助かります！

助かります！ 

私は7歳でした。私は教会にいました。教会が好きです。聖書物語は楽しいです！でも、それらはただの物語です。ある日...教師が質問を聞きました。「あなたは助けましたいましたか？」私は何を知りましたか？私は悪いです。神は良いです。イエスは死にました。 イエスは再び生きました。それらの物語 は知りました。 私は何を知る必要がありましたか？イエスは私のために死にました。私はイエスに私を聞くに助ける必要があります。私は先生と一緒に 祈りました。今、助かります！神、ありがとうございます！

[Pronunciation]

Tasukarimasu! 

Watashi wa shichi-sai deshita. Watashi wa kyōkai ni imashita. Kyōkai ga sukidesu. Seisho monogatari wa tanoshī desu! Demo, sorera wa tada no monogataridesu. Aru hi... Kyōshi ga shitsumon o shimashita. "Anata wa tasukemashita imashita ka?" Watashi wa nani o shirimashita ka? Watashi wa waruidesu. Kami wa yoidesu. Iesu wa shinimashita. Iesu wa futatabi ikimashita. Sorera no monogatari wa shirimashita. Watashi wa nani o shiru hitsuyō ga arimashita ka? Iesu wa watashi no tame ni shinimashita. Watashi wa iesu ni watashi o tasukeru ni kiku hitsuyō ga arimasu. Watashi wa sensei to issho ni inorimashita. Ima, tasukarimasu! Kami, arigatōgozaimasu!

[English]

I am saved!

I was seven years old. I was at church. I like church. Bible stories are fun! But they were just stories. One day... the teacher asked a question. "Are you saved?" What did I know? I am bad. God is good. Jesus died. Jesus lived again. I knew the stories. What did I need to do?  Jesus died for me. I need to ask Jesus to save me. I prayed with the teacher. Now I am saved! Thank you God!

[New Japanese words/concepts I learned writing this]

歳 - sai - counter for years of age

いました - imashita - past tense of the verb "imasu" (to be)

物語 - Monogatari - stories

それら - sorera - "they" used for inanimate objects, while "karera" is for people

聞く - kiku - means "to listen", but more often is used to mean "to ask" (past is kikimashita)

助ける - Tasukeru - "to save" (past is tasukemashita)

知る- Shiru - "to know" (past is shirimashita) [still need to study -te form of verbs... should it be "shitte imashita"?]

死ぬ - Shinu - to die (past is shinimashita)

再び - again [put before the verb that was done again]

必要 - hitsuyō - need

のために - no tame ni - this phrase means "for", as in "for the sake of"

~ ~ ~

One of the most important verses in the Bible is John 3:16. It sums up the Gospel in a nutshell and explains how to be saved. That means to have God forgive your sins and save your soul from the penalty of your sin, which is death. From reading Romans 3:23 we are reminded that "all have sinned." That means we have all done bad things. Because of that disobedience to the laws God made for His Creation (for their own protection!), we find that the punishment of those sins is separation from God and His people by death. Not just the death of our bodies, but an eternal separation from God in a place called Hell. Romans 6:23 says "For the wages of sin is death." "But" that verse goes on to say "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord"! That's the good news! Because in Romans 5:8 we find that God loves us SO much, that "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus Christ, the very Son of God, gave up His own life and was crucified (hung on a cross--a very cruel form of execution devised by the Romans) over 2,000 years ago. He died for every single soul that will ever live on this earth. He died for YOU and ME. He died in our place, so that we don't have to! He paid for our sins so that we can be forgiven and allowed into Heaven when our souls leave this world! And the best part is that Jesus rose to life again three days after His death, to prove to all the world that He has power over death. Power over sin. Power over everything that would keep us from that abundant, eternal life with God in Heaven! That is why I was so excited the day I got saved! You see, this amazing gift of eternal life is offered to EVERY person He created. Whether we live in America, Japan, or the International Space Station! But God loves us SO much that He would never force a gift on us that we refuse to take. So He offers us a choice. Do nothing, ignore God's gift, and die with no hope of getting into heaven. OR we can choose to simply accept His gift! How do we do that? Simply talk to God in prayer and let Him know that we want to ask forgiveness for our sins, and want Him to save us from facing the punishment that we deserve for them because we believe that Jesus died for those sins. That's it! We may not feel any different afterwards (like when it happened to me), but we can claim His promise and KNOW that He DID save us! In Romans 10:13 He promised that "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." That is what it means to be saved! Acts 16:31, says "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Simply believe and ask to be saved! I did it when I was 7 years old. You can do it today! If you already have, remember and cherish that moment. 

Remember the Japanese saying "One Life, One Encounter"? We have one life to live here on earth. That short life is our one opportunity to ask Him to save our soul. The choice that we make--to reject or accept His gift--will determine where we will spend eternity! It only takes one encounter with Jesus to secure a place in heaven forever with Him! It is the work of a moment...one small prayer that is soon over. But that one moment; that one decision... is the most important encounter you will ever have in your life! Also, not only does Jesus want to take you to heaven, but your first encounter with Jesus is just the beginning of a wonderful relationship with Him that will make the rest of your life here on earth abundantly wonderful! 

So if you never read another verse from the Bible, at least learn this one verse and make it's truth a part of your life--for now and all of eternity! Here it is...

English: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

Japanese: 神はそのひとり子を賜わったほどに、この世を愛して下さった。それは御子を信じる者がひとりも滅びないで、永遠の命を得るためである。ヨハネ3:16

Kanji Used:

神 – God

子 – Son / Child

賜 – Give

世 – World

愛 – Love

御子 – God’s Son

信 – Faith

者 – Person / Someone of that nature

滅びる – To perish / die / be destroyed

永遠 – Eternity

命 – Life

得 – To profit or to gain.

Japanese translation of verse from https://languagelearningcouple.com/2015/07/08/bible-japanese-john-316-furigana-hiragana-bible/