Drippings from the Honeycomb
More to be desired are [the rules of the Lord] than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. (Psalm 19:10)
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Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children to another generation. (Joel 1:3)
While speaking primarily to parents, every generation the church faces extinction and the Great Commission calls us to share the Good News with all ages, including children. While a whole family focus is important in evangelism, statistically 64% of Christians become a Christian before they are 18. God has been incredibly gracious to allow me to be involved in children’s (and youth) ministries through the years.
Apart from immense gratitude, what have I learned to value about this ministry?:
On Wednesday, July 1, 2026, many will attend a bbq, some organized festivities and maybe even fireworks. It is Canada Day.
Did you know, however, that Canada Day used to be called Dominion Day as Canada’s formal name is ‘The Dominion of Canada.’[1] This name was suggested by the Father of Confederation, an evangelical Methodist, Leonard Tilley. It takes its inspiration from Ps 72:8, “He shall have dominion from sea to sea.” Christ was to have dominion over the country of Canada. The first Dominion Days were of little significance as our identity was caught up in Empire. However, after WWII Canada increasingly came to see itself as part of the Commonwealth but an independent country. The old Dominion ensign was replaced with a new national flag in 1965. A generation later, in 1982, Dominion Day was changed to Canada Day. However, it was a late night and hot July day when the private members bill to change the name was introduced (the government bill never passed). Only 13 MPs were present when it passed all three readings. (The Opposition called the move, ‘sneaky.’[2]). It was part of Trudeau’s plan to recast Canada as a secular and multi-cultural country (aware of not only the Imperial but the Christian overtones of Dominion Day). While there were protests to bring back Dominion Day, most Canadians saw it as inevitable progress towards independent national identity. Most did not grasp the religious significance. Nostalgic bids to return to Dominion Day continue but lack any realistic political support. However, as ‘Canada Day’ has come to be morally empty—Trudeau Jr. said Canada was a ‘post-national state’ with ‘no core identity, no mainstream in Canada’[3]—Dominion Day does become an attractive alternative. Sure, we can celebrate a vague sense of freedom, however, this is nothing close to as enriching as a country ruled by Christ and His laws. While Christ rules in heaven most Canadians reject Him in their heart. As always, the best expression of patriotism is to evangelistically proclaim the Lordship of Christ afresh until post-Christian Canada is reached for Christ. This is true love of neighbour. True dominion is not ultimately won in political arenas but experienced in one heart at a time. In the meantime, we can thank the Lord for our Christian heritage as we pray and work a revival of Christ’s dominion. [1] While still technically true, use of Dominion was dropped in 1951. [2] https://www.cbc.ca/archives/canada-day-1982-1.6496279 [3] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/04/the-canada-experiment-is-this-the-worlds-first-postnational-country A series of short devotionals given on an 11 km June youth outing on the Bruce Trail.
Lesson 1- Start Welcome to the Bruce Trail! It is 933 km long. It goes all the way to the right to the Niagara River at Queenston Heights and all the way to the left to Tobermory at the tip of the Bruce Penninsula. It is Canada’s longest hiking trail; but don’t worry, we’re only going to walk 11 km. The Bible is full of the imagery of paths, trails, roads and races (c.f. Ps 119:105, Jn 14:6). Today as we journey we’re going to pause to talk about Entering, Staying On and Finishing God’s Path. Just like starting the trail, one has to personally enter onto God’s path. It is not enough to be from a Christian family. We must, each one, turn and trust in Jesus to become a Christian, enter the path and begin to follow Jesus. At each stop a youth will read a short passage and then we’ll answer some simple questions as a group. A youth reads: Matt 7:13-14 Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Questions: What is this passage saying, what do we need to know to be able to understand it better, what is it saying about God, us, and what is it asking us to do? If you’ve already enter, praise the Lord for His salvation as you walk. If you’ve not enter, don’t think about anything else, as nothing more than this is so important. Lesson 2- Middle You have to be careful walking the Bruce Trail. There are lots of cliffs, roots, poison ivy, turns where you may get lost. You must follow the white blazes! The same is true along God’s path. There are many trials and temptation in which Satan would slow us down or lead us astray. However, if we’d grow and become like Jesus we must continue to trust God’s word and walk in His ways. A youth reads: Dt 5:32-33 “You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.” Questions: What is this passage saying, what do we need to know to be able to understand it better, what is it saying about God, us, and what is it asking us to do? Are we trusting the Lord and following His Word? Where may we need to turn back in our life? Let’s think about His way as we press on. Lesson 3- Near the end Almost 11 km is a lot of work! So is life and following Jesus. It requires perseverance (thankfully something God provides for His children by His grace so that we persevere to the end). Sometimes the Bible speaks about following Jesus as a path but sometimes as a race. Anyone guess the world record for running the Bruce Trail? (A- 8 days, 17 hours). Only the one who perseveres and completes the race get’s the price of salvation. A youth reads: 1 Cor 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Questions: What is this passage saying, what do we need to know to be able to understand it better, what is it saying about God, us, and what is it asking us to do? So let us not give up, let’s fix our eyes upon Jesus, ask for His help, and continue to follow him; persevering to the end to win the prize! How do you spend your time? Do you spend it wisely for the Lord and eternity or waste it on trivial and meaningless things? As the next most precious thing to life itself, how we spend our time speaks volumes about us.
