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Podcast – Matthew Ruttan
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All in for the kingdom
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Are younger Canadian Christians becoming more “evangelical”?
YesterdayTap to summarizeSubscribe For years there has been an assumption that younger people tend to be more “liberal,” meaning they are more “socially progressive” on a variety of modern issues. A decade ago, I remember someone telling me, “You’re never as liberal as you are when you are in college.” That sentiment seemed to be widespread. I have heard it said, therefore, that the church needs to “get with the times” in order to appeal to the younger generation. However, there is some new research which challenges some of those assumptions. A recent article in The Times by James Marriott was titled: “Full-fat faith: the young Christian converts filling our churches.” Is that true? If so, why? Before I present the research, let me share a few personal observations. First, no matter what we are told by various studies, the church should never shift its stance on important biblical beliefs or practices just because it’s the popular thing to do. As I wrote in a recent devotional, our job is to faithfully follow Jesus, not thoughtlessly follow the crowd. Second, I too have noticed something happening. Many of my colleagues have noticed it too. Younger Christians are appearing in evangelical churches—not in waves, but here and there, consistently. Third, for years there has been commentary on how “conservative” churches grow and how “liberal” churches shrink. Those labels aren’t very helpful, especially in Canada where those words immediately make us think about political parties. Further, people disagree about what makes a healthy church. A church with five hundred people is not necessarily healthier than a church with fifty if it has the wrong priorities. As we know, there are many churches which are numerically “small,” but which are still doing good work for the kingdom. Having said that, based on my on own reading and observations, healthy churches in North America—no matter their size—tend to have some things in common. At the top of the list is an alignment with historic Christian beliefs like what we find in the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. Related to this is a serious commitment to teaching from the Bible across the ministry of the church (i.e. not just Sunday mornings). David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons confirm this in their own research: “immersion in Scripture is a driver of church growth and spiritual vitality.”[i] <path fill="#fff" d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5...
Transcribe →Bad theology hurts people (2 Peter 2)
4d agoTap to summarizeSubscribe J.I. Packer said: “Bad theology hurts people.” When we stray from biblical teachings, we become susceptible to misguided beliefs about God and, therefore, misguided ideas about life. These beliefs can cause destruction. In 2 Peter 2, the apostle goes on what we might call “a rant.” However, his passionate teaching comes from a place of love and concern for his people and is motivated by love! After he is gone, false teachers will try to deceive and mislead the people. Peter wants to ensure that doesn’t happen. Today, we need to hear this message more than ever. We live in an age which increasingly tries to make everything that is spiritual or religious “subjective.” Francis Shaeffer uses the language of a two-tiered approach to truth. He gives us a helpful model by which to evaluate our beliefs. This sermon takes us through the text, introduces Shaeffer’s idea, and encourages us to see how good theology—grounded in Scripture—helps you, me, and the people we care about more fully flourish under God. Audio: YouTube: subscribe to the Up DAILY Devotional Subscribe wherever you enjoy podcasts: Apple Podcasts Spotify TuneIn Amazon Audible
Transcribe →A rebel prayer
1w agoTap to summarizeJoin in with this prayer I led during a worship service on July 5, 2026. Subscribe Lord of light, which is a way of saying truth, wisdom, goodness, guidance,Lord of light, we marvel at you repeatedly.Every single day you open your door to someone who is lost, crying, weary.Every single day you forgive someone who doesn’t deserve it.Every single day you remain unmoved from your pillars of justice and truth.Lord of light, we thank you that you don’t keep that light to yourself.When we think of the word ‘rebel,’we usually think about some sort of criminal who doesn’t care about consequences,or maybe we think about someone we know who doesn’t care what other people think.‘What a rebel!’But ‘rebel’ is a way that can often be used to describe… us.You say: ‘Trust me,’ and we rebel.You say: ‘Love,’ and we rebel.You say: ‘This is truth,’ and we rebel.Forgive us.Purge from within us, and the aura of naïve independence around us—purge rebellion that we throw up in the faceof a God who authors all that is good and true and beautiful.Give us undivided hearts.Open the door yet again to your lighthousewhere the light of Jesus exposes every secret,and also where the light of Jesus showers our rebellion with mercy,and our vulnerability with embrace;where the light of Jesus makes something new—replacing selfish rebellion with friendship with the Prince of peace.All these things we pray in his name,and together with the words he taught us to pray together, saying:Our Father… subscribe to the Up DAILY Devotional Subscribe wherever you enjoy podcasts: Apple Podcasts Spotify TuneIn Amazon Audible
