{"id":16773,"date":"2025-04-16T09:41:26","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T00:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myuchisoto.org\/en\/?post_type=manga&p=16773"},"modified":"2025-06-12T14:24:30","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T05:24:30","slug":"my-uchi-soto-lesson-1-manga","status":"publish","type":"manga","link":"https:\/\/myuchisoto.org\/en\/manga\/my-uchi-soto-lesson-1-manga\/","title":{"rendered":"Part 1: Our Uchi and Soto Reality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Doc<\/strong>: Welcome everyone! Iino, I\u2019m so glad you\u2019re here. Yoshiya and G\u014d, you guys look well. So, Iino, have you ever read the Bible before?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Iino<\/strong>: No, never. I\u2019ve never touched a Bible… or even seen one before. But G\u014d keeps telling me how interesting it is. He even gave me this booklet, so I felt I couldn\u2019t really turn down his invitation to join you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc<\/strong>: Really? Well, I\u2019m happy you\u2019ve come. I hope you\u2019ll find it interesting too. In this group, we\u2019re going to search out the deep meaning and incredible joy that the Bible brings to our lives. So take it easy. You can share whatever you think and ask questions whenever you like. Alright, why don\u2019t we begin with the \u201creality\u201d that\u2019s described in the booklet?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Which \u201ccircles\u201d are you part of?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Iino<\/strong>: My family, my school, the circle of friends in my class, my club activities, my part-time job… I guess that\u2019s about it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoshiya<\/strong>: Yeah, and recently I joined the \u201ccircle\u201d at church too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d<\/strong>: I\u2019m in a band as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc<\/strong>: Mmm. You\u2019re all part of many circles, aren\u2019t you? Next question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you conscious of the \u201ccircles\u201d in your life? Are you familiar with any of the concerns that people have in the booklet? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Iino<\/strong>: I felt exactly this kind of problem when I was a first-grader in Junior High. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Iino<\/strong>: It was such a pain that now I don\u2019t really mind being by myself. I still have some good friends, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoshiya<\/strong>: I know. I guess people these days who prefer to keep to themselves often end up that way because of the struggles they\u2019ve had relating to others. They don\u2019t want to get hurt again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d<\/strong>: It\u2019s difficult to live without being conscious of all the circles. They\u2019re like the building-blocks of our society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are there any circles that you feel at home in, that you want to join, or even that you want to leave? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yoshiya<\/strong>: It\u2019s really hard to find a circle where you can completely be at ease, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc<\/strong>: The Bible describes a place where we can truly belong on the inside, always and forever. Have a look at the verse on the cover of the uchi\/soto booklet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\n

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, 
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord<\/span> forever. <\/p>\nOld Testament, Psalm 23:6.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

If you look carefully, you can see that the Lord is in capital letters. These capitals are used to indicate the God of the Bible. The \u201chouse of the Lord\u201d is the place where God is. It\u02bcs a place of security and acceptance. So, here\u2019s the question: How does the author describe the house of the Lord?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iino<\/strong>: It says \u201cforever\u201d, so it looks like a place where you can always stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d<\/strong>: It\u2019s full of goodness and mercy. Sounds like a great place, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc<\/strong>: Yes. God himself is \u201cgoodness\u201d, and he made a good world, generously filling it with good things for us to enjoy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Doc<\/strong>: \u201cMercy\u201d is God\u2019s kindness and love that he gives to people who actually deserve his judgement. It\u2019s a word that\u2019s used to describe the unchanging \u201ccovenant love\u201d of God. This idea will come up again, so don\u2019t worry if you don\u2019t totally get it now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is attractive to you about this \u201cinside\u201d (uchi<\/em>) place?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yoshiya<\/strong>: It\u2019s a place where goodness and mercy \u201cfollow\u201d us. Not as though we go searching for them, but more like they come looking for us. I think that\u2019s pretty cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc<\/strong>: Isn\u2019t it! Thanks everyone. You\u2019ll see that Jesus Christ is mentioned in the booklet. In fact, this Jesus is closely related to the house of God. In the Bible it says that Jesus is \u201cfaithful over God\u2019s house\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Doc<\/strong>: He holds the key and he keeps it secure. He has responsibility for opening and closing the doors, and he looks after everyone inside. That\u02bcs because he is the \u201cSon\u201d and God is his \u201cFather\u201d. In these Bible studies, we’ll be learning what the Bible has to say about God and Jesus. So don\u2019t worry if you don\u2019t understand yet what\u2019s meant by \u201cSon\u201d and \u201cFather\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now let\u2019s look at another text from the Bible. In this passage, we read some words that Jesus spoke to his disciples on the night before he was crucified (executed on a cross). One of those followers was a man named Thomas. G\u014d, can I ask you to read it out?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d<\/strong>: Sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\n