In English we have a phrase ‘redeem the time.’ It comes from Ephesians 5:16 (c.f. Colossians 4:5, “Making the best use of the time”). It is a command of the Lord’s. To redeem means to buy out of the market (i.e. to purchase a slave), or more simply to rescue. Time means not quantitative chronological time but qualitative time like an opportune moment, critical juncture or a strategic period. Because the “days are evil” to walk in wisdom means not to waste our time in sin or meaningless activities. These are dead ends. To redeem the time means to spend our time in ways that honour the Lord, have eternal significance, help others and enrich our lives. We redeem the time by putting the Lord first in our week (the Lord’s Day), prioritizing His will in our lives (“seek ye first” Mt 6:33), doing all that we do out of a biblically and prayerfully rooted life, being productive (Christian work ethic), planning out our weeks, engaging in wholesome and meaningful activities, etc. Two giants of church history and the evangelical revival stand out to inform and inspire us. Jonathan Edwards (1703–58) Evangelical minister of Northampton, MA. He not only witnesses and was part of revival but through his prolific writings helped to spread revival. Early in his ministry he crafted his 71 Resolutions, which reveal a Puritan-evangelical piety. One is to “Never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.”[1] William Wilberforce (1759–1833) Evangelical Anglican and Parliamentary abolitionist of slavery. Saved from a wasteful life Wilberforce went on to say in his best selling book, Real Christianity (1797), "No man has a right to be idle. Where is it that in such a world as this, that health, and leisure, and affluence may not find some ignorance to instruct, some wrong to redress, some want to supply, some misery to alleviate?" He devoted himself to two great aims, “the abolition of slavery and the reformation of manners [the Gospel]” In the 1790s he kept a ledger in which he noted how he spent his time. If he wasted 15 minutes in a day he would lament![2] God calls us to redeem the time. Will we heed his call? [1] George Marsden, Jonathan Edwards (2003), 51; Edwards, J., The Works of Jonathan Edwards, vol. 1, Banner of Truth Trust, 1974, lxii. [2] This may give the impression that rest is wasteful, but this couldn’t be further from the true. Both men remembered the Sabbath day and took restful delight in many other areas of life. It does mean that they were intentional about how they incorporated rest into life, it was meaningful rest vs. pure amusement (amuser in French means to not think). I actually have no Dutch blood but this winter I read the Three Forms of Unity of the Dutch Reformed Church (accepted in 1619), and generally read them with great approval.[1] They stand as time tested expressions of biblical Reformed orthodoxy.
The Three Forms of Unity is made up of:
STAY TUNED FOR PART II [1] I had read portions of them before but this was the first time I read them all. DraftIn Eph 4:12, the office and gift of pastors (shepherds)/elders/overseers[1] is charged with this task: “to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.”[2] While other Scriptures note other activities of this office, this is important. What does this rich phrase mean?
