**This is a personal website and reflects my thoughts and convictions. It does not represent any official position held by Youth With A Mission.**
Tag: lynn green
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Inaccessible Truth
Photo by Moja Msanii 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.**
A few years ago, Marti and I were invited to meet and talk with the Cardinal of Vienna. Bruce Clewett a YWAMer, had become close to the Cardinal and had extended the invitation to us and another friend. We walked to the Palace in the centre of Vienna and were met by one of his assistants who told us we would have 15 minutes. Everything was formal until the Cardinal appeared, shook our hands warmly and began the conversation by telling us when and how he was filled with the Holy Spirit as a young trainee priest.
More than two hours later, we were still enjoying very friendly conversation despite the assistant poking his head through the doorway every few minutes. Before leaving, I asked a sensitive question, after first saying he didn’t have to answer what I was about to ask. I said, “This has been such a wonderful, easy evening of fellowship around our love for Jesus; are there other senior Catholic clergy who would have been comfortable with this evening?” Without reservation he named a few, starting with Jorge Bergoglio, Cardinal of Buenos Aires—now Pope Francis. When he was in Buenos Aires, he was also close to, and remains close to, Alejandro Rodriguez, the YWAM leader in Argentina.
A GREAT ARCHBISHOP
On a similar theme, the Canon Residentiary of Coventry Cathedral came to our YWAM base in Harpenden to teach on our reconciliation courses. Then he was appointed Dean of Liverpool Cathedral, at which point he hosted a YWAM meeting when Loren Cunningham was visiting the UK. We had a relaxed and very enjoyable dinner in his home and there was no doubt about the depth of his faith, his joy and his remarkable abilities. Not many years later, he was announced to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury—at which point he also agreed to be Patron of YWAM in England.
This is not really an exercise in name-dropping; My aim is to make it clear that I know that these two men have a strong, Biblical faith. Each of them has been working hard to move their Church towards living, outworked faith in Jesus and I am both pleased and amazed to have seen this wonderful development. But it is very hard work and I doubt that either of them is overjoyed to see the progress they have, or haven’t, made.
NO REAL THREAT
The truth is not a threat to the kingdom of darkness if it is inaccessible. The offices these two men hold require them to appear almost entirely in formal and carefully managed situations. They must wear clothing that no one else wears. Not to put too fine a point on it, they often wear funny hats that you never see on anyone else and the cassocks they wear are more like dresses than the clothes men usually wear. They often address us from the grandest and most historic buildings, surrounded by priceless works of art. They must preside over ceremonies that must seem like mumbo jumbo to anyone without an education in the practices of the formal churches.
The Archbishop still conducts friendly evangelistic dinners in Lambeth Palace. On those occasions, he is a wonderful host and shares the Good News about Jesus naturally and confidently. But we, the public, only see a carefully managed man who seems to have little in common with us.
A SCANDALOUS MISREPRESENTATION
The media and entertainment world don’t often give any exposure to the Christian faith these days, but when they do, they like to focus on the “professional Christians”, who dress funny, seem rather stiff and distant and, in the media narrative, often turn out to be hypocrites.
Jesus was so very different from all this. He completely avoided all the professional religion of his day. There was just one thing that made him stand out—WHO HE WAS. He didn’t need or want to dress differently. He did not have servants surrounding him and keeping other people away. There were no crowd barriers and he did not confine himself to religious buildings.
THE CHURCH BECOMES SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE
For more than three centuries, the Church largely followed in the pattern Jesus established. But, in 326, the soon-to-be Emperor of Rome, Constantine, had some sort of conversion experience and by the end of his life eleven years later, he had elevated the leaders of the Church to positions of formal social power. We have never fully recovered from that.
I certainly don’t stand in judgment against the Pope, or Archbishops, or Cardinals or Bishops of Vicars—or celebrity preachers! But they are trapped in a world that looks like it has little relevance to the daily lives of most people. That serves to make the Good News seem irrelevant.
HE WAS INCARNATE AND WE INCARNATE HIM
Ordinary Christians hold the key to solving the problem of accessibility. “We” are the ordinary people, who dress like anyone else, who live in ordinary houses, cook our meals, do our laundry, go to work (when allowed to!) raise children—but we have a true faith that makes us very different—or certainly should do.
