The heightened stress, fear, and uncertainty in the US from COVID-19 and the riots has created spiritual hunger in the hearts of many people. Phil Alessi and Cory Ozbun, who are part of a Novo team focused on launching gospel movements across the US and training others in Disciple Making Movement strategies, have noticed this spiritual shift.
“We always look to engage with people who are asking questions, who are in a spiritually softened place in their heart,” Cory explains. “And few things soften the heart like everything crashing down around you. In those situations, people start asking more significant ‘What is God doing?’ kinds of questions. We’ve found that it‘s an incredibly easy time to invite people to discover God, because they’re spiritually ripe. In our networks in the Kansas City area we’ve probably had 20 Discovery Bible Study (DBS) groups get started since the beginning of the pandemic.”
Many of those studies have occurred in neighborhoods, as followers of Jesus familiar with DBS have been stuck at home and interacting more with their neighbors. In one area, all the neighbors started hanging out in their own driveways, sitting by their own firepits, and having conversations with each other. The conversations eventually surfaced some spiritual longings, which opened the door for a “driveway DBS” in that neighborhood.
“Our neighborhood has always been a secondary ministry setting for my wife and me,” Cory shares, “and this COVID season allowed us to spend a lot of time out front, hanging with neighbors, and having a lot of good conversations. At one point my wife felt the Lord say, ‘The time is now,’ so she texted eight or nine of the women. Six of them started going through the Overcoming Fear DBS on Zoom. She said it was really good. The women had a lot of fear and anxiety in their hearts, and it was an opportunity to wrestle that out together with other women. That study laid the groundwork for ongoing fellowship and discovery of God together in the neighborhood.”
That Overcoming Fear DBS, which Phil put together in the early days of the pandemic, has taken off virtually in many other Zoom groups, internationally, and in prisons, where Phil has been involved in launching gospel movements for many years. The study, consisting of 12 Bible passages that address God’s answer to our fears, has been especially impactful in prisons, where COVID infection rates have been up to 75% in some areas, and even as high as 92% in others.
While that spiritual openness has been present in the prison system for a long time, Phil and Cory have been seeing a similar openness in many others. “We’ve always found people who had that spiritual hunger on the margins, in the extremities,” Phil shares. “They’re prisoners, or homeless, or in addiction. The spiritual hunger is there. That hasn’t been true for the general population. But now that spiritual hunger level has risen. And other people in my circle are saying, ‘This may be the way that God breaks through here in the US—by raising the temperature level of their circumstances.’ I think the temperature is going up and the soil of revival is being turned.”
Cory explains the bottom line: “Rarely do we convince someone into the Kingdom. We meet people where they’re at and we join what God is already doing in their lives. And I think discontentment is one of the biggest things that fuels spiritual curiosity. That discontentment can stem from the outcomes of our own decisions, to hardships that we can’t control, and everything in between. And this season has exposed the lie that we’ve got our lives under control. When that happens people start asking different questions.”
“We’re finding the people who are asking better questions than they did before, and we’re inviting them to ask God those questions. (He has much better answers to those questions than we do.)
“I absolutely think that this season is the perfect harvest field,” Cory finishes. “The soil is ripe because discontentment and hurt are at an all-time high, at least in my lifetime. And we just happen to have a God who brings a lot of hope into those kinds of situations.”
TAKE ACTION
If you’ve been sensing God’s prompting to start inviting your own neighbors, networks, and family members to explore God’s answers, Phil and Cory have some solid wisdom for you.
1. Find a Partner
Phil recommends, “Get somebody to partner with early on, somebody you can join with in praying together for people you both want to reach. That posture of praying together and teaming together becomes the fabric from which other things can happen.” Phil has personally seen three different family members give their lives to Jesus in the last two months—family members he’s been praying for for a long time—and he attributes their salvation in part to the group of guys he asked to be in prayer with him.
2. When the Holy Spirit Prompts, Act
“Follow the nudges of the Holy Spirit. From time to time the Holy Spirit nudges me (Phil) to do something. For much of my life I would respond, “That’s probably just me.” But now more and more think, “I’m just going to do it. That may be the Spirit prompting.” And more and more I find that when I follow those promptings there’s a spiritually hungry or interested person on the other end.”
3. Ask Good Questions
“Be quick to ask good questions about how quarantine or COVID has affected people,” Cory advises. “Or even with the racial tension we have in our country right now. It’s another opportunity to ask, ‘How are you guys doing as a family with everything?’ Just be inquisitive, and listen.”
4. Offer Prayer
Here’s one final tip from Cory: “Just say, ‘I know this has been really hard for people, so I’ve been praying a lot for our neighbors. Is there anything we could be praying for your family about?’ That offer of prayer isn’t that intimidating for folks, and people tend to really open up to that.
5. Invite People to Discover God for Themselves
Remember that driveway DBS guy? When the spiritual openness from his neighbors emerged, he simply suggested, “Why don’t we do a Discovery Group? We’ll read a little story together and discover what it says about God. We’ll do it right out here on the driveway!” Discovery Bible Study is a simple tool to help anyone encounter God, with just a passage of scripture and some key questions. Cory has found that inviting people into a DBS that engages them at their place of felt need (addressing the specific questions about life they’ve expressed) is really impactful. Phil’s Overcoming Fear DBS or Cory’s newest study on Crossing Barriers (compiled in response to the division and riots occurring in the US) might be great places to start.
ABOUT
Phil Alessi and his wife Ruthann have been with Novo since 2002 and live in northwest Indiana. Phil is the leader of Novo’s Catalyze Team, which is part of Pioneering Initiatives (ChurchNEXT). The Alessis have discipled people of peace who have ignited gospel movements in area jails and prisons. Their vision is to mentor and multiply the leaders of Disciple Making Movements.
Cory Ozbun is part of the Catalyze Team and has been on staff with Novo since 2018. Cory, his wife Suz, and three kids (Samuel, Nathanael, and Hannah) serve in Kansas City, focused on raising up teams that plant the gospel throughout the city, start Discovery Bible Studies, and see new microchurches emerge.