Firstly, notice that it is an every member ministry. While pastors used to be (and sometimes still are) called ministers, every member of the church is indeed a minister (servant) to be involved in a ministry as Christ has gifted them. Neither should the pastor tightly guard ‘his ministry’ nor should members consign their work of the ministry to the pastors. The Reformation, and indeed Baptist thought, recovered and advances an every member ministry. The elders are involved in ministry (and can have a ministry) but their specific ministry is equipping the saints for the work of the ministry. Ministry is service, or the work Christ is calling His church to do in the Great Commission and Commandment. Ministry is multiplied when many are involved. (Saints are those who’ve been made holy through faith in Christ, which through membership and baptism make up the Ephesian church). Every saint has a gift and is called to use in both in the gathered and scattered sense of the Church. Then and only then can the local body be as effective as possible. To equip, their calling in this verse, is why they were gifted with teaching (v. 11). To equip is a rich word (translated complete in the KJV, which links it also to the idea of holiness, something mirrored in the character qualifications for elders and deacons). In the ancient world one would equip (outfit) a ship for sailing, equip (supply an army for battle); one might even think of equipping (furnishing) a store to open. Equipping means providing someone what they need in order to do their job. Leaders provide members with teaching, by telling and showing, in order that they may be healthy, fit and able members of the body. Teaching binds the wider list of gifts/offices together and is emphasized in “the shepherds and teachers;” with even shepherds feeding their sheep (i.e. or elders ‘being able to teach’). Teaching is not just about knowledge transfer but teaching that sustains and matures and enables. It appeals to the head and the heart. The primary teaching tool in the church is the preached word on the Lord’s Day. There are other teaching opportunities as well from literature, Bible studies, focused workshops, etc. Through these members are fed and their gifts enabled as they apply the wider teaching to their specific giftings. However, there are other forms of teaching, which fall more into a showing vs. a telling category, or are more pastoral. Shepherds not only feed (teach) but care, guide, discipline, encourage, etc. Here the sheep are taught through prayer, example, visitation, counsel or one-to-one ministry. He helps them to recognize their giftings and then encourage and develop them. Being with the sheep also helps the shepherd better apply teaching to the congregation. But not only are these leaders called to ‘equip the saints’ the saints are called to take advantage of the leaders whom the ascended Christ has gifted to its church. The success of the church does not only depend on leaders equipping but the extent to which members take advantage of their leaders. Do they sit under God’s Word, attend core events, ask their counsel, etc. The whole body must equip for and take advantage of the gifts Christ has given. [1] While the immediate context speaks of gifts the use of the definite article along with other parallel lists of officers conveys that this lists gifts and offices. Truly, these ought to go together, as the church should only appoint to its offices those she believes have been gifted by God. [2] Their teaching also has the effect of producing maturity that leads to unity. Today is sunny and mild, the birds are singing and the sap is dripping. Spring is on the way! What a wonder and wisdom is there in our Creator God in making the seasons. Truly, Ecclesiastes is speaking about seasons in life, however, God has demarcated those with natural seasons: winter, spring, summer and fall. These seasons divide the years that make up our lives. Now, we may gripe and complain—too much snow, it’s too hot—however, truth be told, we’d complain if we lived anywhere else than the northern hemisphere with its seasons. Every season is unique. We anticipate a season coming, dwell within its presence and then long for its end. It is impossible to tire of the wonder that God in His wisdom has imparted to us. Let us praise God together as the season changes.
Acts chapter six is a famous passage about the appointment of the first deacons to serve the church’s practical needs.
