Attending church in Canada will cost you $880

I’ve been saying for some time on this blog that the church in North America will not always be free from persecution. Since I became a Christian nearly 45 years ago, I have held to the belief that the days of Christians freely going to worship God at the church of their choice would one day come with a price tag.

Well, the wait is over. As of now, attending church in Ontario Canada will cost you $880. That is the cost of each fine handed out to the 47 worshipers at the Aylmer Church of God in Aylmer, Ontario Canada who attended services recently in spite of continued threats from the government not to assemble in Church.

Apparently Ontario Premier Doug Ford is no fan of the church, as he has declared it illegal for the citizens of Ontario to gather in groups of more than 10 people for “non-essential” activities like attending church. I guess that means that groups deemed “essential” can still gather in groups of more than 10 people??

What is most intriguing about all of this is that while Ontario has been on lockdown for almost a month and has had just over 6,000 Covid deaths over the past 11 months, all but 230 of those deaths occurred in ages 60 or greater, and nearly all of those in nursing homes. So with a population of 15 million they have had an average of 552 Covid deaths per month. Yes, of course even one death is too many. I doubt anyone would argue that. Yet these numbers pale in comparison to the number of innocent babies aborted in Ontario. Hmmm….no outrage about that in Ontario.

What’s the real issue here? There is something sinister going on in Ontario in regards to the Christian church when the police act like Gestapo agents working under the cover of darkness to issue fines to people. It is obvious that the church has been singled out for persecution, as fines were also issued to people who sat in their cars or were in the church parking lot.

I am of the firm belief that the enemies of God’s church have been handed the perfect excuse to enact this persecution in the form of Covid. In the United States we have seen numerous instances of governmental interference of the right to worship, with more occurring weekly. Could anyone forget the images of thousands of maskless demonstrators terrorizing our communities, of whom hardly any were prosecuted, yet states governors ordering the closing of churches under the guise of preventing the spread of the virus by assembling to worship?

We are entering a dark and dangerous time when the freedom to worship is so easily denied those who wish to gather to exercise their right to do so. We must understand that what just happened in Ontario is no mere ruling out of concern for the health and welfare of its citizenry. No, what we are now witnessing is the embodiment of Paul’s discourse on spiritual warfare.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12. KJV

My earnest prayer for the church is that she will open her eyes to the truth about what is currently happening and to that which is soon to happen to those who will remain faithful to Christ. We cannot afford to walk around with spiritual blinders over our eyes any longer.

The days are coming my friends when $880 will seem to be a paltry sum to pay for the privilege of worshiping our Lord. I leave you with a final thought about the high price we must be willing to pay as children of God.

And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:25-27. KJV

Have a blessed day,

Ron