March Issue
As Easter approaches, we’re praying with you for more people to worship Jesus as our risen King. May we all be faithful witnesses, clearly sharing the good news and may we see Jesus’ kingdom come in greater fullness in our churches and communities!
Starting now, this monthly letter will be called Our Story. With each issue, we’ll provide glimpses into God’s work among us and share vision for how we sense Him calling us forward. Although we’re spread throughout the province, we can walk shoulder to shoulder in Jesus’ mission. We hope these letters help us listen to the Holy Spirit together as we ask Him to reveal a brighter, clearer picture of all that He wants to do in and through us for Jesus’ glory.
In my new role with ONMB, I’ve been very interested in how God is leading. While everything is still new and there’s much more to discern together, I want to share a few preliminary thoughts.
This first one isn’t easy: I hear God challenging our relationship with comfort and control. As Philip and Robyn Serez shared at convention on Becoming a Great News People, they spoke about a second life they’ve discovered. “This second life,” Philip told us, “is birthed in the storms and troubles that Jesus said would be ours in this world … it’s the experience of a deeper joy that accompanies faith.” He went on to say, “I have lost all control but gained His sustaining presence. I have been forced to decrease but have experienced Him increase in every part of my life.”
Philip and Robyn’s testimony upends our assumptions about what God’s best looks like. And in Luke 8, Jesus taught that it is the “worries, riches, and pleasures of life” that choke out the gospel’s fruitfulness. These thorns are tied to the pursuit of control and comfort and we see too much of this pursuit in the Church. Some trade the genuine presence of God for what human skill and performance can produce. Others grip the familiar with clenched fists, resisting risk and loss. But Jesus calls us to vulnerable, wholehearted faith. What might it look like to topple idols of comfort and control in our lives and churches? I think Jesus is inviting each of us to ask Him.
And I believe God is leading us into the life of prayer. He’s calling us to walk with Him daily, carrying the reality of His presence into the world. During March Break, youth in Kitchener came together over four days to encounter Jesus and His heart for mission through the Multiply SOAR program. One participant reported, “I learned how to better listen to the Holy Spirit and follow through without as much hesitation.” Another said, “It’s okay to be scared. We’re human. But God can transform our fear. He can give you courage and strength. All you have to do is ask.” This can be our experience every day!
I believe God is ready to move in a fresh way. In 2023, I had a memorable conversation with a pastor friend. He expressed that he simply wanted his church to “work on our part of the wall.” His reference to Nehemiah 3 expressed his humility as the leader of a large church. He wasn’t interested in pushing beyond the boundaries of his assignment by trying to take over work that God meant for others. There’s goodness in that.
But I believe the Lord stirred up a question in my spirit in response: Is this a season where churches are called to keep our heads down to focus on work that we can tackle on our own? Are we meant to huddle into teams for the human-sized, manageable task of putting stone on stone?
Another story came to mind. I saw Elijah in 1 Kings 18 when he was praying, bent down on the ground with his face between his knees. After years of drought and famine, he was pleading for an outpouring he could not control. In verses 43 & 44 we read,
“Then he said to his servant, ‘Go up and look toward the sea.” So, he went up, looked, and said, ‘There’s nothing.’ Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.” On the seventh time, he reported, ‘There’s a cloud as small as a man’s hand coming up from the sea.”
And in that moment, Elijah knew it was time to run for cover. A deluge was coming. God was going to move in a transformative, life-giving way. I believe Jesus is calling us to watch and pray. I don’t think He’s calling us to organize for a human-sized, manageable task of stone on stone.
Now is the day to plead for an outpouring of His Spirit. This is meant to be Our Story.
For Jesus’ Sake,
Trevor
