Lynn Green

Tag: world

  • Reconciliation of Christians and Muslims

    Reconciliation of Christians and 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.**

    In April, 1096 AD, Christians left from the cathedral in what is now Cologne, Germany and walked across Europe bringing many tears of sorrow to the eyes of many Muslims in their path. They called it a Crusade. Exactly 900 years later, on Easter Sunday, 1996, about 150 Christians left from the same cathedral to begin a second walk across that same route, but this time they brought wide smiles and tears of joy to many Muslims.

    Their first stop was a Turkish Mosque. The leader, Lynn Green of YWAM (Youth With A Mission) read an apology to the gathered Muslims apologizing for the atrocities of the Crusades.

    The Muslims broke into spontaneous, load applause for a long time. The leader of the mosque, the Imam, joyfully exclaimed, “When I heard the nature of your message, I was astonished and filled with hope. I thought to myself, ‘whoever had this idea must have had an epiphany, a visit from God himself. It is my wish that this project should become a very great success.”

    That same Imam later told a participant that many Muslims were beginning to examine their sins against Christians and Jews. He said that their example would encourage them how to act in a similar way about the sins of the past. He promised to tell the other 250 mosques in Europe.

    One participant told this writer that as they came into Istanbul, the chief imam of the city came out to greet them with open arms. In an excited voice, he shouted, “Welcome! No Christian has ever come to apologize to us in 1000 years! You are the first. We welcome you!

    Others report Turkish policemen weeping when they heard of this apology. This was a common reaction by many Muslims to this request for forgiveness from the itinerant Christians who walked the entire route of over 2000 miles in rotating shifts of several dozen at a time. About 2,000 Christians from 27 countries participated in this walk wearing T-shirts and caps that say “I apologize” in Arabic or Hebrew.

    About 500 participants reached Jerusalem on July 15, 1999, the 900th anniversary of the killing of about 60,000 Jerusalem residents and the destruction of the city.

    Here is the text of that historic apology:

    Nine hundred years ago, our forefathers carried the name of Jesus Christ in battle across the Middle East. Fuelled by fear, greed and hatred, they betrayed the name of Christ by conducting themselves in a manner contrary to His wishes and character.

    The Crusaders lifted the banner of the Cross above your people. By this act, they corrupted its true meaning of reconciliation, forgiveness and selfless love.On the anniversary of the first Crusade, we also carry the name of Christ. We wish to retrace the footsteps of the Crusaders in apology for their deeds and in demonstration of the true meaning of the Cross.

    We deeply regret the atrocities committed in the name of Christ by our predecessors. We renounce greed, hatred and fear, and condemn all violence done in the name of Jesus Christ.Where they were motivated by hatred and prejudice, we offer love and brotherhood. Jesus the Messiah came to give life.

    Forgive us for allowing His name to be associated with death. Please accept again the true meaning of the Messiah’s words:”The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” As we go, we bless you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ

    font – http://www1.cbn.com/reconciliation-christians-and-muslims

  • Tired of reading about refugees?

    Tired of reading about refugees?

     

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

    The river keeps running at full flow.  The numbers of people fleeing Syria can hardly be counted, let alone contained.  But we have to add to that the Afghans, Libyans and Iraqis who have given up hope that their nations will stabilize.  Then there are the economic refugees from various parts of Africa and the steady “brain-drain” of Christians from Egypt and other parts of the Arab world.

    We will have to keep reading and hearing about it because it is one of the great, human tectonic shifts of our world.  It will keep flowing for a long time.  And it is changing our world.

    Within that big, attention-grabbing mass movement of suffering people, there are a number of sub-stories that are worth some attention.  One of those stories is the very large number of Muslims who have become, or want to become Christians.

    The Greek government noticed that story a few weeks ago and responded by shutting down faith-based aid groups in the Athens area.  I understand that.  It is a form of manipulation or exploitation to try to persuade people to change their religion when they are desperate—right?  I assume that was the tone of discussions behind the doors of Greek politicians.  Most European, and probably most American, politicians would take that view.

    Again, I understand that IF:

    Christian aid agencies were only offering assistance to Christian and withholding it from others.

    Threats were issued.

    Longer term benefits, such as residency was being offered to converts. Refugees were being forced to listen to propaganda against their will.