Perhaps a testimony from Wuhan, ground zero of the Covid-19 virus, will illustrate. From about 1950, the Christian faith in China grew at the greatest rate ever known in human history. For every believer in 1950, there were probably more than a 1000 by 1995. Then the government relaxed its persecution of Christians. Pastors became more powerful; church buildings sprang up across the nation—some of them big enough to qualify as cathedrals—and the conversion growth slowed down. After two decades of greater freedom, the government focussed pressure on churches; their buildings were torn down.
Then the virus hit Wuhan and some of our friends there were very ill. They grieved and prayed over their city in their isolation. But they also rejoiced that something in the spiritual atmosphere had changed. People in their thousands sought out Christians to find out why they were not afraid, why their lives radiated peace. The number of Chinese people becoming Christians grew dramatically again.
TRANSFORMING THE ORDINARY
The TRUTH becomes accessible again when ordinary people live Christ-like lives; when they meet to support each other, to care for others in need, to pray together, to absorb truth from the Scriptures together.
Undoubtedly, some of the very large congregations meeting in church buildings in other parts of the world will survive this crisis, but many will not. Although congregational meeting can be encouraging and large worship celebrations can be uplifting, we might be at turning point when these are no longer the primary expression of Christian faith. If we become more known for meeting together in neighbourhood groups, sharing our joys and pains together, reaching out to our neighbourhoods, loving the lost and needy, searching the Scriptures together, learning to be open and transparent, becoming more loving and kind—then we might see the kind of growth that Christian saw in the early centuries and has seen again in China.
Let’s pray and work to make the truth accessible!
Lynn Green.
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LIVE – Why Prophets?
**This is a personal website and reflects my thoughts and convictions. It does not represent any official position held by Youth With A Mission.**
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More Prophetic Insight?
Photo by Daniel McCullough 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.**
If you have visited this blog before the last week or so, you will know that I don’t highlight prophecy. However, I felt it right, having checked it out with elders, to publish Tom Bloomer’s word. Now, just a few days later, the following prophecy was brought to my attention.
I think it is right for me to post it for a few reasons:
- It is very specific, so will be proven right or wrong quite soon.
- If it is right, then it needs more prayer for it to bear the full fruit God intends.
- It is already in the public domain at www.propheticdaily.com
- It coincides with the Passover and many prophecies about breakthrough at this time.
- It also coincides with hundreds of thousands joining online worship and prayer, which can be accessed via https://watchmen.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0d0e2ee4dc6550f1790f09a1a&id=fb0a97e3f7&e=0c005a6660
Here is the word from Craig Cooney
If the Holy Spirit gives you any sense of confirmation, do go to prayer that it might all be fulfilled!
From Dailyprophetic:
I trust you are keeping safe and well during this most unique time in recent history.
I have been very reluctant to send out any words during this time as I wanted to hear clearly from the Lord and also to weigh up what I was sensing.
First of all I want to share again some of what I sent out on 30th December 2019 and then tell you what I have felt the Lord say in recent days.
As with any prophetic utterance, weigh it carefully and prayerfully.
WORD SENT ON 30TH DECEMBER 2019
The keyword that I keep getting over and over again for 2020 is “PIVOTAL”.
The next 12 months will be absolutely pivotal and I believe this will be the most significant year of the last 50 years.
It is a “tipping point” year – a year when everything that has been happening since the year 2000 culminates and climaxes.
The next 12 months will also shape the next decade. The last 5-10 years have seen the most significant polarisation and division in nations and between nations that I have witnessed in my lifetime. The pressure has been building and this year it is going to be released.
I saw what looked like huge tectonic plates underneath the Earth’s surface. They have been pushing together forming pressure and friction. This is going to build up to such an extent that it will be like an earthquake or eruption in 2020. In fact, don’t be surprised if the Lord affirms this in the natural. What happens physically often mirrors and even precedes what is happening in the spiritual realm.
In the early months of 2020 you could see a very significant earthquake or volcanic eruption. The father is showing us prophetically what lies ahead in the rest of the year.
Nationally, leaders will be at a loss as to how to bring peace and stability in their societies. There will be desperate measures such as curfews and bans, but they will be ineffective and counterproductive….
