Backup of The Pentacost #26 - Zion Christian Ministry · 2010. 3. 26. · Once again, summer has...
Transcript of Backup of The Pentacost #26 - Zion Christian Ministry · 2010. 3. 26. · Once again, summer has...
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THE PENTECOSTISSUE #26 September 2008
communicated these words to her teacher; “Oh, I am
so glad you told me His name, for He has often
spoken to me!”³ God spoke to Helen regardless of her
inability to use natural senses. Although revelation
from God may not always involve reading the pages of
the Bible, all revelation that God gives to man will not
disagree with what the Bible says.Helen Keller is just one life which proves the
knowability of God. God is vaster than the oceans,
however, He can be known in part by finite men and
women. In fact, He wants to be known by such.
Knowing God comes about by placing faith in God's
Son, Jesus Christ. God bless you, as you step out in
faith and do just that.
Shawn Stevens
References :Holcroft, Thomas. The Doctrine Of God. Oakland: Western Book Co., 1978.Zodhiates, Spiros. Was Christ God? Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 1994.3. Spiros Zodhiates, Was Christ God? (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers,1994), 12.
It is September, and it is now ready. Thank you for
your patience. God Bless you.
Also, the Azusa Series article on “The Life and
Ministry of Lucy Farrow” in Issue # 24 contained a
quote from The Apostolic Faith Magazine. It says
that the quote came from the September 1907 Issue,
however, the correct Issue was May of 1908, on page
2.
Shawn Stevens
.
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IN THIS ISSUE
THE CHRISTIAN HERITAGE OF CANADA
...................................................................3
CANADIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM
.............................................................6
A PLEA FOR THE GODLY
.............................................................6
THE KNOWABILITY OF GOD
...........................................................10
AZUSA SERIES - A POINT OF
CLARIFICATION
...........................................................12
Once again, summer has come and gone and the fall season is now here. Welcome back to The Pentecost magazine, which is now starting up again after a two-month summer break. From September to November, we will be running with the theme of Christian heritage and revival in Canada. We are also beginning a series of articles on the doctrine of God. Our last series of articles was on the Azusa Street Revival. Although the Azusa series is now ended, I will probably pick it up again some time in the future. It is great to be back and to have you reading with us again! God bless you!
Shawn Stevens
THE PENTECOST
ZionShawn Stevens
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 933,Lynden, WA 98264 USA
Phone
Email [email protected]
604.533.4168
Christian Ministry
ZionShawn Stevens
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 933,Lynden, WA 98264 USA
Phone
Email [email protected]
604.854.8141
Christian Ministry
My prayer for you all, as you read these next issues of The
Pentecost outlining the biblical foundations of Canada and
the men and women who counted the cost to stand for
Jesus and bring about revival in Canada, is that you will be
inspired and encouraged to fulfill the calling that the Lord
has on your life and see your nation change.
Ramona Stevens
but it is not the full picture of God’s character. God is a
personal God who loves men and women. One view is
that this emphasis on transcendence traces back to the
teachings of Augustine (354-430).2 Regardless of where
this view began, and acknowledging that God does in
some ways veil Himself from sinful man, the fact still
remains that God can be known, and desires to be
known, by men and women.
How does a person know God? The only way
that we can come to know Him is through faith in His
Son, Jesus Christ. Once faith in Jesus Christ is
established in the hearts of men and women, a new
spirituality is opened up to men and women where they
receive knowledge of God through revelation into God’s
Word, the Bible, and through the experience of faith.
The Bible teaches that God is a Spirit. A spirit can only
be understood by another spirit. That is why, when God
created man, He gave him a spirit, a soul and a body. It 2. Thomas Holcroft, The Doctrine Of God (Oakland: Western Book Co., 1978), 6.
is by God’s Spirit communicating with human spirits that
He makes Himself known. That is why Paul tells us:
But as it is written:
‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,Nor have entered into the heart of manThe things which God has prepared for those who love Him.'
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.
For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep
things of God. (1 Corinthians 2: 9, 10).
The senses of hearing, touch and smell are all ways in
which our physical body takes in information. However,
God is not restricted to these senses in order to
communicate with our spirit. A touching story is that of
Helen Keller. Although she was born blind, mute, and deaf,
she learned to communicate with a teacher. The teacher
would put Helen’s hands on the teacher’s throat and lips and
Helen came to understand her speech. One day, the teacher
made efforts to share with Helen spiritual truth about God.
When she did this, Helen’s face lit up and she
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vast and awesome. Although no man will ever
understand Him fully (with the exception of Jesus Christ
who is both God and man and who does understand),
there are those who understand Him in part. The
tortoise did not know the full totality of the ocean, but he
did know the ocean enough, from having swum in it for
years, to be able to talk about it. God is like the ocean,
only vaster. Although no one (but Himself) knows Him
fully, there are still those who know Him in part, those
who swim in this ocean.
There have been many men in history who have
challenged the claim that men can know God.
