Lynn Green

Category: Current Events

  • Something is Stirring in the U.K.

    Something is Stirring in the U.K.

    Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

    **This is a personal website and reflects my thoughts and convictions. It does not represent any official position held by Youth With A Mission.**

    I mentioned that Pete Greig’s post came to my attention as I was writing my latest blog. It provided encouraging confirmation with factual details, so I’ve taken the liberty of reproducing what he put into public circulation:

     

    Post from Pete Greig yesterday :

    Something is stirring in the UK.

    There, I’ve said it.

    I’ve hesitated to write this post. It’s probably premature. We’re still bang-slap in the middle of a vast crisis and no one really knows how it’s all going to end. But here’s the thing: over recent weeks, and particularly over this last week, prayers that some of us have been praying for decades, suddenly seem to be  finding answers in the most unexpected ways.

    #UKBlessing

    For starters there’s the national blessing song pulled together by my friend Tim Hughes. Released a week ago, it’s now been watched 2.1 million times which is equivalent to 200 new people every single minute of every hour since last Sunday. Yesterday a BBC journalist asked me about its striking unity. This harmony – literal and metaphorical – between such diverse groups as Hillsong and The Kingdom Choir, the Coptic Orthodox and the Salvation Army seems to be touching a deep nerve in our divided nation. And the stories just keep coming in from those who don’t consider themselves religious, saying that the track has moved them unexpectedly to tears.

    Is a worship song going viral everything we’re praying for? Of course not! But is it something? You’d better believe it! Maybe something is stirring?

    #PrayerSurge

    Then there’s the research commissioned by Tearfund and released on the same day (quite coincidentally) as the UK Blessing song. This survey indicates that some 3 million new people have turned to prayer in the UK since lockdown began. The online Bristish bookstore Eden reports a 55% increase in sales of bibles in April. And demand for prayer resources from 24-7 Prayer has been going through the roof. At Emmaus Rd our twice-daily prayer-meetings are suddenly wonderfully well attended. Now we know why!

    Is a sudden surge of prayer everything we need? Of course not! But is it something? Could it be a start? You’d better believe it! Something seems to be stirring in the UK.

    #SignsoftheTimes

    Jesus once rebuked the Pharisees for failing to read the signs of the times (Matthew 16:2-3). These great religious leaders could, he said, forecast the weather but they were oblivious to the presence and power of God right under their noses.

    #ChurchAttendance

    The Tearfund survey also indicates that record numbers have begun attending church online since the lockdown began. Generally we’d expect around 5-7% of the nation to attend a Sunday service at least once a month.  But over the past couple of months, this figure has jumped – in fact it has skyrocketed – to 24% of the British population. Almost one in four. And 5% of these people wouldn’t normally be at church in, well… a month of Sundays! “I’ve never known a time in my life,” says Nicky Gumbel, “when people are more open to [God’s word] than they are now.”

    Is virtual church attendance everything we’re praying for? Of course not! But is it encouraging? You’d better believe it!

    It seems to me that people are far more likely to attend a normal church service if they’ve  attended a digital one first.  Here at Emmaus Rd we are by no means unusual in having more-than doubled in size since lockdown and we have more people than ever signed up for our next Alpha course (online). It’s not everything. But something does seem to be stirring.

    #PublicOpinion

    Slowly the national media is picking up the story. First, the Guardian newspaper last Sunday. Then Good Morning Britain TV on Wednesday. A piece by my friend Krish Kandiah in the Times on Friday. The BBC News at 10 last night.

    What are we to make of this? Is a week of positive media attention everything we’re praying for? Of course not! Is it widespread or prominent? No, not yet. But is it a pleasant change from the usual cynical sniping? Could it be an early sign that public opinion is preparing to shift? You’d better believe it!

    #YoungPeople

    I would never have believed a few months ago that I’d be seeing a headline in a major British paper saying this: “BRITISH PUBLIC TURN TO PRAYER AS ONE IN FOUR TUNE INTO RELIGIOUS SERVICES ONLINE.”

    And then the stunning subtitle: “YOUNG PEOPLE LEAD RESURGENCE IN FAITH.”

    Yep, you read that right: the demographic leading the charge to church is the sophisticated, supposedly post-Christian 18-34 year olds.

    #Thefactsareourfriends.

