It’s a pleasure to interview you. I first met you when you came to Nova Scotia for a visit with your family. For those who may not know you, can you share a little about who you are, where you are from, and what your passions are in life?
Thank you for the opportunity to share with you and your readers regarding the great need of our day. My name is Trevor Stephens and I am the associate pastor at Victory Baptist Church in Sherwood Park, Alberta. I grew up on a small hobby farm in eastern Ontario just north of Cornwall. It was here that I was raised in a Christian home and came to know Christ as Saviour at the age of 14. I ended up meeting my wife, Anne, in Saskatchewan at Briercrest Bible College and we just celebrated our 17th year of marriage this year. The Lord has seen fit to bless us with 6 beautiful children (4 boys and 2 girls) ranging in age between 15 and 2. Around the year 2005/2006 my wife and I finally got serious about our Christian walk after dusting off our Bibles and that led us to the church we are at to this day. I have passion that people would take their faith seriously and “to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might” (Ephesians 6:10). When we visited Alberta in July, we came to your church. It was an incredible experience to be able to stand beside people without restrictions, singing praises to God, and listening to a good message. Clearly, your church has taken a different approach than most churches throughout Canada which decided to compromise God’s clear command to gather. What brought you to this decision and why do you think other churches have decided to take a different path? Wow, how do I answer this concisely? Like most other churches, when the alarm sounded in March of 2020 we closed our doors temporarily to accommodate the declared crisis. If the authorities come and announce that there is a deadly flood coming and we must evacuate, do you not heed their warning at face value? A part of our decision to publicly open was learning a little more about the virus and that it was not what they had been purporting, however, the biggest factor in our decision was having a biblical ecclesiology (doctrine of the church). The church as most Christians know is not the building, but rather the people. Furthermore, the greek word underlying the English word church is ekklesia which means “called out assembly.” A church by definition is one that physically assembles or congregates. When you add to this the clear command as you mentioned to gather or assemble (fulfill the duty of a church), for us it was a choice between being obedient to the One who bought us or being disobedient and elevating the authority of man above that of God. Another key factor in coming to our decision was in having a biblical understanding of Romans 13. Again, this is a subject I could speak at length about, but essentially a question that needs to be answered by Christians is: "Does Romans 13 give ultimate or complete authority to the government or are there limits to their authority?" I believe that the Bible is explicit that there are very clear established limits to their authority. Therefore, understanding the different spheres of authority was critical to us in wrestling through passages like Romans 13 or 1 Peter 2. Coming to the understanding the ‘powers that be’ are under the authority of the King of kings, the Lord Jesus Christ is essential to unpacking these passages. The government is an ordained authority just like the family is a God ordained authority as well as the church. What we find is that all three of these spheres are to be under the authority of the Lord Jesus. Although there can be some overlap, what we find is that the government does not have authority over the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. For us at Victory Baptist Church we decided there were three things in which we came to the conclusion that we did not have to obey the government. First, when the government commands us to do something that God forbids. Secondly, when the government forbids something that God commands. Thirdly, and often left out is when the government commands something that is not theirs to command. The government has a God ordained role, however, they were not given authority over education, care of the poor as is often assumed, and certainly not over the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. A further explanation of our beliefs on this issue can be found here. Most other churches have not taken this path. Some I believe sincerely disagree on our interpretation of Romans 13, 1 Peter 2, Hebrews 10:25, etc. Others, see this as only a temporary measure that they can accommodate (was not Daniel only commanded by the government to disregard God’s commands for 30 days?). I have heard of pastors fearing for their jobs and losing their congregations. Some, sincerely believe that this is how they best witness to the community or show love for their neighbour. I am convinced that there will be many pastors that will in the future weep over their stance, limiting their numbers, and turning off the lights to the lighthouse. After a brief period of restrictions being lifted, they are now back in effect in Alberta. In the past, one thing I have heard from churches that have decided to follow all the government mandates is that they don’t want to be a bad witness to their community and turn people away. From your own experience, what would you say to those who argue this point? We are certainly called to be witnesses but what is a witness? A witness is someone who tells what they know to be true. The truth is that Jesus is Lord and is the rightful Judge of all the earth. I have found that most Christians think that the best way to be a witness is to show love for your neighbour by obeying the dictates of man even if they are in conflict with God’s commands. There