Passion, vision, and system
Three essential factors behind spiritual breakthrough
“Some people see things as they are and say, ‘Why?’ I dream things that never were and say, ‘Why not?’”
Robert F. Kennedy1
Things were not good before, and they appear to be heading south. In the five years between 2013 and 2018, Japan lost nearly 500 churches2 . . . and we have yet to know the fallout from the pandemic itself. Yet I am still optimistic. I still dream. I have no doubt spiritual breakthrough is coming.
Presently, however, a common mentality in churches seems to be about getting back to the old normal. But in that old normal we saw a shrinking church, an aging pastorate, a waning focus on the young, and 1.26 million dying every year without Jesus.3 Rather than getting back to status quo, a breakthrough may be our only viable hope.
How can we experience a breakthrough? Actually, I had the privilege of growing up in the midst of breakthrough. My parents’ church-planting work in Tohoku and Kanto saw rapid growth that was far outside the norm. Last year, as I was evaluating decades of experiences, a bolt struck me. I realized that the fruitful works I have seen had several factors present.
I call it the Triple Ministry Determinant (TMD). I admit, this is not a scientific analysis with a study to back it up. Nonetheless, when these three factors are robust, amazing things seem to happen.
Passion (心)
Passion is more than emotion. It is a deep drive and hunger that shows itself emotionally.
Have you ever noticed when somebody starts talking about their passion, how they change? They radiate enthusiasm. They spill over with excitement. How about when we talk about God? Do our eyes brighten? In the day-to-day, it’s easy to just go through the motions and get anemic in passion for God and the lost.
How do you get passion? At the foot of the cross. When we really see the cross, everything changes; we can’t help but heartfully love him and the lost for which he gave his all.
The most vital question we might ask, then, is “How can we and those we work with deeply appreciate the cross?”
Vision (幻)
What is vision? It seems elusive. When it comes to vision, there is one word that comes to mind: big—bigger than self. And vision may not be rational, practical, guaranteed, or even safe. It is ironic how many churches are preoccupied with being safe. I have seen too many places where plans are made without vision; ambitions are doable and goals are affordable, and we wonder why things stay miniscule and mediocre.
Vision is what takes us beyond ourselves and opens the door for the improbable. It is the territory where God arrives . . . and that means breakthrough.
How do you get vision? I think of one word: creation. When we look at creation, we really begin to see the cosmos and the crisis. How big is your God? When we start to see how big God is and how big the need for him in this world is, vision unequivocally ignites.
The question we might ask, then, is, “How can we and those we work with open our eyes to see creation more vastly?”
System (仕組)
A system is a means to perpetuate Kingdom expansion. It ensures that the baton gets passed from person to person and that each person grasps the essence of discipleship.
Without a system, most people don’t know where to begin, what to aim for, or when they have arrived.
Japanese writing is one of the most complicated in the world, but almost every Japanese person is literate. How? A system. No one is expected to figure it out on their own. Meanwhile, spiritual formation in churches is often haphazard. It is a hodge-podge of good things going in a lot of directions, but lacking intentional, comprehensive development.
Where do you get a system? You either find one or make one. The bottom line might be this: get a good system and continue to make it better.
The wrap-up
From what I have seen, one must have all three determinants in order to see breakthrough. One or two determinants are good, but instead of breakthrough, we may still perpetuate the old norm of anemia and regression. However, when all three determinants are present and strong, awesome things can begin to happen.
What do I do personally? I pray daily that passion and vision come. I pray that more of God’s people in this country get on their knees and really begin to see the cross and creation. And I prepare daily. Over the last decade, we have designed the NewDayToDay system with hundreds of Japanese people field-testing evangelistic and discipleship tools.
When it comes to Japan, things are still not good, yet the worse they appear, the more convinced I am that good stuff is coming. So I continue to dream of things that never were, smile, and ask “Why not?”
1. A famous paraphrase of a quote from George Bernard Shaw’s Back to Methuselah. Robert F. Kennedy, “Remarks at the University of Kansas,” March 18, 1968, University of Kansas, transcript, https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/the-kennedy-family/robert-f-kennedy/robert-f-kennedy-speeches/remarks-at-the-university-of-kansas-march-18-1968 (accessed October 30, 2023).
2. 「フォーカス・オン」 教会の持続可能性それでも教会が生き続けるために, Christian Shimbun (Japanese website), https://クリスチャン新聞.com/csdb/?p=39782 (April 3, 2022).
3. A conservative estimate based on statistics from “Population Collapse? Number of Japanese Households with Kids Falls to Historic Low,” WION, https://www.wionews.com/world/population-collapse-number-of-japanese-households-with-kids-falls-to-historic-low-612123 (updated July 5, 2023).