Lynn Green

Category: Religion / Church

  • When we pray – The continuing miracles among Muslims

    When we pray – The continuing miracles among Muslims

     

    **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 have just returned from a notable prayer event in Rome.  I would never  have expected that Egyptians, Syrians and others from the Middle East would call together both European Church leaders and leaders of Immigrant congregations to pray for this needy continent.  I was so blessed by the commitment of scores of Egyptians and the many others from the Middle East, who sacrificed time and finance to invest in three days of intensive prayer meetings.

    There is no doubt that the great flood of immigrants from the Muslim world into Europe over recent years has provided opportunities for the gospel like never before in history. 

    That, combined with militant Islam showing such an ugly face, has led to a ripening harvest.  It is probably best if I explained that statement in the words of a prominent Church leader from the Middle East. These are some of the things he told us:

    “These last six or eight years have destroyed Islam.  The damage is beyond imagination.  Muslims are destroying Islam from within through their cruelty”.  Here are some statistics he gave: A recent gallup poll in Iraq returned an amazing result:  Thirty-two percent declare they are no longer Muslim. That means ten million people in Iraq alone!  “In Egypt the best estimates are that four million Muslims have become followers of Jesus over the last fifteen years or so.” As he said, “These are not a small number of conversions, but huge movements.  This has never happened before in history, and these numbers are not guesses, they are accurate“.

    This pastor was invited to Iraq to speak in churches.  When he arrived, government authorities turned up at the airport to greet them.  Wherever they went, they were taken by government limousines with over sixty bodyguards. Iraqis are keen to hear the gospel but recognise there is a risk for people to proclaim Christ openly.  As he taught on being a disciple of Jesus, a very senior Muslim theologian attended and asked for time with the pastor.  Actually, the conversation was not as encouraging as the pastor expected, but he did get a clear opportunity to present Jesus. Two weeks later, the Iraqi pastor of the Church he visited, phoned to say this same senior theologian had accepted Jesus. He now wanted to invite the visiting pastor to return, to come to the centre of Shia Islamic education to talk about the divinity of Christ. This is without precedent!

    Whether it is Iraq or Turkey or Syria or amongst immigrants in Jordan, Lebanon or further afield in Europe, we consistently hear stories of God’s remarkable power drawing Muslims to Himself.  We heard of countless miracles including children who had died being raised from the dead as a witness to the truth of the gospel. 

    She expressed her forgiveness and her love for them and her commitment to pray for them.

    It is not all a wonderful sense of triumph.  If you read the International press, you would know that Christians have been subjected to terrorist attacks throughout the Middle East. Last year two Muslim terrorist machine-gunned a wedding party as they exited their Church.  They killed several and amongst them was a little girl who was holding her mother’s hand.  The mother was wounded in the leg. A short while later she was interviewed on television from a wheelchair and the journalist asked what she felt towards the men who did this.  She expressed her forgiveness and her love for them and her commitment to pray for them.  The pastor who told the story said,

    “When that four minute interview was aired all over Egypt, it did more to proclaim the reality of Jesus then most of the preaching in the last five hundred years.”

    Yes, these are remarkable times. These are also times of high risk and as many have said ” With these vast immigrant movements into Europe, it will be changed one way or another—either  being more subject to Islam or seeing the great harvest of Muslims coming into the kingdom of God.” 

    I intend to continue to support and cultivate this prayer movement to the best of my ability and draw these dear intercessors together with others that I am working with. I have no doubt that concerted prayer has already made a huge difference and will do more so in days and years to come.

    Lynn Green

  • Global Guilds

    Global Guilds

     

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

    In recent years, many Christians, especially the young, have begun to understand that God’s purposes encompass all of creation and that includes all the spheres of social influence. Practically, that concept means God calls His people into government, education, business, the arts, entertainment and sports, media and communications etc. These Christians realize that all these vocations are equally as significant as a call to local church ministry or world missions.