are many problems with this, but what I have found is that loving your neighbour has devolved into doing whatever your neighbour or the world expects or wants from you. The world does not want the truth. They don’t want to hear about how their sin has separated them from a holy God. They don’t want to hear that they will be judged for their sin. Our calling to love our neighbour is to have a genuine concern for their souls and obey the command to preach the gospel to every creature and command men everywhere to repent. What I have found in speaking to others regarding this is that they often have a man-centred theology rather than a God-centred theology. What I mean by that is that they are focused on pleasing man and being liked or well thought of by others. A God-centred theology speaks the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) and has pleasing God as their focus. Once we get our focus off of Jesus and look at others or ourselves, we quickly begin to sink (Matthew 14:29,30). You know a thing or two about the cost associated with gathering. Your brother, Tim Stephens, was arrested twice for his faithfulness to God in gathering the church. How did this affect you and your family? My brother, Pastor Tim Stephens was instrumental in our journey as we spoke at length on the phone wrestling with these issues. An interesting story is that shortly after Pastor James Coates was imprisoned I was not able to sleep as I was troubled and was praying through much of the night. The next morning I came to the conclusion that now was the time to take a bold stand. The first person I thought of to help organize something was my brother Tim. I found out that morning that he also had the same burden and that is when we started the ‘Open Alberta Churches’ campaign and I spoke at the rally a few days later for James Coates. Here is a short clip of what I said at that rally earlier this year. After James was released the pressure was really placed on Tim as he was the next target of the government. Because Tim is a faithful man and pastor he continued to call God’s people to public worship and that placed him at odds with the government. The first time Tim was jailed he was released just a few days afterwards, however, the second time he was jailed we knew it was going to be for a longer time. That is when I essentially set aside all my other duties and become singularly focused on raising awareness and organizing rallies/protests to get him out of jail. I even wrote letters to US politicians calling on them to speak against this persecution. This letter can be found here. We ended up hearing publicly from Senator Scott Hawley and former governor Scott Walker. We also held two public rallies and having speakers like James Coates (GraceLife Church), Jacob Reaume (Trinity Bible Chapel in Ontario), Michael Thiessen (Liberty Coalition of Canada), Drew Barnes (Alberta MLA), John Carpay (President of the JCCF), and Derek Sloan (MP). I posted online what I said at the rallies. Here, here, and here. The way that your brother dealt with the authorities displayed a great measure of Christlikeness. How has his testimony encouraged you in your stand for the truth? We are so pleased and proud that Tim has decided to stand for The Lordship of Jesus no matter the consequences. His zeal for truth and his courage has definitely had a big impact on me and our church. It is my prayer that if I were put in a similar position as Tim that I too would be found faithful. We are both resolved and have counted the cost to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Other than government mandates what do you see is the greatest threat to the church? How can we prepare ourselves and stand firm in the faith? I do not believe the greatest threat to the church comes from outside the church, but rather from within. And if you will allow me to be more specific, I believe the biggest issue in the church today is the one who stands behind the pulpit. We have men abdicating their responsibilities and rather than protecting and leading the sheep, they are looking out to protect themselves. I know it is a controversial message, but I believe Pastor Jacob Reaume was spot on in his message called “Where are the Shepherds.” We need to prepare ourselves by getting plugged into a solid biblical New Testament church that upholds the Lordship of Christ and a pastor that will never put man’s authority above God’s. Encourage one another, comfort one another, love one another, bear one another’s burdens, and stand firm with one another. In doing all that we look to our Lord and Saviour who has promised he will never leave us or forsake us. He has a wonderful purpose and plan through all of this. As we come to the end of this interview, what encouragement do you have for faithful churches in Canada as times are getting tough again? Despite all that God has permitted to befall us, we constantly need to remind ourselves of several stabilizing truths. Remember that God is faithful (1 Cor. 10:13), that God is on the throne (Psalm 47:8, Psalm 2), and our God is a jealous God (Ex. 34:14). These were the truths that emboldened Daniel to pray with the windows open even though he was only given a ’temporary’ command to bow the knee to the government instead of the Lord. These truths allowed those three Hebrew young men to be willing to face the fiery furnace rather than bow the knee to the idol. And these truths should stabilize us as we seek to walk in obedience to the One who has bought us with His precious blood for that is our reasonable service (Romans 12:2) and our duty (Luke 17:10) as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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This week I interviewed Devin Davis, a husband, father, and follower of Christ who has been actively bringing attention to the unjust rulings made in Alberta.