Philosophers, such as Plato, taught that God was beyond
finding out. Even Middle Age theologians, such as
Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274), taught that knowing and
describing God must be done indirectly and that we
come to know him through analogy and inference. The
medieval concept of God was that He was greatly
transcendent (medieval mysticism is an exception to
this) and ineffable (too overwhelming to be
communicated in words). This is not entirely untrue,
THE CHRISTIAN HERITAGE OF CANADA
Its landscape is covered with snowy mountain
peaks, broad open plains, shimmering, pristine lakes
and mighty roaring rivers. It is the land of endless
forests, the land of the beaver, and the land of the
maple leaf – Canada. It stretches 5,500 kilometers
from the Yukon Territory and the Alaska border to
Cape Spear, Newfoundland. Yet with all of its
grandeur, only ten percent of its land mass is
permanently settled and populated. Those who settled
this great land and country were a mixed sort. They
came from different countries and even different
continents; they came from different social
backgrounds; they came from different language
groups. However, they all came to a virgin land which
was too large for any one person or group to subdue. It
would take a united effort to form what is now The
Dominion of Canada. It would also take more than
human effort or ingenuity. It would take God and a
living faith in God to lay solid foundations for this
young country. From its beginning to its present, God
has been very active in Canada. Likewise, there are
many in Canada's history who had such faith in God as
to lay down proper foundations. Canada has drifted
from these foundations, but the final chapter of her
history has not yet been written. In this article, we will
trace some of our steps backwards in time to the faith-
filled lives of some early Canadians.
Before Canada was even organized into a
nation, God was moving in and through the lives of
people on its native soil. Immediately prior to the
United States War of Independence (1776), many
British Loyalists moved North and settled in the area
of Nova Scotia. They were fleeing the tumult of a war
which was about to break out, but did not know that
t h e y w e r e s t e p p i n g i n t o a r e v i v a l ! A
Congregationalist, named Henry Alline, ministered in
that region and carried a strong evangelistic message.
Hundreds of souls were saved in what became known
as The New Light Revival. The revival began to spread
to other Atlantic provinces. One minister who
preached in Saint John, New Brunswick, said of that
city; “...one can hardly go through the streets of this
city without hearing the voice of praise or seeing the
young men assembling together for prayer.”¹Just as God was moving in pre-Confederation
Nova Scotia, and other provinces, He was also moving
through missionaries in Labrador close to the same
time. In 1752 the Moravian missionary, Christian
Erhard, and some helpers, came to the Eskimos of
Labrador. Unfortunately, they were killed by them.
Erhard was followed by another missionary, Fens1. Joshua Marsden, quoted in Rev. Barry P. Boucher, Canada's Spiritual Heritage, http://www.watchmen.org, retrieved December, 2004.
THE KNOWABILITY OF GOD
Holy, Holy, Holy all the saints adore Thee,Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;Cherubim and Seraphim falling down before Thee,Which wert and art, and evermore shall be.
Reginald Herber (1783 - 1826)
A story was once told of two tortoises. One
tortoise lived in a well and the other tortoise lived in
the ocean. One day, the tortoise that lived in the ocean
took a journey on land and fell into the well. There,
the well-tortoise met the other tortoise and heard
from him about the ocean. The well-tortoise swam
around a section of the well and asked if the ocean was
as large as this section of the well. The ocean-tortoise
said that it was larger. Next, the well-tortoise asked if
the ocean was as large as the whole of the well. Again,
the ocean-tortoise said that it was larger. Then the
ocean-tortoise said to the well-tortoise “Your
understanding is small. As to the ocean, though you
spent many years in it, you would never be able to
explore the half of it, nor reach the limit, and it is
utterly impossible to compare it with this well of
yours.”¹ In this sense, God is like the ocean. He is 1. Spiros Zodhiates, Was Christ God? (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers,1994), 58-59.
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Haven, who worked this pioneering field. By the end
of the 18th century the gospel was well established in
Labrador.Just as Erhard and Haven were committed to
sharing the gospel with pre-Confederation Canada’s
natives, so was the great explorer and map maker,
David Thompson. Thompson, famous today for his
maps of western Canada, (some of which are still in
use today), suffered great hardships in his frontier
exploration. What was his motivation? He wanted to
share his faith with natives, so he carried his Bible
with him into the bush and held services. When
asked why he endured the difficulties of such a life,
he said; “...so that these physically impenetrable
barriers may be traversed and the Gospel be
spread.”²While David Thompson endured hardship in
sharing his faith with natives in western pre-
Confederation Canada, the missionary, Henry Bird
Steinhauer, did the same in the Hudson Bay
Territories. Steinhauer, a native himself, raised in a
Methodist school, became a great minister to his own
people. In 1843 he moved to Norway House at the
northern tip of Lake Winnipeg. He began reaching
out to the Cree Indians but his mission was not easy.
All around him was starvation, the deaths of
children, smallpox and tribal war. However, he
persevered and his faith made a real impact. He died
in December of 1884. When a rebellion sprung up
the following year, to honor his friend, Steinhauer,
“the man of God who taught peace”, one native chief
did not involve his tribe in the conflict.³2. David Thompson, quoted in Canada: Portraits of the Faith website, http://ca.geocities.com, retrieved February, 2004.3. Michael Clarke, Canada: Portraits of the Faith, (1998), 47.
Erhard, Haven, Alline, Thompson and
Steinhauer were men whose lives were godly examples
for others to see and follow. Their pre-Confederation
witness was followed and many others had deep
experiences of Christian faith that carried over into the
Confederation period. One such person was Sir
Samuel Leonard Tilley. Tilley was a committed
Christian. He was also the premier of New Brunswick
and a Father of Confederation. When the Fathers of
Confederation were discussing the drafting of the
British North America Act (1867), they spent time
discussing what the new country should be called.
