Dr. Hale Akamine [00:00:01]: Aloha aiai. Thank you for joining us today. And I can see some of you have boots and umbrellas and snorkels too. No, only, only joking. But before we begin, I just wanted to give a shout out to our beloved and part of our family out in, In Las Vegas, Dr. Clarence Yee. He baptized Lori Okinaka. She's one of our people that feed after feeding our soul. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:00:31]: She, she feeds us. And, and so her daughter in law, Judy also got baptized. So Clarence baptized them. Dr. Clarence baptized them today. So it's a special extra blessing for us. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:00:47]: So. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:00:48]: Amen. There's an expression we use in our men's group on Saturdays whenever we discuss, you know, like, things that may come up for us or difficult situations, whether at work or the people we may meet and especially in our homes. And that phrase, as Christy mentioned, goes, if you do what you don't want to do, you'll be happier that there is a struggle inside of us that we must always be aware of when we're faced with decisions under pressure. Childhood neighbor and family friend, I'll call her Josie. Has graciously given me permission to share her story. Josie grew up feeling like a black sheep in her family. No one ever said it said that out loud, but she knew it deep in her heart. No matter how hard she tried babysitting her younger siblings, earning good grades, memorizing Bible verses, her accomplishments seem seemed invisible to her mother, while her siblings were praised regularly. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:02:18]: Yet Josie loved her mom, and the Bible stories she learned in Sunday school encouraged her to keep trying to be the best daughter she could be. But there was a moment in which there was a bruise that would never heal. One day, hoping to surprise her father, she backed the family car out of the garage so she would be ready for driving lessons when her dad would come home from work. She misjudged the opening of the garage and the car wedged tightly against the side of the garage. Panicked and crying, she ran inside to tell her mom what happened. Her mom slapped her across the face. Josie carried that haunting memory for years. Despite the pain, Josie thrived. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:03:39]: She did very well in high school and in college, and she worked her way up and eventually rose to become a top middle manager in one of our largest corporations in Hawaii. Though she moved away, she faithfully called her parents, sent generous gifts. Yet whenever she would go home to visit, the first thing out of her mother's mouth would be, so what did you bring me? Then came Josie's divorce. When her mom would run into Josie's friends She would tell them how ashamed she was of her daughter. But the moment that finally broke Josie's heart was when her regular babysitter fell through and she asked her retired mother if she could watch her son for a couple of days. Her mother said she was too busy. After that, Josie began slipping quietly out of family gatherings with her son before the evening ended, sometimes without even saying goodbye. If her mother caught her leaving, Josie would say, I gotta go. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:05:31]: Josie's heart was torn. She loved her siblings, she loved their children. And she knew her leaving early would hurt her father. But most of all, Josie knew something in her heart wasn't right. Finally, she went to counseling and poured out her whole story. And when she finished, the counselor said something simple, but something life changing. You can't change your mom, but you can change you. It felt like lightning struck her, not in a painful way, but in a powerful way. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:06:28]: Something inside her wounded heart finally loosened up. From that day forward, Josie prayed differently. Before, she prayed for God to change her mother. Now her prayers became change my heart, O God, change my heart day after day, month after month and after year. One day she calls her sister and said, you're not going to believe this, but something, something happened. I love mom. Calls to her mom resumed. So did the gifts and the visits. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:07:23]: And now she no longer was the first to leave the evening. Today her mother is slipping into dementia. And Josie, the most business minded of the siblings, has taken the lead in coordinating the care for her mother. In fact, when I ran into Josie, she said, oh yeah, a couple of days ago I was cutting my mother's hair. Something really important happened. Josie never gave up. She never gave in. And God healed Josie's heart. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:08:11]: You see, the Christian life is not a guarantee of constant joy, nor a shield from serious struggle. But it is the unshakable presence of the Holy Spirit in the joy and in the presence. Whenever we as Christians face dilemmas, especially those dilemmas that challenge our faith, we can take one of three paths. We can walk away or as I call, we can peace out. We can pose or we can persevere, we can peace out. In our desperation, we finally turn turn to Jesus. Because our health or our loved ones health is in jeopardy. Our relationships are falling apart and our finances become overwhelming. