Out of Neutral | Grace Baptist Church

Faith Is Finally Making a Comeback

[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b23a868a65e24fb5da70bb/e583dba0-5662-4f08-8086-450f44996613/OON+m11w3+Thumbnail.png?format=1000w] When a CTV news report [https://youtu.be/tHWxNcTxn24?si=S6sYfsQqe9A6C-cv] uses words like “revival” and “religious resurgence” to describe the reversal of the trend of religious decline, it’s worth taking notice. In fact, it’s the first time I’ve ever heard such language used for the Western church in my lifetime. It signals that God is at work in our generation. It’s important that we understand and respond to what’s happening. THE UK HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING A “QUIET REVIVAL” The UK Bible Society was among the first to document the trend. In a report titled “The Quiet Revival,” [https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/research/quiet-revival] they reported a 50% rise in church attendance (from 8% to 12%) over the last six years. That amounts to an increase of over two million churchgoing Christians in just six years. Most encouraging was the fourfold rise in church attendance among 18- to 24-year-olds (from 4% to 16%) and the threefold increase among 25- to 34-year-olds (from 4% to 13%) over the same period. The authors of the report give some of the potential reasons for the trend. Dr. Rob Barward-Symmons says, “With much of the population struggling with mental health, loneliness and a loss of meaning in life, in particular young people, church appears to be offering an answer. We found that churchgoers are more likely than non-churchgoers to report higher life satisfaction and a greater feeling of connection to their community than non-churchgoers. They are also less likely to report frequently feeling anxious or depressed – particularly young women.” YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE US ARE HUNGRY FOR GOD This isn’t just happening in the UK, though. There are signs of renewal in the US as well. In America, there hasn’t been a 50% increase in church attendance over six years, but the third quarter data from the Unstuck Group reports an 11% increase in attendance across the 252 churches that it surveyed. Even more encouraging is a recent Barna study [https://www.barna.com/research/young-adults-lead-resurgence-in-church-attendance/] that reported, “for the first time in decades, younger adults (Gen Z and Millennials) are now the most regular churchgoers.” In fact, the rates of church attendance among young people are the highest they’ve seen since Barna began tracking these statistics. Perhaps one of the most visible demonstrations of this was the Asbury Revival [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Asbury_revival]. A regular Wednesday Chapel at Asbury University on February 8, 2023, ignited 16 days of renewal attended by more than 50,000 visitors, coming from as far away as Russia and Japan. There were reports of healing, salvations, and many young people re-dedicating themselves to the Lord. THE MOST COMMITTED IN CANADA ARE YOUNG ADULTS While there are major differences between Canada and America where faith is concerned, Canadian young people show the same hunger for God that their counterparts in America and the UK show. While just 18% of Canadians were deemed “religiously committed” in a recent Angus Reid Poll [https://angusreid.org/canada-us-religion-cardus-spectrum-of-spirituality-comparison/], almost 24% of 18- to 34-year-olds fall into that group. In other words, the Canadians most likely to be earnest in their faith are under 35. THE FELLOWSHIP OF EVANGELICAL BAPTIST CHURCHES IS GROWING Closer to home, our own Fellowship has seen encouraging growth. For many years, our church association just seemed to be holding its own. Some new churches were planted and others died off, but our total number held steady at around 500. That has changed. Over the last five years, The Fellowship has grown from 507 to 541 churches. In fact, there have been 11 new church plants this year alone. HOW DO WE RESPOND? For many years, Christians have had a defeatist attitude regarding decline. “We’re in the last days, so come Lord Jesus!” We’ve become reluctant to share our faith and have often adopted a defensive mindset. That has to change. Seeing God at work in this generation should move us to respond in at least three ways.  1. PRAYER This is a moment to ask, seek, and knock. It’s a time to pray for the Lord to send workers into the harvest. This is our chance to show God that we care as much about a lost and dying world as He does. 2. PROCLAMATION Now is also a time to speak up. The promises of secularism have failed people, and many are looking for new answers. We have a ripe opportunity to share the good news, share our testimonies, and invite people to church. 3. PREPARATION When the wind starts blowing, it’s time to raise the sails. If God is creating a spiritual openness in the people around us, we need to prepare to receive them. We need to open our hearts and make room for new people and care well for those whom God gives us. If the tide of faith is beginning to turn, let’s not be caught watching from the sidelines. Let’s be among those who welcome it with open arms. God is stirring this generation. May He find us prayerful, bold, and ready. In awe of Him, Paul

