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December 30, 2020
Dr. TONY COSTA, Professor of Apologetics & Islam @ Toronto Baptist Seminary, who will address:
“The STATE of the CHURCH in CANADA”
Live from the historic parsonage of the 19th century gospel minister George Norcross in downtown Carlisle, Pennsylvania, it's Iron Sharpens Iron. This is a radio platform in which pastors, Christian scholars, and theologians address the burning issues facing the church and the world today.
Proverbs chapter 27 verse 17 tells us iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Matthew Henry said that in this passage we are cautioned to take heed with whom we converse and directed to have in view in conversation to make one another wiser and better.
It is our hope that this goal will be accomplished over the next two hours and we hope to hear from you the listener with your own questions. And now here's your host Chris Arnzen.
Good afternoon Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Lake City, Florida, and the rest of humanity living on the planet earth who are listening via live streaming at IronSharpensIronRadio .com. This is Chris Arnzen your host of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio wishing you all a happy Wednesday on this 30th day of December 2020.
And if I sound a bit somber in my voice that is because I just left a funeral at Grace Baptist Church of Carlisle, Pennsylvania where I am a member. And we were gathered there at the funeral of a member of Grace Baptist Church of Carlisle who went home to be with the Lord at only 41 years of age.
I would appreciate you all praying for the family of David Auger and thankfully and praise be to God he was a man of impeccable faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, a faith that he zealously shared and declared whenever given the opportunity.
And it was very moving to hear the last sermon he preached at a local nursing home here in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Thankfully he had the notes within access after he went home to be with the Lord which my pastor used as a part of his sermon today at the funeral.
So please pray for the David Auger family. It must be such an enormous loss and shock for them since David was a very healthy athletic young man and seemingly at the prime of his health, strength, and vitality.
But it is believed he had an abnormality in his heart which caused the heart attack which took him to be with Christ instantly apparently. And so please pray for this family and especially pray for those who do not yet know you in that family that this death might be used for the purpose that David certainly would want it to be used to bring those lost family members and loved ones into an eternally saving relationship with Jesus Christ so that he, David, can one day meet with them again in glory in the arms of their Savior.
So thank you all for praying for the Auger family. And I'm very delighted to have a returning guest today, a brother whom I have loved to interview and also have loved to orchestrate speaking engagements and debates for him.
And his name is Dr. Tony Costa who is Professor of Apologetics and Islam at Toronto Baptist Seminary. And we are going to be addressing the theme, The State of the Church in Canada. And it's my honor and privilege to welcome you back.
To On Interpreting Zion Radio, Dr. Tony Costa. Well, it's a great pleasure. Again, my condolences on your church. Yes, it is an infinitely better thing to be snatched from.
This earth at a very young age while you know Christ and love and serve Christ than to live to 100 years old and die as his enemy. I can't even comprehend what that day will be like for those who die in their sins still in rebellion against Christ.
But thankfully, that was far from the case with David Auger. And it was certainly a blessing to hear those who knew him well give their testimonies of him. But before we go on to our theme today, Tony, why don't you tell our listeners about Toronto Baptist Seminary?
Yes, Toronto Baptist Seminary is churches and you're not one to be what you could do and so forth. So and if anybody wants to find out more about Toronto Baptist Seminary, go to.
Tbs .edu. Tbs standing for Toronto Baptist Seminary dot edu. Well, our theme, as I said earlier, is the state of the church in Canada. And I'm sure that this will be an eye opener for many of your cousins south of the border here in North America.
Some here in America seem to think that the way things are going in our country, the rapid decline that we are spiraling into as seen in the recent election of Joe Biden, whether genuine or fraudulent.
Either way, you could look at this. It's a horrible sign of where the hearts of Americans are, either those that voted for him, who gleefully supports the murder of unborn children and the sexual mutilation of children through hormone injections and surgery and so on.
Or if it is an election by fraud, either way, it's a sign. It's a deep and dark sign of the spiritual health of this nation. But I don't think that the picture is any brighter from what I understand from the conversations I've had with you.
I don't think that the picture is any brighter north of the border. But tell us exactly why you wanted to speak.
On this issue today. Let me give our email address out for our listeners right away in.
The event that they'd like to ask a question or even give a comment regarding their own personal experience being a Christian in Canada. Our email address is chrisarnsen at gmail .com, C-H-R-I-S-A-R-N-Z-E-N at gmail .com.
Please give us your first name, at least your city and state of residence and your country of residence if you live outside the USA. And please only remain anonymous if your question involves a personal and private matter.
That's chrisarnsen at gmail .com. Well, tell us about even beyond these legal restrictions and mandates and so forth. To start with, tell us more about the spiritual health, the theological soundness of the Church in Canada.
Give us something of a weather report, if you will, on the climate of Christendom there.
Yeah, I think the climate is pretty similar to what you see with the young adults in a number of these churches. Evangelism, the attitude up here, you know, just leave things alone, don't rob them. As far as the doctrines of sovereign grace, how prevalent are they,.
