Surprising Details Offered About Significant Though Faulty Firestarters
Reviewed in Canada on December 6, 2023
Rev. Dr. Ed (& Janice) Hird has offered a compilation of interesting and thrilling cameo presentations that focus on the life and leadership of twenty spiritual firestarters who lived between the 16th – 21st centuries. As an Anglican renewal leader and past president of Alpha Canada, Ed demonstrates well-researched depth and breadth in his understanding and appreciation of a variety of traditions and streams, such as key Puritan, Methodist, Baptist, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Pentecostal, and Vineyard leaders. I found a number of little-known and interesting details about the life and marriages of several of these amazing leaders. Though they had their own significant faults and struggles, God’s Firestarters were faith-filled, Spirit-led and empowered leaders who helped ignite revivals and renewal movements beyond their own limitations. If you want some fuel for your own spiritual fervor, read Ed’s treatments of such people as Susanna Wesley, William and Catherine Booth, Evan Roberts, Aimee Semple McPherson, Chuck Smith, John Wimber, J. I. Packer, and more. As you learn about these folk, perhaps you will also become one of God’s Firestarters in your own context!
Is there a ‘hidden code’ to the Bible – a code hidden in plain sight – we have been missing for generations?
By studying the ministry of Jesus, we can rediscover the blueprint he was following to launch the first century church. It is a blueprint patterned after the prophetic Old Testament ministries of Elijah and Elisha.
Together, let’s crack the Elisha Code, renew our first love and become participants in the next great end times revival – a revival marked by a double portion of Christ’s miraculous anointing.
Ed Hird is an author and conference speaker. For more than 40 years he has served as an ordained Anglican pastor around Metro Vancouver. He is now an elder / preacher at All Saints Community Church in Crescent Beach. He received his Doctor of Ministry in 2013, in addition to a Master of Divinity and a Bachelor of Social Work.
David Kitz is a Bible dramatist, author and speaker who has served as an ordained minister with the Foursquare Gospel Church of Canada. He lives in Ottawa.
Sermon topic: “How might hatred of evil bring healing in body, mind and spirit?” (Proverbs 8:1-21 )
Nov 26th All Saints Healing Service
“Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? At the highest point along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gate leading into the city, at the entrance, she cries aloud: “To you, O people, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind. You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, set your hearts on it. Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right. My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness. All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse. To the discerning all of them are right; they are upright to those who have found knowledge. Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her. “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight, I have power. By me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just; by me princes govern, and nobles—all who rule on earth. I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity. My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me and making their treasuries full.”
How many of us want to grow in Biblical wisdom? How many want greater healing in your lives? How many want Christ the King to reign as Lord in every area of our lives? You will remember that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). The Fear of the Lord is mentioned 18 times in the Bible. Isaiah 33:6 calls the fear of the Lord ‘the Lord’s treasure’. What do we do when we receive an inheritance, a treasure? You don’t ignore it; you value it. The fear of the Lord is a godly inheritance that w e need to deeply appreciate and apply into our life.
You may move powerfully in the charismatic gifts like healing, but will still crash and burn if you lack the fear of the Lord and don’t hate evil. The fear of the Lord protects us from the world, the flesh and the devil. Psalm 34:7 says that the fear of the Lord releases the Angel of the Lord to encamp around those who fear the Lord. How many of us want God’s warrior angels fighting for us? What if we chose the fear of the Lord & the hatred of evil?
Have anyone noticed that the devil knows our weaknesses, he knows the Bible often better than us, though out of context, and he fights dirty? One of my weaknesses is impatience which I have been impatiently working on for the past 52 years of my Christian life. Yesterday, the devil used inefficient bureaucracy to test how much I have grown in this area of temptation. How many of you have noticed how hard it is for telephone AI to let you talk to a live human? AI in banking, telecommunications, and commerce, is getting more and more controlling of our lives, using in the name of so-called cost-savings for big business. A month ago, AI decided that I am committing the sin of using an ad blocker on Google, so it has intermittently blocked my YouTube access and then unblocked it after I convince AI that I am not using an ad blocker.
Two days ago, UPS turns up as promised at our apartment complex with our Elisha Code books for the booksigning. Unfortunately they didn’t press our buzzer or phone us before leaving. UPS finally phoned us at 6:30pm to promise that the books will be dropped off at our apartment from 12noon Saturday. In the meantime, Google, without warning, messes up my Telus email so everything is bouncing back. While I continued to work on my sermon, I waited for four hours just inside the front door to make sure that UPs doesn’t mess up again. Their email and internet message is that the UPS package is in the mail. There is no way to contact them except through chatting with a remarkably mindless AI UPS assistant. Did I ever tell you that the answer to all life’s problems is more bureaucracy and paperwork? I had great chats with many of my bemused new neighbours, as well as endless Amazon, FedEx, and delivery people. Did you know that FedEx doesn’t want you going into their truck while looking for an ups package? But by the end of Saturday, UPS was a no-show. How do you think that I might have been feeling? How about very disappointed, frustrated, even angry? I was struggling with H.A.L.T (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired).