Why Most People Wouldn’t Want God to Send Them to Heaven

[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b23a868a65e24fb5da70bb/884c8186-9d9a-4dbf-b8d9-4f2155acf546/OON+m11w2+Thumbnail.png?format=1000w] Hardly anyone thinks they’re going to hell. Even the most irreligious of people assume they’ll end up in a better place. But if anything the Bible says about heaven is true, most people wouldn’t want God to send them there. It would violate everything they’ve believed in and committed themselves to. Let me explain. OUR IDEA OF HEAVEN HAS A FATAL FLAW The popular notion of heaven is of a big family reunion (if you’re fond of your family, that is) or else the place of your greatest pleasures and pastimes. “Uncle Joe is probably up there having a round of golf, right now,” we comfort ourselves. But I don’t think we’ve thought through that picture well enough. If heaven doesn’t somehow eliminate the problem of sin, how could it still be heaven? If Uncle Joe is up in heaven, addicted to fentanyl, doesn’t that sound more like hell than heaven? THE BIBLE RESOLVES THE PROBLEM OF HEAVEN THAT MOST PEOPLE AVOID The Scriptures explain that heaven is holy and free from all impurity. Revelation 21:27 says, “But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Not only is there no cocaine in heaven, but there are no rapists, murderers, gossips, or cheats either. Most people assume this without considering how. To keep all that is unclean out of heaven, God must root it out of our hearts. Sin is like a cancer that has to be removed. The problem is that most people aren’t willing to give up their sin. They deny it’s a problem and excuse its effects. But even sins like pride, judgmentalism, and selfishness would have disastrous effects if left to develop for eternity. ONLY AN UNJUST GOD WOULD FORCE PEOPLE TO GIVE UP THEIR SIN It would be cruel and unfair for God to violate our freedom and force us to conform to His will. And yet without that, we would cling to our addictions, weaknesses, and bad habits and turn heaven into hell. Jesus has a different plan. He invites all—the good and the bad—and only asks that they repent and put their trust in Him. Through repentance, we renounce all that God calls sin, and through faith, we put ourselves under new management with Jesus as our Lord. Through His death, Jesus opens the door to new life. When we respond to His invitation, He begins to change us now and will perfect us later. HEAVEN ISN’T THE PLACE FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T CARE FOR GOD God is the host of heaven and the centre of attention. His people will worship Him and reflect the glory of His character (Revelation 7:15). People who ignore God in this life and reject His will for their lives show by their decisions that they don’t want what the Bible calls heaven. It would be unfair for God to force them into it. Hell is that place reserved for all who want to be free of God’s interference and prefer their own will to His. Notice how it’s described in 2 Thessalonians 1:9. > “They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.” Completely separated from God’s favour and glory, people will realize that God was the One who made life worth living. They’ll see that every good gift in this life was ultimately from God. Without God, His goodness, and His restraining presence, even golf would feel like torture. Of course, it takes faith to believe that, and that’s the faith that can spare people hell. HEAR THE INVITATION OF HEAVEN If you’re someone who has vague notions of heaven marked by reunions and buffets, consider the problem of sin and Jesus’ invitation to repentance and faith. And let your heart be captured by the amazing vision of heaven that the Bible presents. > They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; > the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. > For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, > and he will guide them to springs of living water, > and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. > > - Revelation 7:16-17 In awe of Him, Paul