Otherwise known as reform theology and nicknamed Calvinism and so on?
Canada, Church of England, those who have been raised in a more conservative, reformed Church of England, and the concept of... Now, since we are talking about the state of the Church in Canada.
And also how the Canadian government may be imposing certain restrictions and so on upon the Church, going back to this pastor that you mentioned, this friend of yours whom we may just interview here on Iron Trip and Zion Radio, if everything works out, how is he responding to this threat of this grotesque fine of a hundred thousand dollars and this frightening sentence looming over him of a possibility of a year in prison?
How is he responding to this, and how should Christians be responding to these mandates and regulations that are being imposed on us? There is, as you know, differences of opinion in the body of Christ, even among those that share the same theology.
There are confessionally Reformed Baptists who disagree over this, sharply disagree, and there are even Church splits that I'm aware of. Actually, I don't know of any Reformed Baptist Church splits that have taken place over this, although there may be, but I know of people who have left conservative Presbyterian churches over their disagreements over mask mandates and things like that.
It's a very sad thing in the body of Christ when you see people becoming very embittered towards each other over how they respond to these government impositions and so forth. So, tell us about your friend, first and foremost, and feel free to give as much information as you think he would be willing to share publicly, and also what you have in common with him as far as, or even in disagreement with him, as far as.
An appropriate Christian response to all this. Yes, well, his name is Pastor Aaron. Of course,.
He would be one of the few pastors where it would absolutely be inappropriate to have a church named.
Church of the Rock, referring to him upon this rock, mainland China, and a brother with social distancing, and open about that in his church, and he pastors a church of 1300 people, creations, quarantine, and so forth, and what he did was, again, he was abiding by the law, he was being charged with a charge, they said he violated the health order, the municipal health order, not to have rights in religion, a religious system, and hopefully if it reaches the supreme family, they're being called out right now.
We have to go to our first break right now,.
And if you would like to join us on the air with a question for Dr. Tony Costa of your own, again, our email address is chrisarnsen at gmail .com, chrisarnsen at gmail .com, c-h-r-i-s-a-r-n-z-e-n at gmail .com.
Please give us your first name, at least your city and state of residence, and your country of residence if you live outside the USA. Only remain anonymous if your question involves a personal and private matter.
Let's say you are a pastor in Canada, and you really don't feel comfortable drawing attention to your own identity, depending upon what it is you are going to ask or say. Well, we can understand something like that being the case, and a good reason to remain anonymous, but if you're just asking a general question, please give us at least your first name, city and state, and country of residence.
Don't go away. We'll be right back with Dr. Tony Costa and more of our discussion on the state of the church in Canada right after these messages. When Iron Sharpens Iron Radio first launched in 2005, the publishers of the New American Standard Bible were among my very first sponsors.
It gives me joy knowing that many scholars and pastors in the Iron Sharpens Iron Radio audience have been sticking with or switching to the NASB. I'm Pastor Nate Pickowitz of Harvest Bible Church in Gilmanton Ironworks, New Hampshire, and the NASB is my Bible of choice.
I'm Pastor Rich Jensen of Hope Reform Baptist Church in.
Quorum, New York, and the NASB is my Bible of choice. I'm Pastor. Sule Prince of Oakwood Wesleyan Church in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the NASB is my Bible of choice. I'm Pastor.
John Sampson of King's Church in Peoria, Arizona, and the NASB is my Bible of choice. I'm Pastor.
Chuck Volo of New Life Community Church in Kingsville, Maryland, and the NASB is my Bible of choice.
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Is my Bible of choice. I'm Pastor Roy Owens Jr. of the Church in Friendship in Hockley, Texas,.
And the NASB is my Bible of choice. Here's a great way for your church to help keep Iron Sharpens Iron Radio on the air. Pastors, are your pew bibles tattered and falling apart? Consider restocking your pews with the NASB and tell the publishers you heard about them from Chris Arnzen on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio.
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Chris Arnsen, host of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio, announcing a new website with an exciting offer from World Magazine, my trusted source for news from a Christian perspective. Try World Now at no charge for 90 days by going to getworldnow .com.
That's getworldnow .com. I rely on World because I trust the reporting. I gain insight from the analysis and World provides clarity to the news stories that really matter. I believe you'll also find World to be an invaluable resource to better understand critical topics with a depth that's simply not found in other media outlets.
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Group .org forward slash podcast. I'm Dr. Tony Costa, Professor of Apologetics and Islam at.
Toronto Baptist Seminary. I'm thrilled to introduce to you a church where I've been invited to speak and have grown to love, Hope Reformed Baptist Church in Corham, Long Island, New York, pastored by Rich Jensen and Christopher McDowell.
It's such a joy to witness and experience fellowship with people of God, like the dear saints at Hope Reformed Baptist Church in Corham, who have an intensely passionate desire to continue digging deeper and deeper into the unfathomable riches of Christ in his holy word, and to enthusiastically proclaim Christ Jesus the King and his doctrines of sovereign grace in Suffolk County, Long Island, and beyond.
