A quarterly publication presenting news and stories of Living Hope Native Ministries, a partnership dedicated to serving the First Nations of Ontario.
Joy in Ministry in 2024
What is your church doing for its community?
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)
The Christian church is intended to be noticeable, and it’s intended to be transformative to its community - a light in a dark place.
One night I had a dream that revival broke out.
In my dream I entered a small conference room with rows of chairs facing towards a stage, much like you would see in a church gathering. There was a small stage at the front with a pulpit looking more like a music stand. There were no musical instruments on the stage except for a single acoustic guitar and a chair. No one was sitting up there at that time. As I walked into the room there were about 15 to 20 devoted people there. They were sitting there spread out with their heads down praying. I could hear the low rumbling of their voices talking to God. Quietly I went to find my place, when all of a sudden an energy hit the room. Everyone was picked up into the air only a couple of inches, and there was a feeling of weightlessness before being dropped back down to the ground. Everyone fell on their knees sobbing profusely, including myself.
At that instant, the most human reaction would probably be to try and stay in that moment as long as we could. The most human reaction would be to try to prolong the experience.
But in the dream everyone immediately ran out of the room. We were suddenly filled with an urgency to go out and reach as many people as we could. Much like the disciples in the upper room when the Holy Spirit came upon them and they were all filled, and almost immediately they went out and started preaching.
I’m not claiming that my dream had some prophetic meaning, but I do believe this should be the heart's desire of the church.
Rodney Martin
