I delivered this speech for White Stone Church of Christ (crecniagara@proton.me) in Grimsby Ontario on February 9, 2024. We had a good group of people come out to hear about and to discuss the Christian hope in building for the glory of God. We also gathered for cigars and whiskey. It was a great time of fellowship and encouragement with fellow Christians. Below is the audio recording and the speech.
Building in Hope:
An Eschatology of Hope for the Canadian Church
We live in troubled times. We live in demented times. These days are dark days. Our age is a dark age.
Think about it. Our medical system kills the unborn, the elderly, the disabled. They do it in nice white hospital gowns and with sterilized gloves. That almost makes it darker. The mental health crisis continues to escalate. This is only accentuated by lack of community, by the deep dark corners of the internet, by the brutal lockdowns of 2020-2022. The medical community is now performing transgender surgery on small children. Parental rights are under attack in both the public school system and in society at large. We see the aggressive sexualization of our children through the internet and through the increased public presence of drag queens in the libraries. In recent times, we have seen the funds of freedom-loving truckers and farmers frozen temporarily. We have seen images on our computers and TVs of pastors, politicians and journalists arrested, fined and censored. We have seen internet censorship. There is rising inflation and taxes. It is hard for young families to make a living whether on one income or two incomes. It is almost impossible for a young man to buy a home in a metropolitan region. Socialism is quickly turning into communism. Not only our public health system, but also elections Canada, is trying to quell what they deem to be misinformation and false information. Increasingly, there is a push to offer “safe” drugs across Canada, including “safe fentanyl” to minors in BC. We are a God-hating nation. By all accounts more under His wrath than His mercy. We are a drugged-up, murderous, God-hating land of barbarians. Add to this the fact that the church is scattered and divided with no immediate solutions for unity.
In times like these that we should pray with the prophet Habakkuk in Habakkuk 3:2 that God would display His mighty deeds of old in these dark days. Lord, in your wrath, remember mercy.
Fear is another matter I want to consider as we enter into this topic of building in hope. If the coming of antichrist is impending, if Jesus comes tomorrow, what is the point of building anything? What is the point of fighting for dying institutions, schools, business, higher education, cities, towns, provinces countries? What is the point of honing and refining and sharpening our words so that they can be more effective in responding to the encroaching wokeness in our denominations? What is the point of running for elected office and then staring down the woke mob that wants to not only destroy your job, but also your family and everything that you hold dear?
In light of these questions, let's turn to the imagery of Revelation. In the Book of Revelation, you see the beast that rises out of the sea. You see the beast represented in chapters 12 & 13. This beast represents the world governments that oppose and conspire against the Lord and His anointed Son Jesus Christ. You also see the whore. She represents the false church which in its fury opposes the true Church of Jesus Christ.
How do we understand these things? To start, the point of Revelation is not to have you cower in fear before the fury of the beast or the whore or the antichrist. The whole point of Revelation is to inspire confidence in the Son of Man who is seated in the heavens in Revelation. The word apocalypse simply means ‘unveiling’. The book of Revelation, primarily ‘unveils’ the power and authority of Jesus Christ. He leads His people into the cosmic battle for the hearts of men throughout the Book. The whole purpose of the letter to the 7 churches is to call you to be faithful to Jesus Christ. He has delivered you from your sins by His precious blood poured out on the cross. The Lord we serve is no longer on the cross. He has risen from the dead and has ascended into heaven to rule over everything. While we do not experience the kingdom yet in its fullness, as we will at the end of time, yet we do taste it now.
Before we talk about building in hope, we first need to consider the framework of at least two Old Testament promises.
But first, it is famously attributed to Luther that he claimed that if the Lord came back tomorrow, he wanted the Lord to find him working in his garden. It was at the time of the Reformation that there was a great zeal to build institutions in faithfulness to Christ. Think about all the dilapidated institutions that we have received from our forefathers in Canada. McMaster University used to be Christian. Ryerson was an Anglican archdeacon in the Canadian Church. What if we are still in the early church and Christ comes in 10000 years? What if the Lord returns tomorrow? What will He find you boldly building? I’ll quote the words of Nehemiah in Nehemiah 2:17 “Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.’”
There are two visions in the Old Testament that frequently come to mind. The first is the vision that Nebuchadnezzar had in Daniel 2. The second is the vision of Ezekiel in Ezekiel 47.
