Tag: Canada

Ministry in French Canada: A Pastor’s Journey from ShowBiz to the Secular City – with Sébastien Frappier

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In this episode of the Theology for the People Podcast, I speak with Sébastien Frappier his incredible journey from a professional acting career to planting a church in the highly secular city of Montreal, Quebec.

Sebastian shares how a moment of spiritual emptiness led him to encounter Jesus through a Gideon Bible on Guadalupe Mountain in Texas. He reflects on his 12-year journey of preparation, the unique challenges of ministry in a post-Christian culture, and how his acting background informs his preaching and evangelism.

The conversation also covers the unique cultural and spiritual aspects of Quebec, effective evangelism strategies in Montreal, and the importance of discipleship in a context where biblical knowledge is minimal.

Sebastian offers practical advice for church planters in secular urban settings and shares how listeners can support Calvary Montreal’s mission.

Key Topics:

• Sebastian’s Journey to Faith: From a successful acting career in Montreal to a transformative encounter with Jesus while reading the Sermon on the Mount in Texas.

• Ministry in Montreal: The challenges of pastoring in a highly secular, post-Christian city with less than 0.3% evangelical Christians.

• Acting and Preaching: How Sebastian’s training in method acting and the Meisner technique shapes his passionate, authentic approach to teaching the Bible.

• Cultural Context of Quebec: The impact of the Quiet Revolution, the decline of Catholicism, and the rise of humanism in Quebec’s spiritual landscape.

• Evangelism Strategies: The effectiveness of street and subway evangelism in Montreal, emphasizing authenticity and genuine relationships over large-scale events.

• Discipleship in a Secular Context: Focusing on basic biblical teachings and one-on-one discipleship due to limited biblical literacy among new believers.

• Challenges and Encouragement: Sebastian’s experience with a recent church split, the financial struggles of ministry in Quebec, and the joy of seeing individual souls saved.

• Call to Action: How listeners can pray for, support, or participate in short-term mission trips to support Calvary Montreal.

• Calvary Montreal Website: calvarymontreal.com – Find information on the church, how to get involved, and support their mission.

Click here to listen to the episode, or listen in the embedded player below.

Ministry in French Canada: Church Planting in Montreal, Quebec – with Sebastien Frappier – Theology for the People

In this episode, Nick Cady in joined by Sebastian Frappier, to discuss his incredible journey from a professional acting career to planting a church in the highly secular city of Montreal, Quebec. Sebastian shares how a moment of spiritual emptiness led him to encounter Jesus through a Gideon Bible on Guadalupe Mountain in Texas. He reflects on his 12-year journey of preparation, the unique challenges of ministry in a post-Christian culture, and how his acting background informs his preaching and evangelism. The conversation also covers the unique cultural and spiritual aspects of Quebec, effective evangelism strategies in Montreal, and the importance of discipleship in a context where biblical knowledge is minimal. Sebastian offers practical advice for church planters in secular urban settings and shares how listeners can support Calvary Montreal’s mission.Sebastian’s Journey to Faith: From a successful acting career in Montreal to a transformative encounter with Jesus while reading the Sermon on the Mount in Texas.Ministry in Montreal: The challenges of pastoring in a highly secular, post-Christian city with less than 0.3% evangelical Christians.Acting and Preaching: How Sebastian’s training in method acting and the Meisner technique shapes his passionate, authentic approach to teaching the Bible.Cultural Context of Quebec: The impact of the Quiet Revolution, the decline of Catholicism, and the rise of humanism in Quebec’s spiritual landscape.Evangelism Strategies: The effectiveness of street and subway evangelism in Montreal, emphasizing authenticity and genuine relationships over large-scale events.Discipleship in a Secular Context: Focusing on basic biblical teachings and one-on-one discipleship due to limited biblical literacy among new believers.Challenges and Encouragement: Sebastian’s experience with a recent church split, the financial struggles of ministry in Quebec, and the joy of seeing individual souls saved.Call to Action: How listeners can pray for, support, or participate in short-term mission trips to support Calvary Montreal.Calvary Montreal Website: calvarymontreal.com – Find information on the church, how to get involved, and support their mission.Subscribe to Theology for the People for more inspiring conversations about faith and ministry.Share this episode with friends or your church community to raise awareness about the mission in Montreal.Visit the Theology for the People website at theologyforthepeople.com

Atheists Have Doubts Too

Published on by nickcady11 Comments

Doubt is an inherent part of having faith. Faith, the Bible tells us, is having convictions about things which you cannot see (Hebrews 11:1). This extends to things which cannot be empirically proven through scientific method. If you can see something and prove it, there is no need for faith. Doubt therefore, is not how faith ends, but is the occasion where faith and trust begin.

But it is not only “believers” who have doubts. Studies have shown that professing atheists also have doubts about whether they are right.

CS Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity said, “When I was an atheist, I had moods in which Christianity looked terribly probable.”

A recent poll from Newman University and YouGov found that one in five British atheists and over a third of Canadian atheists agreed with the statement: “Evolutionary processes cannot explain the existence of human consciousness.” [1]

In his book The Reason for God, Timothy Keller challenges those who doubt to “doubt their doubts,” i.e. to consider to the faith and beliefs (the assumptions which cannot be empirically proven) that underly their doubts, and to honestly question whether they actually stand on firm ground. His conclusion is that faith is God is actually more plausible than the alternative.

This week in our Sermon Extra, Pastor Mike and I discussed the role of doubt in faith, the fact that atheists have doubts too, and what we should do with our doubts. Check it out here:

Sermon Extra: Atheists Have Doubts Too – White Fields Community Church | A Christian Church in Longmont, Colorado

In this week's sermon extra, Pastors Nick Cady and Michael Payne discuss reasons why people doubt Christianity and what the Bible says about it.   I Could Never Believe in a God Who… https://whitefieldschurch.com/media/series/i-could-never-believe-in-a-god-who/  The Trouble Is… https://whitefieldschurch.com/media/series/the-trouble-is/  To listen to Sunday's sermon: https://whitefieldschurch.com/sermon/from-doubt-to-belief/

The Vietnam War’s “Napalm Girl” Found Redemption and the Power to Forgive in Jesus

Published on by nickcady1 Comment

 

napalm-girl

It’s one of the most iconic images of the Vietnam War; a nine year-old Vietnamese girl running through the streets after her village was accidentally hit with a napalm attack by South Vietnamese troops, who incorrectly thought they were bombing a Viet Cong rebel hideout.

Napalm is a jelly-like substance that is highly flammable, and so the girl’s clothes were on fire, and she ripped them off as she ran down the street in pain and terror.

That photo won the Pulitzer Prize in 1972. The girl’s name is Kim Phuc.

But what happened after that photo was taken is actually much more interesting. Kim was able to emigrate to Canada. Although she had grown up following the local religion of her parents and ancestors, Kim became a Christian. She found redemption and the power to forgive in Jesus.

Take a minute to listen to her incredible story of how she became a Christian and how God has and is using her to spread the gospel:

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