Some of my readers may recognize your name, but for those who don’t, I’d like them to get to know a little about you first. So, who are you, where are you from, and what are your passions in life? My name is Devin Davis, and I am a member of GraceLife Church of Edmonton. I was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba but moved to the town of Stony Plain, Alberta when I was 11 years old. I’ve lived around the Edmonton area ever since. I’m a motorcycle enthusiast, and a bass player at church but my passion is collecting high end bibles, and my wife and three children. Since being saved I have been very passionate about defending the bible to others and the inerrancy of scripture. You started a Facebook page called “Free James Coates” around the time he was arrested. He was your pastor, correct? How has his testimony encouraged you in your stand for the truth? My wife and I came up with the idea to make the page because “freejamescoates” became a trending hashtag and we decided that it would be a good idea to make the page because we didn’t want someone unassociated with the church making one first. James’ testimony and the stand he took has inspired me to keep standing for truth. His stance has demonstrated to me that even difficult situations arise for our good as believers. I have seen the fruit that resulted from opposing unjust government mandates. God puts us through hard situations sometimes but there is always purpose to everything He does or allows to happen to His followers. God has been glorified through the arrest of James and we have seen atheists come to Christ from the online exposure and people from apostate or heretical denominations flee those situations and run to orthodox bible believing churches. Lastly his stand demonstrated to me that nothing material is worth keeping if it comes between us and honouring Christ. His refusal to allow the government to dictate the terms of worship to Christ’ Church has given me a proper understanding that God will provide for us when we do what He commands. You are quite vocal on your social media accounts about the evils that are taking place in our nation. What gives you the courage to speak out against these things The single most empowering belief I have that allows me to publicly speak the truth is my faith in Christ and Christ alone. God gave me a platform when GraceLife was fenced off and I created the “Devin Davis” Facebook Page and made the decision that I would use it until it was taken from me. So far, I’ve mostly been able to avoid Facebook’s scrutiny because I try to be somewhat careful. I don’t fear backlash because at this point in our current social climate I don’t believe I have anything to lose. From what I have seen, many Christians are either buying into the narrative or being silent about what is happening in our country. Why do you think this is? How could this be reversed? I asked Jacob Reaume of Trinity Bible Chapel a similar question and his response to me was “the biggest problem in Canadian churches is an unregenerate clergy”. I believe this to be mostly true. Most churches don’t have a biblical leadership structure. Orthodox, bible teaching pastors can be fired by a council of board members and the pastors have no authority as elders to make hard decisions. There is a deep lack of discernment among Christians to interpret truth. Anyone speaking the truth is bludgeoned with the phrase “judge not” or “God is love”. The long taught method of seeker friendlyism has created a system where churches must appeal to the world and take the same stance as the world or no one will come and visit their church. I believe what the individual Christian can do is refuse to support these weak churches any further. If a Christian knows there are massive issues they should stop trying to turn a titanic around and instead leave peacefully and properly and start attending a church that was built around gospel believers worshipping together and the preaching of Gods word. The only way this can be reversed is through biblical preaching being highlighted and put to the forefront. Believers need to make sure they attend churches where the leadership has been appointed to their roles properly and the men in leadership are qualified for their positions. Some Christians believe that faith and politics don’t mix. What role does your faith play in speaking out and fighting for what is right? Faith and politics must inevitably come together. Faith in Christ should be an all consuming belief that affects every aspect of your life. Christians need to have a consistent biblical worldview and interpret everything through that lens. In the case of Covid; it became clear quickly that there was