In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar sees a vision of three images that take over each other and a mighty rock that smashes the final image and fills the whole earth. Daniel interprets this mighty rock to be the kingdom of heaven that smashes the kingdoms of the earth and brings them to an utter end. This is a picture of our future hope that the kingdom of heaven will overcome the kingdoms of men. It is happening now as the gospel overcomes unbelief in the nations.
In Ezekiel 47, Ezekiel is given a vision of the Temple. As he is led by a man eastward from the Temple, there is an ever deepening river that flows outward and fills the nations. Again, we see a picture of the knowledge of the Lord filling the earth as the waters cover the sea.
In the New Testament, the Lord has chosen His Church as the means through which His kingdom will grow on the earth. We find this image of a rock rolling towards the gates of Hell to smash its gates and deliver its inhabitants in Matthew 16:17–19: “And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” For some reason many Christians interpret this passage as the church being on the defensive. But notice. Gates are not offensive. The gates are defensive. They will be overwhelmingly smashed to smithereens by the rock of the confession that Jesus is the Son of God.
The dark times that we live in should be seen by Christians as more of an opportunity to witness to Christ and to build lasting institutions and to fight for dying institutions than a reason for retreat. In fact, that is your duty as a witness to the Name of Christ. If you can, fight from where you are. Yes, there may be a time to make a strategic move. But that move should be for the sake of the kingdom. It should not ultimately be to protect yourself from suffering. Jesus promised and it is true: “In this world you will have tribulation.” He continued “be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.” If they slander you and put you in prison, then sing through the night. They did worse to Jesus and He won.
I am critical in some ways of the man Winston Churchill (we can talk about that after). But I love this quote by Churchill: “Do not let us speak of darker days; let us speak rather of sterner days. These are not dark days: these are great days-- the greatest days our country has ever lived; and we must all thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations, to play a part in making these days memorable in the history of our race.” Do you want the church in 1000 years to be talking about the compromises and apathy and divisions and fearfulness of the Canadian Church in 2024. Or do you want them to talk about the mighty works that the Lord did in His Church in the midst of a terrible time in world history?
I will lay out three categories for building.. Christians have an opportunity to witness to Christ and to build lasting institutions and to fight for dying institutions. I’ll spend the second half of this speech talking about these three categories.
First, witness to Christ. I want to talk about winning souls, although witness to Christ is not limited to winning souls. We teach men and women about the full-orbed glory and beauty of Christ and bring them into the Church as the call to repentance and faith is heralded from Toronto to Grande Prairie to the ends of the earth. This is the focus of historic North American evangelicalism and it should be our focus too. We really do care for the eternal souls of men and women. You should not only pursue the one headed to physical death, but especially spiritual death. This is why we need a heavy emphasis on gospel preaching and church planting. When someone asks you why you went to the Freedom Convoy (if you did so), you should be completely unembarrassed that you did so as a witness to the Lordship of Christ over everything. Paul makes it so clear in Colossians 1, that the church is the initial place wherein Christ declares His supremacy in Canadian society. If the Church is not willing to declare that Jesus is Lord and submit to His rule, then how do you expect the world around to come to the knowledge of the truth? Are you willing to risk life and limb and much less a hit to your bank account for this confession?
Second, building institutions. There are a couple matters I want to talk about here. The Church, the home, and other institutions (like schools).
The Church is the central institution in society through which the Father is pleased to show forth the majesty and beauty of His Son and our Lord Jesus Christ. It is imperative that the church is thinking in terms of planting churches, discipling the next generation of covenant children, and seeking to build a church order, a system of church government, worship, that honors Christ.
I’ll talk a bit about building communities yet. The Church should be the hub of community. As you go to worship with your brothers and sisters in Christ, you are being transformed in the image of Christ. There are competing communities, which have their rightful place. For example, the baseball stadium or the hockey rink is a good place to build community. But it should be your love for the worship of the Triune God and the gathering of Christian people that is right at the heart of everything.
The home is central. The home is one of the initial institutions at creation. In the 5th commandment, the father and mother are one of the primary authority structures in society. If you are building a home that is full of joy, feasting, and ultimately one that is oriented towards the worship of God in the context of the church, but also the home, then this can have a powerful impact in the church and in the world. Of course, in a sinful world, that can only be achieved through repentance of sin, in the context of family worship and in the context of church worship. Children should first learn a love for Christ and His Church in the home, but also hard work, skilled labour, critical thinking, inquisitiveness and curiosity. Think of the home as a monastic center like the monasteries of old, yet, not secluded from the world, but in the midst of it.