The church had been growing and growing fast. Acts 6:1 recaps this by saying, “Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number…” However, this growth was producing growing pains (much like our children when they grow so fast!). The verse goes on to say, “a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.” The cultural Greek believing Jews were coming into conflict with the culturally Hebrew believing Jews over alms to the poor widows. The Greeks felt they were being neglected. This almost certainly wasn’t a sin issue but one of oversight. Rather than seeing this as a crisis the matter was resolved constructively—deacons were appointed and all the widows were cared for. Luke then tells us about the result in v. 7, “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.” Overcoming the growing pains led to greater witness and growth! In recent years, as part of this quiet revival, MBC has grown. In fact, all of the association churches have grown. Our attendance has about tripled and we have about 100+ people regularly worshipping with or connecting with us. Many of the questions that face us—like in Acts— are not sin issues but growth and size issues. I’m heartened to know we are not alone—all of the association churches and many others across the West are experiencing the same growing pains! Addressing those growing pains effectively is key to growing numerically and spiritually. On this point FEB Central passed along a helpful article to the Elders, which we’ve reflected upon and want to share with you. The article is called “Leadership and Church Size Dynamics” by the late Timothy Keller. In it Keller points out that the change brought about by church growth can feel even greater than the difference between changing denominations! He offers 6 things that are generally needed to grow from a small church (30–100 in Canada) to a medium church (100–250 in Canada). You’ll notice we are right on that boundary. Those 6 things are:
So we would score 2/2/2. That means we still need to focus on 4 areas. Our church has been growing, praise God! To avoid bouncing off the glass ceiling and instead moving beyond it, these are some wise considerations we should think about. We want to be like the church in Acts and constructively address matters so that we can continue to be effective witnesses. Theology is the knowledge of God, both factual and experiential (Ps 34:8- Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good…). It also includes everything He has revealed about faith and practice. Theology is not boring, it is the foundation of Christian life and inspires worship and holy living.
Sadly, however, many people get bored of God and plateau or ‘fall away’ after an initial interest. Such can be the case with some children raised in the Church. Such people inevitably grow out of theology. Why does this happen? This happens when people have not embraced true theology but rather manmade or partially true theology. You see, humans are finite—limited. Any theology based on man will invariably be able to be exhausted. Once we’ve reached its limit, we tire of it, stagnate or move on. How sad! We grow out of theology when we have a small view of God and a big view of man. True theology is based upon what God has revealed about Himself and His ways in the Bible. Because He is infinite—limitless—we can never exhaust true theology. Seeing the big God of the Bible is key to never growing out of theology but always having more to grow into; more to discover, more to experience, more to learn! True theology provides us with an inexhaustible pursuit that we will enjoy, not only today, but for eternity. The believer has an eternity to get to know God! True theology inspires love and service and growth. Bored with theology? Try switching to a theology that you can grow into, not out of! A public version of my 2025 Pastor's Report for our coming annual members' meeting. From the SteepleOur steeple represents a big picture overview of the life of MBC. While a small but growing church, the Lord has continued to use us in mighty ways. This has also produced growing pains, which we are seeking to constructively surmount with God’s help. In this it is good to know that as part of the quiet revival, many churches are sharing similar experiences. Highlights of the year include:
From the StudyFrom my basecamp I’ve engaged in numerous activities over 2025:
Beyond MBC I’ve taught 2 courses at Toronto Baptist Seminary: Church History B and Baptist History and Thought. I also continue to edit the seminary’s Gospel Witness journal that produces scholarship for the church. You may find copies in our library. I have many research and writing interests that time doesn’t wholly allow me to pursue. However, I did present a paper at the Canadian Baptist Historical Symposium in April. Also, my book Drippings from the Honeycomb is finally in the final stages with the publisher and should be out in late 2026. I also spoke at a pastor’s retreat and co-taught at a summer Chinese Baptist church retreat. I’m also preparing a book chapter titled, “Ontario Baptist Confessionalism” (2026) for a Canadian Baptist Historical Society volume. Into 2027 I will also be the coordinating editor of various Ontario scholars to produce the 100th history of Toronto Baptist Seminary. As a family we took a summer trip around the world’s largest lake—Superior. Despite having caught the plague at VBS it was a beautiful journey. We were grateful to finish our major renovations at Orange Valley Acre too. Please continue to pray for various health concerns and Digory’s spiritual well-being. Back to the SteepleWe are certainly transitioning from a smaller to a more medium church. This brings with it growing pains. As we grow the truth remains that the “harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few” (Mt 9:37). I want to thank our core members who serve sacrificially and encourage others to join the church and experience Acts 20:35, which says, “it is more blessed to give than receive.” As we rally around God’s word, we’re also seeking to turn harmony into unity as we all mature in the faith together.
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