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:09:30]: And we experience through the church relief and even healing. And we are quite grateful. So soon after we're asked to commit to getting to know Jesus even more. So join a small group. We're asked then to maybe participate in one of the church's many ministries. And then Even give up to 10% of our hard work earned income. And the church even asked us to support the people in Burma or in Fiji. Are they kidding? That's way too much. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:10:17]: We have obligations. Come on. Many quietly walk away from the fellowship, and some from God, even permanently. Many had become disciples of Jesus, having seen and probably experienced the awesome miracles. Free healing, free food. And so they started to follow him. Then Jesus shares the challenges that would lie ahead and that you had to be all in. And in fact, you're not going to fully understand what I'm going to tell you to do. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:11:10]: John 6:66. From this time, many of his disciples turned their back and no longer followed him. We peace out. Or we can pose. We believe in God and we believe that he is good. And we're told that if we seek him, we can get all the goods. And when we look around the church, I mean, that kind of seems. Seems true. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:11:53]: I mean, many people around us seem to get the goods. They get the kids, they get the cash, they get the charisma, and then they get the hybrid car. On the other hand, we look into the mirror and we go, my kids say the stuff I just got them is junk. My wife says I'm junk. My boss, he junk and hybrid. My car can barely breathe. But we've sunk too much into this church thing. And we definitely don't want the people in the church to think that, you know, we're any less. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:12:46]: So we pose, right. Funny though. Posing actually is really contagious, you know, it's very contagious. Especially it infects our families and our children, especially if they're younger. They learn that looking like a good Christian is the same as being a good Christian. Acts 4 and 5. And many of us are familiar with that story. It's a story of Ananias and Sapphira, husband and wife, who were in an awesome church filled with awesome people. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:13:36]: And they wanted to have everybody think that they were awesome too. So they announced that they would sell their property and all the proceeds would go to the church. They thought that no one would know that they withheld some of their monies. One of the apostles confronted them. They lied. And as the Bible said, they dropped dead immediately. And it's not in your bulletin. This verse, the set of verses. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:14:20]: Matthew 7, Matthew 7, 22, 23. On Judgment Day, many will say to me, lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name, and we cast out demons in your name and perform many, many miracles in your name. But I will reply, I never knew you get away from me, you who break God's laws. Man looks on the outside. God looks on the heart Dr. Hale Akamine [00:15:09]: first. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:15:10]: Samuel 16:7. Finally we can persevere. Faced with adversity, we struggle with what we should do or should say. We don't give up, we don't pose. Instead, we get real with Jesus. Listen to what the Apostle Paul, writer of 13 of the books of the. Of the 27 books of the New Testament. Paul, whose scars that he bore were not just all over his body, having been beaten, shipwrecked, whipped for what he believed, but these scars were also all over his heart. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:16:12]: He had been betrayed many times by his closest friends. In spite of this, he shares the inner struggle. This is now the Apostle Paul. He shares the struggle that he goes through. The AAPostle Paul. Romans 7:15. I don't really understand myself for what I want to do. I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:16:49]: Instead, I do what I hate. Now, how many of us feel this way, that especially when we're really angry, we just give in to what we feel, even though we know full well what's going to come out of our mouth is not going to be good. In fact, we can probably tell you what's going to happen. Guess what? We just say it anyway. We just do it anyway, right? And deep inside, many times, especially when, again, when we're upset, angry, maybe real, really depressed, really down, right, we know we can't make it better, we can only make it worse. But we say, or we do it anyway. But you know what, brothers and sisters? You see, if we confess our struggles, if we confess our struggles, we actually can see ourselves more clearly. If we confess our struggles, we can see ourselves more clearly. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:18:11]: So the Apostle Paul goes on and he says from verse 16, but if I know what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law good and that's the law God puts in in our heart. The Ten Commandments, the right and wrong. So I am not the one doing wrong. It is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me. That is my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can't. I want to do what is good, but I don't. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:18:55]: I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong. It is sin living in me that does it. And then he says this. I have discovered this principle, what he said of life that when I want to do what is right, do what is wrong. And I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:19:36]: Oh, what a miserable person I am. Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? And again, this is the apostle Paul. He knows God, he has the Spirit in him, but yet he struggles. And then in the midst of this helpless struggle, he says this. Thank God, the answer is in Jesus Christ, our Lord. So you see how it is in my mind. I really want to obey God's law. But because of my sinful nature, I am slave to sin. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:20:22]: Chapter 8, verse 1. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Jesus Christ. And because you belong to him, the power of the life giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. And what he basically is saying, don't give up, don't pose, keep moving. To Jesus, Paul makes clear this conflict within himself. And then he says this is is the way to live the victorious life. And as if he needs to nail the point down, he says in Galatians 5, 7 the sinful nature wants to do evil. It's just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:21:24]: And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other. So you are not free to carry out your good intentions. And then he hints at what we can do. 2nd Corinthians 10:3, 4. We are humans. We don't wage war as humans do. We use God's mighty weapon, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning, to destroy false arguments. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:22:09]: We don't use our brains. We instead use the power of the Holy Spirit. So what he's saying is this. Don't give up struggling to do the right thing, even if you don't succeed, does not mean we're losing. It actually means we're alive. Dead hearts don't wrestle. Dead hearts don't wrestle. If we call on him, the Lord will empower us and he empowers us to keep fighting. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:22:50]: Ecclesiastes Ezekiel 36:30 26 to 27 and I will give you a new heart and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take away your stony stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. 2nd Corinthians 3:17. For the Lord is the spirit, and wherever the spirit is, there is freedom. Now, oftentimes we hear testimonies of people and maybe like Josie, who was on the other side, and. And they experienced the victory, and we clap. We need to hear this, but we also need to hear what it's like to be going through the battle and knowing, though, that the victory is coming. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:24:08]: So I'm going to ask Brother Rick Arasaki to come up for. For a little bit here. And if I can, I take this mic over here? Yes, I can. Very good. Oh, right over here. Oh, there's even. He only needs one, although he likes to talk. But Rick, come up. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:24:27]: Come up over here. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Brother Rick is. Goes back. We go back many, many years, since the Meiji era back in the day. We're Okinawan, so, you know, God graces us much. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:24:48]: But Rick and I used to play softball together before he discovered Christ. But we loved him anyway. He was not gonna say he was a party animal. I'm not gonna say that at all. But, Rick, you've been a Christian for how long? Rick Arasaki [00:25:04]: I've been Christian for. Yes. 30. 30 plus years. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:25:09]: 30 plus years. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:25:10]: Wow. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:25:11]: And how long have you been at this church, New Hope? Rick Arasaki [00:25:15]: I've been here since we've been. What is it, two. Since 2000. 2000. Yeah. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:25:22]: Wow. Rick Arasaki [00:25:23]: Yeah. It's just that we used to go to Grace Pearlside, but I guess I know my family, Jane. We're looking for something closer. So I had my best man, Gary, my Cheryl, who I guess told us about, you know, New Hope, Kapolei. So I said, oh, and they meet at Makakilo Elementary. So I remember I said, oh, I think that'll. That can work. So all I know is when we went that first time, it was really good because I know Corey, he really enjoyed the children's nursery at that time. Rick Arasaki [00:26:06]: And. Yeah, that was. That was so. That was a good feeling. Yeah. So it's been. Yeah. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:26:16]: What kept you at the church? I mean, you know, many people just bounce around from church to church looking for something. But you still stayed all these years? Rick Arasaki [00:26:25]: Well, mainly it's because I guess the group. Yeah, the. The life groups. And then now I have men's group with Hill every Saturday morning. And, you know, we get to fellowship, spill our. You know, spill our guts and, you know, just like a nice locker room talk. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:26:50]: You've. You've undergone some real serious challenges these past couple years. Can you briefly share what you're going through? Rick Arasaki [00:26:59]: Yeah, right now I'm Battling this cancer, and it's a real. I guess what my college just said, it's a real rare cancer. It's called the duodenal. It's a small intestine. But at first, I guess when they found out, they thought I had pancreas, but it was actually duodenal. And I was able to, you know, I had a major surgery back in 2023 and was able to, you know, come. Come through. God made me come through with it, you know, as far as healing me. Rick Arasaki [00:27:40]: But back in last year, it started to come back, so I had to get chemo, chemotherapy, and radiation. And apparently I thought that it was in remission, but at the end of the. At the end of the year, at the end of 2025, it came up again. So now I'm doing infusion, chemo with infusion, and I have this acetis, which is all this fluid in me. So about once every two weeks, I have to go and drain it over at Pali Momi, the hospital. So, in fact, before I came this evening, I had to take off my pump. So. Yeah, so I. Rick Arasaki [00:28:35]: Because I just. Just did another cycle of infusion. But, you know, through all this, you know, God's been good and, you know, just. Just. Just relying on him as far as, you know, what he has in store. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:28:50]: Have. Have there been times, though, Rick, honestly, that you've gone through some periods of disappointment and doubt of God? Rick Arasaki [00:28:59]: Yeah, there. There's been times like that. I mean, it was just getting kind of sometimes just frustrating, you know, like I said, gee, God, I thought you were the, you know, the healer and, you know, But. But then again, too, when I look at it is, you know, it wasn't for, you know, this congregation. As far as I see my brother here, Ben, you know, who's. Who's called me and, you know, prayed for me, my brother Dean and who else? I could see Kyle. Yeah. And, you know, just. Rick Arasaki [00:29:30]: Just. Just thank them. Yeah. For their support. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:29:35]: And, Rick, what does the future hold for you? Rick Arasaki [00:29:38]: As far as the future, I just got a scripture from Psalm 32. 8. The Lord says that, you know, I will, you know, guide you along the best path, but, you know, the path for you, but for you, for your life. And I will advise you and watch over you. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:30:07]: Very good, Rick. Can you. Can you pray for us? We usually ask the hours, but I'd like for you to pray for us. Rick Arasaki [00:30:13]: Okay, sure. You can bow our heads, close our eyes. Father God, you know, I just want to thank you, you know, for everything that you've Done, done for me. But Lord, also what you've done for the church, Lord, and you know, just continue Lord, to, you know, whatever plans you have for New Hope Kapolei, Lord, that you'll instill it to the leadership team and Pastor Glenn and also Lord, you know, I just pray that. I just pray for Pastor Glenn, Tim, Mitch and Kim as they're in Myanmar doing your good works, Lord, I just ask that you just give them safe traveling mercies. And Father, again, I just want to give you all the glory and thanks and we say this in your precious name. Amen. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:31:11]: Thank you, thank you, thank you. The Christian life is not a guarantee of constant joy nor a shield from serious struggle. It is the unshakable presence of the Holy Spirit in the joy and in the struggle. And before we close this evening, thank you brother for praying for us. I want to speak to maybe some of you here who feel like you've been losing the battle in your struggle. Maybe you came today carrying a heavy load. Maybe you've been fighting the same old battles over and over again and it doesn't seem to end. There seem to be nothing in sight except more of the same. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:32:17]: But you know what the good news of the Gospel is? The Christian life is not having the strength to overcome on your own. God never asked you to win the battle by yourself. He gave us His Holy Spirit and he gave us each other. The difference between living in a trapped life and living in freedom is not human willpower. It is the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit working inside of us. The promise of scripture is clear. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. So today, if you need to surrender something to God, if you're tired of fighting on your own strength, or if you want to invite the Holy Spirit to lead your life in a deeper way, I invite you to the prayer area and we have some people that can pray for you. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:33:35]: You don't have to leave here carrying the struggles alone. The Spirit of God is ready to meet you right where you are. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank youk for your Word that reminds us today that the Christian life is not defined by joy nor defeated by our struggle, but instead is sustained by the power of the Word and of the Holy Spirit. Lord, we confess that there are times we celebrate in seasons of joy and we forget that it really was the Holy Spirit moving in us. And there are times when we walk through the struggle and where overwhelmed by our weakness. But today we are reminded that we are not alone. Never we thank youk for the gift of the Holy Spirit who lives in us, guiding us, convicting us, strengthening us. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:35:04]: Lord, hallelujah. And most importantly, working through us for your glory, Lord. For those who are going through joyful seasons, praise God, but help them remain humble and grateful, recognizing that every good gift comes from the Father. And for those who are in seasons of struggle, remind them that your spirit has not abandoned them but that your power is being made perfect in their weakness and there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Lord, help us leave this place with renewed confidence, not in our own strength but in the power of the Holy Spirit who walks through us through every joy and every struggle. And may our lives reflect this freedom, this hope and this victory that comes to Jesus Christ our Lord. We give you all the honor, all the glory and all the praise. In your mighty name we pray. Dr. Hale Akamine [00:36:38]: Amen.