There are many more institutions. Think of the homeschool coop, the Christian school, the Christian university, the Christian business. My church is currently working on a formal homeschool coop that runs for one or two days a week at least temporarily under the auspices of the church. Ryan Eras is now leading a classical Christian school here in the Niagara Region. This is something that we are doing as we develop leaders and as a way to develop leaders. Something that I saw in a recent book by Paul Dirks was that Martin Luther encouraged Christians to form libraries that are open to the public. Why not? Think of the effect that Christian business has had in effectively breaking the iron grip of a tyrannical government and initiating a reform movement in the Conservative Party during the Freedom Convoy. Never underestimate the public piety and holiness of the Christian business owner. Never underestimate the blessing of the hard work and convictions of the Christian laborer. Also think of what Andre Schouten is doing with the Christian Legal Fellowship to train Christian judges. This is exactly what it means to be salt and light. A salt that is seasoning a bland, disgusting Canadian Culture. A light that is exposing the darkness and calling men to repentance and faith in Christ.
We need to build communities. Don’t underestimate the power of Christians in forming community in the midst of their communities. The table in your home is a powerful place when you show Christian hospitality not only to Christian people but also to your unbelieving and godless neighbor. But hospitality is demonstrated in a variety of ways, in mercy ministry, in an open armed approach to the sinner and the sufferer as they limp their way to the cross.
Finally, I want to talk about the fight for dying institutions. And I am using that word ‘fight’ in the most cheerful, godly sense of the word. In North America, Conservatives are known for building Christian institutions, but are much worse at preserving them as the liberals sweep in and hijack them. How can we turn that around?
Now, before I begin, I want to also acknowledge that you don’t have to be in an institution to fight for it. When I was 17, I saw Redeemer University College drifting left. That is in part why I chose to go to New Saint Andrews College as an alternative option for Christian higher education. There are still clear things to worry about in Redeemer university. But just in the last couple years there is some indication that there has been a turn in direction again. What if the Christian community in Ontario that is concerned about wokeness and liberal theology, put more pressure on Redeemer University again in a kind and charitable but principled manner? Who knows what would happen?
Next, I want to reflect a bit on church unity in Canada. I am in the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches. That is where God in His good providence led me. It is solid ground to contend for the historic Christian faith from. But that does not mean that I expect everyone to join the CREC. The door is always open, but the door to unity between denominations is also open. It is possible to strive side by side for the faith of the gospel and be in different denominations. There are still many sound Reformed and Presbyterian denominations in Canada. There is a substantial reform movement happening in the Anglican Church of Canada. There is an increasing desire for Baptist and Reformed to work together in whatever way possible for the glory of Christ and the upbuilding of His Church. The denominational scene is a mess in North America. The only way through this mess is to boldly walk together and work for the sake of the gospel of the kingdom of God wherever we can and in the ways that we are able to without compromising our own consciences.
It is here as well that I have great hope for the future of the Canadian Church. I may go to the grave with this mottled mess of denominations and evil governments before my eyes. But what about the next 500 years? The nation of Canada is only a little over 150 yrs old. The Church is younger. The liberal union of the United Church destroyed many churches in the 20s to the 70s. Liberalism has hollowed out many of the mainline denominations. But I can name pastors and Christians in 20 different denominations that are trying to be faithful to Jesus Christ. This is the deck of cards that God in His good providence has handed us. How can we steward that gift, invest it like a good businessman, and reap a great reward long after I am dead and my bones decay to fine dust as they await the future resurrection of the living and the dead?
That is how I encourage you to think. Faithfulness to Christ is seed. It goes into the ground and dies. But then, it bursts out of the ground as a young shoot, and eventually it bears much fruit for the glory of God. It seems to me that many Christians can’t get their minds past that death. It’s painful. It’s hard to grow into maturity. You remember that time as a teenager that you had to become a man or a woman. It was probably harder on your parents than you. But God also wants His Church to mature as we see in the first letter to Corinth and throughout the Scriptures. He gives discipline for the purpose of growth in maturity. The hard times are no reason to stop building in faith. The trials and tribulation of the Christian faith should not surprise you or make you fearful as you build and rebuild churches and institutions in the ruins of western culture and the western church. After all, our Lord Himself demonstrated that the way to victory is through the grave.
“And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets — who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb. 11:32-12:2
Photo by Callum Hill on Unsplash