A Fundamental Shift In Consciousness
/| Intercessors for Canada |
|
Mid-Month Notes - June 2003 |
|
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 |
|
© Copyright 2003 Intercessors for Canada. All rights reserved. |
