Big Brother's guide to tyranny

Getting government right

One of the many reasons Canadians have unbiblical beliefs concerning the State is because of our misunderstanding of the word government. You see, when most people say government, what they mean is people who hold positions in political office – be it elected officials or unelected bureaucrats. People think of the Federal Government, or the Provincial Government, or even Municipal Governments.

But government simply means a person or persons who exercise authority over a particular body of people. In fact, God has specifically created and ordained four different “governments'' in His creation. Self-government consists of an individual being responsible for his/her own choices and being disciplined and self-controlled for the glory of God. The family government consists of a father and a mother teaching, training, and shepherding children. The church government consists of elders/pastors/overseers, who are men, who have been tasked with the direction, doctrine, discipleship, and discipline of a local church. Finally, the civil government, or the civil magistrate, is what most people think of when they think of government, namely, mayors, Premiers, Prime Ministers, and Members of Parliament.

Each government instituted by the Lord has a specific task, role, and function, and has been given limited authority to govern over a particular body in accordance with the Word of God. Elders in churches cannot direct families in ways that have been given solely to fathers. Elected officials cannot require from Christians what only elders have been given authority over in local churches. This is vitally important, and sad to say, was completely bungled during the whole COVID mess. Churches demanded what only parents can demand, and the State attempted to define what only the local church can define, and most professing Christians were fine with all of it.

They came for the church

Many Christians were shocked and caught unprepared when the civil government sought to control churches and define the terms of worship. They simply didn’t know what to do. They didn’t have a robust doctrine of the relationship between the local church and the State. They floundered as they attempted to justify their compliance with sloppy sermons on Romans 13. They looked no different than the world – gripped with fear of viruses and death.

It was curious to see the external justification for their compliance as well. They would say, “The government regulates healthcare, and this is a public health issue, so it is well within the State’s purview to require us to wear masks, socially distance, and suspend worship altogether.” Or they would say, “Seat belts are the law, and so are building codes. Therefore, because public safety is the State’s responsibility, we have to obey them in matters of public safety.” Or how about this one, “There are so many regulations on businesses already, such as fire code capacities and ventilation. Why can’t they require businesses to ask for an individual’s vaccination status or limit occupancy in certain establishments?”

When the State came for the church in 2020 – and they most certainly came for the church – many Christians were left with this pathetic response, “The State already controls so much, this is just another one of their many responsibilities.” They saw the Christian Church in general, and local churches in particular, as just another part of society over which the State has authority. They were too busy debating whether or not the gathering of the local church to worship was “essential”, which by the way, is language introduced by pagans, not the Word of God. Suffice it to say, we found out that most local churches and elders had both a very weak ecclesiology and a low doctrine of the Lordship of Christ.

Satan’s long game

How did this happen? Why didn’t the State come for local churches decades ago? Why is it that after the State controls all of the institutions in Canada THEN they decide to come for the Church? The answer, I believe, has to do with the great enemy of the Church, that great Dragon that has always made war with the saints. Satan has engineered a series of intentional and connected circumstances through those who do his bidding – namely the pagans who occupy positions of authority within the civil government.

If the State tried to exercise authority over local churches 50 years ago the way they did in 2020, without regulating every other sector of society, I believe there would have been tremendous uproar. They would have been noticeably out of their lane, and Christians wouldn’t have stood for it. If the rest of the country’s institutions were left to operate outside of the State’s tentacles while the local church was under the thumb of our elected officials, that would have been a bridge too far.

But, if there was a slow creep of authoritarianism, a steady march toward totalitarianism and control of every sphere in our country, eventually, coming for the Church would not seem so out of place. In fact, it would look normal and proper for the State to simply rule over just another aspect of life in Canada. Satan knows this, and because his goal is to come against the Bride of Christ and profane the name of the Lord, this is exactly what he did. He directed pagans in high places to control education, the media, health care, the economy, the entertainment industry, all before he sent his people to come after local churches. This way, when Satan finally did come after the Church by way of lockdowns and mandates, what we saw was weak church leaders who obeyed the State and declared that it was fitting and right to do so.

A catastrophic failure

Not only did the broader Christian church fail spectacularly in 2020, it has actually been failing over the past several generations, while the State subsumed institutions over which they had no authority. Where was the Church in 1984 when Canada passed the “Canada Health Act” and took from families and churches the responsibility over healthcare? Where was the Church in 1807 when Canada passed the “District School Act'' and gave the State control over what is the responsibility of individual families? Where was the Church in 1991 when Canada passed the “Broadcasting Act'' and turned what should have been independent media into State-funded propaganda?

The Church should have stood up in protest at every one of these moments, as well as countless others, when the State tried to control and rule over that which is not within their purview. The Church should have declared that mothers and fathers are responsible for the education and training of their children, not the State. The Church should have declared that an independent media is essential to a free and informed society, and that State-funded media is dangerous and fascistic. The Church should have declared that the State is not responsible for the health and well-being of the citizens – that falls within the jurisdiction of individuals and families.

The silence of the church has encouraged an over-bloated State, and, sad to say, Christians have reaped the weeds that come with apathy in working the soil that is Canada.

The course-correction

We cannot undo the past, there is also no quick-fix to this complete disaster that is the Canadian civil government. The way forward is long, slow, deliberate, and multi-generational. It took at least 50 years for Canada to become the Socialist mess that it is; it’s going to take at least another 50 years to clean it up with the truth of God’s Word and Law. The path is similar to what I mentioned at the beginning of this post – getting government right. But rather than mere definitions, we have to get it right in practice.

Followers of Jesus must take self-government very seriously. First and foremost, we must become people devoted to the regular and intentional reading, studying, and memorizing of God’s Word. Bible reading plans (here), Bible studies, and family worship are necessary. Spiritual disciplines are next, including commitments to and obedience in prayer, corporate worship, and giving, to name a few. If we want to bear the fruit of the Spirit and be useful for Christ, we must excel in self-government.

Next, get your family government in order, and I mean a thoroughly Biblical order. Men, lead your family in prayer and worship, get your family to church every Sunday, and disciple your family with all sincerity and diligence. Wives, follow and support your husbands as they try to follow Christ and lead your family well. Make a budget and spend within your means. Make your home a safe, fun, and joyful place where Christ is made much of in all circumstances. Get your children out of government-funded schools and either homeschool them or enroll them in a Classical Christian School. If you get these wrong, there is no way forward for Canada to be turned toward Christ.

Find a good local church. By good I do not simply mean doctrinally sound. I do not mean elder-governed and theologically robust. I do not simply mean Reformed, Complementarian, and Bible-believing. I mean a church that understands the Lordship of Christ well. I mean a church that will never bow to the whims of petty tyrants in elected office and prostitute out the local church for comfort and safety. There may only be a hundred or so of these churches in Canada, but I can help you find them. You may have to move to another city or another province, but take it from personal experience, uprooting your family in order to plant them deeply into a solid local church community is one of the single most important things you can do for your wife and children, as well as your own soul.

By God’s grace, once our system as we know it implodes and collapses under its own gargantuan weight of bureaucracy and corruption, our children and grandchildren will be poised to rebuild a Christ-honouring nation. If we give them the tools and training to build and fight, and if we get our different governments in order, our descendants will be able to establish a kind of Canada that glorifies God and blesses all of its citizens.