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“Heaven is like Mount Fuji”
MOUNT FUJI AND THE PATH TO HEAVEN
PREACHING CHRIST AS
THE ONLY WAY IN A CULTURE THAT SEEKS EVERY OTHER WAY
By Dr. Don Sisk
In 1965, I boarded a plane to
Japan with my wife Virginia, and our children, Renee and Tim.
When we arrived, we were
struck by the idolatry that was prevalent everywhere.
Buddhist or Shinto altars
were on every street corner. Idolatry permeated Japanese culture.
It was obvious that we were a
small minority as we began our public ministry in Japan at Senri New Town
Baptist Church.
However, God and our home
church sent us to Japan to proclaim Jesus Christ, and by God’s grace, that is
what we would do.
As I preached, I continually
emphasized that there is only one true God, and that everything else we worship
is an idol.
It would have been very
popular in our community to be broadminded.
The
people would tolerate us if we were just religious, but we were ridiculed when
we taught that Jesus said, “I
am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John
14:6).
My Japanese teacher tried to
teach my wife and me a theological lesson one day during our class period.
“Heaven is like Mount Fuji,” she
said. “There are different roads that
lead to Mount Fuji. It does not make any difference which of those roads we
travel, because we still reach Mount Fuji.”
She then explained to us that
there were many ways to Heaven — the Buddhist way, the Shinto way, the
Confucius way, the Mohammed way, and the Christ way.
She insisted it really does
not make any difference which of those roads that you take to get to Heaven.
I
always kept my New Testament handy, and I said to Mrs. Santo, “I realize there are various roads that lead
to Mount Fuji; however, according to the Bible, God’s Word, there is only one
way to Heaven.”
I
read to her from my Japanese Bible those simple words of Jesus Christ, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (emphasis
mine).
If we do not emphasize that
Jesus Christ is the only way, many would be more than happy to add Christ to
their many gods.
For a short time we lived in
the city of Minoo in an upstairs apartment rented to us by a dear elderly
Japanese lady.
She was one of the most
religious people I had ever met.
In her home sat a large altar
with symbols of Buddhism and Shintoism, not really unusual in a Japanese home.
But in the midst of this
shrine, there was also a crucifix. She did not want to take any chances.
On more than one occasion, we
tried to convince her that Jesus Christ was the only way, but she never turned
from her idolatry.
Even the Buddhist and Shinto
priests would argue that we essentially taught the same thing.
Once I was confronted on a
train by a Buddhist priest who had obviously been drinking.
He
said in a loud voice easily heard by the people sitting around us, “We are the same. We are the same.”
In other words, what he
taught and what I taught were the same.
I had
to respond to him, “No, we are not the
same. Your way and my way are greatly different.”
It was not a popular
position, but by God’s grace I could rest assured that I had done the right
thing.
The
Apostle Paul said, “Wherefore
take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the
evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins
girt about with truth” (Ephesians 6:13–14a).
While there is a temptation
to compromise the simple truth of the Gospel, we must be firm in the face of
family and cultural pressure.
It is often difficult for
Japanese people to leave Shintoism or Buddhism because of family tradition.
We often destroyed idols to
demonstrate that Jesus is the only God, not an addition to another religion.
Time after time, it was
wonderful to see those who worshipped the idols of Buddhism and Shintoism
destroy those idols.
They
had come to the knowledge of the true God. “Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their
God? But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased” (Psalm
115:2–3).
Not
only in foreign lands, but also in our country, the name of Jesus Christ is
hated and ridiculed, but it is the only name “whereby we must be saved.”
He has, with His own blood,
purchased salvation, and He offers it to all as a free gift. In the midst of
many ways, God has commanded us to preach one Gospel to the whole world.
Dr. Don
Sisk
Missions
Department Chairman of West Coast Baptist College
Dr.
Sisk’s experience as a pastor, missionary, and director of Baptist
International Missions, Inc. keeps him in high demand as a mission conference
speaker. In addition to all of this, he teaches at West Coast Baptist College
where he is the Chairman of the Missions Department.
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