I hope you also have the privilege of discovering this precious congregation and receive the blessing of being showered by their love, as I have. For more information on Hope Reformed Baptist Church, go to hopereformedli .net.
That's hopereformedli .net, or call 631 -696 -5711. That's 631 -696 -5711. Tell the folks at Hope Reformed Baptist Church of Corham, Long Island, New York, that you heard about them from Tony.
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Mr. Bill Sousa, Grace Church at Franklin, here in the beautiful state of Tennessee. Our congregation is one of a growing number of churches who love and support Iron Sharpens Iron Radio financially. Grace Church at Franklin is an independent, autonomous body of believers which strives to clearly declare the whole counsel of God as revealed in scripture through the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And of course, the end for which we strive is the glory of God. If you live near Franklin, Tennessee, and Franklin is just south of Nashville, maybe 10 minutes, or you are visiting this area, or you have friends and loved ones nearby, we hope you will join us some Lord's Day in worshiping our God and Savior.
Please feel free to contact me if you have more questions about Grace Church at Franklin. Our website is gracechurchatfranklin .org. That's gracechurchatfranklin .org. This is Pastor Bill Sousa wishing you all the richest blessings of our Sovereign Lord, God, Savior, and King Jesus Christ today and always.
We are excited to announce another new member of the Iron Sharpens Iron Radio advertising family. Banu Gadi, owner of three New York pharmacies, Lee's Drugs of Floral Park, Long Beach Chemists, and Prescription Center of Long Island in Hempstead.
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Greetings in the matchless name of.
Our Lord Jesus Christ. My name is Banu Gadi. I'm a pharmacist in New York, which is the epicenter of the latest crisis the world is going through. In Psalm 139 verse 14, the psalmist offers praise to the Lord like this, I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and wondrous are your works that my soul knows very well.
He saw God's goodness and mercy, kindness, and the beauty in what God has designed, and he has erupted into praise. In any crisis or problem, brothers and sisters, our only fallback position is to trust God's design, and once we do, there is nothing for us to do but to erupt in praise to him.
When the whole world is searching for a solution, God in his infinite mercy has given us what we need to address this illness, which can be very serious. Such is the beauty of his design. Knowing that design, how can we not erupt in praise to our great God like the psalmist did?
May God bless you, and give all of us wisdom to see greater.
Things in his design. Thank you. Welcome back. This is Chris Arnzen. If you just tuned us in, our guest today for the entire two hours with a little less than 90 minutes to go is Dr. Tony Costa, professor of apologetics and Islam at Toronto Baptist Seminary.
We are addressing the state of the church in Canada. If you have any questions for Dr. Costa, send them to chrisarnzen at gmail .com. C-H-R-I-S-A-R-N-Z-E-N at gmail .com. Give his first name at least.
Sitting state of residence in your country of residence if you live outside the USA. We have Grady in Ashboro, North Carolina, a very faithful listener and financial supporter of this program. He says, Hi brothers, my wife and I have been home over a week with COVID -19.
It's really been rough, but our Heavenly Father has certainly been near. Our governments are so secular and satanic that they have no fear of our Lord Jesus Christ, and so greedy that all that matters is that we bow down to the government.
If the government guidelines worked, I can guarantee that my wife would not have come down with COVID -19. It seems to me that these so-called guidelines are to forbid the worship of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Is this what you're assessing the situation to be in Canada? Why else would they forbid worship of the one true God, but allow what.
Seems to be very sinful businesses opening? Yes, I would. When it does talk it on the populace. They are following the guidelines, masking up all the time in the United States. Put on a mask, only 10 people, no more than 10.
Thank you, Grady. We have CJ from Lindenhurst, Long Island,.
New York, who wants to know, is the Canadian government being even-handed with these.
Restrictions with other religions such as Islam? With any house of worship, whether it's synagogue, whether it's... Thank you, CJ. We have Bobby in Hartsdale, New York, and Bobby says,.
There are brothers and sisters in Christ who say that we are whining and complaining like babies when we never have even come close to tasting the kind of persecution that our brothers and sisters in Christ have had to experience in other parts of the world for many centuries.
How do you respond to that kind of criticism, and that we should also be obeying the civil authorities above us, when it comes to these restrictions that may be inconvenient, but are.
Really nothing more than an inconvenience in comparison? Yes, because we need to flatten the curve. Then it becomes, or which says, you know what, I can't order, lend, you cannot express or exercise your God-given rights, cases like this, into prison, and from worshiping Yahweh.
Now, we're not at that pulp hold, two years and under, and the midwives deliberately have children, have them aborted and so forth, and given certain inalienable rights, like Annabelle. I mean, that was the whole situation with that representation.
We're going to our midway break right now, and.