Transcribe →A biblical definition of humility
1w agoTap to summarizeSubscribe Vices and virtues In the Bible, there are virtues and there are vices. These are traits to cultivate, and traits to purge. In the sixth century, Pope Gregory the first curated a list that we know today as the “seven deadly sins.” Pride was first on the list. Its corresponding virtue was (and is) humility. But if pride is so bad and humility is so good, what is it? This episode will provide a definition which, I believe, is faithful to how the word is used in the Bible. Speaking of which, here are a few of the times it is mentioned. Biblical examples In James 4:10 the half-brother of Jesus says: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” The apostle Peter says something similar in 1 Peter 5:6. Both of these statements echo Jesus’ own words in Matthew 23:12: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Proverbs 3:34 says: “Toward the scorners he [God] is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor.” That verse was so well-known that it is alluded to in two other places in the New Testament. Further, there are times when the humility of a biblical character is celebrated. One example is Mary in Luke 1:46-55, a passage famously known as the Magnificat. Another is Jesus himself in Philippians 2:5-11 where we are told to be like Jesus who: “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (verse 8). Definitions When it comes to zeroing-in on a definition, the Thayer lexicon says that it has to do with littleness, modesty, and even lowliness of mind. Interestingly, it mentions that the word for humility is very rarely used by secular writers outside of the Bible at the time, and when it is, it is used negatively. This already tells us that there is something counter-cultural about the biblical ideal of humility. The Friberg lexicon includes the ideas of voluntary submission and selflessness. In light of what we know about Jesus, that makes sense. Literary critic and author C.S. Lewis picks up on this when he says: “Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, but of yourself less.”[i] I’ve also become fond of an insight by Henri Nouwen. He pointed out that we live in a society that values upward mobility. Think of the “ladder of success”—which, by the way, seems to imply stepping over other people in the process. In contrast, Nouwen coined the phrase “downward mobility.”[ii] That’s good. And it leads us into a definition that I think is faithful to the biblical picture: Humility is being down-to-earth and unpretentious as you yield to God for the benefit of others. <button class="lightbox-trigger" type="button" aria-haspopup="dialog" data-wp-bind--aria-label="state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel" data-wp-init="callbacks.initTriggerButton" ...
Transcribe →When it comes to virtue, roots before fruits (2 Peter 1)
2w agoTap to summarizeAlasdair MacIntyre thinks we may be entering a “new dark ages” when it comes to virtue. That may be so, but not for the people of God. Even when we’re feeling morally bankrupt and tempted to throw up our hands in defeat, God leads us forward in Christlikeness—even despite ourselves. This sermon explores 2 Peter 1:1-21. It includes a word of encouragement to people who feel like they’re not as far along the path as they want to be, and also some specific help moving forward along the “ladder of faith,” seven qualities Peter highlights for Christians who are growing in the knowledge of Jesus. Christlikeness through you is overflow from Christ in you. Let’s learn together. Audio: YouTube: subscribe to the Up DAILY Devotional Subscribe wherever you enjoy podcasts: Apple Podcasts Spotify TuneIn Amazon Audible
Transcribe →Worry, Humility, and an Antidote to the Devil (1 Peter 5)
3w agoTap to summarizeCan the Devil use pride and focusing too exclusively on yourself to inflate worry in your life? Yes. He can, he does, he will. Worry loves to make you question the past, fear the future, and doubt God in the present, so that you are forever frantic and mentally somewhere else. However, by focusing on Jesus, and by clothing yourself with humility, you can successfully resist the ways he is prowling around you and trying to sow destruction in your life. This sermon unpacks 1 Peter 5:1-14 and addresses worry and anxiety, humility, and an antidote to the Devil. Instead of giving him an open door, let’s be alert, informed, and proactive. A deep heart-rest in the sovereign care of our Good Shepherd is possible. Audio: YouTube: subscribe to the Up DAILY Devotional Subscribe wherever you enjoy podcasts: Apple Podcasts Spotify TuneIn Amazon Audible
Transcribe →Why do we say The Apostle’s Creed in Church?
