To my brothers and sisters, more specifically in Canada, who are standing in unity regarding decisions of our current government and their attempt to dictate how Christians should or should Not worship in our Christian assemblies.
I understand that over the past two years, things have been complicated. The battle has been long, and the attacks by our government against our doctrines and church buildings has been constant. If this was not bad enough we have also seen the attack from those we were supposed to trust. Denominations and Coalitions turning their doctrinal positions on a dime to be culturally relevant makes it tougher. However, we are grateful that a handful of churches across Canada have been vocal in these dark times. Not political, but standing for the essential doctrine on separation of church and state. Through the preaching and teaching of God’s word, through their times of writing, podcasts and commitment to the Sunday gathering, these pastors work tirelessly to remain open and that the fellowship of believers will remain consistent. In short, the churches that have remained open are staying compliant to Holy Scripture and not sinful civil magistrates.
In these dark times, the term Billy has come about. If you are in the loop, the word Billy represents those pastors who are refusing to bow their knee to Caesar, and he will remain committed to honouring the headship of Jesus Christ over His church. This term has been applied to me, and I only share this, so if the attack of others surfaces from not being in the game, it has already been shut down. Now hear me out; I am, like you, a Canadian. I am patriotic. I am vocal about what has been wrong, and I am tired. I am tired mentally, physically, and almost tired spiritually of fighting not just the government’s interference on the Christian Church but tired of fighting off those in Big Eva and their constant shifts and attacks so they can remain safe in their evangelical ivory towers.
Regardless of how tired I am, I want to stress this as utmost importance. For the sake of the Gospel, we must never align ourselves or support those who attack or pervert the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. As I look upon the Canadian landscape, I see many Christians in the public eye with such men as Henry Hildebrandt of the Church of God and restoration. He is the first to preach out against the government and call out pastors when there is a crowd. He has passion and excitement, and many are attracted to his charisma. But I urge you to take the time to study the information out there before locking arms of fellowship. First, the Church of God of Restoration is heretical. Believers have no business aligning to the poisonous doctrines behind this figure head that people call “Canada’s pastor.” If this is new to you, let me draw your attention to an article I have written titled It is Time to Call Out The False Teachers found here, and other excellent articles written by pastor Steve Richardson found here. You may also watch the YouTube documentary here.
We, as believers, cannot, for Canadian patriotism, stand next to or preach from the same platforms as individuals who attack the very sacred doctrines of the Christian faith. Christ is King, His word first; everything else follows. Secondly, there has been much news regarding another man named Artur Pawlowski. This man has been arrested on several occasions over the past two years. Again, nothing outstanding but more specifically lock-down issues and claims of his breach of conditions. as a Canadian, I believe this man has been mistreated, and his fundamental rights of belief, expression and association have been attacked and abused. But as a Christian and as a pastor, my position is different.
After doing an audit through Artur Pawlowski’s website, the statement of faith is too vague. First, I am NOT presuming on his profession of faith because of the lack of information, but there is insufficient information to hold him accountable. Secondly, because some of his over-the-top behaviour is concerning, lack of accountability is enough to sound the alarm bells. If we as Christians, but more specifically Christian leaders, will associate with people or call people allies in this fight of faith, we best make sure the first matter of theology is straightforward. There is no doubt that Artur has had many run-ins with the law, and we must ask the question, why? Why have pastors in Canada, who openly expressed their concerns with these various issues not face the same backlash and severity of punishment as Artur?
I can testify that many of these men are faithful, bold and standing firm. So is it possible that Artur is a little bit of a troublemaker from what we’re seeing? I may be wrong, and I hope I am wrong as I want to believe the best in every person, but when you look at a couple of arrests that took place out west with two other brothers – things were much different. The arrest in Edmonton and the one in Calgary exemplified the qualities of an Elder found in 1 Tim 3:1-7. They showed that they were above reproach, temperate, self-controlled, not violent, gentle, and not quarrelsome. I did not and do not see this is Artur. I often see a man screaming and shouting (this includes the now famous video of him calling the police officers Gestapo and Nazis). Another moment of fairness. I do not know Artur’s background; it is possible that he had a time of emotional outbursts or anxiety that overtook him because of past traumatic events. So this is not an attack.
When we look at the controversies that have taken place out West, we can see that Artur’s ministries have been involved with several name changes. One such was the king’s Glory Fellowship when the CRA challenged their charitable status (Source). I do not know the details, and this is not evidence of doctrinal impurity by any means. However, this does provide yet another bell of concern when added to the others. Let me stop here as this is not a hit piece. It is a plea, a plea to the Pastors and the Christians who are taking part in freedom rallies or preaching opportunities by partnering with those in other movements or other congregations that have dangerous or questionable doctrine. Please do a careful and thorough review of whom you are yoking yourself to. In all these rallies and open-air meetings, we cannot be negligent as negligence may bring credibility to heresy and once heresy has acceptance, people’s souls are in danger. As a pastor, my advice would be for everyone who is about to stand next to, embrace or declare someone as a co-labourer, take time and carefully review what someone stands for. No, we will not all agree, and yes, it is good to have inter-denominational cooperation – but never are we to align with heretics, apostolic renegades or anyone else that may lead people down a dangerous spiritual path.
In closing, I am just a simple pastor. Like many others, I am growing in doctrine and theology. I do not profess to know it all – or be the only guy to trust. There are so many faithful churches, but I will say, at the church where I pastor, I am surrounded by elders to whom we hold each other accountable. How we conduct ourselves privately and publicly is also held accountable. We do the best that we can to ensure that when individuals visit our website, they can get a clear understanding of who we are and what we teach. I am not boasting, but this a good example. So, before you head out to your next protest, to your next assembly or where you will be speaking and sharing with individuals, ask the tough question. Are these people bringing you or others closer to Christ? Do they hold to godly positions or are they apostate and heretical?
It is better to distance yourself here than to be yoked to a false teacher. As for me, and the church family at The Mill, we do not and will not associate with these two men in any capacity regardless of the call to unity. We will however stand and fight for the church, and the attacks set against her.
I am praying for us all as we navigate these times.
Pastor Steve
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