We Hirds pride ourselves on being prompt and reliable, and struggle at times with anger over inefficient bureaucracy. Our Hird ancestors were hardworking Yorkshire shepherds and Danish bodyguards to Kings. Have you noticed in Proverbs 8 vs 13 that God hates pride and arrogance?
Fortunately I went to the Oikos Prayer Vigil which greatly gave me peace after I forgave UPS, YouTube, & Google and surrendered them to the Lord. I had to pray: lead me not into temptation and deliver me from emaiI. Did I say ‘email’? 😉 (note: UPS finally delivered the books on Monday night at 6:30pm).
I was also reminded through Rev 12:11 that I overcome Satan by the blood of the lamb, the word of my testimony, and because I love not my life unto death. The nightly Oikos Prayer vigil , as 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 puts it, is helping me tear down the strongholds of unforgiveness and take every angry thought captive, making it obedient to Christ. The battle belongs to the Lord. By the way, you probably have figured out that our booksigning will now be next Sunday. Perhaps you may wish to come forward for prayer this morning to break the generation stronghold of impatience, frustration, anger and unforgiveness? Healing is more than just healing a physical backache.
You will be pleased I have now individually contacted 6,000 of my 44,000 social media contacts, inviting them to watch the amazing Oikos video. Does it surprise you that right before this healing service that the devil attacked me in the area of technological bureaucracy? This is spiritual warfare. That is why it is so vital that we make sure to attend the Oikos Prayer Vigil in this final phase of the Oikos 3 Project. How many of you are willing to commit to attending the Oikos Prayer Vigil at least once in this coming week? Prayer is the key to this Christmas miracle of raising the $2 million by Dec 31st.
How many of you, by the way, have already watched the Oikos 3 video? How many have emailed it to your friends or family? It is amazing.
You may remember on Oct 26th with part one of my two-part series on the fear of the Lord where Proverbs 3:7-9 says “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” While this is not mechanistic, there is a strong biblical connection between fearing the Lord, hating evil, and living a more healthy lifestyle. The reverse is also true: despising the Lord and dabbling with evil does not go well for us in body, mind or spirit. Dr E Stanley Jones wrote a book called the Way in which he said that Jesus and his Kingdom is not just the way of salvation. He is the way for every area of our lives. Life comes down to the Way and not-the-way. Not the way doesn’t work. Sin is never good for us, especially in the long term. Can you get away with lots of junk food and no exercise in the short term? Maybe, but we soon have to pay the piper. Every extra pound from overeating is equivalent to two pounds pressure on our knees. Some people then give up regular walking because it is too hard on their knees. It becomes a vicious cycle. Would you be willing to come forward this morning to get healing in the area of overeating or overdrinking?
Many people struggle with a secret addiction to the annual $97 billion dollar pornography industry which is both omnipresent and much darker and more violent than our grandfather’s pornography. All my teenage friends were into porn. Before I met Jesus, I didn’t even see it as sinful. Many Christians know that it is sinful, but still do it on the side. As AA puts it, we are as sick as our secrets. So many marriages break up through secret porn. That is why I am so impressed with our Nephew Matt Cline who leads Restored Ministries helping people get free from sexual addiction. Matt has discovered that daily Bible reading reduces porn addiction by 61 percent. Unless we learn how to hate evil, we will never break the power of our addictions. Stinking thinking causes us to believe that we can manage our addictions on our own, and just reduce the harm. Isolation however kills. Transparent community is a key to healing our addictions. Denial however is not just a River in Egypt. My late father often told me how impressed and shocked he was by Bishop Peter’s honesty in his sermon over his breaking the power of alcohol and sexual addiction. Perhaps you may want to come forward this morning to ask for prayer for your secret porn addiction. Healing is more than just healing your migraine.
Some of us struggle with the manana addiction. We want to deal with our problems. We want to be more responsible. But we procrastinate and put stuff off until tomorrow. How many of you are the youngest child in your family? Youngest siblings often struggle in this area. Some marriages collapse over broken promises and procrastination. Many spouses get sick and tired of waiting for us to grow up. Perhaps you might want to come forward this morning to deal with the deadly stronghold of procrastination, or maybe just wait until Manana.