    Though this understanding of the all-encompassing nature of the Kingdom of God is spreading widely, many still feel isolated and unsupported in their vocation. They may have embarked upon a career in government or education or entertainment or the news media—but a large majority of these committed Christians feel under-supported in their vocation.

    Many centuries ago committed disciples of Jesus banded together in supportive, worshipping communities and formed what became known as guilds. As illustrated by the following quotes, the initial purpose for the formation of guilds was that practicing Christians in the same craft or service could support one another in their faith.

    “They were voluntary associations or fraternities and in the first instance their objects were religious and social. The craft element grew almost as an accidental feature, largely because people of` the same craft tended to live in the same neighbourhood in those days.”

    “However, after the Dark Ages it is known that the early guilds in London evolved from a purely religious basis when craftsmen in specific trades tended to congregate in a common area for both practical and mutual convenience. To some extent this still appertains today – for example in Hatton Garden. It is natural therefore that the members of a particular craft who worshipped together at their local church should form a community of interests and it was from these religious congregations that voluntary associations (as opposed to the compulsory ‘frith guilds’ of Saxon times) were formed for the mutual aid and protection of their members. These fraternal bodies of Guild took their title from their patron saint, and the guild of bakers was known at least until mediaeval days as the ‘FRATERNITY or GUYLDE OF OUR LADY AND ST. CLEMENT’.

    The spiritual connotation is perpetuated to this day in the title ’Worshipful’ and in the Company’s motto ‘PRAISE GOD FOR ALL’, which is also the traditional grace used before all meals.

    The guilds, in the course of the following centuries, became instrumental in the transformation of London and served as the foundation stones upon which the prosperity and global leadership of the City of London were built. The guilds grew in influence and leadership until they became the structure by which the City of London was governed.

    Because of this strong religious and ethical foundation, the City of London operated primarily on a basis of integrity and trust until as recently as the last quarter of the twentieth century.

     

    Trust-worthy people are the greatest resource any economy can have. When high trust is deserved and given, overheads are reduced due to little need for self-protection; project completion times are shortened, stress is reduced and synergy between people and organisations grows hugely.

    The emerging streams of committed Christians who are pursuing their calling to the various social jurisdictions could be well served by an adaptation of the guild concept. Communication and information technology could facilitate the emergence of Global Guilds in education, government, entertainment, sports, business, health services etc. Current and developing technology could help create a sense of global community, though web-communities can only serve to network and serve real, face-to-face communities of common interest.

    This idea requires much prayer and some careful thought, assuming it has a chance of being successfully implemented in the 21st Century. For example, how would an individual or company attain membership?   In the context of YWAM perhaps successful completion of a YWAM-DTS could be a starting point? Additional very specific training would probably be required, followed by a formal commitment to a code of practice.

    The global guilds would not be simply a framework of agreement between individuals; membership would also constitute a covenant with God. With His blessing the guilds could become very influential—a transformational force among the nations.

    The web-based dimension of the global guilds could provide documentation of the agreements and values, information about resources and events, up-to-date articles and testimonials, chat rooms and on-line conferencing facilities.

    In addition to the web services, the guilds could be serviced by YWAM bases hosting events for members. The members could also form themselves together in cell groups for mutual support.

    In addition to the primary benefits of the global guilds, YWAM could contribute by being able to provide resources for the members, facilitating conferences and other events, and having strategic access to a potentially very large web community. This concept would provide a most compelling reason for YWAM alumni to remain connected and could lead to the fulfillment of a vision given to Loren Cunningham several years ago for a massive, global, online community committed to the coming of the Kingdom of God.

    YWAM Together 2016 was organized around the foundational idea behind the original guilds—that the Kingdom of God encompasses and shapes all aspects of human society. We are convinced that the Holy Spirit has guided us and will continue to guide us to serve people in their God-given vocations. The Sphere Tracks have been developed to enable members of the wider YWAM family to connect with others who have similar callings. In those Tracks networking and mutual learning will occur as an obvious outcome, but each track will also engage extensively with the Scriptures, seeking out understanding and revelation about what God has said, and is saying, about every dimension of society. The Sphere View App will be an enormous benefit as a tool to focus our engagement with God’s Word.