After reading Psalm 72.8, which says; “He shall have
dominion also from sea to sea, and from the River unto
the ends of the earth.”, Tilly was drawn to the word
dominion. He proposed calling the young country
“The Dominion of Canada.” Enough of the other
founding Fathers liked this, and The Dominion of
Canada was agreed upon. Just as Tilley wanted to see God have dominion
over Canada, so did Egerton Ryerson (1803-1882).
Ryerson was a Methodist minister, but he was more
than a minister. He has been called the “Founder of
Public Education in Ontario.” He was the first
principal of Victoria College in Coburg, Ontario.
Upon being inaugurated to that position, he said that
the school would have “...a balanced curriculum,
infused with the ‘fundamentals of Christian
theology...’”4 He said that the Ontario school system
was to be a “Christian public school system.”5
4. Michael Clarke, Canada: Portraits of the Faith, (1998), 45.5. Canada: Portraits of the Faith website, , retrieved February 2004.http://ca.geocities.com
disaster. The centurion decided not to harbor the
vessel, disregarding Paul’s warning. The storm
worsened to the point that the crew gave up hope that
they would survive it. In the midst of this crisis, the
stability and godliness of Paul was noticeable to all. He
assured them that there would be no loss of life, for an
angel had told him that he would be brought before
Caesar. Paul instructed them to run the ship aground
onto a certain island. Some of the crew thought it would
be best for them if they escaped from the ship. Paul
warned the centurion that “…Unless these men stay in
the ship, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 27.31). The
centurion immediately cut away the ropes to the escape
raft. After a prolonged time at sea, Paul encouraged
everyone on board that they should eat, and that
everyone would survive. In the presence of all of them,
he thanked God for their food. In the end, they all made
it to land with no loss of life. (see Acts 27). Even though Paul was a prisoner on this voyage,
in the midst of a perilous crisis, he became a
leader. We know of no one else on the boat who had a
relationship with God, one that could bring security and
stability to this situation. While the others feared for
their lives, the godly Paul trusted God for deliverance.
He not only trusted in God for deliverance, he
experienced that deliverance. His deliverance also
meant the deliverance of the others with him. I believe that the world in which we live is much
like the vessel in the storm. As secular society voyages
farther and farther away from God, through unbelief
and worldliness, her stability and security is vanishing.
Society is unraveling and self-destructing as it continues
on its present course. Many within society are
concerned about the high waves that are crashing
furiously against the boat. There had better be some
Pauls, some Daniels and some John the Baptists to show
the way back. They are needed to bring stability and
security to those who are without it or, at least, to help
those who are without it to find that stability and
security in God. John, Daniel and Paul are no longer
with us, but Christian, have we not the Spirit of Christ?
Have we built our house upon the rock of hearing and
obeying the words of Jesus? Are we an unshakable reed
amidst the wind? Do we have an excellent spirit? Is it
true of us that none of these things move us, and that we
don’t count our lives dear to ourselves? Could it be that,
even now, God is preparing us in response to those who
plead for the godly?
Shawn Stevens
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Some years later, The 1896 Ontario Public
School Act stated; “...it shall be the duty of every
teacher of a public school to teach diligently and
faithfully all of the subjects in the public school...to
maintain proper order and discipline in his pupils in the
pursuit of learning; to include, by precept and example,
respect for religion and the principles of Christian
morality and the highest regard for truth, justice, love
of country, humanity, benevolence, sobriety, industry,
frugality, purity, temperance and all other virtues.”6
I have listed a number of examples of early
Christian leaders who had godly influence upon
Canada in Canada’s past. Many examples could be
given of modern Christian leaders who have
influenced Canada. I will mention one, Ernest
Manning (1908-1996). Manning was a
fundamentalist lay-preacher who helped William
Aberhart (“Bible Bill”) to found the Social Credit
Party, a party which won Alberta’s provincial election
in 1935. When Aberhart passed away in 1943,
Manning filled the position of premier. As well as
being the premier of Alberta, Manning was the host
of a Christian radio program called Back to The
Bible Hour. During the 1950s and 1960s the program
was broadcast, not only in Alberta, but across
Canada. Manning was very evangelistic and told his
6. Ibid
audience of their need to be born again. After his
broadcasts, he would sign off as “The Premier.” Some
did not like the way Manning combined his faith with
politics, or the way he signed off as “The Premier.”
However, the fact still remained that Manning was a
Christian and he was the premier. Manning’s program
was hugely popular and reached an estimated peak of
between 20,000 and 25,000 households. In 1961 the
radio program was rated number one in Halifax.From Erhart and Haven to Alline and
Steinhaurer, many pre-Confederation Canadians
stood for God and for the Christian faith. Their legacy
continued into Confederation as leaders, like Tilly, had
a public burden for Canada to be under God’s
dominion. Even the public school system in Ontario, at
one time, reflected godly principles and values. Also,
Christian spiritual and political leaders, such as
Manning, did what they could to turn Canada back to
the Bible. Our generation of Canadians has much
ground to regain from the erosion of our nations early
days of faith. May the Lordship of Jesus Christ be
recognised once again, and may Canadians shout with
one voice that God shall have dominion from sea to sea.
