The Tokyo Health Spa, A Place to Grow, and The God Who Sees - Part 2

The entire Tokyo Health Spa incident got me thinking.

In effect, the church is in a unique position of having to faithfully uphold Scripture’s two central commissions.

The Great Commission

Matthew 28:18-20 needs little commentary. It is an imperative to invest into others, to share the good news of Christ, and to train people to be passionately loyal to the Great King.

The Adamic Commission (or Cultural Mandate)

Genesis 1:26-31 spells out what I like to call the “Leave The Place Better Than When You Found It” Commission but I’m told that’s a bit wordy.

As God’s vice regent, or image-bearer, Adam was to live in obedient communion with God and to subdue the earth. The first man was to exercise authority over God’s creation and manage it in accordance to His character and will. In short; humankind, by shaping culture, was to make God’s rule visible. 

To be sure, the Fall made Adam’s commission more challenging but it did not cancel out God’s original intent. Noah received the same charge at the onset of the post-flood, “re-creation” (Genesis 9:1-17). Accordingly, Noah, and all who would come after him, was under the same cultural imperative.

In the words of popular OT scholar and author Bruce Waltke,

“The role of Adam and Eve is inescapable…the issue is not whether human beings will develop culture; the only issue is what kind? Will it be godly or ungodly? Will it be motivated by agape (God’s love) or eros (self love)?” (An Old Testament Theology, 220)

Balancing these commissions necessitates that neither be elevated over the other but that they be seen as concurrent, complementary aims of biblical Christianity. Each calling us into active engagement of our world; each calling us to get our hands dirty.

Under the Adamic Commission those seeking to live faithfully in this age will cultivate righteousness and human flourishing as far as God will allow their influence to span.

In line with Genesis 1, we keep a watchful eye over various aspects of our society. Eyeing policies and practices that demean mankind’s inherent dignity as image bearers of the divine (Genesis 1:27). Eyeing gaps that prey upon the weak. Eyeing entry points for influence. Where possible, we use every means afforded to us through both our faith and our land to uphold by word and deed God’s righteous intent for creation. We leave our corner of this garden better than when we found it, tending it, guarding it, and toiling for its wellbeing.

Under the Great Commission those seeking to live faithfully in this age will pray for, be open to, and invest themselves into the faithful proclamation of Christ Jesus as both Lord and Savior of this world. There is a clear and concise message to be communicated, and they will not hear unless the faithful invest themselves into sharing this Good News (Romans 10:14-15). Beyond communication, the faithful understand that disciple making means the consistent one-on-one process of walking with people into the life of holiness. Make no mistake, Matthew 28:18-20 is a messy endeavor.

Your hands will get dirty.

The Tokyo Health Spa, A Place to Grow, and The God Who Sees - Part 1

The irony was blatant.

A known hot spot for prostitution with rumored ties to human trafficking, the Tokyo Health Spa sat feet away from our church’s entrance. With these seedy sins on our doorstep, it felt as if the enemy was flaunting the Rebellion of Adam on a daily basis. And though our sign reads, “A Place to Grow”, our influence couldn’t grow a mere fifty feet beyond the property line.

The irony became infuriating.

As I daily drove past the spa, the angrier I became. The angrier I became, the more I’d plot…could we just purchase the building? After all, it was a dump and everything has a price. Was there someone in the city who could put pressure on the spa, perhaps making it uncomfortable for ownership?

The weeks turned into months, until finally He spoke.

The weeks turned into months, until finally I listened.

Pray unto me.

It seemed way too simple. Around the time this impression was received, I'd just finished reading The Good News About Injustice. A particular paragraph kept resurfacing:

In Rawanda, where I had to bear the burden of digging through the twisted, reeking remains of horrific mass graves, I tried to imagine, for just a minute, what it must have been like for God to be present at each of the massacre sites as thousands of Tutsi women and children were murdered. Frankly, the idea was impossible to bear. But the thought led me to imagine what it must be like for God to be present, this year, at the rape of all the world's child prostitutes, at the beating of all the worlds's prisoners of conscience, at the moment the last breath of hope expires from the breast of each of the millions of small children languishing in slavery. As I would approach my God in prayer, I could hear his gentle voice saying to me, "Son do you have any idea where your Father's been lately (95).

