March 25, 2011
By Don and Hazel Schaeffer, serving in Japan
The Alliance has seven Core Values that flow out of our passion for Jesus—the motivation behind our mission. In the formative years of our movement, the Holy Spirit instilled within A. B. Simpson a passion to reach people with no knowledge of Jesus Christ. That passion still lives in The Alliance today and is our first core value: Lost people matter to God. He wants them found. The following adapted excerpt from the Schaeffer’s recent prayer letter illustrates how it is never too late to reach out to lost people with the good news of Jesus.
In our fall update, we told the story of the conversion experience of Mrs. Yoshida’s mother just before she passed away. Her husband has a similar story. Takashi Yoshida had been baptized, but his bitterness toward his father, who had abused him, was so great that it hampered his spiritual growth. Takashi did everything in his power to please his father, but it was never enough.
Takashi’s father suffered from diabetes and long-term neglect of his body. In January, the call came to the church, saying that his days were numbered. Kouichi Motonomi, a seminary student, went immediately to the hospital and shared the gospel with the older Mr. Yoshida. A change came over him as he understood the good news for the first time. By looking at his father’s face, Takashi knew that a transformation had taken place.
Two days later in the hospital room, the senior Mr. Yoshida was baptized. Before his dad died, Takashi sat by his bed and said, “Arigatou, arigatou, arigatou”—“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Mr. Yoshida’s funeral was held at the church and deeply impacted the many unsaved relatives who attended. Praise God!
Learn More
Check out our work in Japan.
Read more about Alliance Core Values.
What You Can Do
Pray for Alliance international workers as they seek out lost people and introduce them to Jesus.
Give to Alliance Great Commission Ministries. In doing so, you partner with overseas workers, like the Schaeffers, to introduce lost people to Jesus.