1. Current status of Japan
As of July 14, 2020, there were 22,094 COVID-19 infected people , 982 people dead in Japan . This number is low compared to other countries in the world and appears to be well controlled. However, we cannot rest assured. It is pointed out that the 2nd and 3rd waves might come, and the government and local governments are doing their best to converge the corona.
2. Current status of Japanese assemblies
We are fortunate enough to hear that we are not infected with COVID-19 at Christian assemblies in Japan. We thank the Lord for protecting us. As a measure for us Christians, most of the assemblies have stopped gathering a large number of people since the state of emergency was announced in early April in Japan. Instead, the weekly bread-breaking meeting was attended by a small group of Christians at home or nearby. For Bible-study and evangelism at meetings, there were many places where messages were delivered using YouTube and lines. Recently, the number of new infections has been decreasing, and many assemblies resumed the bread-breaking meeting from July. However, we should be very careful to prevent the assembly becoming a source of infection.
3. What we should do at this time
Currently, COVID-19 has spread all over the world, with more than 13,000,000 infected people and 570,000 dead people. We humans don’t know why this pandemic happened or when it will end. However, what happens in this world does not happen without God’s permission. God controls everything in the world. What we humans understand is that God’s plan is progressing steadily. It means that the end times are approaching. What we Christians should do is to convey the gospel of God to our close family, friends, and acquaintances so that many people can be saved. We should convey the gospel of God to people all over the world. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!
Midoribashi Assembly, Osaka,Japan
Tsutomu Matsumoto