MINISTERS MATTER

PUBLIC EDUCATION IN CANADA

I wrote a piece years ago called 'Canada's Spiritual Heritage', and in light of the problems our nation is facing, it might be good to review some of the spiritual needs our country has at the moment.

Please drop in and read this series of blogs that remind us of our past and how important the gospel of Jesus Christ was to the founders of our nation.

Upper and Lower Canada, which would become Ontario and Quebec, were being touched by God in a powerful way.

Itinerant Methodist preachers were largely responsible for spreading the gospel in Ontario and Quebec.

Revival fires in particular impacted Kingston, Ontario in the early 1800’s.

A visitation in 1792 brought with it great miracles of healing, countless conversions to Christ and the establishing of numerous local churches. This revival went on for months.

One Ontario circuit rider was Egerton Ryerson. He had a burning desire to preach the gospel and establish an educational system based upon Christian principles.

He is recognized as the founder of the public school system in Canada.

The first textbook written by Ryerson was called, ‘First Lessons in Christian Morals’. Look at the morals of our nation now as we have continued to depart from the vision God gave him for Canada’s public education system.

Near the end of his life, Ryerson had won many souls to Christ and had extended Christian faith to many levels of society.

He wrote, "I can now, through God’s wonderful grace and by His Holy Spirit, rest my all upon Christ, lay my all upon His altar, and say, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain".

Through the years the gospel has continued to penetrate every aspect of Canadian life.

COME AGAIN TO CANADA HOLY SPIRIT

I wrote a piece years ago called 'Canada's Spiritual Heritage', and in light of the problems our nation is facing, it might be good to review some of the spiritual needs our country has at the moment.

Please drop in and read this series of blogs that remind us of our past and how important the gospel of Jesus Christ was to the founders of our nation.

THE FLAG OF NOVA SCOTIA
Proclaimed Jan. 19, 1929

In Nova Scotia, the Holy Spirit was falling profoundly. The French had just been defeated by Britain and the 1776 American War of Independence was about to begin. United Empire Loyalists who sensed what was coming moved North to Canada and settled in Nova Scotia.

One of these men, a Baptist minister named Ebenezer Moulton established the first Baptist Church in Canada. A man named Henry Alline followed him.

Alline was a Congregationalist with a strong evangelistic ministry emphasizing revival. Hundreds were saved and the entire province awakened to God.

Revivals then and now begin when believers, young and old alike, humble themselves and pray for the fires of revival to begin in them.

This revival was called ‘The New Light Revival’. It set the foundation for the spread of the gospel in the Atlantic Provinces.

New Brunswick felt the impact of revival fires in the early 1800’s.

Joshua Marsden, a Methodist evangelist, preached in St. John and it is recorded that ‘many of the young people who are subjects of this work, were once loose in their principles and irregular in their practices but they are now new creatures and one can hardly go through the streets of this little city without hearing the voice of praise or seeing the young men assembling together for prayer....’

May this be our cry for the youth of our cities!

9. HOLY SPIRIT EMPOWERMENT

In the book, '15 Characteristics of Effective Pastors' Kevin Mannoia and Larry Walkemeyer make a strong argument that pastors are not only called but there are principles that will make them more effective.

I would like to highlight those 15 characteristics over the next series of blogs and ask us, as pastors, to review our own effectiveness, or as Jesus would describe it as our fruitfulness in ministry.

Effective pastors believe in the Person and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. He is front and center in their life and ministry.

They see themselves as having no power to produce anything of spiritual value without the help of the Holy Spirit. They understand the reality of the spiritual realm and the necessity of drawing on the spiritual power given by the Spirit of God.

They know how to depend on the Spirit's empowerment and intervention. Have you had an encounter with the Holy Spirit? Are you trusting Him to empower you?

At Mission O, Ministers Matter!