\u201cLet not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. <\/sup><\/strong>In my Father\u2019s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.\u201d Thomas said to him, \u201cLord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?\u201d Jesus said to him, \u201cI am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.\u201d<\/p>\nNew Testament, John 14:1-6<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Why do you think that Jesus\u2019 followers had troubled hearts at this time?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Iino<\/strong>: Because their Master was going to die soon, wasn’t he? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc<\/strong>: That’s right. You know, despite Jesus giving them three advance warnings, they still didn’t really know what was going to happen at this point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Doc<\/strong>: But yes, he is saying that even if something terrible \u2013 like his own crucifixion \u2013 happens, they must not let their hearts be troubled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does Jesus say he is going to do?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yoshiya<\/strong>: He says he\u2019s going to prepare a place for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc<\/strong>: Right? And where is that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iino<\/strong>: The \u201cmany rooms\u201d in his Father\u2019s house\u2026?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc<\/strong>: Exactly! What Jesus calls \u201cmy Father\u2019s house\u201d is the house of God that we\u2019ve been talking about. Jesus is saying that he\u2019s going to go and prepare a place there for his followers, and then he\u2019ll come back and take them to himself there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Doc<\/strong>: When he says he\u2019s going to \u201cgo\u201d, Jesus means that he\u2019s first going to die. And when he says he\u2019ll \u201ccome again\u201d, he\u2019s talking about rising from the dead. We\u2019ll talk about Jesus\u2019 death and resurrection in detail later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How could Jesus\u2019 followers know the way to his \u201cFather\u2019s house\u201d?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d<\/strong>: Jesus says that he is the Way. So if we know Jesus, we can know the way to his Father\u2019s house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc<\/strong>: That\u2019s right! Jesus isn\u2019t pointing to some \u201cway\u201d over there: he\u2019s saying that he is<\/em> the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What else can we learn about the Father\u2019s house from these verses?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yoshiya<\/strong>: If Jesus goes out of his way to prepare a place \u201cfor you<\/em>\u201d, then even if you feel like you don\u2019t have a place where you belong in this world now, if you believe in Jesus, you have a place in his Father\u2019s house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc<\/strong>: Okay, I’ve got some final questions for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you feel about an \u201cinside\u201d (uchi<\/em>) place like God\u2019s house?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Iino<\/strong>: Unlike all the \u201ccircles\u201d that we make, it sounds like a place where you can truly rest \u2013 a perfect place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What else would you like to know about it? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Iino<\/strong>: I want to know more about God before I make up my mind about the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d<\/strong>: Hmm. Yeah, and I want to know who else is in God\u2019s house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoshiya<\/strong>: And what you\u2019re supposed to do there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d<\/strong>: And how much faith I need to get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc<\/strong>: All these questions are important, and I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve got many more! I\u2019m looking forward to reading the Bible together with you again next time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
The ESV Bible<\/em>. Crossway, 2001, www.esv.org\/.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"class_list":["post-16773","manga","type-manga","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myuchisoto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manga\/16773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myuchisoto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manga"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myuchisoto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/manga"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myuchisoto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}