Our western culture has been been carefully conditioned to see good and evil as mere human constructs. Many Westerners have been deluded into thinking that choice is the highest virtue, and that choice alone turns evil into good. You have probably heard the expression “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Most evil, like in the 1930s with Stalin, is cloaked with fine-sounding words that most of us would find initially impressive. Solzhenitsyn wrote: “Communism has never concealed the fact that it rejects all absolute concepts of morality.” In other words, Marxism and its numerous modern day woke spin-offs do not believe in right and wrong, good and evil, sin and righteousness. What marxism does believe in is resentment and blaming others. The only evil is to be successful. In Ukraine during communism, Mennonites were severely punished for being Kulaks because they might have two cows. That made you the oppressor. The only good in marxism is being the oppressed victim, whether economically, socially, racially, or sexually. Evil is using brilliant at co-opting the media who are skilled at subverting our core moral convictions. Evil tries to make us feel guilty and ashamed over believing in the Ten Commandments. Isaiah 5:20 says: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put butter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”
GK Chesterton noted that evil always takes advantage of ambiguity. Solzhenitsyn commented: “It is almost a joke now in the western world to use concepts like ‘good’ and ‘evil’. They have become almost old-fashioned concepts, but they are very real and genuine concepts. These are concepts from a realm higher than us.” Sin is a master at disguising itself. Bishop JC Ryle commented that “Sin will not come to you saying, ‘I am sin.’ It would do little harm if it did. Sin always seems ‘good, pleasant and desirable’ at the time of arrival.” C.S. Lewis, in The Allegory of Love, said that “The descent to hell is easy, and those who begin by worshipping power soon worship evil.”
What exactly is the hatred of sin? Bishop JC Ryle said that “The heart that has really tasted the grace of Christ will instinctively hate sin.”
Charles H. Spurgeon said that
If I hate sin because of the punishment, I have not repented of sin—I merely regret that God is just. But if I can see sin as an offense against Jesus Christ and loathe myself because I have wounded Him, then I have a true brokenness of heart.
Hating evil is not about hating other people. We hate evil by blessing instead of cursing those who persecute us (Romans 12:14). Practicing healthy boundaries as we confront abusive people is an example of biblical blessing. While we as followers of Christ forgive horrendous evil, we must be careful to not allow innocent people to be revictimized.
Sin is evil, and evil is sin. Romans 3:23 says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
In order to hate evil, we have to become practiced in discerning between good and evil, right and wrong, truth and untruth, light and darkness. Can we count on our government institutions teach us this? Sitting under Bishop Peter’s teaching for the past six years has definitely help sensitize me in this area of discernment.
Does a loving God, however, hate anything? The answer is yes. Here is what the Bible teaches in Proverbs 6:16-19 (& 8:13): “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.”
To hate evil is to resist evil. Some people can resist everything but sin. The hippie movement used to say if it feels good, (do it). You may remember the song that said ‘how can it be wrong when it feels so good?’
All sin is poison. God hates our addictions, while simultaneously loving us in our addictions.
God hates whatever harms and hurts you. Unchecked evil will ultimately destroy us. We would be wise to hate what the Lord hates and love what he loves. Does God love people? Yes. Is he pleased when we deeply and selfishly harm other people? No. You will remember how Jesus in Mark 3:5 looked at them in anger, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, because they were more concerned about sabbath rules than the man who needed healing.
Charles Spurgeon said “If any man live in sin and love it, he has not the faith of God’s elect; for true faith purifies the soul.”
To hate evil is to hate sin, not just other people’s sin which is easy, but especially our own personal sin. It is very tempting when standing against sin to become self-righteous, judgmental, and hypocritical. But the blame game always ends badly, especially in marriage, family, and church. Have those of you who are married ever noticed how your spouse’s sin can sometimes seem much less forgiving than your favorite sin?
Solzhenitsyn said: “the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political classes either -/ but right through every human heart.” As my wife’s favorite Bible verse Jeremiah 17:9 puts it, The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” NIV. KJV says ‘desperately wicked’. ESV says ‘desperately sick’. The Message says “hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out.” How many married people here today will agree that Jeremiah 17:9 is true about their spouse? Do I hear an amen from any brave souls? Would you be willing to be brave enough to come forward today to ask for healing for your marriage or your family? How many of you have ever gone forward to ask for healing prayer? Perhaps today could be your first time.
Could rampant gossip in many churches be rooted in the minimizing of our sin and the maximizing and even demonizing of others’ sins? Would you be willing to go up for prayer to be healed from the stronghold of gossip?
Jesus said that you cannot serve two masters. We will love one and hate the other. Could the fear of the Lord cause us to hate the greediness of the spirit of mammon, and love the generosity of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ? How might the fear of the Lord release more tithing and radical generosity in this final phase of the Oikos Project? Would you be willing to go up for prayer today to break the stronghold of mammon and greed?
