One of the false gods with the most followers and the most committed worshippers today is the government.
Many of us seem to believe the government is the creator and sustainer of all things. Many of us believe our rights are determined by the government—not God.
Therefore, we’re replacing parents with politicians. We’re replacing local churches with the federal government. And we’re attempting to replace God with the government.
But he who sits in the heavens laughs. We’re building our own version of the Tower of Babel, and God will not tolerate it.
Last week, Ontario’s premier, Doug Ford, shared his plan to supposedly end Ontario’s ongoing lockdown and stay-at-home-order.
Like many Canadians, Ontarians—especially those of us in the Greater Toronto Area—have been mostly under lockdown since March 2020. However, according to the Ontario government, they’ll end the current stay-at-home-order and begin stage 1 of their “reopening” plan next month—if at least 60% of adults in the province get the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
In stage 1 of the reopening plan, the government will reward Ontarians by allowing outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people, and they’ll also allow non-essential retail to open at 15% capacity. Churches, however, are ordered to continue to meet with only 10 people per room. Therefore according to the government, churches are not only inessential—we’re apparently even more insignificant than non-essential retail.
To be clear, the Ontario government says shopping malls are inessential—but they’re still significantly more important than local churches. And yet, some of the most vocal evangelical voices in Ontario and Canada maintain the Canadian government isn’t discriminating or persecuting local churches.
Nevertheless, apparently sometime in July, local churches in Ontario will be able to gather at 15% capacity in stage 2—if at least 70% of adults in Ontario get the first dose of the vaccine and if 20% of adults are fully vaccinated.
Then maybe sometime in August, if 80% of adults have their first vaccine and 25% of adults are fully vaccinated, the government will reward Ontarians with stage 3, where churches, restaurants, and other indoor and outdoor activities will have less restrictions. Seemingly, however, the restrictions and mask-mandates will not end until maybe next year.
In fact, the Ontario government has suggested that unless we obey them, there could be another stay-at-home-order later this year.
Many of us have given the government license to believe they can usurp God. We sometimes speak and act like all things belong to Caesar. But God doesn’t exist to serve the government. The government exists to serve God.
The government exists to protect our God-given rights and responsibilities. They don’t have the authority to strip us from our God-given right to worship at Church the way God commands us to. They don’t have the authority to strip us from our God-given responsibility to work the way God commands us to.
The government doesn’t have the authority to make the vaccine the barrier between our ability to exercise our right and responsibility to worship God the way he commands us to.
Although, considering the arguments many Christians use against those of us who believe it is justifiable and righteous to disobey the government’s authoritarian laws on corporate worship—I’m concerned some Christian leaders will pressure other Christians to get vaccinations so the government will reward us with our freedom to worship.
That’s what happens when we allow the government to compete with God.