3w agoTap to summarizeSubscribe “I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth…” We have begun using The Apostles’ Creed in our worship services. We have always used it, but not every Sunday. Recently, however, we have been saying it each and every week. Why? First, some background. Creed The Apostles’ Creed is just that—a creed. In Latin, the word “credo” means “I believe.” It is, therefore, a succinct statement of key Christian beliefs. It helps define orthodoxy, meaning right-belief. These aren’t just peripheral beliefs, either. Think of them like rumble strips on the highway. They keep us on track. If we wander away from them, we have veered from the historic faith and into a theological ditch. The Creed is three-fold. Section one is about God the Father. Section two is about God the Son (Jesus). Section three is about God the Holy Spirit. Tim Keller once said that if we abandon these beliefs, we have gone outside the “boundary” of the Christian faith. Similarly, J.I. Packer said that if the Bible is like a map, then the Creed is the simplified version of that map—short, succinct, and to-the-point.[1] The Apostles Despite popular misconception, it was not written by the apostles. The confusion is understandable. After all, it has “apostles” in the title, and there are roughly twelve statements, corresponding to the original twelve apostles. However, it is named The Apostles’ Creed because it reflects apostolic teaching. In other words, it passes on teaching that is faithful to the apostles who walked and talked with Jesus himself.[2] The earliest days The various statements in the Creed are rooted in the New Testament teachings, and were in use by the year 100 A.D. These statements served as the basis for various other Creeds in the early centuries, like the Creed of Hippolytus (c.215), the Creed of Marcellus (340), and the Creed of Rufinus (c.404). It was also customary in the early centuries for Christians to study and memorize the Creed as they prepared for baptism. At a time when many people were illiterate, memorizing the Creed ensured that you would always have it with you, no matter where you were or what you were going through. Further, when various competing beliefs emerged, you could distinguish the true faith from imposters by seeing whether or not they agreed with the Creed. Widespread One of the appealing things about the Creed is how widely it is used. Anglicans use it, Presbyterians use it, Methodists use it, Lutherans use it, and Roman Catholics use it. Baptists affirm it’s teaching, but don’t tend to use creeds in worship services. The eastern church doesn’t tend to use The Apostles’ Creed, favouring the Nicene Creed instead. (That’s a longer story for another day.) Even still, it’s broad use around the world reminds us that as followers of Jesus we are unified in him as a part of a church which is truly universal in scope. On any given Sunday, millions upon millions of Christians all over the world are confessing their faith in the words of The Apostles’ Creed. Used in worship Many churches use creeds not only for teaching, but specifically in their Sunday services. Like some other denominations, Presbyterians are “confessional.” They place an emphasis on confessing the faith aloud and in public. 1 Timothy 6:12 comes to mind. That is where Paul says: “Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” <img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="366" data-attachment-id="17172" data-permalink="https://matthewruttan.com/2026/06/25/why-do-we-say-the-apostles-creed-in-church/good-confession/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/matthewruttan.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/good-confession.png?fit=2240%2C800&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2240,800" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="good confession" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/matthewruttan.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/good-confession.png?fit=1024%2C366&ssl=1" data-wp-class--hide="state.isContentHidden" data-wp-class--show="state.isContentVisible" data-wp-init="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--click="actions.showLightbox" data-wp-on--load="callbacks.setButtonStyles" data-wp-on--pointerdown="actions.preloadImage" data-wp-on--pointerenter="actions.preloadImageWithDelay" data-wp-on--pointerleave="actions.cancelPreload" data-wp-on-window--resize="c...
