Flourish

Video intro

Flourishing begins with looking back. Stopping to look back reminds you of how far you’ve already come and what God has already done. Choose to bring the promises of God back to your heart so that you can hold on to hope. Hope in the character of God, whose mercies never end and whose steadfast love never fails.

God’s faithfulness in the past moves us from grief to hope, from hope to faith, and from faith to flourishing.

Flourishing also requires looking forward. The same God who began a good work in us is faithful to complete it. The vision of the future should shape the way we live today, with boldness in the words God has already spoken.

Flourishing finally means embracing the spiritual reality of who we are as the Church. We are not just an organization with titles and positions; we are an organism, the living body of Christ, joined together by the Spirit. Our mission is not sustained by strategies but by the joy and power of the Holy Spirit. This is the Father’s heart —that we would not only be His children but also multiply spiritual sons and daughters. You will also flourish in His purpose.

A Look to the Past

While visiting Cusco, I had the opportunity to travel to one of the most beautiful sights, the Montaña de Siete Colores (Rainbow Mountain). It is breathtaking to see. But the challenge is this: the base already sits at about 11,500 feet (3,500 meters), and to reach the top, you must climb another stretch upward until you reach its peak at about 17,060 feet (5,200 meters). Up there, it feels like there is air, but no oxygen.

I remember the trek—it was about 3.7 miles (6 kilometers), and it took me nearly three hours. Many times, I wanted to give up. The only way I made it was by stopping once in a while, taking a deep breath, and looking back. When I looked back, I could remind myself how far I had already come. I thought about what the Lord had done in my life, what He had given me, and how He had carried me step by step to that very point.

God gives us a vision, a dream, and a purpose. He establishes a perspective in which we must always anchor our identity so that we can move forward. Yet from time to time, it is good to look back, as the prophet said: 

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope” (Lamentations 3:21 ).

Jeremiah wrote a grief poem that reaches a turning point in verse 21. He deliberately brings back to his heart, as an intentional spiritual discipline, the truth that enables him to hold on to hope.

This hope is not rooted in circumstances or in a positive outlook on life, but in the very character of God—because of His unending mercy and His steadfast love (hesed), which we call grace. 

Lamentations 3:21-24 21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:

22 The steadfast love (hesed) of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;

23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

[חֶסֶד] Hésed is one of the richest terms in the Old Testament. It combines covenant loyalty, steadfast love, mercy, and kindness.

It cannot be reduced to mere “love” or “mercy”; it’s God’s committed, faithful love rooted in His covenant promises. That is the closest we have to the word grace in the Old Testament.

For Jeremiah, this grief arose in the aftermath of Jerusalem’s destruction in 586 B.C., when the temple was burned, the city walls torn down, and the people carried into exile. However, God’s covenant love endures when everything else has collapsed. God’s mercy is the only foundation for hope.

That act of looking back, setting your mind on God’s faithfulness, will give you strength to keep moving forward. And when you do that, your heart moves from grief to hope to faith to boldness and ultimately to flourishing.

A Look to the Future

The vision of the future should determine our attitude in the present. If you want to achieve something relevant in the future, you are inspired by the testimonies of the past. But if we want something new, we must act boldly with a new attitude for the future. 

Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

God never intended for us to rely on our church structure, personal charisma, or our natural skills to advance His Kingdom. What brought you here was great, but there is so much more for us ahead.

We are called to live a divine purpose— we are chosen by God, filled with His Spirit, and set apart to reveal His glory.

Revelation 1:5-6 […] To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. […] 

Revelation 1:8 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

A Spiritual Reality

The Bible defines the Kingdom of God as a Spiritual reality. 

We may have experiences with this kingdom here, but its reality is essentially spiritual.

God's call to fully flourish is beyond our human capabilities. We weren't meant to achieve it through our own strength or clever strategies. Just as our identity is rooted in the spiritual, so is our mission.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

(1 Peter 2:9)

When we understand who we are—a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation—our perspective shifts. We no longer serve out of obligation or religious habit, but out of identity and purpose. It is time to be bold and audacious with the promises the Lord has already decreed over us.

The church is not called to operate like a business or social club, but as a living, Spirit-empowered organism that reveals God’s Kingdom on earth.

The church is not merely an organization built around titles, positions, and structures where strength comes from hierarchy, rules, and human systems; rather, it is an organism—the living body of Christ.

“For just as the body is one and has many members… so it is with Christ”

(1 Corinthians 12:12 …),

“He is the head of the body, the church” (Colossians 1:18 …),

and “…the whole body, joined and held together… grows with a growth that is from God” (Colossians 2:19 …). 

In an organization, growth comes from structure, but in an organism, growth comes from life. It's all about health, not rules.

Many want the pastor to impose order so the church can grow spiritually. But what we need is the right food, which will bring the appropriate nutrients, that will result in spiritual health and that will flourish in growth.

Each member is essential, mutually dependent, and organically connected to Christ the Head. Our identity is not defined by titles but by being brothers and sisters in Christ, joined together by the Spirit, flourishing as every member lives out their God-given function in love.

If the success of our work can be attributed merely to strategic systems, then we are no different from any other business.

If our fellowship is no more than a social gathering, like a book club, or hobby group, and our message no more than a polished speech, we lack the power that sets the Church apart.

In Japan, there are specific places for smokers to gather. In Japan, you cannot smoke on the streets but must use designated smoking areas. You can pass by the place and see that smokers are loudly speaking and sharing common ground. They are isolated from everybodyelse.

The church is not called to be "a smoker sect” where only those who practice our rituals feel part of it and welcomed.

Jesus did not come to reinforce what already existed—He came to bring a Kingdom not of this world. 

“My kingdom is not of this world [...]”

(18:36 /" target="_blank">John 18:36 )

In human structures, we find marketing strategies, quality control, and resource management. Planning and governance are essential for sound administration. But the Church is something else—it is not merely an organization, but an organism.

Why do we invite you to join us in prayer each semester? 

Because the church is not built on human effort, but rather on the power of God. 

“This is the word of the LORD [...]: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6)

The Joy of God's purpose

There is a deep joy found in serving others. A service done in alignment with the Spirit of God!

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (14:17 /" target="_blank">Romans 14:17 )

Zechariah prophesied around 520 B.C., during the Persian period, after the return from Babylonian exile (538 B.C.). The Jewish community was small, discouraged, and surrounded by opposition. The temple—destroyed in 586 B.C.—was only partially rebuilt. Zerubbabel: the