How to Grow in the Art of Spiritual Conversation

[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b23a868a65e24fb5da70bb/1db12392-6407-4063-a204-c92786fada60/OON+m10w4+Thumbnail.png?format=1000w] Jesus never forced conversations, but He always seemed to be talking about the gospel. Whether He was sitting by a well, sharing a meal, or answering a question, He drew people in with compassion and truth. Often, our conversations get bogged down in surface discussions about the weather, vacations, and the latest sports scores. How did Jesus do it? We recently hosted ShareWord Global for an event that focused on this very question. We looked at Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well in John chapter four and then went out to have spiritual conversations with people in the neighbourhood. We focused on four levels of conversation. 1. SMALL TALK Christians who are most eager to share the gospel can sometimes be the weakest at small talk, but small talk is the icebreaker where people take the first steps toward trust. In safe areas of surface conversation, people are asking questions like, “Does this person listen? Do we have anything in common? Could I trust them with more personal information?” With a simple request for a drink of water, Jesus forms a bridge with a woman of a different culture in John 4:7. She’s clearly intrigued that He, as a Jew, would be speaking to her, a Samaritan (John 4:8), and she opens up as a result. As we practiced these skills in the neighbourhood, I met a Jewish man. As we spoke, he was eager to talk about the release of hostages in Israel and the recently signed peace plan. Rather than rushing past this conversation, I saw it as an opportunity to learn more about what matters to him. I shared about a couple I know who do relief work in Israel through Christian Friends of Israel. If we want to have more spiritual conversations, we need to have more conversations, and we need to grow in small talk. Taking the time to establish rapport and find areas of common ground is an important part of building trust, and no one listens to people they don’t trust. Once trust is built through small talk, the next step is to get a little more personal. 2. PERSONAL TALK As trust is established through small talk, we want to get more personal. Conversations never move beyond small talk, either because we don’t open up or because we don’t invite others to do so. In personal talk, we look for opportunities to share about our feelings, our struggles, and our failures, and we ask questions of others that show our interest in them as a person. Jesus did this with the Samaritan woman by asking her to call her husband. It revealed an area of need in the woman’s life and moved their discussion to a deeper level. As I talked in the neighbourhood with the Jewish man, I asked if he had any family in Israel affected by the war. He opened up more and said in a sense that all of the victims on October 7 were like family to him. I learned that both of his grandfathers were rabbis. It helped me understand him better and appreciate his sense of identity and solidarity. In the same way that we need to expand the number of people with whom we engage in small talk, we also need to grow in our willingness to have personal conversations. Opening up about our lives and asking questions that show that we care deepens our interactions and makes spiritual conversations more natural. As personal conversations deepen, we may find natural openings to discuss faith. 3. SPIRITUAL TALK Spiritual talk is a move to discuss faith, but without any personal stakes yet. It’s like the small talk of evangelistic conversations. And like small talk, it’s where you need to build rapport and establish that you’re someone who can be trusted to have this level of conversation. You can see this in Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well when she brings up the long-standing debate between the Jews and Samaritans about whether to worship in Jerusalem or on Mount Gerizim (John 4:20). Jesus addresses the debate (John 4:21-22) but doesn’t get bogged down in it. Instead, He speaks about it in a way that offers hope (John 4:23-24). As I continued to speak with the Jewish man, I asked him what he thought about the promise in the Hebrew Scriptures about a coming Messiah. He said simply, “He’s coming. In fact, He might have already come.” He shared how some people believe that Lebovic might be the Messiah. I then said that I was curious what reasons people have for believing that he might be the one. He shared that there were reports of miracles, and he was a great man. The more that he shared his own faith, the more natural it became for me to share my own. The key to spiritual talk is finding natural opportunities to express curiosity about what someone believes. 4. GOSPEL TALK Gospel talk is when you’re no longer just talking about religion or spirituality, but you’re actually discussing Jesus and how He came to save us from our sins. Ideally, though, it should still be naturally connected to the conversation you’re already having. When Jesus and the Samaritan woman were talking about water, Jesus moved into a discussion of living water (John 4:10) and described eternal life as being like a spring of water inside a person that forever quenches their thirst (John 4:14-15). Jesus also explicitly identified Himself as the one who can give that water. After the Jewish man had given me the reasons that people offer for believing that Lebovic is the Messiah, I asked him if I might share how I became convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. I talked about His virgin birth, His miracles, but primarily how He predicted His death on the cross for our sins, and promised that He would rise from the grave on the third day. He said that he had heard of an Alexandrian document that said that Jesus had only gone into a coma and was revived by the disciples who had brought medicine to the tomb. I explained that the biggest problem with that theory was that the resurrection was a core part of the apostles’ message and that they had each died for their faith. He said, “Many people have died for their faith.” I agreed but then added, “People don’t die for a faith that they know is a lie.” It was a productive conversation that was made more natural by an awareness of the value of the different levels of conversation and how they function. Growing in the art of spiritual conversation isn’t about forcing every conversation into a gospel presentation. It’s about meeting people where they are and helping them draw a step closer to Jesus. When we approach people with humility, curiosity, and compassion, God delights to turn our ordinary words into opportunities for eternal impact. In awe of Him, Paul