Please be patient with us, because the midway break is the longer break in the middle of our show, required of us by Grace Life Radio, 90 .1 FM in Lake City, Florida, because the FCC requires of them to localize Iron Sharpens Iron Radio to Lake City, Florida, through their own public service announcements, and other local announcements that they air, while we air our globally heard commercials.
So please use this time wisely, write down as much of the information as you possibly can, for as many of our advertisers as you can, so that you can more frequently and successfully patronize them, which will in turn mean, more than likely, they will remain our advertisers, which will subsequently mean, God willing, that we will remain on the air for a longer future, because we absolutely depend upon the finances that come through our advertisers in order to exist.
So please write down that information provided by our advertisers, so that you can patronize them, and also send in questions to Dr. Tony Costa on the state of the church in Canada, chrisarnson at gmail .com, chrisarnson at gmail .com.
Don't go away. We'll be right back after these messages from our sponsors. Iron Sharpens Iron Radio depends upon the financial support of fine Christian organizations to remain on the air, like the Historical Bible Society.
The Historical Bible Society maintains a collection of Christian books, manuscripts, and Bibles of historical significance, spanning nearly a thousand years. The mission of HBS is the preservation and public display of ancient scripture, dissemination of scripture, to provide tools equipping believers in Christian apologetics with evidence for the Bible's reliability, and to introduce Reformation literature and Christian art to a broader audience.
Since 2004, HBS has toured schools and churches throughout the Northeast United States, reaching thousands of believers and non-believers alike, who are hungry for knowledge of the Bible. HBS's founder, Daniel P. Buttafuoco, attorney at law, is committed to sharing this collection, along with an inspirational historical message that will captivate you and your church.
Come journey through their website, historicalbiblesociety .org. The collection includes a complete 11th century Bible, an actual page of the Gutenberg Bible from 1455, the first book ever printed, the Geneva Bible, the 1611 King James Bible, and much, much more.
Visit historicalbiblesociety .org today. Thank you, Daniel P. Buttafuoco, attorney at law, for your faithful support of Iron Sharpen.
Zion Radio. James White of Alpha Omega Ministries and the Dividing Line webcast here. Although God.
Has brought me all over the globe for many years to teach, preach, and debate at numerous venues, some of my very fondest memories are from those precious times of fellowship with Pastor Rich Jensen and the brethren at Hope Reform Baptist Church, now located at their new, beautiful facilities in Coram, Long Island, New York.
I've had the privilege of opening God's Word from their pulpit on many occasions, have led youth retreats for them, and have always been thrilled to see their members filling many seats at my New York debates.
I do not hesitate to highly recommend Hope Reform Baptist Church of Coram, Long Island to anyone who wants to be accurately taught, discipled, and edified by the Holy Scriptures, and to be surrounded by truly loving and caring brothers and sisters in Christ.
I also want to congratulate Hope Reform Baptist Church of Coram for the recent appointment of Pastor Rich Jensen's co-elder, Pastor Christopher McDowell. For more information on Hope Reform Baptist Church, go to hopereformedli .net.
That's hopereformedli .net or call 631 -696 -5711. That's 631 -696 -5711. Tell the folks at Hope Reform Baptist Church of Coram, Long Island that you heard about them from James White on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio.
Iron Sharpens Iron Radio first launched in 2005. The publishers of the New American Standard Bible were among my very first sponsors. It gives me joy knowing that many scholars and pastors in the Iron Sharpens Iron Radio audience have been sticking with or switching to the NASB.
I'm Dr. Tony Costa, Professor of Apologetics and Islam at the Toronto Baptist Seminary,.
And the NASB is my Bible of choice. I'm Pastor Jeff Downs of Knox Reform Presbyterian Church in Mechanicsville, Virginia, and the NASB is my Bible of choice. I'm Pastor Mark Romaldi of Grace Reform Baptist Church of Long Island in Merritt, New York, and the NASB is my Bible.
Of choice. I'm Pastor Scott Pasolo of the Master's Church of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and the NASB is my Bible of choice. I'm Pastor Kevin Venue of the Bible Church of Port Washington, New York, and the NASB is my Bible of choice.
I'm Pastor Andrew Smith of Christ Reformed Community Church in St. Augustine, Florida, and the NASB is my Bible of choice. I'm Pastor Clint.
Leiter of Highway M Chapel, Sedalia, Missouri, and the NASB is my Bible of choice. Here's a great.
Way for your church to help keep Iron Sharpens Iron Radio on the air. Pastors, are your pew Bibles tattered and falling apart? Consider restocking your pews with the NASB and tell the publishers you heard about them from Chris Arnzen on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio.
Go to nasbible .com that's nasbible .com to place your order. Linbrook Baptist Church on 225 Earl.
Avenue in Linbrook, Long Island is teaching God's timeless truths in the 21st century. Our church is.
Far more than a Sunday worship service. It's a place of learning where the scriptures are studied and the preaching of the gospel is clear and relevant. It's like a gym where one can exercise their faith through community involvement.