If we really feared the Lord, we would hate our self-reliance and self-dependence. Many of us even as Christians think it is more responsible to depend on ourselves than on God. One of the greatest strongholds of our culture is trying to do everything on our own in our own strength. Would you be willing to come forward today to break the power of this stronghold of independence, or would you rather beat this one on your own?
If I told you that the Oikos Project ultimately depends on God, is that good news or bad news? Even as Christians, we are tempted to rely more on our techniques, our programs, our incredibly gifted Bishop Peter, our connections, and our bank accounts, rather than radically depend on God for his provision, for his healing and wholeness. Is the joy of the Lord really the security, the foundation of our Lord?
How many today want to become healthier in body, mind and spirit? How many are willing to come up for prayer today? Choosing to hate evil will bring a major breakthrough in your life. Let us pray.
Is there a ‘hidden code’ to the Bible-a code hidden in plain sight-we have been missing for generations? By studying the ministry of Jesus, we
— Read on www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144314278
Our newest book The Elisha Code is now available through Barnes & Noble, and through House of James in Abbotsford
Who would have imagined that God would use pacifist Canadian Mennonites to bring revival in Germany?
The Janz Brothers, who lived on a Saskatchewan farm, began as Country & Western singers. Hildor, together with his brothers Leo and Adolph, and Adolph’s brother-in-law Cornelius Enns, formed the Janz Quartet in 1946. They had a passion to serve God through singing, and to bring others into a relationship with God. Being eager to learn more about God, they went to Briercrest Bible Institute/College in Caronport, Saskatchewan. Then they finished their education at Prairie Bible Institute in Three Hills, Alberta.
At Prairie (PBI), they had a radio studio, connected to CFCN in Calgary, where they did live broadcasts every day. The Janz Brothers used to travel with Eli Maxwell, the Prairie Bible College President. They really gave a big boost to Prairie. There were 2,000 students attending Prairie at that time.
In 1951, the German branch of the mission organization Youth for Christ invited the Janz Quartet to minister as part of a three-month nationwide crusade in Germany. After that trip to Europe, they said ‘We’ve got to go as missionaries.’ The mother of their nephew Jim Janz ran the home office for them in Calgary. The Janz team would usually come back at Christmas time for a Janz family reunion. Jim and Sharon Janz supported them for over 50 years. They were definitely like Billy Graham in their massive impact on German-speaking people in Europe. The crowds were standing room only. Once in a while, they had to move venues to get everyone in. Thousands of people came to Christ during that time. Like Billy Graham and his team, the Janz Brothers would work together with local churches in Germany. They would go for several months, sometimes a year in advance, doing training sessions. Jim Janz said: “This is where their ministry really took off. Because of their Mennonite heritage, they spoke fluent German; so, they decided to go to Germany just to see what the lay of the land was like. They went over there for a couple of months and had a tremendous response. They ended up with 20,000 people attending each rally. They came back, all fired up, and decided to move there with their families. This kicked off a 50-plus year ministry that was tremendously successful.”
Their record label, Songs of Life Records, produced singles that were popular throughout the German-speaking world as well as in Canada, the USA, and South America. They even released a Black Spiritual album in Germany.
Beginning in 1965, the Janz Team made several evangelism trips to Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. The ministry also established what eventually became known as the Black Forest Academy in 1956 which still thrives to this day.
Jim Janz commented: “The Janz Uncles were regular menschen. (Yiddish/German: a person of integrity and honour) They had two offices, one in Germany and one in Switzerland right across the river from each other. This allowed them to connect with the Swiss German people.”
Dr. Ed Penner noted that many German people were so distraught by what happened with Hitler that they became atheists, losing all hope. Jim Janz agreed, saying “They lost their hope, but they also felt lost and needed to find solid ground again. They were looking for truth, for the gospel to be preached. So, they were ready.” Ralph Shareski, who served as an Alliance missionary for decades in Germany, commented: “It was certainly a time of harvest. We’ve met several Germans in our time who came to Christ through the Janzs’ ministry, including a pastor in Heidelberg.”
The Janz Team has now changed its name to TeachBeyond. George Durance was the President of the Janz Team School for over twelve years in Germany. Then he became the President of TeachBeyond. They now have over 1,000 teachers around the world. TeachBeyond’s vision is to serve our Father’s world, to love Jesus Christ, and to see individuals and societies transformed by His Spirit through education. Jim Janz’ daughter is the chairwoman of the TeachBeyond board. As opportunities grew, the original Janz Gospel Association established various national Janz organizations to serve needs in Europe and South America.
Thank God for how God used Canadian Mennonites to transform the German-speaking world. How might God want us to be more like the Janz team in their passion for global transformation?