What I Learned About Sharing My Faith From a High-Wire Acrobat

[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b23a868a65e24fb5da70bb/00d9abed-66d5-4e63-bed6-ade99ca19b3f/OON+m10w2+Thumbnail.png?format=1000w] Going to the Canadian National Exhibition is a family tradition. Watching the performances is always the highlight of the day. Appearing before the crowds day after day, with multiple shows, has to be exhausting. That’s why the performers usually retreat behind a curtain as soon as their act is over. The Flying Wallendas were the exception. But what happened after the show was every bit as moving as the act itself. I didn’t expect to get a masterclass on sharing my faith, but that’s what happened. Let me explain. LOOK FOR NATURAL OPPORTUNITIES There’s a good reason that the Flying Wallendas have been in the circus business for over 200 years. They put on an incredible show and display an unusual dedication to their craft. Watching a 63-year-old man do a headstand or ride a bicycle while balancing others on a high wire was truly impressive. But after the show, instead of retreating for a rest, Tino Wallenda stayed behind to speak with the crowds and handed out free pictures of his act with the story of his faith on the back. If he had shared his testimony during the act, it would have distracted from the performance. After the show, it was personal and inviting. I appreciated the care he had taken to develop the cards and how generous he was with his time. I think we all have natural opportunities to share our faith if we make the effort to look for them. KEEP THE FOCUS ON JESUS Tino’s story of faith began with a touching story of how his grandfather taught him to walk the high wire when he was 7. He learned how to hold his body rigidly, keep his elbows close, and put his big toe on the wire with his heel inside. But the most important thing he learned was to focus his concentration on a point at the other end of the wire—this was the key to maintaining balance. He quoted Hebrews 12:2, “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,” and explained how he had come to believe that fixing his eyes on Jesus was the key to maintaining balance in life. He also shared how he had been changed by Hebrews 4:13: “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” He felt lost imagining his sins laid bare before a holy God, but found hope in Jesus as the one who had crossed the chasm that separated him from God. I appreciated how Tino shared a very personal story of his faith but kept the focus on Jesus. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A NATURAL Because Tino wrote and spoke about his faith so naturally, I assumed it had always come easily to him. But I was surprised to read in an interview [https://victoriouslivingmagazine.com/2019/04/the-show-must-go-on/] that it hadn’t. When he left the troupe and began a new act with his wife, he found the work hard and the response unsatisfying. He felt little of the presence of God in his life. In despair one day, he got down on his knees and had to admit that the frustration he was feeling was a result of refusing to give God control in his life. He surrendered his life and career into God’s hands, asking Him to lead. Prayer and Bible study became a daily habit, and he surrounded himself with other believers. Soon after, he began to receive requests from churches and prisons asking him to perform, but also to share his faith and the hope of the gospel. This was far outside his comfort zone. But as he surrendered his fears and did what God asked, God began to use Tino’s craft and his story to impact people’s lives. He would later write, “No longer was my performance just a source of entertainment; it was a source of hope.” I think everyone should have that goal to see our life’s work not only in terms of the tasks that are required for us to earn a paycheque, but also as a means to point people to the eternal hope that we have in Jesus. If God could help Tino overcome his fears to share his faith, He can do the same in our lives.  Tino’s example reminds me that sharing our faith doesn’t need to be flashy or forced—it just needs to be faithful. If God can use a high-wire act to point people to Jesus, then He can use our everyday work, conversations, and opportunities as well. Consider how God might use you today. In awe of Him, Paul