It's like a hospital for wounded souls where one can find compassionate people in healing. We're a diverse family of all ages enthusiastically serving our Lord Jesus Christ in fellowship, play, and together.
Hi, I'm Pastor Bob Walderman and I.
Invite you to come and join us here at Linbrook Baptist Church and see all that a church can be.
Call Linbrook Baptist at 516 -599 -9402 that's 516 -599 -9402 or visit linbrookbaptist .org.
That's linbrookbaptist .org. Here's what Gary DeMar, President of American Vision, had to say about Iron Sharpens Iron Radio recently. Good to be back. Chris, I always enjoy our time.
You, uh, I have to tell you one of the better interviewers out there and I've been doing this.
For 30, more than 30 years. Wow, that's some compliment. How much do I owe you for that?
You don't have to owe me anything. We're in good, we're in good shape.
I'm glad you said it on the air so I don't have to brag about myself. Tell your friends and loved ones about Iron Sharpens Iron Radio airing live Monday through Friday 4 to 6 p .m. Eastern Time at ironsharpensironradio .com.
Hi, this is John Sampson, Pastor of King's Church in Peoria, Arizona. Taking a moment of your day to talk about Chris Arnson and the Iron Sharpens Iron podcast. I consider Chris a true friend and a man of high integrity.
He's a skilled interviewer who's not afraid to ask the big penetrating questions while always defending the key doctrines of the Christian faith. I've always been happy to point people to this podcast knowing it's one of the very few safe places on the internet where folk won't be led astray.
I believe this podcast needs to be heard far and wide. This is a day of great spiritual compromise and yet God has raised Chris up for just such a time and knowing this, it's up us as members of the body of Christ to stand with such a ministry in prayer and in finances.
I'm pleased to do so and would like to ask you to prayerfully consider joining me in supporting Iron Sharpens Iron financially. Would you consider sending either a one-time gift or even becoming a regular monthly partner with this ministry?
I know it would be a huge encouragement to Chris if you would. All the details can be found at ironsharpensironradio .com where you can click.
Support. That's ironsharpensironradio .com. As host of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio, I frequently get.
Requests from listeners for church recommendations. A church I've been strongly recommending as far back as the 1980s is Grace Covenant Baptist Church in Flemington, New Jersey, pastored by Alan Dunn.
Grace Covenant Baptist Church believes it's God's prerogative to determine how he shall be worshiped and how he shall be represented in the world. They believe churches need to turn to the Bible to discover what to include in worship and how to worship God in spirit and truth.
Grace Covenant Baptist Church endeavors to maintain a God-centered focus. Reading, preaching, and hearing the Word of God, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, baptism, and communion are the scriptural elements of their corporate worship performed with faith, joy, and sobriety.
Discover more about Grace Covenant Baptist Church in Flemington, New Jersey at gcbcnj .squarespace .com. That's gcbcnj .squarespace .com or call them at 908 -996 -7654. That's 908 -996 -7654. Tell Pastor Dunn that you heard about Grace.
Covenant Baptist Church on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio. I'm Buzz Taylor, frequent co-host with.
Chris Ironson on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio. I would like to introduce you to my good friends, Todd and Patty Jennings at CVBBS, which stands for Cumberland Valley Bible Book Service. Todd and Patty specialize in supplying Reformed and Puritan books and Bibles at discount prices that make them affordable to everyone.
Since 1987, the family-owned and operated book service has sought to bring you the best available Christian books and Bibles at the best possible prices. Unlike other book sites, they make no effort to provide every book that is available because frankly, much of what is being printed is not worth your time.
That means you can get to the good stuff faster. It also means that you don't have to worry about being assaulted by the pornographic, heretical, and otherwise faith-insulting material promoted by the secular book vendors.
Their website is cvbbs .com. Browse the pages at ease, shop at your leisure, and purchase with confidence as Todd and Patty work in service to you, the church, and to Christ. That's Cumberland Valley Bible Book Service at cvbbs .com.
That's cvbbs .com. Let Todd and.
Patty know that you heard about them on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio. Iron Sharpens Iron Radio.
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This is Pastor Bill Sousa, Grace Church at Franklin, here in the beautiful state of Tennessee. Our congregation is one of a growing number of churches who love and support Iron Sharpens Iron Radio financially.
Grace Church at Franklin is an independent, autonomous body of believers which strives to clearly declare the whole counsel of God as revealed in scripture through the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And of course, the end of which we strive is the glory of God. If you live near Franklin, Tennessee, and Franklin is just south of Nashville, or maybe 10 minutes, or you are visiting this area, or you have friends and loved ones nearby, we hope you will join us some Lord's Day in worshiping our God and Savior.
Please feel free to contact me if you have more questions about Grace Church at Franklin. Our website is gracechurchatfranklin .org. That's gracechurchatfranklin .org. This is Pastor Bill Sousa wishing you all the richest blessings of our Sovereign Lord, God, Savior, and King Jesus Christ, today and always.
