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DEAR READERS
It is easy to get gloomy about all the things that are happening
in the world but God is still vitally active in the lives of men
and women. This week we honour the birth of John Wesley who was
born in Epworth Rectory on June 17th, 1703, and became one of the greatest evangelists in the history of the
church. What was his secret? He had a clear conversion experience
from religion to Christ and a power encounter with the Holy Spirit
near the start of his ministry. He believed that the Bible was the
Word of God and, as he preached, so God confirmed the word with
signs following. We cry out to a Saviour who is the 'same
yesterday, today and forever'. Please Lord raise up more Wesleys
and Whifields in our generation for the glory of Jesus. Wesley's
last words as he was dying were, "The best of all is, God is with
us".
A
FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT IN CONSCIOUSNESS
It’s been an important month for same sex. The Ontario Court of
Appeal immediately gave permission for two gay couples to have a
civil marriage. In the Justice Committee, Svend Robinson wisely
kept his words short so that the vote could be taken quickly
before an MP in favour of traditional marriage could get back in
the room for the vote. Instead of 9-7 for appealing the Ontario
Appeal Court ruling, it became 9-8 against as Derek Lee was
replaced with a liberal activist MP. The liberal government
Justice Minister, Martin Cauchon, has until June 30th to appeal
the matter to the Supreme Court. Please pray for wisdom for him in
the next two days as he consults with other ministers on a Cabinet
retreat.
Svend’s C-250 bill, amending the hate crime law to include sexual
orientation, has now been referred back to after September 15th
when Parliament resumes. It is a remarkable feat for it to have
got this far where it could soon become law. Then there is the
appointment of a declared homosexual Bishop in New Hampshire. How
can these things be?
From talk radio and opinion polls it seems a slim majority of
Canadians don’t seem to mind gays marrying. A survey of 2939
people (Globe/Mail, June 12th) showed about 56% were in favour
across Canada, with the exception of Alberta 44% and Saskatchewan
40%. But wake up church! Another poll showed that young people
aged 18 to 34 were far more likely to support the concept, with
71% in favour. Only 36% of Canadians over the age of 55 were
supportive. This paragraph on the new Canada gives insight:
“Now that many of the thorny political battles waged by the first
gay activists of the 1960s and 1970s have been won, the new
generation has the time to refine what it means to be gay. Tossing
out stereotypes, they are crossing from the margins to the
mainstream, treading on heterosexual turf as though they own it.
Couples are exchanging vows at commitment ceremonies with all the
pomp and circumstance of a traditional wedding. They are turning
to fertility clinics and open-minded adoption agencies to start
alternative families that their parents never imagined possible. "There
has been a fundamental shift in consciousness," said Marcia,
who lives mostly in the closet with her partner in a farmhouse in
a small town near Pembroke, Ont.”
Our traditional Christian values are having to confront a
fundamental shift in consciousness and the church seems to be
losing the battle for the minds of people, especially the younger
generation. We are becoming increasingly irrelevant to the law
makers and the trend is not optimistic unless God helps us. What
is the real problem? I believe that we, the church, are the
problem not Svend or the liberal activists. Last Sunday was
Pentecost Sunday, but where is the power of God and a fervent
spirit of prayer in the thousands of churches across Canada?
Here in Vancouver there seems to be little fear of God in the
churches, and grieving over sin and division is not apparent. How
can we disciple this nation without the power, passion and wisdom
that God promises to give. I believe that the Lord will use these
provocations to stir us up to seek Him like never before. Pray for
the fire of God to deal with our lukewarm-ness and replace it with
boldness to preach the Gospel which is still the power of God unto
salvation to transform lives.
BC
LEADERSHIP PRAYER BREAKFAST - MAY 23rd
And Now For Some Good News! Just three weeks ago in a large ornate
ballroom in the Hotel Vancouver, 1000 people gathered for the
annual BC Leadership Prayer Breakfast, and they really prayed! It
was an amazing time with government, business, labour and
professional leaders concerned to pray for a wider spiritual
awakening. Premier Gordon Campbell, read from the Old Testament
the passage about how God looks at the heart, and the Leader of
the Opposition, Joy MacPhail, read the passage where Jesus taught
to forgive your brother seventy times seven if necessary. A
previous NDP Premier, Mike Harcourt, stood up to pray for the
Province and received rapturous applause when he said how glad he
was just to be there. A few months previously he had fallen from a
cliff and suffered serious injuries and he implied that God had
spared his life and healed him. He declared “that if you do not
believe in guardian angels you should now”, then giving thanks for
living in BC he closed his prayer in the name of Jesus! God had
worked deeply in his heart. Rev. Dale Lang from Tabor, Alberta,
then gave a stunning address for forty minutes on the power of
forgiveness through Jesus to transform an individual and a city.
Everybody was affected because this man had paid the price through
the tragic death of his son through a fatal shooting at school. I
attended as an intercessor to learn of the grace of God in an
important section of society and I came away in awe of His mercy
and grace in the lives of individuals and a city. Let’s agree with
Paul to Timothy (1 Tim 2:1-2) to pray for leaders regularly
because the Spirit of God is moving among them.
LA
DANSE - THE TIME HAS COME!
"For everything there is a season. A time for every purpose under
heaven ...
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to
dance." (Eccl 3:1,4)
David Demian of Watchmen For the Nations recently declared:
“The time has come for the release of
hope throughout our nation.
The time has come for the healing of
French and English Canada.
The time has come to dance.”
These bold words have come from a deep vision of reconciliation to
occur in Canada between the French and the English. Next month,
starting in Montreal on July 25th, ‘La Danse Celebration Tour’
will conduct a courtship across the nation of Canada. A team of
about 250 French and English speaking Canadians of all ages, races
and denominations, will travel from Montreal to Victoria stopping
in 10 other cities along the way. This will be a declaration that
the walls of separation between English and French Canada are
about to fall down. Like Joshua at Jericho the team will blow the
trumpets in each city, and together with other believers celebrate
what the Lord is about to do. Each celebration will be as unique
as the city and region in which it is hosted. At the Bouchart
Gardens near Victoria on Saturday, August 9th, there will be a
declaration of an intended ‘marriage’ at some future date. This is
a precious initiative. Please pray that the courtship across the
nation will overflow with creativity, intimacy and humility from
city to city. May God continue to pour His love into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us (Rom
5:5). See
www.ladanse.ca
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