Transcript:
Rev. Darren Herbold:
Hi everyone! I wanted to get a quick video out to you with a post General Assembly recap. I don’t know about you, but I have thought often about Assembly over this past week. One of the verses we highlighted was from Ephesians, where we were reminded that the Lord can do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine. And when I think of Assembly, I’m in awe of what he did among us and through us. I’m not even sure what I was hoping for, but our time together was far beyond my small human thinking.
Just this morning I was reading Acts one and chapter two again, these well-known chapters. Chapter one, they come together, they devote themselves to prayer. And I’m reminded and so very thankful to the hundreds of hours that were devoted to praying for General Assembly, both prior and during. And I’m so grateful to the intercessors that I know prayed, but also the many, many who go unseen who I wasn’t aware of. Thank you.
And then we read further. Of course, we read of Pentecost. This incredible, indescribable event. A prayer meeting like none other. And while our times of worship and prayer were not quite like Pentecost, with wind and fire, but there was a spiritual fervor and potency of the Spirit to our times together. Many times, I was left speechless as I listen to you all singing as I watch people take communion together, seeking forgiveness with each other, coming to the altar, experiencing healing deeper filling of the Spirit. The Lord has truly been incredibly kind and gracious to us.
And then at the end of these chapters, we see people being baptized, filled with the Spirit, 3,000 souls added, and the mission continues. And so it does for us. In my Lectio reading this morning, it said, “But God was not content to give them a good time in his presence, but he also immediately thrust them out into the streets to begin their mission to the world, with astounding results,” they wrote. And so, just as I shared in my report, one of my dearest and closest prayers has been repeating the prayer of King Jehoshaphat. “Lord, I-we-do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
Just a day ago, I sent a message to some prayer partners. I shared that I continue to believe the Lord is granting us a unique outpouring of his tangible blessing. And I feel like we need to contend for it. It feels almost similar to me how some people talk about their healing, and that when they prayed, they experienced a healing but a partial healing. And then for whatever reason, they feel compelled, convicted, to continue to pray. And a fuller healing is experienced. Now, I realize that is not prescriptive, and it doesn’t even make sense to my brain at times. But in the same way, I feel like this for us as a movement right now. God has given us a glimpse, and perhaps it’s almost as if he’s watching whether we will step into more. So I don’t want to miss it. And I feel like we must continue to contend, to pray, to be faithful and be grateful for all that he might do.
Now, to be fair, I feel super cautious at times, even saying things like that. But I am filled with great hope and with great anticipation. Lord, would you find us faithful, deeply abiding in you? And would we not miss or shy away from your great call to all who bear your name? Lord, just like the Pentecost, we embrace your Great Commission. And would you bring the fruitfulness you promised us in John 15? Lord, would you continue to astound us into the days ahead? Help us, The Alliance Canada, to be faithful.
GA 2024 Highlight video:
The Christian & Missionary Alliance has historically been this group of Christ-centred, Mission-focused activists and these Holy Spirit empowered entrepreneurs.
Jesus gave us a simple mission: take this good news. We don’t need to create the good news. We just need to take the good news that he created with the price of his own life, and spread it to everyone in the world.
Could making disciples be a reflection of our love? Or the lack of making disciples, could it be also a reflection of the lack of love that we have?
Jesus is calling us into deeper submission, surrender, and obedience to him. We must answer the Spirit’s call to radical, courageous, faithful obedience in everything that we do.
How do we get people to obey? The Scripture says, “If you love me, you will obey my commands.” So how do you, as pastors, get your congregation to obey the commands of Jesus more? By making the people fall in love with Jesus more.
As we follow Christ, we would multiply disciples everywhere by focusing on these four growth drivers.
Another secular article I recently read described this. This is how they describe culture: as living in an age of materialism, self-focused, a period of dim ideals and growing dimmer, and an era of expiring hopes.