an ulterior motive to the decisions our governments were making and so believers who had a strong biblical foundation were able to resist the government overreach into our churches. The churches that submitted already had one foot (or both feet) thoroughly in the world. Christians do not kneel to idols. Personal safety and a desire to avoid offence has become an idol in North American Churches. Politicians in North America still pretend to have a Christian veneer and even quote scripture to persuade believers. When politicians pretend to be believers then the church must also hold them accountable to the standard of a believer. Roman 13 teaches us that the government has a government ordained duty to punish evildoers and they are to stay within the lane that has been laid out for them in scripture. The Christian’s job is to hold them to what God has ordained as their role as the Government. Thanks for taking the time to respond to these questions. Is there anything you’d like to say as we come to the end of this interview? Yes, I would like to say that I am not in leadership at GraceLife Church and my opinions are my own and not a representation of the leadership’ beliefs on the subjects discussed. I may have stronger opinions than most on the state of other churches. Thanks to Devin for one of my top three favorite interviews! You can follow him on facebook and instagram. Thank you for doing another written interview with me Bill. Today I want to discuss about a different issue which is also important to you – Human-trafficking. What got you involved in bringing awareness to this issue? In 2018 I was asked to help put together an awareness event for sex trafficking which turned into a one day mini-conference at the New Hope Wesleyan Church sponsored by the Valley Care Pregnancy Centre. We pulled together a team to research the issue and I was overwhelmed by what we found and how it exists here in the Valley. The most helpful resources included interviews with those who had been trafficked and the RCMP who, at that time, were just in the process of developing a Human Trafficking Unit here in Nova Scotia. Some people may not be aware of what human trafficking is and where it takes place. Could you elaborate on what this activity is and where it happens most often here in Nova Scotia? In order to answer your questions, I will be drawing from the trafficking portion of our website (www.takennomore.com) which has even more information. According to the Alliance for Freedom, Restoration, and Justice, human trafficking is modern slavery for purposes of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, or organ trafficking. At present, there are an estimated 40.3 million enslaved by this kind of exploitation in the world – more than at any point in our world’s history. Human trafficking is an evil and global business that generates an estimated annual profit of $150 billion through the sale and exploitation of souls. Here in Nova Scotia, the human trafficking we have by far is sex trafficking – the purposeful manipulation of (mostly) young women and girls, trapping them both psychologically and physically, into a life of sexual slavery for profit. According to the Nova Scotia Government’s website, “Nova Scotia has the highest rate of human trafficking incidents in the country.” What are some of the underlining factors that feed into this activity? Cst. Kelli Gaudet (Kings County), told a reporter that sex trafficking is "a modern-day form of slavery that’s affecting our youth in Kings County.” Why? Because young women in our rural communities are being targeted as easy prey. Here in our rural, laid-back lifestyle, we are mostly unaware and therefore unguarded when it comes to this evil. RCMP officers working in Nova Scotia say that sex trafficking in our province is a "hidden epidemic." Recruiters of victims lure a girl, enticing her by making her feel special, including her in special events, buying her clothes, trips to big cities or even a promise of love. She receives the attention willingly, but it doesn't take long before she finds herself trapped in a prison of unexpected debt, abuse, fear and forced sex – shuttled around to Halifax, Moncton, Toronto and other cities across Canada and the USA. Escape for the victim is extremely complex once her (male or female) recruiter has often formed an emotional bond with her (and perhaps even had a child with her). She may be told that unless she sells herself, her recruiter will share incriminating video with her family or friends. She may be threatened with violence toward herself or her family and/or be threatened by those who have bought sex from her. It is also very difficult for her to trust authorities