Welcome to Canada

🇨🇦 Welcome to Canada: Freedom and Faith

Welcome to Canada! As a new resident, it's important to understand the foundational values that make this country a place of peace, opportunity, and freedom.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Canada is governed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a part of our Constitution since 1982. The Charter protects your fundamental rights, including:

Freedom of conscience and religion

Freedom of thought, belief, opinion, and expression

Freedom of peaceful assembly and association

These freedoms are not just legal rights—they reflect Canada’s foundation as a nation built upon Judeo-Christian principles, which historically shaped our laws, education, and institutions. While Canada welcomes people of all faiths or no faith at all, the roots of our freedoms—including freedom of religion—are deeply tied to the Christian belief that every person has dignity and worth because they are made in the image of God.

Canada gives you the right to worship freely, to share your beliefs, and to live your life according to your conscience. This is a precious freedom not found in every country—and it's worth cherishing.

✝️ The Gospel of Salvation Through Jesus Christ

While you’ve come to a new country for a better life, we invite you to receive eternal life—not just a better life here, but everlasting life with God.

The Problem: Sin

The Bible teaches that we are all born in sin. Romans 3:23 says:

> “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

That means no matter how religious we are, how many good things we do, or how hard we try, we can never meet the perfect, holy standard of God on our own.

> Isaiah 64:6 says, “All our righteous acts are like filthy rags.”

The Solution: Jesus Christ

Because we could not save ourselves, God made a way. He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to live a perfect, sinless life and then die on the cross in our place, taking the punishment we deserve.

> Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Jesus didn’t just die. He rose from the dead, proving that He has power over sin, death, and hell. His resurrection gives us hope that we, too, can have eternal life.

> John 14:6 – “Jesus said, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

The Gift: Salvation by Faith

We cannot earn salvation—it is a gift from God. It comes by grace through faith, not by our own good deeds.

> Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

When we repent (turn away) from our sins and put our faith in Jesus Christ—trusting in His death and resurrection—we are:

Forgiven of all sin

Justified (declared righteous)

Born again as a new creation

Adopted into God’s family

Filled with the Holy Spirit

Promised eternal life in Heaven

> John 1:12 – “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

🙏 Sinner’s Prayer: Receive Jesus Christ Today

If you understand that you are a sinner and believe that Jesus Christ died for you, rose from the dead, and offers you salvation, you can be saved right now by putting your faith in Him.

Pray this from your heart:

Dear God,

I come before You today knowing that I am a sinner.

I have fallen short of Your perfect standard.

I cannot save myself, and my good works are not enough.

But I believe that You love me.

You sent Your Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for my sins.

He took my place and paid the price I could never pay.

I believe that He rose from the dead, conquering sin, hell, and death.

Today, I repent of my sins and turn to You.

I ask You to forgive me and cleanse me.

I put my faith in Jesus Christ alone for my salvation.

I receive Him now as my personal Lord and Savior.

Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and make me a new creation.

Adopt me as Your child and help me follow You all the days of my life.

Thank You for loving me.

Thank You for saving me.

Thank You for eternal life.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen.

🇨🇦 Welcome to Canada—and Welcome to the Family of God

If you just prayed that prayer and meant it with all your heart, you are now a born-again believer in Jesus Christ—a child of God and a citizen of Heaven. Welcome not just to Canada, but into the eternal Kingdom of God!

> Luke 15:10 – “There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Now that you’ve begun this new life:

Read the Holy Bible daily (start with the Gospel of John).

Pray and talk to God every day.

Find a Bible-believing church and fellowship with other Christians.

Tell others what Jesus has done for you.

✝️ Please share this clear and heartfelt 'Good News' message you can give to new immigrants to Canada, explaining both the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms—particularly freedom of religion and its foundation in Canada's Christian heritage—as well as a faithful presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, followed by a sinner’s prayer for those who wish to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Watch this message by the late Billy Graham.

✝️How to receive salvation 

Creation Errors John Lennox Attributes to Stephen Hawking

On 12 March 2013 John Lennox gave the Vice Chancellor’s Open Lecture at the University of Cape Town on the topic of “A Matter of Gravity: God, the Universe and Stephen Hawking”.

Watch Video

Pastor Dr. John Lennox, a Christian apologist and retired mathematics professor at the University of Oxford, has publicly debated and critiqued the views of Stephen Hawking, particularly concerning the relationship between science and God. While John Lennox is not a pastor by title, he is a devout Christian who frequently speaks in churches and at Christian conferences around the world, including Ireland.

Key Errors John Lennox Attributes to Stephen Hawking:

Here are some of the main critiques John Lennox has made regarding Stephen Hawking’s scientific and philosophical views, especially from Hawking's book The Grand Design:

1. Misuse of the Laws of Physics to Exclude God

Stephen Hawking’s claim: “Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.”

Lennox’s critique: This is logically incoherent. Lennox points out that if the universe creates itself, it would have to exist before it existed, which is a contradiction. Also, laws like gravity don’t create anything—they describe what happens under certain conditions. Gravity can’t cause creation unless there is something already in existence.

2. Category Error: Confusing Scientific Explanation with Agency

Hawking’s argument: Science has explained the origin of the universe, so we don't need God.

Lennox’s response: Explaining how something works doesn’t disprove the agent who designed it. For example, understanding the laws of combustion doesn’t prove there was no one who designed and built a car engine.

3. Conflating “Nothing” with Something

Hawking's "nothing" is often a quantum vacuum, which is still something—not true philosophical nothingness.