This evening, I want to talk about reigniting hope in the church in Canada. I think often the narrative is very negative, but I feel just super encouraged. Perspective shifts that were offered to us from many of the speakers. I have hope and that’s wonderful. I feel like God is raising our expectations and our hopes again, that he’s powerful and the calling is still the same. And however weary we feel, he still called us and he still can equip us.
What God is doing through The Alliance is impacting new generations. There’s a strong focus on how do we actually invest really well into the next generation, which is something that we are passionate about in Mexico City. And I believe in Canada, even in the rural areas, we have entered a pre-Christian state. And it is an incredible opportunity for the next generation, because they do not carry the same experience as older people do. 45% of Gen Z teens have neither a positive nor negative view of Jesus. So please embrace the good news of Gen Z and Gen Alpha coming up, into our communities. They need hope and belonging that only the Gospel can provide.
There’s this tidal wave force of happiness hedonism that’s affecting culture, but not only affecting culture, also affecting the church. I want my children to be happy. I want them to be successful at whatever they do. What they don’t often say is, I just want my children to be faithful to God. But if you are a parent and these are your sacred values, why would you ever want your children to be in ministry? Safety and security can be antithetical to the Gospel, to ministry, and to mission.
Your youth workers are on the forefront of nearly every cultural issue, months, if not years before you are. And I want to say that the gift that we offer them, by having consistent leadership for a long period of time is one of the greatest gifts that we can offer. If you have a youth worker who loves students, fight for them to stay. It’s really hard not to just think that things are bad and hard, but really there are tons of opportunities. And as parents of a 13-year-old and 11-year-old, that is really encouraging for us as well.
Where would the Church be today, if the Apostle Paul chose to play it safe? What if the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 who were mocked, scourged, or sawn in two? What of them? The world was not worthy of them.
Well, living during wartime is difficult. Rockets, drones, explosions. And for us, it’s a great blessing from the Lord to establish churches during the war in Ukraine. Nine new churches were established during the two years of war. Very encouraging to see that God is working. I am also touched by what is happening in Ukraine, how people are encouraged even through war and persecution. Jesus knows the numbers of our days and nothing is going to change that. Jesus is our reality. Whether there is a bomb laying in our living room, or if there’s reputational persecution at work or at home. It is more than possible that God does these things all the time. He is in control, and the Lord of heaven and Earth does what he desires, and he’s looking for faithful people to join him.
I found that the older I get, the less willing I am to take risks. So, Assembly gave me a reminder. I may face many new things, many different challenges, but it gave me a heart for adventure to face them.
This is why we exist. To multiply disciples everywhere.
I’m stepping into ministry. I’m new into my journey, but it’s not as if the Lord hasn’t been doing something already. I don’t need to do this by myself. And we have a whole group and a whole family here.
According to The Joshua Project, 7.4% of Canada’s population is considered least-reached. What does it look like for The Alliance Canada to double our reach? What must change, be expanded, adapted, clarified? I would challenge all of us to listen to each other.
During COVID, the key word was pivot, because of changing times, that one has to pivot. Now sort of the key words that’s kind of being mentioned, like over and over throughout this past week are like these words like, “Partnership and Collaborate.”
For those of us that are senior leaders to listen, maybe the next 30-year plan that we’ve talked about is coming from your youth pastor, or a youth leader, or a congregant, or your kid. And for the younger leaders in the room, I would challenge you to share and trust your senior leader.
So in these days, as we think and as we pray, what places? Who is God calling your church to lean into in this next season, as you anticipate the new things that God wants to do in your midst.
On days where you’re not sure what God is doing in this country, you can remember he is bringing the world to Canada for the Church in Canada to be part of the mission, to meet Jesus, and take back the Gospel to their country.
Now our church in Latin America is looking at Canada to expand. Then from Canada to many other places. The Lord is moving. He is moving.
The Alliance Canada currently reaches approximately 0.4% of the Canadian population. What would it look like to reach 1% by 2034?