Shawn Stevens
References:
Kryskow, Faytene C. Stand On Guard : A Prophetic Call & Research On The
Righteous Foundations of Canada. Vancouver: Credo Publishing, 2005.Van Die, Marguerite. ed. Religion and Public Life in Canada : Historical and
Not only was John an example of godliness and
stability, but so was the Prophet Daniel. In another
message, we will discuss the excellent spirit that led
to Daniel’s promotion under three kings. We will
examine his godly wisdom, his purity, his courage,
his hunger to learn of God, his seriousness about
spiritual things, his mourning over sin and his
practice of petitioning God for mercy. The excellent
spirit of Daniel made him indispensable in Babylon.
When Nebuchadnezzar had his troubling dreams,
only Daniel had revelatory understanding to explain
them. When Daniel did explain Nebuchadnezzar’s
first dream, Nebuchadnezzar responded in this way:
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face,
prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they
should present an offering and incense to him. The
king answered Daniel, and said, ‘Truly your God is the
God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of
secrets, since you could reveal this secret.’ Then the
king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts;
and he made him ruler over the whole province of
Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men
of Babylon. Daniel 2.46-48
Similarly, when Daniel was the only one who could
explain to Belshazzar the meaning of the supernatural
handwriting on the wall, Belshazzar responded in this
way; “Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they
clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold
around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning
him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.”
(Daniel 5.29). Both Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar
recognized the importance of a godly and stable man,
such as Daniel.As well as Daniel being an example of godliness
and stability, so was the Apostle Paul. There are many
examples of him displaying these qualities throughout
his ministry years. Even upon hearing prophecies that
chains and tribulations awaited him in Jerusalem, we
hear him say; “But none of these things move me; nor
do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my
race with joy, and the ministry which I received from
the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of
God.” (Acts 20.24). On one occasion he was traveling
aboard a ship as a prisoner. Paul, and those with him,
encountered rough weather and Paul warned the
centurion present that the voyage would end in a
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the godly; “For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the LORD upholds the righteous.”(Psalm 37.17)
Jesus also taught about the stability of those who heard
and obeyed His words. In the form of a parable, He
said:
‘Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and
does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his
house on the rock: ‘and the rain descended, the floods
came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it
did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. ‘But
everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not
do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house
on the sand: ‘and the rain descended, the floods came,
and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.
And great was its fall.’
Matthew 7.24-27
We can see this kind of stability in the godly
example of John the Baptist. John began preaching in
the wilderness of Judea, calling people to repent. We
learn from the Scriptures that he was a fulfillment of the
Isaiah prophecy which told of “The voice of one crying
in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make
straight in the desert … ' ” (Isaiah 40.3). On one
occasion, Jesus questioned a listening multitude about
what they thought of John. He asked; “…What did you
go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the
CANADIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM
Most Canadians are unaware that, when
singing Canada’s national anthem today, they are
singing an abbreviated version of the original song.
Our national anthem was written as a poem by Robert
Stanley Weir in 1908. With the exception of the
phrase God keep our land glorious and free, which was
added in 1980, it read:
O Canada, Our home and native land!True patriot love in all thy sons command;
With glowing hearts we see thee rise, The true North, strong and freeFrom far and wide, O Canada
We stand on guard, for theeGod keep our land,Glorious and free,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.O Canada! Where pines and maples grow, Great prairies spread and lordly rivers flow
How dear to us thy broad domain,From East to Western Sea,
Thou land of hope for all who toil!Thou true North, strong and free!
Canada! Beneath thy shining skies,May stalwart sons and gentle maidens rise,
To keep thee steadfast through the yearsFrom East to Western sea,
Our own beloved native land!Our true North, strong and fee!
Ruler Supreme, who hearest humble prayer,Hold our Dominion in Thy loving car,
Help us to find, O God, in Thee,A lasting, rich reward,
As waiting for the better dayWe ever stand on guard.
Taken from Stand on Guard
Reference:Kryskow, Faytene C. Stand on Guard: A Prophetic Call & ResearchOn the Righteous Foundations of Canada.Vancouver: Credo Publishing, 2005, page 196
A PLEA FOR THE GODLY
Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
Psalm 12.1
In a Psalm to God, King David laments the
disappearing of godly and faithful men. He knows that
godly men and women have stability in their own lives,
and bring that stability to their nations. A
disappearance of this kind warrants cries to God, both
in his time and in ours. From God’s Word, we learn that the grace of
God teaches “…us that, denying ungodliness and
worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and
godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope
and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior
Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might
redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for
Himself His own special people, zealous for good
works.” (Titus 2.12-14). One result of living a godly life is the acquiring
of wisdom. We learn of God that “He stores up sound
wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk
uprightly;” (Proverbs 2.7). This wisdom gives the
Christian stability while walking through an unstable
world. The very arm of the Lord stabilizes and upholds
wind?” (Matthew 11.7). I believe that the answer to
this question is “No.” John was anything but “a reed
shaken by the wind.” He was not blown over by the
winds of adversity, nor by the winds of change, nor by
the winds of false doctrine. John stood firm and
declared boldly the wisdom that he had learned from
God. He was not afraid to rebuke the Pharisees (see
Matthew 3.7-9). Even King Herod feared and
respected John. Though Herod held John in prison,
he protected him from Herod’s wife, Herodias, for
some time. In Scripture, we read; “Therefore
Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him,
but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing
that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him.
