laboratory had been investigating the ground on which the Osaka Center was to be erected. The foundation must he comprised of eight pillars, sunk to a depth of 75 feet, we were informed. This would he adequate to support the 800 ton building we proposed to put up on the site.

Plans were that the first floor of this building would be taken up with the printing press and the $11,000 worth of equipment Mr. Ogaki would be bringing with him. The second floor would provide accommodations for the printer, his family and staff.

The third floor would he used for a large meeting hall, and the fourth floor would provide housing for Mission staff involved in hospital visitation and film evangelism. The building was to be called the Osaka Prayer Center.

Construction was begun in May, 1967, and completed by the end of the year. When it was officially dedicated, on March 20, 1968, representatives came from many churches and hospitals to share in the joyous occasion of dedication, a vision made possible because, one man had been willing to live everything he had to the Lord.

God had not forgotten my request for one Japanese businessman a year to go all out for Him, for on March 1, 1967 Shigeo Hasuda, 48 years old and with a wife and three children to support, took a step of faith and resigned, after 18 years in one firm. He rented a little shop in a side street near an underground train station in Osaka, to go into business for the Lord. His only purpose was to earn money for God, with all his profits going into the Lord’s work.

Mr. Masuda had continued to be active in hospital evangelism, and in encouraging the “branches of the Vine” Association ever since he had founded it while the Verweys were in South Africa in 1957. But now, nearly 10 years later, he felt he was still not doing enough for the Lord. Because of his long years in the camera wholesale business he had considerable expertise and knowledge concerning the camera and film industry. Still, it is a highly competitive business in Japan, and it is far from easy to establish one’s own business.

But Mr. Masuda was not afraid to take a risk for God. He had the blessed assurance that his business would be the Lord’s, and the Lord cannot fail. Thus with a minimum of capital he rented the shop and called it Ai. “Love,” Camera Center. Every month the Japan Mission began receiving a generous portion of this man’s sacrificial earnings.

The Japan Mission was launching a new endeavor, Operation Film Evangelism at about this same time, so that Mr. Masuda’s cooperation in obtaining equipment and in giving sound advice was also a great asset. The Mission purchased some of the Moody Institute of Science’s “Fact and Faith” films which had been translated into Japanese, to show in churches, schools and other groups whenever their use was requested.

God had provided a skilled young man to handle this important activity, Yukio Takahara. But there was one major problem. Mr. Takahara obviously could not carry around big projectors, screens, movie reels, etc., on a bicycle or motor scooter! So we purchased the first car we had had since arriving in Japan, for it was now imperative for us to have one. We were able to get an adequate second-hand model at a reasonable price.

During the first eight months of film evangelism there were 185 film showings to a total audience of over 13,000 people. Each film was followed by a brief evangelistic message. But as requests from churches, schools, hospitals and even business firms continued to stream in for the use of the films, another problem developed. Mr. Takahara was due to leave for Bible College soon, and there was no one to take his place in showing the films. Although we pleaded with the Lord to send someone, no one came.

Then, as we humbly waited on the Lord, again His Plan began to become plain. We realized that it might he possible to teach some of the young men in the churches and groups who wanted to use the films, to handle the projectors and care for these expensive films. As a result, a training class was begun in the Osaka Prayer Center, and a diploma given to those who completed the course. Within nine months 24 young men completed the course and offered to serve the Mission as projectionists in their spare time.

A film library was also set up at the Osaka Center. Within two years there were 57 films available and 15 projectors, often many of them in use on the same night in various places. Once this film ministry was well underway, it was given completely into the hands of the Japanese Mission workers to govern, as all the other projects had been.

But by 1969, we were conscious of a big gap in the film ministry. Although we were using good Christian scientific films and films depicting the life of Christ, there were no films made specifically for the Japanese by the Japanese. We felt challenged by the God to produce a documentary film based on the testimony of a Japanese Christian.

“Take-Off for Glory,” a 30-minute, sound, color film based on the life of a criminal who found and accepted Christ, took two years to produce. One of its immediate fruits was that the unsaved professional television script-writer who had been employed to help write it, professed to accept Christ while working on the film.

Peggy and I were amazed at how warmly this film was accepted, for we were only too aware of the many imperfections in this first effort. We decided to offer it for $200, for any who wanted to purchase a copy. This price would not give us any profit, hut it would put it within the buying range of missionaries and pastors. Soon 35 copies were sold, in four languages!

Because of the impact of this film, we asked the Lord for a sign as to whether He wanted us to produce more films of this nature. During the two years of work on this one we had discovered that with adequate technical help we could produce such a film within about a month’s time at a cost of $3,000.

But, did God want us to undertake movie production of this nature? To make sure of His will we put out a “fleece,” asking the Lord to send half the required money designated before April 24, 1972, for producing another film, if we were to go ahead. Never in the history of the Japan Mission had we ever received a gift as large as $4,000 at once from one source designated for one purpose. If God would do this, it would he a miracle of such magnificence that we would never doubt the direction we should take in this matter.

In the meantime, one copy of our first film came into the hands of an American businessman who has a great burden for film evangelism. On April 21 we received a letter from him offering to pay half the cost on the next film we produced, if he could have the rights to translate the sound track into other Asian languages.

Our hearts leaped for joy. Now we knew – for God had answered us with the sign we had asked for.

“But what of the other half of the cost?” tile Temptor whispered.

“Our God does not do half a miracle,” was our reply. And although I did not want to go ahead until all the money was in hand, I felt God was prodding me and I immediately made a start toward producing the next film, trusting God to supply all that was still needed.

That very day a cable came. from South Africa telling of a $1,200 gift for this purpose. And a few days before the film was completed, the rest of the money had arrived in Japan. God had completed the Miracle’.

This film, “Shining Like Stars,” is also a 30-minute, color, sound, documentary as the first one had been. It was completed in ample time for the busy summer special evangelism meetings. It was seen by some 3,000 people during the first few months after completion. By the end of the summer a third film, “Captain of the Floating Church” had been completed.

About 80 copies of each of these films are now in the service of the Lord. The plan is to make 13 such films with a view to a television series, showing a film a week for three months, in obedience to Mark 16:15: “Go into all the world and preach, the gospel to every creature.” The Lord has provided us with the means of proclaiming the Gospel in every Japanese home.