    We do not pray ex nihilo. No-one can jump to the top of the staircase in one go. We find faith for the big things that God hasn’t done yet, by celebrating the small things he’s doing or he’s already done. On a cold, dark night when we spot sparks in the hearth, we blow on them. We don’t pour cold water on them. We pray ‘More, Lord.’ We say, ‘Well, if you can do this, maybe you can do that?’

    Are all these developments any more than embers in the hearth? Has this past week been without heartbreak? Are we experiencing some kind of revival? Are any of these encouragements guaranteed to last? To all these questions we must clearly answer with an emphatic ‘no!’

    But could these sparks somehow become a wildfire? Does tragedy precede resurrection? Could this be the beginning of a spiritual awakening in our nation for which so many have been praying so faithfully and for so long?

    My friends, this is a time to pray with greater faith, preach with greater confidence and plan with great ambition. Yes, let’s dare to believe it!

  • Do You See the Cloud?

    Do You See the Cloud?

    Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

     

    **This is a personal website and reflects my thoughts and convictions. It does not represent any official position held by Youth With A Mission.**

    My friend Tom Bloomer, who sent me the message about pruning (see my blog, https://lynngreendotnet.wordpress.com/2020/04/02/ywam-60th-2020-a-time-to-die/) , wrote again today, and asked if I remembered some of the details of the “If My People..” tour and the 1974 Prayer Day of the same title, and the “Wagon Train”.  These were events and movements I had not thought about for years, but Tom thought there were some parallels to what is happening today.  As I thought and prayed about it, I reached the same conclusion—with a sense of excitement!

    Those events are relevant because, like today, much of the Western world was in the grip of a controlling fear.  For many people today, the atmosphere is similar.  The “enemy” then was the threat of the army of the Soviet Union, that was poised to sweep across Poland and into Germany as far as the Rhine, thus taking possession of the economic powerhouse of most of Germany and enable the Soviet system to survive another generation—all backed by the threat of the world’s most powerful arsenal of nuclear weapons.

    Few people today would recall that the Communist Soviet system was essentially predatory for economic reasons.  Their state-owned and run system demoralised the population, and was therefore too inefficient to maintain growth, while the Western nations were experiencing the greatest prosperity in history.  The USSR was vulnerable to famines and inefficiency in every sector of society because all people were rewarded equally whether they worked well and productively or were lazy, whether they were innovative or just obeyed orders and no more.  The only exceptions to the imposed egalitarianism were the senior Communist Party officials who lived in luxury.  They created a huge, menacing military force that could “gobble up” more productive nations, or nations with substantial natural resources.  By that means, they prolonged their oppressive regime.

    They had nuclear weapons and regularly tested ever-more-powerful nuclear bombs and missiles.  So, my generation grew up fearing an imminent nuclear war.  By the late 60s and early 70s that fear dominant. 

    But God spoke to many Christians from the Bible passage found in II Chronicles 7:14.

    Leland Paris, a YWAM leader from Texas, took the initiative and YWAM, all over the world, proclaimed:  “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sins and heal their land”.  The YWAM base in Texas prayed and felt that they were to get people’s attention by travelling the routes of the old wagon trains but going west to east across America.  So Woody Woodford, with a big bushy beard and a cowboy hat, organised people to travel across America in covered wagons, pulled by horses and mules, like those used by the pioneers.  They called people, especially the Church, to repentance and humble prayer.

    Sixteen years later, the Berlin wall fell, and the communist tyranny chaotically fell apart across Eastern Europe and Russia.  As the Soviet army retreated military documents were discovered, confirming that the feared invasion was planned in detail, but never implemented.

    At the same time another “army” arose—the Jesus people.  Hundreds of thousands of young people became radical disciples, beginning in the late 1960s and continuing through the 70s.  I was one of them.  Our numbers contributed to a massive growth of missionary movements—Campus Crusade Operation Mobilisation, YWAM, and many others, including Roman Catholic Charismatic Missions like Sword of the Spirit.  What a redemptive work of the Holy Spirit!  Those prayers of desperation tinged with fear were answered well beyond “what we could ask or think”.

    The Lord understands when we pray, even in the desperation of our fears, and he always has a plan to make “all things work together for good, for those who love him and are called according to his purpose”.  He is able and willing to do it again!

    Today’s enemy is invisible, but the fear of death is always the same, whether it is from a human enemy or a virus.  It keeps many people paralysed and eaten up with anxiety.  But it is time for those who believe to overcome that fear by prayer and thanksgiving.