And when he heard him, he did many things, and
heard him gladly.” (Mark 6.19-20). Throughout his
time of ministering in the desert of Judea, and
throughout his time of imprisonment and martyrdom,
John was a godly, stable and unshakable reed.
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the godly; “For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the LORD upholds the righteous.”(Psalm 37.17)
Jesus also taught about the stability of those who heard
and obeyed His words. In the form of a parable, He
said:
‘Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and
does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his
house on the rock: ‘and the rain descended, the floods
came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it
did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. ‘But
everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not
do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house
on the sand: ‘and the rain descended, the floods came,
and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.
And great was its fall.’
Matthew 7.24-27
We can see this kind of stability in the godly
example of John the Baptist. John began preaching in
the wilderness of Judea, calling people to repent. We
learn from the Scriptures that he was a fulfillment of the
Isaiah prophecy which told of “The voice of one crying
in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make
straight in the desert … ' ” (Isaiah 40.3). On one
occasion, Jesus questioned a listening multitude about
what they thought of John. He asked; “…What did you
go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the
CANADIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM
Most Canadians are unaware that, when
singing Canada’s national anthem today, they are
singing an abbreviated version of the original song.
Our national anthem was written as a poem by Robert
Stanley Weir in 1908. With the exception of the
phrase God keep our land glorious and free, which was
added in 1980, it read:
O Canada, Our home and native land!True patriot love in all thy sons command;
With glowing hearts we see thee rise, The true North, strong and freeFrom far and wide, O Canada
We stand on guard, for theeGod keep our land,Glorious and free,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.O Canada! Where pines and maples grow, Great prairies spread and lordly rivers flow
How dear to us thy broad domain,From East to Western Sea,
Thou land of hope for all who toil!Thou true North, strong and free!
Canada! Beneath thy shining skies,May stalwart sons and gentle maidens rise,
To keep thee steadfast through the yearsFrom East to Western sea,
Our own beloved native land!Our true North, strong and fee!
Ruler Supreme, who hearest humble prayer,Hold our Dominion in Thy loving car,
Help us to find, O God, in Thee,A lasting, rich reward,
As waiting for the better dayWe ever stand on guard.
Taken from Stand on Guard
Reference:Kryskow, Faytene C. Stand on Guard: A Prophetic Call & ResearchOn the Righteous Foundations of Canada.Vancouver: Credo Publishing, 2005, page 196
A PLEA FOR THE GODLY
Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
Psalm 12.1
In a Psalm to God, King David laments the
disappearing of godly and faithful men. He knows that
godly men and women have stability in their own lives,
and bring that stability to their nations. A
disappearance of this kind warrants cries to God, both
in his time and in ours. From God’s Word, we learn that the grace of
God teaches “…us that, denying ungodliness and
worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and
godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope
and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior
Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might
redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for
Himself His own special people, zealous for good
works.” (Titus 2.12-14). One result of living a godly life is the acquiring
of wisdom. We learn of God that “He stores up sound
wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk
uprightly;” (Proverbs 2.7). This wisdom gives the
Christian stability while walking through an unstable
world. The very arm of the Lord stabilizes and upholds
wind?” (Matthew 11.7). I believe that the answer to
this question is “No.” John was anything but “a reed
shaken by the wind.” He was not blown over by the
winds of adversity, nor by the winds of change, nor by
the winds of false doctrine. John stood firm and
declared boldly the wisdom that he had learned from
God. He was not afraid to rebuke the Pharisees (see
Matthew 3.7-9). Even King Herod feared and
respected John. Though Herod held John in prison,
he protected him from Herod’s wife, Herodias, for
some time. In Scripture, we read; “Therefore
Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him,
but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing
that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him.
And when he heard him, he did many things, and
heard him gladly.” (Mark 6.19-20). Throughout his
time of ministering in the desert of Judea, and
throughout his time of imprisonment and martyrdom,
John was a godly, stable and unshakable reed.
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Some years later, The 1896 Ontario Public
School Act stated; “...it shall be the duty of every
teacher of a public school to teach diligently and
faithfully all of the subjects in the public school...to
maintain proper order and discipline in his pupils in the
pursuit of learning; to include, by precept and example,
respect for religion and the principles of Christian
morality and the highest regard for truth, justice, love
of country, humanity, benevolence, sobriety, industry,
frugality, purity, temperance and all other virtues.”6
I have listed a number of examples of early
Christian leaders who had godly influence upon
Canada in Canada’s past. Many examples could be
given of modern Christian leaders who have
influenced Canada. I will mention one, Ernest
Manning (1908-1996). Manning was a
fundamentalist lay-preacher who helped William
Aberhart (“Bible Bill”) to found the Social Credit
Party, a party which won Alberta’s provincial election
in 1935. When Aberhart passed away in 1943,
Manning filled the position of premier. As well as
being the premier of Alberta, Manning was the host
of a Christian radio program called Back to The
Bible Hour. During the 1950s and 1960s the program
was broadcast, not only in Alberta, but across
Canada. Manning was very evangelistic and told his
6. Ibid
audience of their need to be born again. After his
broadcasts, he would sign off as “The Premier.” Some
did not like the way Manning combined his faith with
politics, or the way he signed off as “The Premier.”