Lennox points out that “nothing” means the absence of anything—no laws, no energy, no space, no time. Saying the universe came from "nothing" while redefining "nothing" is intellectually dishonest.

4. Science Alone Cannot Answer Ultimate Questions

Hawking suggested that philosophy is dead, and science now leads all knowledge.

Lennox argues this is self-refuting because the statement "philosophy is dead" is itself a philosophical claim—not a scientific one. Lennox insists that science and philosophy must work together, and science alone cannot determine meaning, morality, or purpose.

5. Denial of Objective Morality and Human Significance

Hawking’s atheistic worldview leads to nihilism, where humans have no ultimate meaning or value.

Lennox counters this with the Christian worldview, where humans are created in the image of God, have moral responsibility, and are more than random products of nature.

Conclusion:

Dr. John Lennox offers a strong, respectful critique of Stephen Hawking’s ideas, asserting that science does not eliminate the need for God, but rather points to a rational, intelligent Creator. Lennox defends the compatibility of faith and science, showing that many of the most brilliant scientists in history believed in God—including Newton, Kepler, and Faraday.

A Matter of Gravity: God, the Universe and Stephen Hawking – John Lennox (lecture)

Here’s an excellent lecture by Dr John Lennox (recorded March 12, 2013 in Cape Town) titled A Matter of Gravity, where he critiques Stephen Hawking’s arguments from The Grand Design. Lennox centers on Hawking’s claim that "because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing." He dismantles it by highlighting three main points:

🔍 Key Critiques Lennox Raises against Hawking

1. Gravity Doesn’t Create, It Describes

Lennox emphasizes that physical laws—like gravity—describe behavior; they don’t act as causal agents that can initiate creation. You can’t derive existence from the laws themselves.  

2. **Question-Begging: Universe Creating Itself?**

He argues Hawking's statement is circular—suggesting the universe created itself out of nothing. That “nothing” is not truly nothing but presupposes existing laws and conditions. He rightly calls this "Alice-in-Wonderland thinking."  

3. Category Error – Agency vs. Explanation

Lennox draws a clear distinction between how things happen (science) and why things exist (philosophical/theological groundings). Explaining mechanics (M‑theory, quantum vacuum) does not eliminate the need for an intelligent agent who initiates the cosmos.  

🎤 Where to Dive Deeper

In a March 2017 ID the Future interview, Lennox discusses his book God and Stephen Hawking: Whose Design Is It Anyway? He addresses Hawking's statement from The Grand Design, as well as Hawking’s dismissal of philosophy and endorsement of M-theory.  

A 2011 audio session (ID the Future Episode 503) expands on how you need both agency (God) and laws (science) to fully explain the universe—much like needing both Henry Ford and engineering to explain an automobile.  

📝 Summary

Dr Lennox’s critique asserts that Hawking’s view oversimplifies profound philosophical questions. He claims:

Scientific laws aren’t creators, merely descriptions.

Hawking’s “nothing” actually presupposes existence.

Science can describe the mechanisms but not the ultimate purpose or cause.

Philosophy and theology still have crucial roles in answering “why there is something rather than nothing.”

Judas Betrayed Jesus—and Also Betrayed Himself

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Judas Betrayed Jesus—and Also Betrayed Himself
(A Reflection with Scripture)

Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples chosen by Jesus Himself, is remembered as the one who betrayed the Son of God for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14–16). But in betraying Jesus, Judas also betrayed himself. He turned against his identity as a disciple, a follower, and a chosen vessel. He was called to walk with Christ, but he rejected that calling for a fleeting and false promise of power.

In many ways, Judas’s betrayal serves as a warning to us. When we forsake our identity in Christ—when we chase after the world, compromise our calling, or live in ways that contradict the Spirit—we, too, betray who we are in God. Scripture tells us, “Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous” (1 John 3:7).

Judas was tempted by the devil. The Gospel of Luke tells us that “Satan entered Judas” before he went to the chief priests to betray Jesus (Luke 22:3–4). It seems that Judas may have hoped that his actions would force Jesus to display His power, to reveal Himself as the King of the Jews in a dramatic, public overthrow of Roman rule. But Jesus had not come to conquer political empires—He came to conquer sin and death. He came not as a Lion first, but as the Lamb of God: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

Judas’s motives mirror the earlier temptation of Christ in the wilderness. Satan took Jesus to a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, saying, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:8–9). But Jesus refused. Judas, however, did not. In essence, Judas gave in to that same temptation—the desire for worldly power, authority, and recognition.

In doing so, Judas denied not only Christ, but his own spiritual inheritance. He exchanged a divine calling for a carnal ambition. He chose silver over salvation. The Bible warns us: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).

This is the tragedy of Judas. For a mere thirty pieces of silver—a paltry sum—he sold out the Savior, and he sold out his soul. He rejected his divine identity and purpose. Hebrews 12:16–17 speaks of Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal and later found no place for repentance. Judas made a similarly devastating trade.

We must be vigilant not to do the same. The Apostle James reminds us, “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin” (James 1:14–15). When we compromise who we are in Christ to chase what the world offers—power, wealth, status—we risk losing our way entirely.

Jesus calls us to abide in His love and stay true to our calling: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4).

Let us not betray our true selves in Christ. We were created on purpose and for a purpose. As Ephesians 2:10 declares, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

When we step outside God’s will to pursue our own desires, we end up walking away from our destiny. Let us remain faithful, holding fast to the truth that our identity, inheritance, and future are found in Christ alone—not in the fleeting promises of the world.