    It seems to me that the “If My People” movement was like the sign that God gave Elijah in 1 Kings 18.  Elijah was praying for deliverance from the judgement of God that had come in the form of a drought.  He prayed, and nothing happened. He prayed again:  still nothing.  Finally, on the seventh time he prayed fervently, he told his servant Gehazi to go once again and look out to the west, where Gehazi reported “a cloud as small as a man’s hand”.

    Do you see the cloud today?  I see many small clouds.  There is not one prayer movement, there are scores of them, and some of them are very large.  In two weeks’, I will be on a livestream from various social media platforms and the expected audience is nearly a million people.  Hardly a day goes by without my receiving an update from some prayer initiative or another.  Invariably one of the core messages of these movements is for God’s people to humble themselves and make a U-turn (repent). 

    I believe a deluge of God’s grace is coming.  I see a substantial number of young men and women, with remarkable leadership gifts, who are sold out to sacrificial obedience to God’s will for them.  They speak the language that was prominent in the early 70s, the language of total commitment, the Lordship of Christ, sacrificial living and the fear of God.  From my perspective, that “language” has not been so prominent for decades.  It’s a precursor to the power of God being poured out.

    As I was writing this, Pete Greig, leader of one of the sacrificial prayer movements sent a very encouraging message under the title of “Something is stirring in the UK.”  I plan to post that on my blog for your further encouragement.  He pointed out how many people had viewed the “UK Blessing Song”—over 2,350,000 as I write!  He added: “Then there’s the research commissioned by Tearfund and released on the same day (quite coincidentally) as the UK Blessing song. This survey indicates that some 3 million new people have turned to prayer in the UK since lockdown began. The online British bookstore Eden reports a 55% increase in sales of bibles in April. And demand for prayer resources from 24-7 Prayer has been going through the roof.”

    Now that we are seeing the cloud, let’s keep expressing complete faith and trust in God that He will move again, especially on this younger generation, and that the world will again be spared the greater extent of judgement that so many people fear. 

    Rather, may He once again surprise us with His mercy and kindness!

  • In Defense of Corrupt Officials

    In Defense of Corrupt Officials

    Photo by Hunters Race on Unsplash.

     

    **This is a personal website and reflects my thoughts and convictions. It does not represent any official position held by Youth With A Mission.**

    For a few years, I flew in and out of Norther Nigeria via its largest city, Kano.  There were several aspects of those flights that were nerve-wracking; today they make for good stories.

    My most anxious moments were at the immigration point in the departures area.  The set up was similar to many others except that the officers were not behind glass; they were behind plywood sheets where the glass should have been, so no one could be seen.  The departing passenger would push their passport through a small slot in the plywood and then move about 5 steps farther along, where they would wait for their passport to appear again through another small slot.

    With shrugs of apology, local passengers would explain that my passport was more likely to emerge again if it has a $20 note in it. I, however, was an anti-corruption warrior who refused to be intimidated into bribery!  I would stand at the second small slot, waiting while other passengers came and went; then, eventually, my passport would reappear, and I would feel I struck another small blow against systemic corruption.

    What’s the Real Root?

    Decades have passed, and now each of my four adult children have been or are involved with Africa. Two of them have lived in African countries and the other two have made many more trips than I ever did.  They have had to interface with corrupt officials at much higher levels than I ever did—and the amounts involved are exponentially greater.

    There is no doubt that corruption is the primary cause of poverty in Africa.  The continent has been blessed with the greatest natural resource riches of any part of the world, but the general rule is, “the closer you live to valuable natural resources the more misery you will experience”.  A few officials and their families amass colossal wealth and the many lack clean water, good nutrition, education or any kind of health care. But how often do we consider that the dishonesty of the average person is the root cause of corruption?

    Government officials, including the police, military, immigration—the every-day faces of power—rely upon the government treasury for their pay.  The treasury is dependent upon the citizens to declare their income and pay their taxes. When the treasury cannot pay government workers, they usually use the power of their position to extort money directly from the populace.  Hence, the nerve-wracking passport slots in Kano.

    Anti-Corruption Campaigns Don’t Work

    When a new government replaces an old one in the many nations suffering from corruption, they will inevitably announce an anti-corruption campaign. Of course, that suggests that the new government is not corrupt, but that is impossible.  When almost every citizen conceals their income and pays no taxes; when there is no system in place to track income and reliably collect taxes, only the corrupt can navigate their way to the top.  Maybe, occasionally, an independently wealthy person can commit to serving their nation and can do so without resorting to corruption—but that is exceedingly rare.