About Rev. Dr. Ed & Janice Hird
Books by Rev. Dr. Ed & Janice Hird include God’s Firestarters; Blue Sky, a novel; and For Better, For Worse: Discovering the keys to a Lasting Relationship. Dr Ed’s newest award-winning book The Elisha Code is co-authored with Rev. David Kitz. Earlier books by Dr. Ed include the award-winning Battle for the Soul of Canada, and Restoring Health: Body, Mind, & Spirit.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”
I want to ask you this morning: What does it mean to fear the Lord and shun evil at Halloween? I don’t believe in the so-called health & wealth prosperity gospel, but neither do I believe in the sickness and poverty gospel. In a complicated, mysterious way, as today’s passage tell us, the fear and wisdom of the Lord is connected to breakthroughs in our finances and health. How many of you would not be offended if God helped you out in your current health or financial challenges? Sometimes Christians forget that God often blesses us financially not so that we can hoard our wealth but so that we can be more generous to others. How many of you would be willing to be more generous if God increased your financial seed during this Halloween season?
As you may know, the term Halloween actually means Holy or Hallowed evening, the evening of All Saint’s Day. How might the fear of the Lord transform the current unholy evening into a holy, Christ-centered evening? Dr. Derek Prince said that whatever you fear is your god. What do many people fear at Halloween? In a recent Surrey Now newspaper article, a “new ‘blackout’ Halloween haunt in Surrey promises ‘horrific tactile scares’ with blindfolds and rope.” Have you noticed in our culture that certain events go from being a day to a week to a month and even to a season. Halloween, originally just an evening, has become an overwhelming, virtually unstoppable season covering Sept 1st to Oct 31st. Halloween is deeply linked to our battle as God’s baptized soldiers against the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Because Bishop Peter & Jenny came from Australia which wasn’t obsessed with Halloween, he was initially shocked by how focused our Canadian culture is on death during Halloween rather than on life. John 10 tells us that Jesus came to bring abundant life where the devil brings death and destruction. He comes to steal, kill and destroy. Have you noticed how woke culture loves to offer death as the solution for suffering, whether it is MAID being offered to the mentally ill, to seniors with health issues, to veterans with PTSD, or abortion until the time of birth, or free hard drugs for the addicted? Death is the only solution of our current woke culture.
1 Corinthians 15:56 tells us that the last enemy to be destroyed is death. Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us that Jesus shared in our humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Halloween is so huge because many Canadians are slaves to the fear of death. Many Canadians no longer have funerals or celebrations of life. We have forgotten how to weep with those who weep, how to grieve as those who have hope. Jesus and his powerful resurrection helps us be less deathaphobic. Is that a word? 😉
For many older people, the fear of the Lord relates primarily to the fear of hell and damnation. I remember surprising someone who then told me that I scared the hell out of them. Probably not a bad thing to do.
Many people, like those who belong to the Hells Angels, falsely believe that they have sinned their way past the point of any forgiveness. You can tell what people fear and are anxious about by what they swear about. Hardcore swearing, like in the construction world, is a psychological vaccine to temporarily suppress the fear of damnation and even worse sexual abstinence. Have you noticed that Canadian swearing is usually about Christ and sex. Is our Canadian culture somewhat Christophobic? Has the name of Jesus become the new taboo, the socially unacceptable naughty word no longer welcome in business, politics, education, or even in funerals or Remembrance Day services?
GK Chesterton said that many people say that you should never talk in public about politics and religion. He went on to say that there is nothing else worth taking about. If Canadians were really consistent about what they are anxious about these days, they might start using financial swearing like “Oh bank account” or “Oh Visa or Mastercard”.
In 1930, the Soviet Union became so Christophobic that they officially banned clergy from being invited into private homes, and all donations to churches were forbidden. There was an actual governmental five-year plan designed to crush the gods of all Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity, & Islam. Under Stalin, nearly all clergy were shot or sent to prison. More than 85,000 Russian clergy were shot in the 1937 purge. That was the famous year where if you did not betray five other often innocent people, you yourself would be shot or sent to the Gulag. The official government and media stance was that there was no religious persecution. It was only anti-Soviet lawbreaking that was being punished . As a result, by 1940, only 1.7% of all Russian churches (that’s 500) were still open. Many clergy wives had to officially divorce their husbands in order to qualify for any employment. Russian clergy, being cast out of their churches, often disguised themselves as wandering repairmen, secretly preaching the gospel, baptizing people, taking illegal weddings, and funerals. If things get worse in Canada, I know what Bishop Peter could easily do for his next career: wandering repairman evangelist. Have you noticed that Bishop Peter with his German heritage can fix virtually anything?