Our Lord Jesus Christ. My name is Banu Gadi. I'm a pharmacist in New York, which is the epicenter of the latest crisis the world is going through. In Psalm 139 verse 14, the psalmist offers praise to the Lord like this, I praise you because I'm fearfully and wonderfully made and wondrous are your works that my soul knows very well.
He saw God's goodness and mercy, kindness, and the beauty in what God has designed and he has erupted into praise. In any crisis or problem, brothers and sisters, our only fallback position is to trust God's design and once we do, there is nothing for us to do but to erupt in praise to him.
May God bless you and give all of us wisdom to see greater.
Things in his design. Thank you. Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said, give yourself unto reading.
The man who never reads will never be read. He who never quotes will never be quoted. He will not use the thoughts of other men's brains proves he has no brains of his own.
You need to read. Solid Ground Christian Books is a publisher and book distributor who takes these words of the Prince of Preachers to heart. The mission of Solid Ground Christian Books is to bring back treasures of the past to minister to Christians in the present and future and to publish new titles that address burning issues in the church and the world.
Since its beginning in 2001, Solid Ground has been committed to publish God-centered, Christ-exalting books for all ages. We invite you to go treasure hunting at solid-ground-books .com. That's solid-ground-books .com and see what priceless literary gems from the past to present you can unearth from Solid Ground.
Solid Ground Christian Books is honored to be a weekly sponsor of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio.
And please remember folks that solid-ground-books .com is a vital, a necessary, a premier sponsor of this program. We would likely not continue to exist without the continued financial support of solid-ground-books .com that comes through their advertising campaigns.
So please visit solid-ground-books .com frequently and purchase as generously as possible. And always mention that you heard about them from Chris Arns and Iron Sharpens Iron Radio. One thing that you might not be aware of is that solid-ground-books .com, in addition to publishing many things from the past that you must have in your libraries, they also have brought into print things by contemporary writers like our mutual friend Dr. Tony Costa and my mutual friend Dr. James R. White of Alpha Omega Ministries, who has written such books as Pulpit Crimes, The Criminal Mishandling of God's Word, and Is the Mormon My Brother? and other publications that Solid Ground Christian Books has published.
And I know that Dr. Costa, you can certainly give a hearty endorsement of.
Our mutual friend Dr. James R. White of Alpha Omega Ministries. Amen. So remember that website.
Solid-ground-books .com, solid-ground-books .com, and purchase frequently and generously from them, always mentioning that you heard about them from Chris Arns and Iron Sharpens Iron Radio. Before we return to our discussion with Dr. Tony Costa on the state of the church in Canada, we just have a couple of important announcements to make.
Tomorrow, New Year's Eve, we are joined once again by Bishop Peter Robinson, who is the Presiding Bishop of the United Episcopal Church in North America, which is a very conservative, biblically faithful, confessional, Reformed denomination, not to be confused with the mainline denomination, the Episcopal Church.
And we are going to be joined by Bishop Robinson to discuss lessons to be learned from 18th century Anglicanism, and I'm sure you will find Bishop Robinson to be utterly fascinating and edifying. He's quite a brilliant brother in Christ, not only very theologically and doctrinally astute, but also when it comes to church history, and I look forward to my next interview with him.
Also, folks, if you love this show and you don't want it to disappear from the airwaves, please go to ironsharpensironradio .com, click support, then click click to donate now. You can donate instantly in that fashion with a debit or credit card.
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You don't have to believe identically with me, but you need to be promoting something that is at the very least compatible with what I believe. So, if that is the case, send me an email to chrisarnson at gmail .com and put advertising in the subject line.
Always remember, that I don't want folks listening to siphon money away from their regular giving to their own local church where they are a member in order to give to Iron Sharpens Iron Radio. In other words, don't punish your own church financially by blessing us financially.
And also, if you are really struggling to survive and make ends meet, please don't put your family in further financial jeopardy and peril by supporting Iron Sharpens Iron Radio at this point in time.
Those two things are commands of scripture providing for your church and your family. Providing for Iron Sharpens Iron Radio is obviously not a command of scripture. But, if you love this show, you don't want it to disappear, and you are financially blessed above and beyond your ability to obey those two commands, then please help us survive.
Please give generously and to IronSharpensIronRadio .com. Click support, then click to donate now. Also, folks, if you are not a member of a local bible-believing church, no matter where on the planet earth you live, please send me an email to chrisarnson at gmail .com and put I need a church in the subject line.
I have lists of biblically faithful churches all over the world, and I have helped many people in all parts of the globe find churches, sometimes right near where they live, that they didn't even know existed or that they didn't know were biblically faithful churches.
So, I may be able to help you too. Just send me an email to chrisarnson at gmail .com and put I need a church in the subject line. That's also the email address where you can send in a question to Dr. Tony Costa on the state of the church in Canada.
It's chrisarnson at gmail .com. Chrisarnson at gmail .com. And we have a question from Ronald in Eastern Suffolk County, Long Island, New York for you, Dr. Costa. He says, you have repeatedly said that your pastor friend who risks a $100 ,000 fine and a year imprisonment is not an anti-masker or anti-vacciner, but I also happen to know that you have friends that are also your theological allies that would fit that category.