because often those who buy sex from her are teachers, judges and people in authority themselves. She feels trapped. One mother of a trafficked girl told a reporter regarding how recruiters can so easily reach young women, “It doesn’t matter if you have a mother or father. It doesn’t matter if you’re loved. Sometimes you feel neglected, and these people (recruiters) seem to get you at this point. It’s not easy growing up.” As Christians, we are called to protect the vulnerable. How can we best do this as an individual and as a church? With sex trafficking being such a huge issue, people often wonder, “What can I do now?” UNICEF says, “Do not participate in the cause. The demand of consumers for pornography and buyers for the online sexual exploitation of children, men, and women drives trafficking behaviors.” Bring awareness to the issue. RCMP Cst. Kelli Gaudet says that public awareness is the best tool in combating this problem. She said, "the more people know about this, the more it will prevent our girls and boys from getting in with this." We need to bring awareness to what is taking place. This responsibility lies with each community. At the same time, public awareness can make it appear that something is being done about it. Not much is being done at the moment. Become involved in people’s lives. Traffickers target those with addictions, mental health struggles but also children with a cell phone as young as 12. Parents need to know what is on their child’s cell phone and social media accounts. Further, our community and churches must step up to love the vulnerable. We have to become more pro-active in befriending and loving our neighbour. This means more than “programs”. We really need to get in our community and volunteer and visit one another and just plain love one another. There are not enough professionals to handle this crisis in our community. The answer is for each one of us to take responsibility for ourselves and for those around us. We must invest our hearts and lives in caring for our neighbors. It is often the vulnerable and disadvantaged and young and naive that are most often lured, manipulated and enslaved by this evil of sex trafficking. Only the love and compassion of God working through those who have accepted His love can change the heart deceived by sex trafficking (including the heart of the enslaved girl or boy, the trafficker and the users). We have more info on how you can become involved in preventing this evil from continuing on our website. You can check it out on our "Fight Human Trafficking" section. What are some signs we should be aware of when we are out in public? Whether it’s in public or private, here is a list of what to look for. Situations where a person …
How have you seen lives changed as you served to bring awareness to this issue? One girl here in the Valley called us because her parents were trafficking her. We were able to see that she was rescued and made safe. Parents of trafficked girls here in the Valley have shared their stories with us and we were able to support them and direct them to where they can get help. Many others have said how much they appreciate the education and awareness they have received through the conferences and online resources. Thanks for taking the time to respond to these questions. Is there anything you’d like to say as we come to the end of this interview? We believe that the core issue of the existence of sex trafficking in our province is a call for each one of us individually to take responsibility to return to God's plan for our lives, including our sexual behavior, and to love one another. In regard to our sexual behavior, we can't fight sex trafficking and be a consumer of porn or buying sex at the same time. We've had the sexual revolution where "free sex" (free from the confines of marriage) was celebrated. We can now see the horizon of where that will take us: disease, abuse, using one another, pain, heartache, guilt, shame, hopelessness, despair, depression and suicide. But you and I do not need to stay on that path, no matter how far we have traveled on it. There is a Power greater than all of these things; a Person who has the power to Redeem us (buy us back) from these wrong choices, forgive us and wash us clean and transform us so that what we have come to despise - the source of our pain and shame - can be transformed into a power to help us rescue others. A Word To Those Involved In TraffickingNo matter what you have done or what has been done to you or what videos there are out there of you doing whatever, or whatever threats there are against those you love, the awesome news is that your heart and mind and life can be redeemed - made brand new.