Pray unto me. Pray unto your holy, omniscient, omnipresent Father. I know all things and I've seen all things. I know the spa. Do you, you who daily struggle with temptation and sin; are you more incensed than I? Are you more invested than I? I see all that unfolds, I see the complexities, I care infinitely more about the families being wrecked, the bondage being proliferated, and the women being exploited.

While our righteous anger is grounded in our being made in God's image, it pales in comparison to His anger. While I, in my creatureliness, was fuming about injustice, unrighteousness, and ineptitude - He, as the Creator, was infinitely more invested and aware.

Pray unto me. Apart from me you can do nothing. Pray unto me. Allow me to lead whatever efforts might ensue. Pray unto me.

Feeling a little sheepish for running ahead, I began to pray. Several times a day for several weeks. As God would have it, within a few short months the spa was boarded up and the operators taken away. Still green in many ways, it was a humbling, joyous moment. And as tears swelled I found great comfort in knowing that God does see, that He can act, and that He is infinitely more invested, concerned, and attentive then any of His creations could ever be.

And while there are many more issues ahead, many more areas to underscore, many more parasites that may or may not be addressed in such spectacular fashion - I'm grateful for this one, humbling event.

I share the spa story for a couple reasons, one of which is that I plan to use it as a starting point for a series of posts. These posts will focus on the underlying theological issues concerning social engagement and Christian duty. For some, this may seem dry and dusty but I'd submit to you that it was an imbalanced perspective on the Book that allowed us to meet for worship and pass quietly by this predatory establishment.

We're learning together. And may we, together, continue to press in, open to change, open to His sustaining graces.

Grace and Peace.

breaking silence, life in the city, and blooming late

It’s been roughly two years since I’ve really tried to write. Oddly enough, in moving past the self-imposed silence I’m struggling with where to begin.

For starters, this month marks the one-year anniversary of our relocation into the city of Springfield.

Imagine New York City.

Take away 8 million people, the skyscrapers, the international appeal, and engaging nightlife and you’ve got Springfield. I’m fond of saying that we’ve got all the big city problems, with no big city fun. To be sure, ours is anything but a sexy city but it’s the city that God’s called us to.

Understand that prior to leaving seminary, some eight years ago, I began to sense God leading us toward urban ministry. Along the way there’ve been pit stops. Each of these seasons built upon the other, each instrumental in bringing both clarity and conviction, hurt and healing. Yet as God’s purposes continue to unfold, we are indeed discovering the nuances of our calling.

And in placing us, He’s also provided for us.

I remember driving the streets, praying for a home. And while housing in economically depressed areas is cheap, most need an inordinate amount of repair. This fact, coupled with the reality that home repairs tempt me to curse, meant we needed something relatively move-in-ready.

As God would see fit the one house we had our eye on was placed on the market shortly before our home in Alabama sold. Being close to church and nestled within the southern quadrant of the city, the location was perfect. Not only was the location fitting but the house, though built in 1926, was well cared for. We didn’t even paint a single wall. Our stuff was brought in, placed, and life continued rolling.

With one exception, the first night in our new home our TV was stolen.

When we realized the lift, we just looked at each other and by God’s grace began to laugh. It was an odd moment. Janna and I laughed for no other reason than we knew God was with us, that He’d been preparing us for the journey ahead, and that, no matter what, we are co-heirs in the grace of life, laboring side by side.

Moses was a late bloomer. For years he knew what God had called him to do yet he was 80 by the time he got about the business. The way I figure, we've got 43 years on Moses.

Grace and Peace.