Transcribe →A Hope That Will Soar Unhindered—A Prayer
3w agoTap to summarizeIn addition to feature talks, interviews and sermons, on this podcast I sometimes include prayers that I’ve led during worship services. What I’ve discovered is that there is a great hunger for prayer. Prayer seems simple enough, but it can sometimes be deceptively difficulty—at least if we want to be sincere in what we are doing as we come before a God who is, at the same time, righteous, loving, almighty, holy, and close. In his book about prayer, Tim Keller writes: “Prayer is awe, intimacy, struggle—yet the way to reality.”[i] He goes on to say further: “Prayer is simply connecting Jesus to your absolute helplessness, your sense of fragility and dependence.”[ii] The prayer I’m about to share with you is from the closing worship service at the General Assembly of my denomination. I was invited to participate by the preacher, and a friend of mine, Joe Bae of Vaughn Community Church. The instrumentation in the background is from Jonathan Cho, Josh Kim and the praise team at St. Timothy Presbyterian Church in Etobicoke, Ontario. “Prayer is awe, intimacy, struggle—yet the way to reality.” Let’s pray: Lord God the Almighty, you are a corpse-raising God.Dust into flesh.Hope rising from pools of violent blood.In you all things are actually possible.Where we are stubborn and self-centred—you are wise.Where we are foggy and distracted—you are steadfast.Jesus, remember us (All: When you come into your kingdom) Come, Holy Spirit.Shatter our strategic plans and schemeswhen they don’t align with the flight of your will.So often we manoeuvre and doubt and decide—as if the tomb was full, not empty.Turn down the noise in our earsand the disobedient cries from withinthat are so at home in our flesh,and re-calibrate our hearts.Bring us into alignment with the frequency of a Fatherwho showers generosity on a world worth dying for.Jesus, remember us (All: When you come into your kingdom) Give us the kind of hope that inflates our hearts with Christlike couragein the face of a scheming, cocky adversary, the deceiving one.Give us the kind of hope that drips—no, oozes—from our churcheswith food for the hungry, healing for the fractured,liberation for the demonized, friendship for the lonely,truth for a new generation who long to live under a banner that matters.Give us such hope in the days to comethat it will soar unhindered from our churches, households, and hearts—all for the glory of a shepherd who never sleepsin the cause of his lambs and kingdom.Jesus, remember us (All: When you come into your kingdom) All these things we pray in the name of Jesus Christ—raised ruling, renovating, soon to return, Amen. subscribe to the Up DAILY Devotional Subscribe wherever you enjoy podcasts: Apple Podcasts Spotify TuneIn Amazon Audible [i] Timothy Keller, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God (New York: Dutton, 2014), 32.[ii] Ibid., 128.
Transcribe →Suffering Like A Saint (1 Peter 4)
4w agoTap to summarizeWhat do we all have in common? Some people say “death and taxes.” True! But there’s more. Generally speaking, we all like to be happy and don’t like to be sad. We want to have lives that matter. And, unfortunately, we all experience suffering. This sermon isn’t about why we suffer, but about how we should approach suffering. Our perspective about life changes our experience of life. I unpack 1 Peter 4:1-19, discuss what it says about faithful suffering, and then apply eight insights to our own lives. It was Corrie ten Boom who said: “When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.” Audio: YouTube: subscribe to the Up DAILY Devotional Subscribe wherever you enjoy podcasts: Apple Podcasts Spotify TuneIn Amazon Audible
Transcribe →Should Christians be worried about Bill C-9?
Jun 17Tap to summarizeSubscribe You’ve probably heard about Bill C-9. I recently saw a post from a political influencer south of the border who said that Canada had “banned the Bible.” Sounds pretty dramatic. But is it true? Or is it political posturing? Is it fear-mongering? Is it government over-reach? Is it click bait? Is it the beast? Is it based in reality? To explain, let me back up a bit. And as you read or listen to this, please keep in mind that I’m not a lawyer. I’m a pastor. What Does The Bill Say? Here’s the full title of the Bill: “Bill C-9: An Act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda, hate crime and access to religious or cultural places).” It is sometimes referred to as the Combatting Hate Act. The Canadian Justice Department provides this summary: “Bill C-9 would amend the Criminal Code to propose new offences to better protect access to religious, cultural and other specified places, and to address hate-motivated crimes.” I’m going to unpack this a little bit a time. I’m then going to explain the reason this Bill was proposed in the first place—after all, these things don’t tend to get proposed in a vacuum. Finally, I’ll share whether or not I think there is any sort of real threat to our faith or freedoms in Canada. The Justice Department provides the following explanation. Keep in mind that government jargon can be a bit thick, so let’s read it slowly: “The proposed amendments in the Bill would create four new criminal offences: (1) an intimidation offence that prohibits conduct that is intended to provoke a state of fear in another person to impede them from accessing religious or cultural institutions and other specified places; (2) an offence that prohibits the intentional obstruction of a person’s lawful access to such places; (3) a hate crime offence to more explicitly denounce hate-motivated crime; and (4) an offence that prohibits wilfully promoting hatred against any