However, the fact still remained that Manning was a
Christian and he was the premier. Manning’s program
was hugely popular and reached an estimated peak of
between 20,000 and 25,000 households. In 1961 the
radio program was rated number one in Halifax.From Erhart and Haven to Alline and
Steinhaurer, many pre-Confederation Canadians
stood for God and for the Christian faith. Their legacy
continued into Confederation as leaders, like Tilly, had
a public burden for Canada to be under God’s
dominion. Even the public school system in Ontario, at
one time, reflected godly principles and values. Also,
Christian spiritual and political leaders, such as
Manning, did what they could to turn Canada back to
the Bible. Our generation of Canadians has much
ground to regain from the erosion of our nations early
days of faith. May the Lordship of Jesus Christ be
recognised once again, and may Canadians shout with
one voice that God shall have dominion from sea to sea.
Shawn Stevens
References:
Kryskow, Faytene C. Stand On Guard : A Prophetic Call & Research On The
Righteous Foundations of Canada. Vancouver: Credo Publishing, 2005.Van Die, Marguerite. ed. Religion and Public Life in Canada : Historical and
Not only was John an example of godliness and
stability, but so was the Prophet Daniel. In another
message, we will discuss the excellent spirit that led
to Daniel’s promotion under three kings. We will
examine his godly wisdom, his purity, his courage,
his hunger to learn of God, his seriousness about
spiritual things, his mourning over sin and his
practice of petitioning God for mercy. The excellent
spirit of Daniel made him indispensable in Babylon.
When Nebuchadnezzar had his troubling dreams,
only Daniel had revelatory understanding to explain
them. When Daniel did explain Nebuchadnezzar’s
first dream, Nebuchadnezzar responded in this way:
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face,
prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they
should present an offering and incense to him. The
king answered Daniel, and said, ‘Truly your God is the
God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of
secrets, since you could reveal this secret.’ Then the
king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts;
and he made him ruler over the whole province of
Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men
of Babylon. Daniel 2.46-48
Similarly, when Daniel was the only one who could
explain to Belshazzar the meaning of the supernatural
handwriting on the wall, Belshazzar responded in this
way; “Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they
clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold
around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning
him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.”
(Daniel 5.29). Both Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar
recognized the importance of a godly and stable man,
such as Daniel.As well as Daniel being an example of godliness
and stability, so was the Apostle Paul. There are many
examples of him displaying these qualities throughout
his ministry years. Even upon hearing prophecies that
chains and tribulations awaited him in Jerusalem, we
hear him say; “But none of these things move me; nor
do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my
race with joy, and the ministry which I received from
the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of
God.” (Acts 20.24). On one occasion he was traveling
aboard a ship as a prisoner. Paul, and those with him,
encountered rough weather and Paul warned the
centurion present that the voyage would end in a
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Haven, who worked this pioneering field. By the end
of the 18th century the gospel was well established in
Labrador.Just as Erhard and Haven were committed to
sharing the gospel with pre-Confederation Canada’s
natives, so was the great explorer and map maker,
David Thompson. Thompson, famous today for his
maps of western Canada, (some of which are still in
use today), suffered great hardships in his frontier
exploration. What was his motivation? He wanted to
share his faith with natives, so he carried his Bible
with him into the bush and held services. When
asked why he endured the difficulties of such a life,
he said; “...so that these physically impenetrable
barriers may be traversed and the Gospel be
spread.”²While David Thompson endured hardship in
sharing his faith with natives in western pre-
Confederation Canada, the missionary, Henry Bird
Steinhauer, did the same in the Hudson Bay
Territories. Steinhauer, a native himself, raised in a
Methodist school, became a great minister to his own
people. In 1843 he moved to Norway House at the
northern tip of Lake Winnipeg. He began reaching
out to the Cree Indians but his mission was not easy.
All around him was starvation, the deaths of
children, smallpox and tribal war. However, he
persevered and his faith made a real impact. He died
in December of 1884. When a rebellion sprung up
the following year, to honor his friend, Steinhauer,
“the man of God who taught peace”, one native chief
did not involve his tribe in the conflict.³2. David Thompson, quoted in Canada: Portraits of the Faith website, http://ca.geocities.com, retrieved February, 2004.3. Michael Clarke, Canada: Portraits of the Faith, (1998), 47.
Erhard, Haven, Alline, Thompson and
Steinhauer were men whose lives were godly examples
for others to see and follow. Their pre-Confederation
witness was followed and many others had deep
experiences of Christian faith that carried over into the
Confederation period. One such person was Sir
Samuel Leonard Tilley. Tilley was a committed
Christian. He was also the premier of New Brunswick
and a Father of Confederation. When the Fathers of
Confederation were discussing the drafting of the
British North America Act (1867), they spent time
discussing what the new country should be called.
After reading Psalm 72.8, which says; “He shall have
dominion also from sea to sea, and from the River unto
the ends of the earth.”, Tilly was drawn to the word
dominion. He proposed calling the young country
“The Dominion of Canada.” Enough of the other
founding Fathers liked this, and The Dominion of
Canada was agreed upon. Just as Tilley wanted to see God have dominion
over Canada, so did Egerton Ryerson (1803-1882).
Ryerson was a Methodist minister, but he was more
than a minister. He has been called the “Founder of
Public Education in Ontario.” He was the first
principal of Victoria College in Coburg, Ontario.