This Person who has this transforming power is your Creator who revealed Himself completely in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. You may have been abused in the name of God or in the name of Jesus. If so, we understand. Some of us have been, too. But please don't let those lies keep you from the truth. Please keep reading. This week's interview is with Rod Taylor, the leader of the Christian Heritage Party in Canada. It was a thrill to be able to interview a political leader and hope that I will have this opportunity again in the future. If you have any suggestions on who I should interview or have any thoughts about what was said in the interview, leave me a comment below
Before we dive right in, I’d like for my readers to get to know a little about you. So, who are you, where are you from, and what are your passions in life? I’m Rod Taylor, I live in northern BC (Telkwa) with my wife Elaine. We’ve been married 47 years and met in the Kootenays, in Fauquier on the Arrow Lakes. I was born in Minnesota and spent my early years in the States where my Dad, Walt Taylor, was involved in the Civil Rights movement with Dr. Martin Luther King. My family moved to Canada in 1968. Many Christians like to talk about politics but don’t want to get involved for different reasons. In fact, there are even some who argue that parliament is no place for a Christian. Obviously, you see things differently. What motivated you to enter politics? We are to be salt and light in the world and I think that extends beyond preaching the gospel to issues of justice and morality. When we pray “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven", I think we must also allow God to use us to be an influence for righteousness. We are to rescue the perishing and to be a good Samaritan to the unborn. Politics is corrupt only so much as the men and women who exercise power in that realm are corrupt. We are to bring kingdom principles into every area of our lives, including politics. Otherwise, we are condemned to live under the rule of the wicked…as it says in Proverbs “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice, but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn”. You have been in politics for a while and are currently the national leader of the Christian Heritage Party of Canada. What role does your faith play when it comes to engaging with current issues and shaping your party’s platform? Faith is critical. Without Him (God) we can do nothing…but with God ALL things are possible. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not [yet] seen. We must exercise faith if we expect to move political mountains. We do face giants…we need to encourage ourselves in the Lord. Like the prophets of old, we must speak the truth to our generation…blow the trumpet if you will…if there is a repenting and turning to God, we will rejoice. If the Word is rejected, if we are rejected, we can at least have the satisfaction of knowing that we have done the will of God and delivered our souls. As you look at the political landscape of Canada, what do you believe are the top three political issues that pose a threat to the church? What do you think would be the impact if more Christians became involved? Our motto is Life! Family! and Freedom! The protection of innocent life from conception until natural death is one issue God’s people cannot ignore if we are to represent the One who formed each one of us in the womb, made us in His image, etc. If we fail to defend the “fatherless”, we fail our God and our nation. The natural family is under attack in many ways: in terms of gender confusion…young people seeking to remake themselves differently than the way God made them. That is rebellion . . . as is the ending of a life prematurely. The last issue—freedom—is broad and has many facets / tentacles. Free speech is not just a civil concern. The freedom to preach the word or to teach biblical principles of morality is definitely under attack. Some preachers are caving in, reducing the message of salvation from sin to a message of just being nice people, tolerant and loving. We also need the freedom to raise our children according to our faith and conscience…Of course, many other issues are important, including the economy, Canada’s reckless spending of borrowed money…actually is theft…it’s money stolen from our children. The church is being silenced on many issues and if that continues, it will fail to achieve its mandate. One of the polarizing issues that I see in our land revolves around rights. Especially during this health crisis, some Christians see that it is selfish to fight for our rights. What is your take on this issue and how will you lead your party this fall with the upcoming election? The word “rights" is overused but there are genuine human rights given by God—not by government. True rights cannot be taken away but they can be either recognized and protected or ignored and violated. Rights are on a scale of priority…the right to life is at the top. During major crises, there can be times where the government may limit certain rights for the protection of lives. Ie. a blackout during the war . . . This current situation (COVID) does not meet the criteria and the restrictions on gatherings, the ordering of masks and even mandated injections with experimental substances is in no way justified by the evidence. Violating human rights of assembly, travel, family, operating a business, personal medical decisions . . . these are very concerning violations of the rights and freedoms Canadians have had and must have to maintain a civil, democratic society. Thanks for taking the time to respond to these questions. Is there anything you’d like to say as we come to the end of this interview? I count it a great privilege to participate in Canada’s political system and an even greater one to serve as leader of the Christian Heritage Party. So many godly men and women have poured their time and treasure into this vessel that has been the conscience of Canadian politics since 1987. We press on, speaking the truth and offering Canadians an opportunity to vote for the biblical principles that would once again make Canada a blessing in the earth. Thanks for reaching out and allowing me to share these thoughts with you. You can find more information about Rod Taylor and the Christian Heritage Party by going to their website. |