    No Quick Fix

    So, good luck to all the anti-corruption drives, whether mounted by the United Nations, or the foreign aid departments of Western governments, or by the big NGOs.  If the Treasury does not have the revenue to pay government workers a fair wage, then corruption cannot be stopped.  The high-profile campaigns continue, despite the inescapable logic I have laid out.  Why?

    I think the answer is simple.  The governments and large organisations know of no way to address the root problem of dishonesty in the citizenry.

    Which Nations Are Least Corrupt?

    But there are many prosperous nations in which the taxation system works and government workers are paid, often very well.  So, we must look at their history and ask how that working system arose.  There are essentially two reasons—totalitarian control is one and voluntarily honest citizens is the other.  Since no one would choose to be under a tyrannical government, we should examine the second reason.

    Have a look at the “Corruption Perceptions Index”: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index)

    Did you notice anything those nations have in common?

    The Importance of Biblical Christianity

    They were the primary nations impacted by The Reformation (except for Japan, but that’s another story).  They were the nations where the general populace became literate and very familiar with the Bible.  Those were all Northern European nations and they went on to establish similar societies in North America, Australia and New Zealand.  The Counter-Reformation prevented the Southern European countries from accessing the Bible until relatively recent times, but now that two or three Popes in succession have promoted Bible literacy, that might change.

    It wasn’t just the original Reformation.  Following Luther’s “revolution” these nations experienced Christian awakenings or revivals—waves of evangelism, Bible studies and character transformation in ordinary citizens.  Character transformation of citizens formed a solid foundation for honesty throughout society.  (For a very readable account of how religious awakening contributed to the American Constitution, have a look at If You Can Keep It, by Eric Metaxas.)

    There is no doubt that the transformation of any nation is an enormous, complex and long-term process.  Grinding poverty alongside fabulous wealth was the norm for Europe 150 years ago, but revival and Biblical teaching brought gradual change.  Over generations, the fundamental needs of human life were more and more accessible to all.  I propose that this is the only desirable path for the transformations of nations where corruption is the current norm.

    It Has Begun!

    If that sounds like an impossible process, think again.  I have just returned from Brazil where an event called The Send, drew about 150,000 people, average age 24, who were super-energetic for 12 hours of worship and challenge to become missionaries. I was at the largest of the three full stadia at 10 p.m. and the energy levels, commitment and focus were still going strong after 12 hours of standing through sun and rain and dark.

    I referred to The Send in an email to a friend earlier today and she replied with her own wonderful report:

    “I leave tomorrow with For His Glory ministries to do a large festival in Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; we expect to have a festival where 75,000 to 100,000 maybe even more people accept Christ Over 5 nights. We’ve trained over 10,000 people already in that city to disciple new believers.”

    It seems to me that the waves of revival, or awakening, are happening already—and on a very large scale.  May they continue and grow!

    Christlike Living

    Now we need countless Christians who will initiate Bible studies with a focus on developing Christ-like character.  Then, with a foundation of honest citizens, proportionate revenue can be raised, and government employees paid.  THEN we have a hope of stamping out corruption.

    After these many decades of experience in deeply corrupt nations, I have more sympathy with corrupt officials.  Having said that, often their corruption is boundless, so I am far from condoning or defending them, but I do understand that it is not just a result of individual wickedness.

    I am still committed to waging war on corruption, but we must address the foundational issue—the essential importance of an honest population.  That can only be realised by deep conversion experiences with the Holy Spirit and then character formation by powerful Bible teaching and learning.  If that sounds like it’s too big to hope for, note that it only takes about 20% of the population to catalyse change.  That minority percentage is enough to act as “salt and light”, as Jesus referred to.  Surely that brings reformation into our thinking as a very real possibility.

    Let’s join the biggest and most successful campaign ever against corruption.  Preach the Good News about the power of the Holy Spirit to transform individuals, then teach (and live) Christlike character and we will see nations transformed!

    Lynn Green.

  • Covid-19 A Kingdom Perspective.

    Covid-19 A Kingdom Perspective.

    Photo by Anika Huizinga on Unsplash.