    Each Track can also pray together and work through the essential questions of how to move forward with some up-to-date expression of guilds. Some of the most obvious questions are:

    • Is there sufficient felt need for momentum to be created and sustained?
    • Who is committed to start and take a lead in the formation of global guilds?
    • Should local “cells” be at the heart of the movement?
    • Periodic events are needed at local, national, regional and global levels. How can YWAM serve these?
    • How can common practices and standards be developed?
    • Can/Should the guilds have the authority to enforce their standards on those who choose to join? If yes, how would that look in practice?

    Godly transformation of nations will not just happen. The entire world felt the effect of a prayer group that met in Clapham, London in the early 19th century. From that group, William Wilberforce led the global movement to abolish slavery. They also impacted education, Church life, the arts, media and business. They did not start with a grand strategy, but started with genuine Christian fellowship and commitment to prayer. From that, God unfolded a strategy that transformed a nation and that nation touched the entire world.

    Transformation is still on God’s heart today. Are we available to be used, regardless of the cost?

    Lynn Green.

     

  • Ramadan and a Pyramid of rocks in the Desert

    Ramadan and a Pyramid of rocks in the Desert

     

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

    Ramadan is well underway with all its intensity and contradictions. Muslims who take their faith seriously will fast from before dawn to after sundown.  Their fast also means not drinking any liquids.  Not eating during the day is one thing, but not drinking when desert lands are scorching hot—now that is really sacrificial!  (The timing of Ramadan is calculated by the lunar month, so that means that it moves forward a few weeks each calendar year.  In recent years it has fallen at the hottest time of the year, but now it is moving towards cooler months.)  On the other hand, the Ramadan fast signals the time of the year when more food is purchased and consumed in Muslim lands than any other time of the year.  So, although fasting is a sacrifice, the hours of the night are often marked by gorging on rich foods. 

    Lest Christians become judgmental, we can remember that we have turned Christmas into a season of feasting and drinking.  It seems to be a characteristic of human nature that religious sacrifice is usually paired with over-indulgence.

    SUPERNATURAL CONVERSIONS 

    For the past 25 years or so, Ramadan has also been marked by millions of Christians praying for Muslims to come to know who Jesus really is.  Though they revere Him as a great prophet, it usually needs a spiritual encounter with Him for Muslims to know Him as the Son of God.  Researchers have confirmed that the Ramadan prayer commitment has coincided with an unprecedented number of Muslims turning to Christ.  The majority of those seem to turn to faith in Jesus because of a dream or a vision or some other supernatural event in their lives. 

    A BUS RIDE THAT CHANGED HISTORY

     It started with a very slow bus ride across the Sinai Desert.  I was a member of a group of about 15 Christian mission leaders who were meeting in Egypt.  We were from all around the world and we generally moved our regular meetings from one continent to another.  We had planned to meet in Cairo with Egyptian Christian leaders and then to travel to the Red Sea for our last few days together. 

    The bus that arrived to take us across the Sinai turned out to be small and under-powered, so all our luggage had to go on the roof rack.  On that particular day, a very strong wind from the east was blowing across the desert, so we ended up fighting an unrelenting headwind all day.  (At one point the wind was so strong that it broke the restraints and a few suitcases, including mine, were scattered across the desert.  I found myself sprinting across the desert to retrieve underwear, socks and various bits as the wind attempted to blow them back to Cairo.  Among the bits was my treasured and irreplaceable travel alarm/filter coffee maker.  It took quite a while for me to forgive the driver who failed to adequately secure my luggage!)  Since the bus was small and seriously underpowered, progress was frustratingly slow and we decided to work through some of the agenda items for the business part of our time together.  It must be said that, like so many meetings of Christians, we always planned worship and prayer into our times together, but the business agenda seemed to expand and take up the vast majority of our available time.

    This time it was different.  No one could be heard in the noisy little bus unless they had the microphone that was usually used by the guide.  Because of that, most of the usual jokes and other interruptions were excluded.  It seemed almost miraculous that we had dealt with all our business by the time we reached our destination.  What a surprise!  We were left with the best part of three days with no agenda.