Being recently in post-Christian Quebec City, I noticed that many church buildings were converted to secular purposes. Have you noticed that we are the only church still open in our very secular Crescent Beach culture? That is why our radical generosity to the Oikos project is so vital.
Don’t you love it when our governments tax us more for our own good? I personally believe that the solution to all life’s problems, whether health problems, racism, violent crime, or climate change is higher taxes. 😉 Do I hear an amen?
The Soviet taxation rate during Stalin was up to 81% of personal income. As Bishop Peter jokes, what we need in our lives is more government overreach.
How many of you have heard of the federal government’s recent banning of prayer at Remembrance Day service by chaplains of Abrahamic faith? I am praying that the significant pushback will cause the bureaucrats to back off, even if only temporarily, on banning prayer by military chaplains on Nov 11th. Our local MP Kerry Lynne Findlay informed 300 of us at the recent South Surrey White Rock Leadership Prayer Breakfast that God and religion are no longer to be mentioned in public by these military chaplains. Instead the new government directive says that chaplains are to just give reflections on Canadian values, whatever that might mean to a bureaucrat. The official government rationale is that Abrahamic prayer might offend some people, causing “suffering and generational trauma.” These military chaplains are also now forbidden to wear crosses or star of Davids because of DEI inclusiveness regulations. There was even an official report last year questioning the hiring of Catholic or evangelical chaplains because they are not diverse, equitable, and inclusive enough on matters of sexuality and polytheism. It is amazing how good terms like inclusion and diversity get weaponized into excluding others Canadians who are not viewed as being inclusive and diverse enough. The old phrase ‘Holy than Thou’ has now become ‘More Inclusive than Thou’ in Canada. Have we become inclusivephobic, the fear of being excluded?
“Proverbs 1:7 and also 9:10 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. If you dare to question Halloween nowadays, you may be despised or mocked as a party-pooper: “Lighten up. Where is your sense of humour? You religious people are so narrow and judgmental. It’s just harmless fun. Kids deserve their candy.”
The greek philosopher Aristotle said that philosophy (literally the love of wisdom) begins with wonder. So too the fear and wisdom of the Lord begin with a growing awareness of how wonderful God is. Many people don’t realize that the fear of the Lord is actually the beauty of holiness. It’s not about being frightened or spooked by God. Beauty draws us, whether a painting, a mountain, or the beauty of one’s spouse. Have you noticed however that Halloween typically glorifies ugliness rather than beauty, and darkness over light? The smiles of the Halloween ghosts, demons, ghouls, and witches are almost always ugly and twisted.
My question to you in this Halloween season is “do you fear God?” How many of you fear God? We hear nowadays of endless categories of phobias such as Islamophobia or transphobia. As a child, I feared my food items like corn or peas touching each other, a condition they call Brumotactillophobia. Did any one else have that phobia?
Now Theophobia or the fear of the Lord offers amazing blessings to each of us. When is the last time that you heard the media talk about Theophobia? Theophobia is one of the few healthy phobias.
The fear of the Lord actually leads to abundant and even extended life, according to Proverbs 10:27 and 19:23. The early Gentiles like Cornelius in Acts 11th who attended synagogues were called God-fearers. Many of these Godfearers became Jesus followers.
Proverbs 2:1-5 tells us that if we treat the Bible like precious hidden treasure, then we will understand the fear of the Lord.
The fear of the Lord cannot be separated from holiness or Hallowedness. There will be little holiness in your life without the fear of the Lord. Holy Fear is rooted in God’s perfect love that casts out all carnal, fleshly fear. Charles Spurgeon said that he who fears the Lord has nothing else to fear.
1 Timothy 1:7 says that God has not given us a spirit of fear. 1 John 4:17 says that there is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out all fear, for fear has torment. Tormenting fear is from the devil. Halloween loves to play on people’s residual fears. Sometimes people intentionally expose themselves to fearful things at Halloween to try to prove how brave and strong they are, almost like cliff jumpers. The remedy for this tormenting fear is the true fear of the Lord, not Halloween fear.
Biblical fear is a healthy, respectful fear. Holy fear is grounded in a passion for the glory of God, the good of his Kingdom, and the honouring of his name. Acts 19:17 commented that fear fell on them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified . How many of you want to magnify Jesus’ name, especially in the Halloween season? When we are overwhelmed and consumed with God’s holy fear, we will not be as overwhelmed or consumed with fleshly, carnal things. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to notice that Halloween desensitizes us to carnality and evil. Many Halloween movies nowadays are a wild cocktail of violence, occult, and pornographic imagery.
Revelation 15:2-4 tells us that people in heaven were holding harps given them by God and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations. Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
You will notice that the fear of the Lord is deeply connected with worship, symbolized by heavenly harps, and a focus on holiness and righteousness.
