A Vision of the 153 Fish

Many years ago, while in prayer, I received a vision based on John 21. In the vision, I was Peter, casting a net into the sea as Jesus instructed and catching 153 fish. Afterward, the scene changed, and I was eating the fish with Jesus. He asked me whether I loved Him and told me to “feed and take care of His sheep.”

I knew this was a conviction from God because I absolutely did not want to be a pastor; I saw it as an inefficient, thankless job. I also looked unfavorably toward "new churches" because, where I lived, there was a church every three blocks. However, I sensed that the 153 fish represented people of all nations. After poring through reputable commentaries, I was amazed to find that 153 did indeed represent all people groups. Unlike Peter’s first haul, this net never broke, signifying that Jesus would save all His chosen people. I knew then that this ministry would be multicultural, even though I did not yet have a solid theology.

Not a Religious System, but a Mouthpiece

Years later, my mother—a pastor for over 50 years and my spiritual mentor—told me she sensed God wanted me to start a new church. I remained skeptical, feeling the area was already saturated. However, during prayer, God spoke directly to my doubt. He told me that He needs His prophets to be His mouthpiece (though I do not claim to be a prophet myself). He explained that if a religious system was all that was needed, there would have been no need for Jesus to come, as the Pharisees had already established a powerful religious stronghold.

God then gave me the name: "The Ark" Church. He explained that the animals of all kinds in the ark represented the people of all nations (the 153 fish). To my surprise, my mother revealed that God had given her that exact name ten years earlier to use for her next church plant in the U.S.

The Bridge and the Revelation

While in a mentored ministry class, the dean of my seminary prayed for me over Zoom. Though it was meant to be a short prayer, she received a vision of me in the Grand Canyon. She saw me building a bridge over the canyon and walking on it at the same time. She had a strong sense that no one—perhaps including myself—would believe the amazing work God was about to do.

I had always thought that nothing could surprise me, until July 2025. While at a conference in Korea, I saw a vision of an Ark with three levels of faith and rooms representing ministries for all people. God told me, “You are to integrate all these ministries and lead them,” and revealed five distinct things that would come to pass:

• This would be an international ministry.
• There would be a healing ministry.
• The first ministry to start is a church (the Ark Church).
• A separate online ministry would be started next.
• A school ministry would follow.

Overwhelmed by the scale of what He showed me, I told God, “I can’t do this.” He replied, “You’re right. You can’t do this. I will do this; you just need to obey.”

The Signs of Confirmation

Returning to the U.S., I asked for signs to confirm the timing. Despite a government shutdown, an accountant informed me that my paperwork was miraculously approved. I knew God had read my thoughts; that was the first sign.

I asked for more signs, and God said, “I have already given them to you.” Looking through my photos, I realized that in April, I had attended a musical titled Noah’s Ark. Then, I found three separate instances of rainbows that had "followed" me for a month—at a park, at church, and even at an artificial fountain. Having lived in the U.S. since 2001, I had never seen a rainbow here until that point.

The Final Step

As I neared the end of a 40-day liquid fast, I became convinced that God wanted me to start the new church at the beginning of 2026. As a final confirmation, my mother called from Korea and her first words were, “Son, God wants you to start the church beginning of next year.”