Lifted Vision Ministry

Do you ever have trouble making it to church on Sunday? If you think about it, Sundays are a day that we normally use our time to rest and recoup after a long work week. We’ve all been there where when Sunday morning rolls around and we find ourselves tired, having a strong desire to sleep in and just, “take it easy” for the day – using these little excuses as reasons not to attend church, “just for this week.” But if these little excuses lead us to forgetting to place God and the church first- then we need to take authority over them!

Take Nagoshi-san as an example for when you are feeling weak!!! Nagoshi-san lives in Nishinari and usually walks to attend our church in Tsuruhashi, which takes about 50 minutes on foot normally. Nagoshi-san is not homeless, but lives in harsh conditions in the slum and is partially disabled due to a long-standing back injury.
One day this month, Nagoshi-san found himself handicapped and in a wheelchair, which happens from time to time when his back pain becomes so exacerbated that he loses his ability to walk. However, despite all of this, do you think that that prevented him from attending church on Thursday night as he normally does? Did Nagoshi-san use his disability as an excuse not to attend church? God forbid!

This man wheelchaired himself to church all the way from Nishinari in the freezing cold winter weather, which took him a total of 5 hours! He didn’t have any money to take the train and he couldn’t walk at all.
But could any of that stop him?! It didn’t!!!
Nagoshi-san is not a young man either; he is older and despite his age, his disability, his painful body, his lack of money and resources, and having no ride to church – HE STILL MADE IT (early too for that matter)!

We were all shocked and inspired by Nagoshi-san’s incredible testimony to make it to church no matter his circumstances and I asked him how he did it!? He said that it took him 5 hours and that he would have to stop every once in a while to rest him arms. I asked him if he was at least warm due to wheelchairing, but he said the opposite- it was quite cold being outside the entire time– but while the sun was out, he said it was easier. He wheelchaired from sunup to sundown, making it to church, and arriving in the dark by 7pm. He said his arms hurt so badly and when it was dark outside that he even had a hard time seeing the bumps in the road due to his poor vision in the darkness, but he pressed on. We joked that he wouldn’t be able to lift his arms during worship due to wheelchairing for 5 hours straight- it’s amazing his arms didn’t fall off! But he laughed and said that he would still praise the Lord and lift his arms no matter what!
What an incredible testimony this man has!!!

Nagoshi-san goes to church faithfully every single Sunday and Thursday despite whatever life throws at him. He attends all services, both 1st and 2nd on Sundays and also our prayer and worship nights on Thursdays too. He also went on the recent mission trip to Noto Peninsula and served faithfully!! He is really seeking God and never lets anything come in between him and seeking the Lord!

-Hebrews 10:25 KJV-
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

Nagoshi-san is just a Christian like the rest of us, but relied on God’s incredible power and strength to serve Him no matter what. I believe we can all learn something from this man’s incredible testimony and realize that God gives us the power to do things outside of our own strength and abilities, when we rely on Him. Nagoshi-san perfectly exemplified the scripture:

-2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV-
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

I hope you found Nagoshi-san’s story just as encouraging and challenging as I did! Let’s all serve the Lord with all our hearts and strength and make Him our priority at all times! God bless each and everyone who reads this message! Amen!