What room do folks such as that who are anti-maskers and anti-vacciners have in the.
Body of Christ? What place do they have? I didn't catch that. Yeah, in other words, are they wrong.
For holding these anti-mask, anti-vaccine views? And let's be honest. I don't think Dr. James White is going to mind if we mentioned him by name. I wouldn't necessarily say he is totally an anti-vacciner, but he has definitely made it clear in public that the current vaccine for the coronavirus has not had the adequate tests and has not had an adequate span of time elapsed before he would feel even close to safe taking the vaccine.
But if you could pick up where I left.
Off there. Sure, sure. Well, let me be candid. I actually actually helped you against the church polarized over, divide us over, dividing over these things that we have to have understanding here.
Well, however, would you say that there is a place, a rightful place for people like our mutual friend and brother, Dr. James R. White to publicly make his grievances over mask mandates known? He's not silent about this.
And in his opinion, he would be in error and perhaps even sin by not calling to the attention of the public, especially those who hold him in high regard and trust his integrity, trust his knowledge, his research.
He believes that the public is in mass being deceived and are even being, they're placing themselves and others in a false sense of security by wearing these masks because he believes they are utterly no value at all, especially these masks that the majority of us are wearing these cloth masks and so on.
Yeah, I think we do have a number of elderly folks, 99 over and I can see where he's going.
And of course, one of the things that's very interesting about what you just said, that so many people in nursing homes are amongst, include the highest number of fatalities when these are the very places where the mandates are strict, most strictly held, where you're not going to find anybody not wearing a mask, where you're not going to find places that are not sterilized and where people are not wearing rubber gloves.
And you could go on and on and on or surgical gloves. I don't know if that would call them rubber gloves, but you know what I mean? So it's interesting that even in the midst of those precautions that we are being told are the key ways to keep people safe, that's where most of the cases of coronavirus are and even fatal cases.
Yeah, well, that was admitted by the governor of...
Going back to our main theme today, the state of the church in Canada, Susan Margaret in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania wants to know, how best can we Americans pray for our Canadian brothers and sisters in regard to the current state of affairs in regard to the.
Church? I think the number one here, we're praying for you, a word of encouragement, transcend in the sense that it is universal, it's of all people, every tongue, every tribe.
We have Christian in Western Suffolk County, Long Island, who wants to know, what church.
Denominations can you recommend as still being faithful in Canada? Let's see here. Oh, we have.
An anonymous listener who says, I have heard different stories from different Canadian brothers in Christ and I was wondering if you could settle the matter. Some of them have told me that nothing of serious consequence has occurred to Christians in Canada by being publicly outspoken against the damnable practice of homosexuality.
Others had said that there have been fines inflicted upon faithful saints exposing this sin for the crime it is. What.
Is the truth in this matter? Talking about churches that have, so I didn't catch that part.
Basically, this person has heard different stories from different Canadian Christians. Some of them are saying that you could speak as freely against homosexuality as any other Christian and the others have said, no, no, there have been fines given to people who have been speaking out.
Against this, etc. Yes, that is very true. That is very true that in Alberta, they were not permitted to and they were bringing them past Jordan against what freedom of expression. Do.
You have any update on those folks who have been imprisoned? How long were they in prison for?
This was going back to another phrase that you used that it is illegal to.
Offer conversion therapy to someone who claims to have same-sex attraction or to be wanting to or one that identifies themselves as transgendered or what have you. Obviously, that is a touchy phrase, conversion therapy, because there are organizations that have offered this to those practicing homosexuality and having other unnatural thought processes regarding gender and sexual attraction and so on.
There are things that have been offered that you and I would even say, now this is just not in accordance with the Word of God. In other words, we believe in salvation by grace alone, through faith alone and Christ alone, and that there are some people who perhaps may even be Christian who have adopted or recommended therapies that may not be very wise.
As far as what you just said, conversion therapy, do you mean that it is illegal even just to say that if you have this same-sex attraction, you must repent because the Scriptures are clear, not only the activity is sinful, but even the burning of one's heart for someone of the same gender, that even in and of itself is evil and so on.
So, is it just as simple as being clear in your opposition to homosexuality that it is illegal?
It violates their rights, whether they want to be a girl. In fact, we had to acknowledge that.
By the way, we do have a children's aid society here in America. I don't know if it's the same thing. There was even a commercial with a ditty, a jingle, I'm really glad they made the children's aid society.
I don't know if it's the same. It sounds like a McDonald's jingle. Well, if they are the same, I'm certainly not glad they made it. We have to go to our final break right now, and if anybody wants to join us with a question of your own before we run out of time, please send it in right away to chrisarnson at gmail .com.
As always, give us your first name at least, your city and state of residence, and your country of residence if you live outside the USA. Don't go away,.