My walking group buddy Rev Dr Gordon Dirks gave me this helpful acronym for the Fear of the Lord:
F. Follow
E. Each : no one is exempt
A. Always: in all circumstances, trust
R. Run to God
Colin Urquhart said that those like Abraham, who have the fear of the Lord, will honour and obey God no matter what it costs. Could God be testing our fear of the Lord in the final phase of the Oikos III Project? Are we really willing to put our Isaacs on the altar? Halloween so often involves the counterfeit holiness, counterfeit reverence, counterfeit fear. An prehalloween ad on TV promoted the Exorcist movie which they said has terrified people for decades. Why do so many people want to be terrified at Halloween, even looking forward to it? Why does Playland make so much money during Halloween month targeting young people with their fright nights? Is it because we live in such a jaded bored hedonistic culture?
Colin Urqhuart said: “The Christian’s biggest enemy is fear, fear that God might not provide”. So we, even as Christ followers, are tempted to do things in the flesh and not really rely on Jehovah Jireh our Provider who has the cattle on a thousand hills. We are tempted to look to our bank accounts rather than to God as our source. Dr. E. Stanley Jones said, “Learn the art of prayer, for fears dissolve in an atmosphere of prayer.” What might happen if we put the Oikos Prayer Vigil first in our schedule on Oct 31st? How many of you are willing to make a special effort to join us for prayer at the church at 7pm on Oct 31st?
Corrie Ten Boom said that worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a centre of fear. Have you noticed that the twelve-billion dollar Halloween industrial complex likes to make mega-money by frightening us with monsters, even at our local malls? Leonard Ravenhill commented that one of the greatest monsters today is the fear of man, or the fear of human disapproval. The fear of man causes people at Halloween to pretend, put on a show, and conform to the herd instinct. Could the fear of the Lord be a key during this Halloween season in breaking the stronghold of fleshly worry and fear? Could holy fear break the strongholds of what ifs, should haves, would haves, could haves, and if onlys? How many of you have heard the moving song “No Longer Slaves” with the lyrics “I’m no longer a slave to fear. I am a child of God.” Knowing our true identity as God-fearing children of God breaks the power of carnal fear.
That is why Psalm 27 says “The Lord is my might and my salvation…Whom shall I fear?….Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear.” (Even though an army of smiling Halloween ghosts, demons, ghouls, and witches encamp against me) I shall not fear.
Now compare for a moment Psalm 34:11 which says, “Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” VS Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not for I am with you.” Elizabeth Eliot said “Fear arises when we imagine that everything depends on us.” As Bishop Peter often teaches, the Bible is full of true paradoxes, which we do not want to reduce to rationalist simplicity. For example, is Jesus either fully human or fully divine? The answer is Yes. Are we chosen or do we have free will? The answer is Yes. Similarly, we need both dynamic biblical imperatives ‘fear not’ and ‘fear the Lord’. The fear of the Lord is not about being scared of God. The fear of the Lord combines elements of holy fear, awe, and reverence. Most people don’t realize that awesome and awful are the same concept. The fear of the Lord is not so much over the fear of consequences or punishment but rather over hurting the one we most love. Our sins nailed Jesus to the cross. My prayer is that our All Saints worship service today will be a truly awesome, awful fearful experience, full of awe, full of the fear and reverence of the Lord.
You will notice that we celebrity-driven North Americans are not here at All Saints to be entertained. As Bishop Peter often says, God is the only audience. We are here, especially in the Halloween season, to give our holy, awesome God all the glory and honour and praise and worship.
I am convinced that a key to preparing our hearts for the coming revivals is recovering a healthy holy fear of the Lord.
Proverbs 14:26 tells us that “In the fear of the Lord, there is strong confidence”. It doesn’t make you timid or weak. Holy fear gives you strength, especially during Halloween.
Proverbs 16:6 teaches that “Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord ,evil is avoided.”
The fear of the Lord helps us more accurately hear the Lord’s voice, and therefore avoid evil especially around the very tricky Halloween season. Sometimes it seems that there is no way to properly navigate the Halloween booby traps and land mines.
Proverbs 22:4 teaches that “Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.” Derek Prince said that there is no fear of the Lord in us when we are proud, high handed and arrogant. Bu the more we esteem God’s greatness, the more we grow in the holy fear of our awesome God. By contrast, when we shrink God’s greatness, we lose sight of the fear of the Lord. How might our lives be filled with more humility during the Halloween season? Bishop Peter’s teaching about the tall poppy syndrome has inspired me to do more personal work in this area. Could radical humility defeat the stronghold of the spirit of death at Halloween?
Proverbs 23:17 teaches: “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.” How zealous are we for the fear of the Lord this Halloween?
