Envoy Rally Point - Month 4, Week 1
Theme: Joy in Trials
Guest Speaker: Zach Meerkreebs
Resources: Pastor Zach’s Book: Lower - Igniting Spiritual Awakening Through Radical Humility
Overview
This week we stepped into Month 4: Endurance, and we opened with one of the most paradoxical truths of the Christian life:
Joy is not found after the trial - it is discovered in the midst of it.
“Count it all joy … when you meet trials of various kinds.” - James 1:2
To help us wrestle with this upside-down Kingdom reality, we were joined by Pastor Zach Meerkreebs, one of the humble shepherds who served quietly behind the scenes during the Asbury outpouring. What became clear throughout the session was not simply what Zach saw at Asbury - but what God has done in him over nearly two decades of hidden obedience, costly surrender, and resilient joy.
Below is the full summary of our session.
Setting the Stage: From Servanthood to Endurance
We began with prayer and a reminder of where God has brought us so far:
Month 1: Identity - learning that we serve from sonship, not for approval
Month 2: Obedience - surrendering our will to His voice
Month 3: Servanthood - discovering that greatness in the Kingdom is found in hidden places
Now in Month 4, the theme shifts:Will we continue to stand, continue to serve, and continue to trust when the pressure increases?
Zach was welcomed as one who knows that terrain well - not because of a public platform, but because of a long apprenticeship in humility.
A Journey Marked by Humility & Obedience
Zach shared pieces of his 19-year walk with Jesus, including the hidden years before Asbury. His reflections centered on a Kingdom truth we often underestimate:
Hiddenness is holy — when it is rooted in humility rather than passivity.
He distinguished two forms of obscurity:
Humility: Serving unseen because God is worthy
Passivity: Avoiding responsibility out of fear
The difference is heart posture.
Serving God, Zach reminded us, is never about self-protection or self-promotion. It is always about honoring Jesus and ministering to others with purity of intention.
And obedience is rarely convenient:God’s call often requires stepping beyond comfort, reputation, and our preferred pace.
When Humility Meets Judgment: The Pressure of Platforms
Zach spoke candidly about the tension many feel in ministry:
How do you remain humble while being visible?
How do you resist criticism without becoming defensive?
How do you stay faithful when success is measured in numbers, influence, or growth?
Zach’s answer was simple, biblical, and disarming:
Fruit is God’s responsibility. Faithfulness is ours.
He quoted Richard Foster’s teaching on the spiritual discipline of hidden service - how serving without applause becomes a crucible where the flesh is crucified and supernatural fruit quietly grows.
The Kingdom is not built on metrics, but on purity, intimacy, and quiet faithfulness.
The Crucified Life: Practices That Form Humility
Together, Zach and Sam explored what it means to actually live a crucified life - not romantically, but rhythmically.
Zach shared several practices he uses to stay grounded:
Consecrated Confidence
Before you speak, lead, or serve - consecrate the moment.“Lord, this gift is Yours. Purify it. Use it.”
Regular Confession
Confession breaks pride.It reminds us we are always dependent, always receiving mercy.
Writing Your Testimony
Regularly rewriting your testimony keeps gratitude fresh and refocuses the heart on grace.
Spiritual Friendships
People who can speak truth, call out pride, and remind you of your calling.
Each of these are slow, hidden, and ordinary.
And that is the point:Endurance is not built in intensity but in rhythm.
Scripture in the Heart & Service in the Shadows
Zach testified to how memorizing Scripture and practicing unseen sacrificial service become twin anchors in trials.
Hidden acts of obedience - uncelebrated and unknown - become places where:
God sanctifies the heart
Pride is crucified
Joy becomes resilient
Weakness becomes strength
Curiosity is awakened in others
He reminded us that feeling “small” or “ordinary” is not a spiritual failure - it is the human condition. What we do with that smallness matters.
God meets the humble not by shaming them into strength,
but by covering them in compassion.
Closing Prayer & Charge
Zach closed by praying over our community - asking for:
Compassion for ourselves and others
Humility that chooses hiddenness when God invites it
Endurance rooted in the love of Christ
Joy discovered in the very places we thought would break us
We left with a Kingdom reminder:The treasures of endurance are almost always found in the hidden and humble places - the places where only the Father sees.
God is with us.
Thank you for drawing near. May the Lord bless your obedience, steady your heart, and fill you with joy as you walk in His ways this week.
I’m glad you’re here.
Let’s run the race - Eyes Up, Chin Up!
Grace and peace,
Sam Johnston