    I now know of at least 200 volunteers from YWAM alone, who are helping these same refugees and there will be thousands of other Christian volunteers.  If I visited every location where these Christians are working, I doubt that I would find even one instance of the practices I have just listed.  I say that because such practices are simply not Christian and Christians know that.

    I think there are some reasons why it is good and right to present the Christian message to refugees.  Evangelism, after all, means “good news”.  So here are the reasons.

    1. Many of those who are fleeing are looking for a new life.  Their governments and their religion have failed them.  They would like some good news.
    2. One of the amazing sub-stories is the hundreds or thousands of people who have had visions, or dreams or experiences of healing or miracles where Jesus is the central figure. There is something supernatural going on here.  God is answering the prayers and labours of recent decades or even the prayers and sacrifices of Christians for centuries and many Muslims want to know more about Jesus.  (And remember, they already revere him more than most of our fellow citizens in the secular Western nations.)
    3. It is not uncommon for people to come to faith when they are in very difficult circumstances. Desperation can result in a deep, heart honesty leading to faith.
    4. Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that, “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”

    When Article 18 was adopted in 1948, many Muslim nations signed it, including Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey.

    When a nation or religion tries to withdraw that right, they are in violation of one of the most foundational documents in history.  Not only that, but they are encroaching upon a universal right that was extended by our Creator.  He gave the issues of personal beliefs and conscience to each individual and each individual will be accountable to their Creator for their beliefs, how they obeyed their conscience and the choices they made.

    Tyranny is when a religion or government (or any other authority) attempts to coerce people at the level of their personal beliefs.  The river of human misery flowing primarily from the heart of the Arab, Muslim world is fleeing the spread of that exact brand of tyranny.  Can we, in good conscience, withhold from them the wonderful faith that first gave birth to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

    Jesus said, “Freely you have received.  Freely give!”  This precious gift should be available to all.

    Lynn Green.

  • What does “blessing Israel” actually mean?

    What does “blessing Israel” actually mean?

     

    **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 just completed my third trip to Israel in the past six months.  Where ever I have gone during these trips, and the many I have made in the previous 44 years, I hear people say, “I am here to bless Israel!”  If they get a chance to explain what they mean, the most common answer is, “ God says that those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed,” and they often know that it has something to do with God’s promise to Abraham.  In other words, this is some way of being sure that God will bless me.  Is that right?

    Others will apply this way of thinking more broadly and find direct connections with the well-being or decline of entire nations.  In one interpretation, this means that the nations that vote with Israel in the UN will thrive and the nations that vote against Israel will experience hardship and disaster.  (By the way, there is no doubt that the United Nations has some sort of obsession with condemning Israel.  In light of all the abuses of human rights by so many nations, the General Assembly spends an inordinate amount of time accusing Israel.)

    On this particular trip, I was part of the leadership of a large event in Jerusalem. There were about 3,500 people from many nations with nearly half of them being Chinese who have a passion for Jews and Arabs.  It was an amazing few days of worship, prayer and unity between nations and peoples and that included Jews and Arabs.  In fact believers from both backgrounds joyfully made a public covenant to walk together as “one new man”, as Paul describes in Ephesians 2:15.  However, when various individuals and delegations spoke about “blessing Israel”, I think they often did not mean the same thing as others; there were important misunderstandings associated with that phrase.

    There is a simple question that can help clear up the misunderstanding.   Do we mean we intend to bless the nation-state of Israel, or do we mean we intend to bless the people who have historically been known as Israel?  There is a big difference.

    The nation-state of Israel is, like all other nations, a mix of good and bad.  There is no doubt that God intended its resurrection in 1948 and that its birth and survival until today has been nothing short of Providential.  The scriptures make it clear that God ordains the nations and their boundaries so, in that sense, every nation is ordained of God, but Israel is unique among the nations.  There has never been an occasion in history in which people were able to return to their historical home after 1900 years of exile.  That is simply, amazingly miraculous.

    That does not mean that Israel is a uniquely righteous nation, though.  Actually, it’s founding philosophies had much more to do with Eastern European Socialism from the 1930s and 40s than any desire to return to the God of the Bible.  In the past few decades, the number of religious Jews has grown dramatically, but they are mostly of the Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox persuasions and, as such, they are fiercely opposed to anything to do with Jesus Christ.  From a political perspective, Israel is like any other nation with a whole range of ideologies and dozens of political parties.  They oppose one another on nearly every subject, sometimes violently.  So, which of them do we support if “blessing Israel” means political support?