Psalm 2:11 teaches “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling” Derek Prince said “That doesn’t make sense to the carnal mind. Let me ask you: Have you ever experienced fearfully rejoicing and trembling simultaneously?
Psalm 19:9 teaches that “the fear of the Lord is pure (kosher and clean), enduring forever.” Do we need more of that in Canada with so much growing political and business corruption? The fear of the Lord cleanses us, making us more Christ-like and holy. The fear of the Lord arrests your attention. The fear of the Lord is about a fresh awareness of open heavens. Whatever grabs your attention is what is most awesome in your life. Let me ask you a honest question: What preoccupies you when you are stressed or worried? What is grabbing your attention in this Halloween season?
The fear of the Lord is all about a deepening love for Jesus. If your spouse suddenly uses your full name, what do you know for sure? You better pay attention. Spouses can both bless us and hurt us in a way that few other people can do. In a distracted culture, the fear of the Lord undistracts you, because it quickens your awareness of how holy and large that God is.
Joni Taeda Erickson said: “I want to stay in the habit of glancing at my problems and gazing at my Lord.”
Psalm 27:4 says: “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.”
How many of you remember the final scene it in the ET movie when they saw the awesome UFO space ship descending? That’s a secular equivalent of the fear of the Lord.
Psalm 25:14 says that “the secret of the Lord is with those who fear him, and He will show them his covenant.” What if we intentionally became more fearfully covenantal in this Halloween season? Derek Prince commented that “The whole Bible revolves around covenant. Covenant is the theme of scripture. Only those who fear the Lord understand covenant. That is why, said Derek Prince, there are so many covenant breakers in churches.” We want God on our own terms.
Many Canadians have no idea that marriage is a sacred covenant, not something to be casually discarded when times are tough. Derek Prince commented: “the fear of the Lord is an essential ingredient for a successful happy marriage. Without it, a marriage can never function as it should.” That is why Ephesians 5:21 calls us to submit to one another in the fear of the Lord.
But nowadays nobody wants to submit to anyone else. It’s become a dirty word that only Theophobia can redeem. The miracle of Theophobia can actually cause strong independent spouses to mutually submit to each other, even when they have different views about how to navigate the Halloween season. I often recommend to those involved in the Halloween-obsessed public school system that they avoid dressing up their children as ghosts, demons, ghouls or witches. If you and your children are going to dress up, what if you chose positive life-giving costumes? And be sure to respect those who in good conscience don’t want to dress up at all. As Bishop Peter keeps reminding us, we may disagree of many things like how to navigate Halloween but as followers of Jesus, we focus on prayer and community.
Psalm 34:7 teaches that the Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. (a circle of protection MSG) How many of you want a circle of protection around yourself and your family, both blood and church family? Wouldn’t that be helpful at Halloween?
Psalms 86:11 says, “Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”
What might happen if we had an undivided heart in this Halloween season, saying no to death and yes to abundant life, Only undivided hearts fear the Lord. Double minded people receive nothing. Could theophobia be a key to breakthrough in the Oikos III Project? Might double mindedness and divided hearts be holding back a blessing? Might a total surrender of our opinions and wills be a key to keeping this building?
Psalm 102:15 teaches that “the nations will fear the name of the Lord, all the Kings of the earth will revere your glory.” Could the fear of the Lord trump the Halloween fear industry throughout America and the nations?
Isaiah 33:6 says that “there shall be stability in your times… The fear of the Lord is his treasure.” Do we need stability in this time of rampant inflation and conflict in Ukraine and Israel? Might the fear of the Lord be a key to inner stability in a topsy-turvy world?
Isaiah 59:19 teaches that “From the west, people will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the Lord drives along.” How many of us need the breath of the Lord flooding upon us this Halloween as we prayerfully fear the Lord?
Acts 9:31 says that “the churches of the Lord through Galilee, Judea and Samaria had peace and were built up, and walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, were multiplied.” Derek Prince said that the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit is the key to church growth. How many of us would be willing to welcome new people drawn to All Saints by the fear of the Lord?
“Hebrews 12:28-29 teaches that “since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe (godly fear KJV), for our “God is a consuming fire.” May God consume the spirit of death this Halloween as we worship God with godly fear. How many of you want the spirit of death to be broken off of you in this Halloween season? Let us pray together. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Books by Rev. Dr. Ed & Janice Hird include God’s Firestarters; Blue Sky, a novel; and For Better, For Worse: Discovering the keys to a Lasting Relationship. Dr Ed’s newest award-winning book The Elisha Code is co-authored with Rev. David Kitz. Earlier books by Dr. Ed include the award-winning Battle for the Soul of Canada, and Restoring Health: Body, Mind, & Spirit.
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