One thing is clear in Canada – if you preach the Gospel in spite of demands from the government to be silent – you’ll end up in prison.
Recently, the Canadian government ordered Pastor Tim Stephens to shut the doors to his church. But when they found out the Pastor still held an outdoor worship service at an undisclosed location, they decided to arrest him.
With his children crying as they witnessed police officers arrest their daddy, authorities took Pastor Stephens into custody – and just wait until you hear the rest of the details.
As Pastor Stephens held his outdoor worship service, helicopters circled above… but nothing happened on that day.
It was only later that officers showed up at Pastor Stephens house insisting he was being taken into custody for “violating orders.”
Even though he held church OUTSIDE, he was still ripped out of his home by the police.
The Pastor tried to reason with the police officer, explaining how the laws were unjust, and how pastors are being targeted by the government unfairly.
A clip by Rebel News shows the arresting officer admitting that his own family “attends church” (online) and insists he is just “doing his job” …
… but then it shows him still moving forward to arrest the Pastor.
The shocking video by Rebel News showed the Pastor being placed inside a barred-up police vehicle and his young children crying hysterically saying “Bye, Daddy” as he was hauled away.
This is the second time Tim Stephens has been arrested in the past month.
After his first arrest, he wrote a letter to his children stating, “I have been arrested because I am convinced by the word of God, reason, and science, that we must gather as a church and live our lives with freedom in Christ,” reported The Christian Post.
And now back in custody again, Faithwire reported a large group of peaceful protestors and church allies standing outside the prison where Stephens is being kept to show their solidarity with him.
Of course, Tim Stephens isn’t the first pastor to be targeted by Canadian authorities.
Who could forget the pastor who was fined over $180k simply for hosting church outside?
Or the story of Pastor Artur Pawlowski and his brother being dragged down the street in handcuffs simply for preaching the Gospel.
And of course, there’s the story of Pastor James Coates, the courageous pastor who refused to close the doors to his church or stop preaching the Gospel and was tormented as a result.
Now free, Pastor James Coates warns how Canada is “losing its identity” and being radically transformed.
Faithwire reported:
“This country — the whole Western civilization as we know it — is being systematically altered,” he continued. “And all we’re going to do in the meantime is proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The whole thing is going to come down, and we are going to claim Christ all the way to the grave. And we’re going to preach the Gospel to all those who hate Him and hate us, and we’re going to appeal to them to be reconciled to God.
And may God work through His grace by our preaching to reconcile hearts to Himself.”
We may think persecution only happens in other countries – but the COVID-19 pandemic revealed just how close America is to following in the same footsteps as Canada.
Pastors and churches around America were harassed and fined – with some states like California even trying to shutdown Bible studies in people’s own homes.
And while thankfully, at the moment, our conservative Supreme Court ruled in favor of opposing such restrictions, we’ve merely kicked the can down the road, delaying the inevitable.
Jesus warns us we will be persecuted for following Him. As they hated Him, so they will hate us too.
“Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.”
– John 15:20
May we all pray that God will continue to give us the strength to remain strong to our Christian roots, with Jesus at the center, and faithfully proclaim His name until the very end, no matter the cost.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” – John 3:16-17
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