….There will be a major sifting within the church. The Lord is purifying his Bride as His return draws more imminent. Immature, immoral, heretical and ungodly leadership will be removed. The Lord no longer will tolerate a “show“ in His name. Only those who are pursuing His presence from a place of purity, reverence and true worship will flourish and stand. The others will be swept away in the cultural tide of conformity.
The economy worldwide will take a major sudden dip. But it will not fall into recession like in 2008. It will quickly rally and recover….
…There will be the greatest separation of believers in the last 200 years between those who appease and surrender to the secular culture and those who stand for righteousness, holiness and the Word of the Lord. The pressure to conform and be liked by the world will be so intense. Stand firm in truth and grace.
Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His Word.
Now I want to share what I believe the Lord has shown me in recent weeks. Some of you will have heard me share parts of this on Instagram Live and in my Instagram stories over the past few weeks.
NEW WORD: SUNDAY 29TH MARCH 2020
The word the Lord keeps giving me is RESET.
It’s almost as if, when your cell phone is not working properly, you need to press various buttons at the same time and do a ‘hard reset’. Similarly, right now the nations and every area of society are going through a HARD RESET.
There is a total REALIGNMENT of PRIORITIES and POWER taking place. The exalted are being brought low and the humble are being exalted. Everything we have taken for granted is receiving proper value. Many of the things we thought were important are now being seen as insignificant.
The Lord is REFINING and SIFTING His BRIDE, the Church. Personalities and platforms which relied on crowds and human charisma will struggle in this season. Many won’t make it through.
Authentic Spirit-filled communities will flourish in these days as the committed care for one another as in the early church.
THINGS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN.
While most are longing for everything to return to ‘normal’, I believe the Lord is saying that things will never be the same again. Nor should they be.
There entire structure of society is currently being RECONFIGURED. As everything changed on September 11th 2001, the changes brought through this current shift will be exponentially greater.
The Lord is DISMANTLING so many things in this time. He does not want us to rebuild them ever again. We are entering not only a new season, but a completely NEW ERA. There will be an entirely NEW ‘NORMAL’ when this crisis passes.
WHEN WILL IT PASS?
On Monday 16th March I was asking the Lord about this. I sensed Him tell me it would turnaround in 24 DAYS. That didn’t make sense to me as my natural inclination would have been to say 28 days or 4 weeks. But it was definitely 24 days. I checked the calendar on my phone and realized that 24 days takes us up until Thursday 9th April.
In the Hebrew calendar PASSOVER begins at sundown on Wednesday 8th April. I shared this in my Instagram stories when the Lord spoke this to me. Many of you messaged me to say that a prophetic named Chuck Pierce had also prophesied about things changing at Passover. I hadn’t been aware of Chuck’s word.
Let me be clear. I don’t think everything is suddenly going to get better on this date. However I believe that is the day when things will BEGIN TO TURN. We will START TO SEE THE DECLINE of the coronavirus from that day onwards.
I also believe it will DISAPPEAR MUCH QUICKER than most ‘experts’ have projected. In fact, I sense the Lord saying, once the turnaround begins, it will leave much faster than it arrived.
The PRAYERS OF GOD’S PEOPLE have never been more important. Heaven is waiting to release angels on assignment in response to the prayers of the Saints.
GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS VERY CAREFULLY. Block out negative voices of fear, dread, doom and gloom. Fill your mind with the Word and let faith arise. SPEAK LIFE and HOPE and HEALING and BLESSING.
This RESET, REALIGNMENT and REFINING is positioning us for REVIVAL in the Church and an AWAKENING in the world.
WHAT THE ENEMY HAS INTENDED FOR EVIL, GOD IS GOING TO TURN AROUND FOR GOOD AND GLORY!
There is more that the Lord is saying, but that’s enough for now.
Please take care and all necessary precautions – but DO NOT SURRENDER TO A SPIRIT OF FEAR. Such a spirit is so prevalent at this time and is seeking to consume and control God’s people to render us ineffective and powerless.
As Paul told Timothy:
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim 1:7)
Every blessing in Christ,
Craig
DailyProphetic.com
Lynn Green 