    So we worshipped together and asked the Lord what He wanted us to do.  It was so clear to the group that God had worked in our circumstances to give us time to pray for the Middle East. 

    GOD SPEAKS WHEN WE LISTEN

    There were about 15 of us and we were together in unity and prayer for Jews, Arabs and other Muslims.  The Spirit dealt with us about our attitudes—our tendency to take sides in the disputes of the Middle East.  We made a commitment to be “two-eyed”—seeing both sides of the conflicts, especially the deadly hatred between Jews and Arabs.  In principle, we all knew that God loves people without regard to race or gender or ethnicity or nationality, but in practice we often strayed from that divine plumb line.

    A COVENANT ON THE THIRD DAY

    For many of us in that group, the Muslim world was both overwhelmingly large and discouragingly unresponsive to the Gospel.  But God called us to be willing to give our lives, as He directed us, to reach Muslims and Jews.  To mark that challenge from the Holy Spirit, we went a few miles inland into the Sinai and then began to gather large rocks.  We made a pile of rocks like a pyramid and then stood around it in a circle and solemnly declared that we, and our families, were available to God to reach those who seemed to be so far away from knowing the true Jesus.

    OUR LIVES WERE NEVER THE SAME

     We had no idea how the Lord might respond to our commitment, but we knew He was calling us to it.  Much came from our agreement with God.  For me, it confirmed that I was to go ahead with the Reconciliation Walk in the late 1990s.  That was an astounding, life-changing, perspective-shaping event over three years, from late 1995 to mid-1999.

    All of us knew that we were to pray for Muslims and my dear friend, Floyd McClung took a lead in a project to pray during the Ramadan fast each year.  With his staff and his global network of friends, he produced the first 30-Days Prayer booklet for the following year.  Since then, the initiative has grown far beyond our expectations, but more importantly, the seemingly impenetrable barrier keeping Muslims from knowing who Jesus really is began to crumble.

    UNPRECEDENTED PEOPLE MOVEMENTS

    Dr David Garrison’s extensive research demonstrates that, prior to about 1992, there were virtually no large movements of Muslim-background people into faith in Jesus, but since then there have been scores of such people movements.  (He used a parameter of more than 1000 people from any particular group.)  AND, the momentum is growing each year.  Prayer really does change things!

    BUT WHAT ABOUT THE JEWS?

    During those three days in 1992, we prayed extensively about both Jews and Arabs and Muslims in general.  The Lord clearly spoke to us to make our commitments to be two-eyed and to be available to reach Muslims and to get the 30 Days prayer movement going.  It was clearly His initiative and His time. 

    Since then I have been asked from time to time: “Why don’t we have a similar annual season of prayer for Jews?”  My usual reply is, “Great idea!  If you have that on your heart, you should do it.”  Floyd had a clear Word from God to encourage prayer during Ramadan.  There is no way it could have become what it has, except that it was God’s initiative in God’s time. 

    More prayer is also needed for Jews.  Who is God speaking to about that?  How does he want it done?  All I know is that His heart for the Jews is one of unrelenting love. 

    STAYING TWO-EYED

    Recently, we have been in another season of conflict between Palestinians and Israelis and most of the press reports are very critical of Israel, while a few news outlets are more pro-Israel.  The conflict, the photos, the reports all provoke us to take sides—to become one-eyed.   I will always remember the depth of God’s dealing with us in the Sinai and I recommit myself to pray and to hold fiercely to vision from both eyes!

    It is not too late to order 30 Days of Prayer booklets.  Information is available at:
    www.30daysprayer.com

     Lynn Green.

  • Crossing the Threshold of change. How does it work now? – Part 3

    Crossing the Threshold of change. How does it work now? – Part 3

     

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

    In this final video of a three part series Lynn Green joins our founders to continue the discussion on leadership in YWAM. We encourage all YWAM staff to watch and please share with your locations.