    **This is a personal website and reflects my thoughts and convictions. It does not represent any official position held by Youth With A Mission.**


    (This article is by a friend who is also a mentor to me. He was called by the Holy Spirit to a life of celibacy and seclusion shortly after his extensive education and initiation into a profession he loved. He was a medical research doctor. Since he was called, he has lived much of his adult life in seclusion in the desert and has been refined by God to a great extent.

    Many people feel a most unusual sense of God’s presence when they come into contact with him. He very often has God-given insight into the affairs of our world and this Covid virus pandemic is no exception. I commend this perspective to all who will receive it.)

    Lynn Green

    Covid-19 review from a Kingdom of God perspective

    April 2020 (Easter Day in the Western Church/Palm Sunday in the East)

    We are now one month further on than when we last considered this issue and so need to know how to have a Kingdom viewpoint and to recognize our responsibility in this situation.

    • Throughout Scripture we see how The Lord takes His people by surprise
    “But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; Suddenly they shall be wounded.” Psalm 64v7

    “For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them.” Ecc 9v12

    “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.” Luke 21v34

    “For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.“ 1Thess 5v3

    • There is only one word to describe what is happening and that is… STOP!!!!!!!!! The world is hurtling towards a destiny that it does not perceive and does not understand.

    “For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it.” Job 33v14

    God is trying to gain our attention. The whole point of this suffering is to turn our attention back to God and to ask, ‘what does this mean’? We must learn discernment. Our role is to:

    • Inform the world, • Proclaim the Word • Pray.

    JUDGEMENT BEGINS WITH THE CHURCH

    For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” 1Pet 4 v17+18

    We are the ones who are supposed to be able to ‘understand the times’ and to discern God’s purpose. If we cannot do this we must STOP and ask for revelation. We need to STOP
    all our busyness and entanglements. We must STOP clinging to old ideas and ways of seeing things. We must exchange our worldly mindset for the mind of Christ and exercise faith informed by Scripture.

    “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” Psa 119v5

    We must kindle the light of the Spirit within and calibrate with each other and with those who are our spiritual mentors and elders.

    “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” 1Cor 2v12+13

    We need to approach this time with deep purification and consecration, with holy fear and seriousness in the same way that the Early Church lived.

    “that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” Eph 5 v 27

    We also need to humble ourselves and submit to each other so that the unity of the Body which commands blessing can follow. We must wake up!!!!!

    “Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.” 1Cor 15v34

    SIGNS OF THE END TIMES

    1. Confusion, fear, terror and loss of peace. This is because we follow the news of the broadcasters and not the instructions and directions of Scripture. We may even be bored as we are denied our usual distractions!

    “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Luke 21v25+26

    “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21v36

    “I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” Luke 18v8

    Fear is not caused by the enemy as the enemy is also in great fear as he sees his time drawing to a close. What is absent is the fear of God leading to true repentance.

    “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Rom 3v18

    “For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” 2Cor 7v11

    Fear of death is a sort of slavery but fear of the Lord brings freedom by the death of Christ

    “through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Heb 2v15

    1. Manifestation of the Kingdom of the Beast and the number of the Beast.

    “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Rev 13v16+17

    We need to beware of human wisdom concerning this matter and its many misrepresentations. It is a time when there will be total control of the population with the potential for exclusion and persecution of those who do not submit. We need to consider if we, as the Body, are ready for this? The early church used to pray: ‘As it was so shall it be’ as a way of demonstrating their acceptance of the persecution that will always be part of the Church’s experience. In the time of the persecution of Christians by Islam many denied their faith but later recanted. They travelled to Mt Athos to be trained to accept suffering as part of normal discipleship. When they were considered to be mature in this they were sent back and were then martyred. This helps us to ask ourselves if we are ready to suffer in the name of Christ and whether or not we have the grace to endure? This calls for circumcision of the heart. We are in a season when the Holy Spirit pours His grace into hearts that are prepared.

    FORGIVENESS AND REPENTANCE

    There needs to be an awakening to the plans and purposes of God in these times leading to a deepening of faith in Christ and consecration of lives lived solely for Him. There is a need for Ministers and Pastors who have the knowledge of God so that souls can be nourished and their thirst for the Love of God, quenched. This is how the Bride of Christ will appear but first we must be made ready and prepared.

    “Who is she who looks forth as the morning, Fair as the moon, Clear as the sun, Awesome as an army with banners?” Song of Songs 6v10

    Amen