Global Missions Sunday | Rev. Ed Hosmer - Japan | Sunday, August 16th, 2026

The presence of God is held up as the place where anything can happen. Blinded eyes can open, burdens can be lifted, dead things can live again, and fear and doubt can be bound in the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus stands as the one name, the one mediator, the one Savior, and the authority over every foul spirit.

The burden for Japan comes heavy and plain. Japan has 123 million people, and less than one percent are any kind of Christian. Tokyo stretches out with skyscrapers as far as the eye can see, yet the harvest there has very few laborers. The call to partnership reaches beyond finances into prayer, because prayer covers the field, strengthens workers, opens cities, and asks God to send laborers into places where there are none.

Acts 2:38 stands at the front door of everything. Repentance is not professional boo-hooing at an altar while the heart stays far from God. Repentance means turning from sin and turning to God. Baptism in Jesus’ name does more than mark a religious moment; it applies the blood, washes away sin, and removes the penalty. The Holy Ghost is not worked up by chasing a sign, but received as the gift of God by a hungry heart that gets its mind off the tongues and begins to worship Jesus.

The Holy Ghost is not meant to be a sprinkle from yesterday. The believer is called to stir up the gift of God, pray without ceasing, and stay full of the Spirit. Prayer affects tomorrow. Men and women praying in the Holy Ghost change the atmosphere, pull down strongholds, and call back backsliders. The armor of God is not just for standing still, but for standing with faith renewed and feet ready to move with the gospel of peace.

Matthew 9 and John 4 lift the eyes toward the harvest. Jesus saw the multitudes, was moved with compassion, and said the harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Comfort, padded seats, satisfaction, and contentment can become recipes for complacency. The harvest field needs laborers, not idle people waiting to be picked because they feel too old, too weak, too unqualified, or too broken.

The parable of the vineyard declares that even at the eleventh hour, the Lord of the harvest still says, “Go ye also into the vineyard.” The issue is not gifting, age, talent, platform, or reward. The issue is willingness. The pattern is simple and repeatable: contacts become prospects, prospects become Bible studies, Bible studies lead to people being born again, born again people become disciples, and disciples become disciple makers. The call is one more contact, one more mile, one more soul, one more dash on the road toward the harvest.

##

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Repentance begins the whole turn Repentance is more than tears, emotion, or knowing the right religious words to say. A heart can cry at an altar and still keep its face turned toward sin. True repentance turns from self toward Jesus, admitting weakness and needing Him every day. [49:04]
• 2. Baptism removes sin’s penalty Forgiveness is real, but the blood must be applied in the name of Jesus. The picture of the ticket makes the point plain: sorry can be sincere, yet the penalty still remains. Baptism in Jesus’ name is presented as the washing, the removal, and the new creature moment where old things pass away. [51:23]
• 3. Prayer fills tomorrow’s battlefield Prayer is not treated as a side activity or a convenient church habit. Prayer reaches ahead, shaping what comes next, strengthening the saints, and changing the atmosphere before the battle is visible. A weak prayer meeting leaves weakness behind it, but Spirit-filled prayer sends power forward. [59:33]
• 4. Comfort can quietly become complacency Comfort is not condemned simply because it feels good, but because it can make the soul self-satisfied. The padded seat, the air conditioning, and the thought of lunch can become pictures of a heart no longer stirred by the harvest. Hunger for God keeps a person from settling into a safe religious routine. [70:27]
• 5. One contact can start harvest The harvest does not always begin with a platform or a title. It can begin with one smile, one conversation, one waitress, one neighbor, one person at the store. Contacts become prospects, prospects become Bible studies, and disciples become disciple makers when someone is willing to start with one more.
  
  ## [89:06]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [22:39] - Entering God’s Presence
• [26:35] - A Burden for Japan
• [37:52] - Partnering in Mission
• [40:26] - Praying Over Japan
• [48:43] - Repentance, Baptism, and the Holy Ghost
• [53:47] - Receiving the Holy Ghost
• [59:33] - Staying Full of the Spirit
• [62:13] - Standing With the Armor of God
• [66:21] - Eyes on Jesus and the Harvest
• [68:11] - Jesus Moved With Compassion
• [72:36] - Laborers in the Vineyard
• [82:21] - The Eleventh Hour Call
• [89:06] - Contacts, Prospects, and Disciples
• [93:12] - One More Dash for Japan

Bible Reading

Matthew 9:35-38
“And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” [01:08:11]

Acts 2:38
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” [00:48:58]

John 4:35
“Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” [01:09:50]

Matthew 20:1-7
“For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.” [01:12:55]

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 9:35-38, what are the different things Jesus was doing before He spoke about the harvest and the laborers?
2. In Acts 2:38, what three responses are named, and in what order are they given? [00:49:04]
3. What pictures or examples were used to describe how comfort can slowly turn into complacency? [01:10:27]
4. What simple pattern was given for how one person can move from first meeting someone all the way to helping make a disciple maker? [01:29:06]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus was moved with compassion when He saw people as sheep without a shepherd. What does that show about the heart behind harvest work, and why does compassion matter more than just church activity? [01:08:47]
2. Repentance is more than tears or feeling bad for a moment. What does it mean in real life to turn from sin and turn toward God? [00:51:46]
3. Baptism in Jesus’ name was described as more than a symbol. How does the picture of a forgiven driver still holding a ticket help explain remission of sins? [00:51:23]
4. The call at the eleventh hour shows that willingness matters more than age, talent, or past failure. Why do people often still stand idle, and what fears or thoughts usually keep them there? [01:27:35]

Application questions

1. If everything starts with repentance, what does honest repentance look like in this season of life? Is there anything that needs to be turned away from instead of merely felt sorry about? [00:52:02]
2. The Holy Ghost is a gift, not something to force by chasing a sign. When it comes to prayer and worship, is the heart fixed more on Jesus Himself or more on trying to produce a certain experience? [00:58:09]
3. Today’s prayer affects tomorrow’s battlefield. What would it look like to pray in a way that prepares tomorrow instead of only reacting to today? [01:00:03]
4. Comfort can feel harmless, but it can dull hunger for God. What kinds of comfort, routine, or self-satisfaction are most likely to make a person spiritually sleepy right now? [01:11:14]
5. Jesus said the harvest is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Where does the Lord seem to be pointing the eyes right now: a neighbor, a coworker, a family member, a city, or even a nation? [01:09:10]
6. One more contact can begin a whole harvest. Who is one real person that could become that “one more contact” this week, and what would a simple first step look like? [01:29:19]
7. The eleventh-hour call means no one is disqualified by weakness, age, lack of confidence, or past mistakes. What has most often made it easy to stand idle, and what would becoming available to God look like this month? [01:28:02]