We'll be right back with Tony Costa. James White of Alpha Omega Ministries here.
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Your order. I'm Dr. Tony Costa, Professor of Apologetics and Islam at Toronto Baptist Seminary.
I'm thrilled to introduce to you a church where I've been invited to speak and have grown to love, Hope Reformed Baptist Church in Corham, Long Island, New York, pastored by Rich Jensen and Christopher McDowell.
It's such a joy to witness and experience fellowship with people of God, like the dear saints at Hope Reformed Baptist Church in Corham, who have an intensely passionate desire to continue digging deeper and deeper into the unfathomable riches of Christ in His Holy Word, and to enthusiastically proclaim Christ Jesus the King and His doctrines of sovereign grace in Suffolk County, Long Island and beyond.
That's hopereformedli .net, or call 631 -696 -5711. That's 631 -696 -5711. Tell the folks at Hope Reformed Baptist Church of Corham, Long Island, New York that you heard about them from Tony.
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Bill Sousa, Grace Church at Franklin, here in the beautiful state of Tennessee. Our congregation is one of a growing number of churches who love and support Iron Sharpens Iron Radio financially. Grace Church at Franklin is an independent, autonomous body of believers which strives to clearly declare the whole counsel of God as revealed in Scripture through the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Please feel free to contact me if you have more questions about Grace Church at Franklin. Our website is gracechurchatfranklin .org. That's gracechurchatfranklin .org. This is Pastor Bill Sousa wishing you all the richest blessings of our sovereign Lord, God, Savior, and King Jesus Christ today.
And always. Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said, Give yourself unto reading. The man who never.
Reads will never be read. He who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other men's brains proves that he has no brains of his own. You need to read.
Solid Ground Christian Books is a publisher and book distributor who takes these words of the Prince of Preachers to heart. The mission of Solid Ground Christian Books is to bring back treasures of the past to minister to Christians in the present and future, and to publish new titles that address burning issues in the church and the world.
James White of Alpha Omega Ministries here. If you've watched my Dividing Line webcast often enough, you know I have a great love for getting Bibles and other documents vital to my ministry rebound to preserve and ensure their longevity.
And besides that, they feel so good. I'm so delighted I discovered Post Tenebrous Lux Bible rebinding. No radio ad will be long enough to sing their praises sufficiently, but I'll give it a shot. Jeffrey Rice of Post Tenebrous Lux is a remarkably gifted craftsman and artisan.
All his work is done by hand, from the cutting to the pleating of corners to the perimeter stitching. Jeffrey uses the finest in buttery soft imported leathers in a wide variety of gorgeous colors, like the turquoise goatskin tanned in Italy used for my Nestle All-in -28 edition, with a navy blue goatskin inside liner, and the electric blue goatskin from a French tannery used to rebind a Reformation study Bible I used as a gift.
The silver gilding he added on the edges has a stunning mirror finish resembling highly polished chrome. Jeffrey will customize your rebinding to your specifications and even emboss your logo into the leather, making whatever he rebinds a one-of-a-kind work of art.
For more details on Post Tenebrous Lux Bible rebinding, go to ptlbiblerebinding .com. That's ptlbiblerebinding .com.
We are excited to announce another new member of the Iron Sharpens Iron Radio advertising family, Banu Gadi, owner of three New York pharmacies, Lee's Drugs of Floral Park, Long Beach Chemists, and Prescription Center of Long Island in Hempstead.
Welcome back. This is Chris Arnzen, and this is our final segment of today's interview with Dr. Tony Acosta on the state of the church in Canada. And we have Joseph in South Central Pennsylvania who asks, I don't know if I'm mixing Canada up with another country, but I seem to recall a church receiving an extremely high fine from the government for posting a billboard that did nothing more than cite a passage of scripture that condemned homosexuality.
Am I right in thinking this was Canada? Chris, I don't recall. So you're saying that Canada has not reached that point or something like that would be finable to.
An excess? The closest I come to that, Chris, is 1 Corinthians 6, 1 Timothy 1, and so forth. And eventually a tribunal order that they basically bought because they were deemed offensive by the LGBTQ community.
The message in so far as I can come up with was this lady's.
Christian. Well, I'd like you to now spend some time uninterrupted to summarize what you most want etched in the hearts and minds of our listeners today regarding the state of the.
Canadian church. I want to, and stained glass windows, I'm talking about the living organism of God's people. The people of God are no longer essential. Realize that the talks about when you come together,.
29. Praise God. Well, Dr. Costa, if you could spend about a minute giving us any.
Updates on things that you want our listeners to be aware of, any kind of speaking engagements, books, Zoom meetings, what have you. Sure. I am actually, thank you for bringing that up,.
Chris. I am teaching a course, an online course, beginning January the 24th, January the 24th, the UN agenda, lectures. We also provide a book for them to join, but also apologetics at gmail .com. That's all one word.
I want everybody to always.
Remember for the rest of your lives that Jesus Christ is a far greater savior than you are a sinner.