    That subject is not so complicated if we just think about the Old Testament prophetic scriptures.  None of the prophets ever unconditionally supported the government and military of Israel.  They loved the nation but, because they loved it, had to speak against the godlessness, the idolatry and their trust in their own wealth and might.  When we read Jeremiah and the other prophets, it seems that only the false prophets offered unconditional support.

    So, we must bless what is good and upright in a nation, but never call evil good, as the false prophets did.  But that is exactly what we do when we offer unconditional support to a nation.  Of course that principle applies to any nation.  When “the church” of any nation aligns itself with the ambitions of its government and military it ends up strengthening the Principalities and Powers that drive nations to evil.

    Yet, I am convinced that God wants us to bless Israel because anyone who reads and understands the message of the New Testament will know that God is not finished with the people who are called Israel—the Jewish people.  In Romans, Paul writes about them being branches that have been broken off, temporarily, from an olive tree.  Then he describes the believers of all the other nations as branches that were grafted into the tree.  And then he says that the breaking off was a blessing to all the other nations, but they will be grafted back in and that will be a MUCH greater blessing.

    So, that is not really complicated:  We maintain a prophetic stance to any and every nation and that includes the nation-state of Israel.  We simply cannot offer unconditional support because we would end up calling evil good.  Jeremiah and other prophets lost their lives because they refused to do exactly that.  But we can pray for and bless the Jewish people.  That means we long for the day when they will see their hope for a Messiah fulfilled in Jesus Christ.  We also work toward that end by supporting mission to the Jewish people and take every opportunity to extend love and kindness to them.

    If that is clear, let me make one more thing completely clear:  I BLESS ISRAEL!

  • Singapore: Lynn Green Letter

    Singapore: Lynn Green Letter

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

     

    Dear Fellow YWAMer,

    There was a great sense of life and joy when we gathered in Singapore. Afterward, the group that convened the event had the privilege of reflecting on what God said during those days. As we waited on Him, we felt that we should confirm some of what God spoke to us at this event, and the message that follows is part of that process of confirmation. Others from the convening group will also write to you.

    Field-based conveners were recognized and commissioned in Singapore. Each of them was given the responsibility for convening the family in their part of the world for the next year. The purpose of such events would be to trust the Holy Spirit to manifest the presence of Jesus as we experienced in Singapore, to energize a new faith and momentum to go where we are not, to strengthen and deepen our unity and to identify and recognize the new initiatives and emerging leaders in our midst. The leaders of thematic ministries (for example, Mercy Ministries and Create International) will also continue to convene those ministries with the same purposes, as led by the Holy Spirit.

    These conveners (one per Field) were commissioned to add two or three others to work as team alongside them to seek God and then obey His word to convene in the right time and place with the faith that God will work right across the mission with the same emphases we experienced here in Singapore.

    These small teams are elders and spiritual leaders; they don’t aim to govern with organizational authority, but to be fathers and mothers of the family who lead primarily by drawing the family together in God’s presence. Inevitably, problems will arise in our family and obviously the problems will fall somewhere in the responsibility of these Field conveners. But their mandate is not to engage with all the problems, but to identify which elder or elders has/have the best relationship with the people caught up in the problem and to commission them in prayer to do their best to resolve the issues, as led by the Holy Spirit.

    We have dissolved the various groups that used to exercise organizational authority, such as regional leadership teams and the former Global Leadership Forum, because we know how easy it is to fall back into the habits of our previous meetings. After one year, we will meet with the field and thematic conveners to seek God about the way forward. We know we must move toward where we are not. So, in the densely populated parts of the world, we will have many new clusters of Omega Zones; we will refer to the teams that champion these clusters of Omega Zones as Area Circle Teams (ACTs).

    We do recognize that local YWAM entities are legally incorporated institutions (where such entities are allowed by law). Even in these situations, the legal responsibilities and titles are just a very small part of the essence of spiritual leadership. On a day-to-day basis, servant-hearted, plural leadership is always our goal. No single individual has the “final word.” In all matters of leadership, we are committed to the same principle that we see in operation in the story of the First Jerusalem Council, where they were seeking the solution that “seemed good to them and to the Holy Spirit.”

    May the Lord continue to increase His presence upon us to unify us in His love more and more and to make us ever more fruitful!

    Lynn Green