identifiable group by displaying, in any public place, certain hate or terrorist symbols.” Why Was This Introduced In The First Place? The Bill was proposed by the governing Liberals. As I mentioned earlier, these things don’t tend to materialize in a vacuum. Hate crimes are on the rise in Canada. More specifically, the Bill was proposed to protect people in the Jewish community in Quebec from harassment by some Muslim extremists. In Montreal, an imam (the Muslim equivalent of a pastor or rabbi) called for the extermination of “Zionist aggressors” during a public prayer service. That phrase is sometimes used to speak about perceived Israeli imperialism, and then carelessly applied to all Jews no matter where they live or what they believe. So far, the bill sounds pretty reasonable. So, what’s the problem? Removal of the Good Faith Defense From what I’ve seen, most of the concern has to do with the removal of the “good faith” defense. This refers to when someone expresses an opinion based on a religious subject, or an opinion based on a belief in a religious text. For example, if I am teaching about subject X and someone accuses me of a hate crime, there is an exemption for me because I am teaching about a religious text and am doing so “in good faith”—i.e. with a sincere desire to explain and not with the intent to cause harm. If the good faith exemption is removed, it means that it can be easier to accuse someone of promoting hatred. This is concerning in a culture like ours where religious views are often in the minority, and increasingly unpopular. Could Bill C-9 be used to suppress or silence religious voices that don’t go along with the majority view? Let me provide a more specific example. If I am teaching about Genesis 2:24 or Matthew 19:5 where Jesus speaks about marriage between a man and a woman, if the good faith exemption is removed, could I be convicted of hate by saying that God’s design for marriage is between one man and one woman? To quote the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada who has been closely monitoring the Bill: “The proposal to remove the good faith religious belief defence is being put on the table at a time when minority religious beliefs on marriage, sexuality and gender are increasingly marginalized and frequently described as hateful.”[i] I’ve heard it argued that this is not the intent of the Bill. Perhaps. But a law is made up of words, not the intentions of someone sitting in an office somewhere. A Shield or a Sword? My colleague Paul Carter asks if the bill is a shield or a sword.[ii] That’s a good way for us to think through how it may have been intended versus how it may actually be used. We have been told that it is intended to be a shield for persecuted minority groups, but could it be used as a sword by those in the majority who want to silence religious voices that disagree with their own? Only time will tell. Removal of Attorney General Sign-Off From what I understand, there is also another concern. As it currently stands, a provincial attorney general needs to sign-off on a charge about a hate crime before it is brought forward. However, the Bill proposes to remove this too, making it possible for local law enforcement or a private individual to bring forward such a charge, even when their charge may be unreasonable. This could make accusations more frequent and disruptive, regardless of whether they have any valid basis. Definition of “Hate” Further, there’s a concern with the definition of “hate.” In an online petition created in January 2026, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada expressed concern about the definition and encouraged the government to change course and adopt the language of the Supreme Court in the Keegstra decision. There, hatred means an emotion “of an intense and extreme nature that is clearly associated with vilification and detestation… predicated on destruction… that belies reason.” The Christian Legal Fellowship has also expressed concern about the Bill’s definition of hatred in the briefing they provided to the Canadian senate.[iii] Should We Be Worried? In light of all of this, should we be worried? First, personally, I’m not terribly worried. Jesus encouraged us to trust God day-by-day. No one knows what tomorrow will bring. One day, he will return and make all things new. Until then, we keep moving forward as his hands and feet. Second, if the Bill is used as a shield, then it may well be used for good. In fact, there are many things we can support in the Bill, such as access to spaces and the protection of minority groups from extremists. Christians began as a persecuted minority. Along with the Lord’s instruction to love others, this compels us to sympathize with those who may be vulnerable and to advocate for their well-being. Third, if the Bill is used as a sword, then there may be problems. I think it’s unwise for the government to remove the good faith exemption, especially at a time when biblical views are increasingly unpopular. Fourth, we should increasingly expect persecution for our beliefs. We’re not in Kansas anymore. As Jesus said in John 15:20: “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” Brothers and sisters, we have backbones for a reason. Lastly, let’s not get distracted. Instead, let’s be steadfast in grace and truth. Have courage, stand firm on the word of God, and love others quickly and deeply. Our Collective Search for Truth Let me end with this comment from the Christian Legal Fellowship. This is what they said in their submission to the Senate Committee on Human Rights: It is through the open expression of our disagreement that we can show our concern and care for each other, by highlighting possible paths ...
Transcribe →