What Not To Say to a Grieving Friend

[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b23a868a65e24fb5da70bb/ee1ad71b-2e14-44af-82dd-7897ed7fd0b1/OON+2025+10+08.png?format=1000w] Anyone who has watched someone close to them experience loss has felt the struggle of not knowing what to say. And listen to grieving people, and you realize that people’s well-intentioned words can cause real damage in times of loss. We need to tread lightly on the sacred ground of grief, and the Bible gives principles that can help guide our steps. Let me share four. 1. SHARE YOUR TEARS, NOT YOUR ADVICE The only thing more famous than Job’s suffering is the damage caused by the friends who came to comfort him. They showed great compassion at first. Job 2:13 says, “And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.” Their initial response looks very much like the counsel of Romans 12:15: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” The problem came when they opened their mouths to speak. They gave lectures and advice that were misguided and ill-timed. Their words are a cautionary tale for all of us. 2. DON’T SPEAK OF WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW While advice is seldom what’s called for in times of grief, it’s especially unhelpful when we speak about things we don’t understand. Job’s counsellors confidently described God’s purposes in Job’s suffering as if God Himself had told them. As the story unfolds, we learn that their words were not only painful but wrong. Moses spoke to God directly and personally, but even he had the humility to say, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God” (Deuteronomy 29:29). There is so much about God’s ways that we don’t understand, and to suggest otherwise is dangerous. The same is true for grief that we haven’t experienced. As Proverbs 17:28 warns us, “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.” 3. DON’T MINIMIZE GRIEF TO ELEVATE FAITH One of our knee-jerk reactions toward people who are sad is to tell them to cheer up. When people are grieving, we seldom use those words. But we’re quick to “look at the bright side” or the “silver lining,” when what’s really needed is to acknowledge the loss and feel the grief. Proverbs 25:20 warns against this tendency when it says, “Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day.” When someone feels down, it may be because they’re doing the important work of accepting the reality of their loss. Trying to lift them up may interrupt that work. Christians often want to say, “But we have a great hope in the Lord!” That hope changes our grief rather than eliminating it, though. When Paul spoke of those who had lost loved ones, he said that he didn’t want them to “grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). He didn’t tell them not to grieve at all. Even Jesus wept at the grave of His friend (John 11:35). We shouldn’t speak as if faith eliminates grief. 4. PRAY MORE THAN YOU SPEAK As much as we want to comfort those who face loss, God is the one who can bring the fullness of comfort that our friends need. Grieving people need our prayers more than anything. David reminds us in Psalm 34:18 that the Lord is the one who is “near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” And James 5:16 urges us to “Pray for one another, that you may be healed.” If we’ve experienced the same loss as a grieving friend, we may be uniquely qualified to comfort them, but even then, our focus must be on the comfort we’ve received from God. Hear Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” Hearing someone who’s been there say, “When I was at my lowest, God was faithful,” can be just what’s needed to believe God for the comfort and mercy that He can give. But even then, we need the help of people’s prayers. It's only a matter of time before grief visits someone close to us. When it does, we should listen and pray more than we speak and trust the Lord to speak comfort where our words often fall short. In awe of Him, Paul