Upon being inaugurated to that position, he said that
the school would have “...a balanced curriculum,
infused with the ‘fundamentals of Christian
theology...’”4 He said that the Ontario school system
was to be a “Christian public school system.”5
4. Michael Clarke, Canada: Portraits of the Faith, (1998), 45.5. Canada: Portraits of the Faith website, , retrieved February 2004.http://ca.geocities.com
disaster. The centurion decided not to harbor the
vessel, disregarding Paul’s warning. The storm
worsened to the point that the crew gave up hope that
they would survive it. In the midst of this crisis, the
stability and godliness of Paul was noticeable to all. He
assured them that there would be no loss of life, for an
angel had told him that he would be brought before
Caesar. Paul instructed them to run the ship aground
onto a certain island. Some of the crew thought it would
be best for them if they escaped from the ship. Paul
warned the centurion that “…Unless these men stay in
the ship, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 27.31). The
centurion immediately cut away the ropes to the escape
raft. After a prolonged time at sea, Paul encouraged
everyone on board that they should eat, and that
everyone would survive. In the presence of all of them,
he thanked God for their food. In the end, they all made
it to land with no loss of life. (see Acts 27). Even though Paul was a prisoner on this voyage,
in the midst of a perilous crisis, he became a
leader. We know of no one else on the boat who had a
relationship with God, one that could bring security and
stability to this situation. While the others feared for
their lives, the godly Paul trusted God for deliverance.
He not only trusted in God for deliverance, he
experienced that deliverance. His deliverance also
meant the deliverance of the others with him. I believe that the world in which we live is much
like the vessel in the storm. As secular society voyages
farther and farther away from God, through unbelief
and worldliness, her stability and security is vanishing.
Society is unraveling and self-destructing as it continues
on its present course. Many within society are
concerned about the high waves that are crashing
furiously against the boat. There had better be some
Pauls, some Daniels and some John the Baptists to show
the way back. They are needed to bring stability and
security to those who are without it or, at least, to help
those who are without it to find that stability and
security in God. John, Daniel and Paul are no longer
with us, but Christian, have we not the Spirit of Christ?
Have we built our house upon the rock of hearing and
obeying the words of Jesus? Are we an unshakable reed
amidst the wind? Do we have an excellent spirit? Is it
true of us that none of these things move us, and that we
don’t count our lives dear to ourselves? Could it be that,
even now, God is preparing us in response to those who
plead for the godly?
Shawn Stevens
-4-
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vast and awesome. Although no man will ever
understand Him fully (with the exception of Jesus Christ
who is both God and man and who does understand),
there are those who understand Him in part. The
tortoise did not know the full totality of the ocean, but he
did know the ocean enough, from having swum in it for
years, to be able to talk about it. God is like the ocean,
only vaster. Although no one (but Himself) knows Him
fully, there are still those who know Him in part, those
who swim in this ocean.
There have been many men in history who have
challenged the claim that men can know God.
Philosophers, such as Plato, taught that God was beyond
finding out. Even Middle Age theologians, such as
Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274), taught that knowing and
describing God must be done indirectly and that we
come to know him through analogy and inference. The
medieval concept of God was that He was greatly
transcendent (medieval mysticism is an exception to
this) and ineffable (too overwhelming to be
communicated in words). This is not entirely untrue,
THE CHRISTIAN HERITAGE OF CANADA
Its landscape is covered with snowy mountain
peaks, broad open plains, shimmering, pristine lakes
and mighty roaring rivers. It is the land of endless
forests, the land of the beaver, and the land of the
maple leaf – Canada. It stretches 5,500 kilometers
from the Yukon Territory and the Alaska border to
Cape Spear, Newfoundland. Yet with all of its
grandeur, only ten percent of its land mass is
permanently settled and populated. Those who settled
this great land and country were a mixed sort. They
came from different countries and even different
continents; they came from different social
backgrounds; they came from different language
groups. However, they all came to a virgin land which
was too large for any one person or group to subdue. It
would take a united effort to form what is now The
Dominion of Canada. It would also take more than
human effort or ingenuity. It would take God and a
living faith in God to lay solid foundations for this
young country. From its beginning to its present, God
has been very active in Canada. Likewise, there are
many in Canada's history who had such faith in God as
to lay down proper foundations. Canada has drifted
from these foundations, but the final chapter of her
history has not yet been written. In this article, we will
trace some of our steps backwards in time to the faith-
filled lives of some early Canadians.
Before Canada was even organized into a
nation, God was moving in and through the lives of
people on its native soil. Immediately prior to the
United States War of Independence (1776), many
British Loyalists moved North and settled in the area
of Nova Scotia. They were fleeing the tumult of a war
which was about to break out, but did not know that
t h e y w e r e s t e p p i n g i n t o a r e v i v a l ! A
Congregationalist, named Henry Alline, ministered in
that region and carried a strong evangelistic message.
Hundreds of souls were saved in what became known
as The New Light Revival. The revival began to spread
to other Atlantic provinces. One minister who
preached in Saint John, New Brunswick, said of that
city; “...one can hardly go through the streets of this
city without hearing the voice of praise or seeing the
young men assembling together for prayer.”¹Just as God was moving in pre-Confederation
Nova Scotia, and other provinces, He was also moving
through missionaries in Labrador close to the same
time. In 1752 the Moravian missionary, Christian
Erhard, and some helpers, came to the Eskimos of
Labrador. Unfortunately, they were killed by them.
Erhard was followed by another missionary, Fens1. Joshua Marsden, quoted in Rev. Barry P. Boucher, Canada's Spiritual Heritage, http://www.watchmen.org, retrieved December, 2004.
THE KNOWABILITY OF GOD
Holy, Holy, Holy all the saints adore Thee,Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;Cherubim and Seraphim falling down before Thee,Which wert and art, and evermore shall be.
Reginald Herber (1783 - 1826)
A story was once told of two tortoises. One
tortoise lived in a well and the other tortoise lived in
the ocean. One day, the tortoise that lived in the ocean
took a journey on land and fell into the well. There,
the well-tortoise met the other tortoise and heard
from him about the ocean. The well-tortoise swam
around a section of the well and asked if the ocean was
as large as this section of the well. The ocean-tortoise
said that it was larger. Next, the well-tortoise asked if
the ocean was as large as the whole of the well. Again,
the ocean-tortoise said that it was larger. Then the
ocean-tortoise said to the well-tortoise “Your
understanding is small. As to the ocean, though you
spent many years in it, you would never be able to
explore the half of it, nor reach the limit, and it is
utterly impossible to compare it with this well of
yours.”¹ In this sense, God is like the ocean. He is 1. Spiros Zodhiates, Was Christ God? (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers,1994), 58-59.
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IN THIS ISSUE
THE CHRISTIAN HERITAGE OF CANADA
...................................................................3
CANADIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM
.............................................................6
A PLEA FOR THE GODLY
.............................................................6
THE KNOWABILITY OF GOD
...........................................................10
AZUSA SERIES - A POINT OF
CLARIFICATION
...........................................................12
Once again, summer has come and gone and the fall season is now here. Welcome back to The Pentecost magazine, which is now starting up again after a two-month summer break. From September to November, we will be running with the theme of Christian heritage and revival in Canada. We are also beginning a series of articles on the doctrine of God. Our last series of articles was on the Azusa Street Revival. Although the Azusa series is now ended, I will probably pick it up again some time in the future. It is great to be back and to have you reading with us again! God bless you!
Shawn Stevens
THE PENTECOST
ZionShawn Stevens
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 933,Lynden, WA 98264 USA
Phone
Email [email protected]
604.533.4168
Christian Ministry
ZionShawn Stevens
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 933,Lynden, WA 98264 USA
Phone
Email [email protected]
604.854.8141
Christian Ministry
My prayer for you all, as you read these next issues of The
Pentecost outlining the biblical foundations of Canada and
the men and women who counted the cost to stand for
Jesus and bring about revival in Canada, is that you will be
inspired and encouraged to fulfill the calling that the Lord
has on your life and see your nation change.
Ramona Stevens
but it is not the full picture of God’s character. God is a
personal God who loves men and women. One view is
that this emphasis on transcendence traces back to the
teachings of Augustine (354-430).2 Regardless of where
this view began, and acknowledging that God does in
some ways veil Himself from sinful man, the fact still
remains that God can be known, and desires to be
known, by men and women.
How does a person know God? The only way
that we can come to know Him is through faith in His
Son, Jesus Christ. Once faith in Jesus Christ is
established in the hearts of men and women, a new
spirituality is opened up to men and women where they
receive knowledge of God through revelation into God’s
Word, the Bible, and through the experience of faith.
The Bible teaches that God is a Spirit. A spirit can only
be understood by another spirit. That is why, when God
created man, He gave him a spirit, a soul and a body. It 2. Thomas Holcroft, The Doctrine Of God (Oakland: Western Book Co., 1978), 6.
is by God’s Spirit communicating with human spirits that
He makes Himself known. That is why Paul tells us:
But as it is written:
‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,Nor have entered into the heart of manThe things which God has prepared for those who love Him.'
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.
For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep
things of God. (1 Corinthians 2: 9, 10).
The senses of hearing, touch and smell are all ways in
which our physical body takes in information. However,
God is not restricted to these senses in order to
communicate with our spirit. A touching story is that of
Helen Keller. Although she was born blind, mute, and deaf,
she learned to communicate with a teacher. The teacher
would put Helen’s hands on the teacher’s throat and lips and
Helen came to understand her speech. One day, the teacher
made efforts to share with Helen spiritual truth about God.
When she did this, Helen’s face lit up and she
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THE PENTECOSTISSUE #26 September 2008
communicated these words to her teacher; “Oh, I am
so glad you told me His name, for He has often
spoken to me!”³ God spoke to Helen regardless of her
inability to use natural senses. Although revelation
from God may not always involve reading the pages of
the Bible, all revelation that God gives to man will not
disagree with what the Bible says.Helen Keller is just one life which proves the
knowability of God. God is vaster than the oceans,
however, He can be known in part by finite men and
women. In fact, He wants to be known by such.
Knowing God comes about by placing faith in God's
Son, Jesus Christ. God bless you, as you step out in
faith and do just that.
Shawn Stevens
References :Holcroft, Thomas. The Doctrine Of God. Oakland: Western Book Co., 1978.Zodhiates, Spiros. Was Christ God? Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 1994.3. Spiros Zodhiates, Was Christ God? (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers,1994), 12.
It is September, and it is now ready. Thank you for
your patience. God Bless you.
Also, the Azusa Series article on “The Life and
Ministry of Lucy Farrow” in Issue # 24 contained a
quote from The Apostolic Faith Magazine. It says
that the quote came from the September 1907 Issue,
however, the correct Issue was May of 1908, on page
2.
Shawn Stevens
.