In this episode of the Youth With A Mission Teaching Podcast Loren Cunningham shares with us a classic teaching about Why the Innocent Suffer.
Loren Cunningham is the founder of Youth With A Mission (YWAM) and the co-founder of the University of the Nations (U of N). He is also a leader at the YWAM, U of N Campus in Hawaii, and a member of the YWAM International Eldership.
Understanding why the innocent suffer is often one of the biggest challenges that people have with understanding God and Christian faith. C. S. Lewis described it as “The Problem of Pain” and Loren Cunningham dives into this challenging topic in this Youth With A Mission Teaching Podcast episode …
1 Peter 2:18
Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.
Loren Cunningham is the author of a number of books including:
Thank you for joining us this month as we take up “The Invitation” and join together with thousands of YWAMers from around the world as we pray about the Two-Thirds-World Workers and their Financial Support.
On the second Thursday of every month YWAM locations, staff, students, and supporters join together in prayer for the mission and for what God is doing in the nations. Join YWAMers around the globe in praying and hearing from God. He is inviting you!
Indonesian YWAMer sharing her vision. Photo credit: Terry Sherman
Today in modern missions many people who live in what was considered the mission field have now become a significant part of the mission force. A large portion of YWAM missionaries now come from countries like South Korea, Brazil, India, and Indonesia.
Along with these changes come great challenges as norms change. One such challenge is raising support for those working in or sent from the Two-Thirds-World. We want to pray for those workers and their financial challenge during The Invitation this month.
As we prepared the prayer information, we surveyed several YWAMers with ministries on different continents to get their input on current challenges and lessons learned regarding financial support. Of those surveyed, only a very small percentage of them receive support from their local church. Some noted that they receive support from Christians and non-Christians and most of them noted that friends (many of them friends made during YWAM training programs) and family members provide support. Some of them reported that they take on small jobs for money and one even said that only 10% of her support is consistent from month to month but that God always provides what is needed.
A Vietnamese YWAMer. Photo credit: Terry Sherman
Many of the challenges reported relate to misperceptions on the part of local churches, people who are asked to provide support, and YWAMers themselves. The misperceptions revolve around people not having a solid biblical understanding of money and cultural differences. Lessons that have been learned by YWAMers surveyed include: trust in God, pray, follow up on all requests, meet in person with people, and develop a biblical understanding of money. All of those surveyed report that they have seen God’s work in providing partners who stand beside them financially.
Terry Sherman, who provides training to YWAMers regarding support raising, states that those from the Two-Thirds-World “will encounter spiritual opposition the same as those who have gone before from the One-Third-World. So the same lessons apply: we all need to find freedom to form partnerships. Our own ways of thinking and cultural taboos about money are our biggest enemies.”
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Matthew 6:24 (KJV)
Please join with YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, during the month of July to pray for financial support for Two-Thirds-World workers. You are particularly invited to pray during our prayer day, July 13.
If you have only a few minutes to pray, please lift up our YWAM workers from the Two-Thirds-World. Pray that they would increase their financial support and their biblical understanding of how to raise finances. Pray also for churches and individuals in the Two-Thirds-World to take on a greater role of sending missionaries by giving and praying generously. Please put a coin in your pocket to remind you to pray this month.
If you are praying with a group or if you have more time to pray, please see below for the complete list of prayer suggestions.
Indians doing Bible study on fundraising. Photo credit: Terry Sherman
Prepare to Pray:
Consider keeping a coin in your pocket (purse, car, etc.) to remind you to prayerfully hold this matter before God. Each time your fingers touch the coin (or you see the coin), take a moment to ask God for a release of finances for YWAM staff and students from Two-Thirds-World nations. In particular, be sensitive to the ways the Holy Spirit may be inviting you to show generosity to a Two-Thirds-World missionary you know.
Ask others that you will be praying with to bring a coin to a time of prayer.
YWAM Jocum Marromeu, Mozambique recently thanked supporters and celebrated the opening of a primary health care school. Photo credit: YWAM Marromeu, Mozambique
Pray:
Pray for local churches in the Two-Thirds-World to understand their role in the Great Commission as senders. Pray for pastors and teachers to effectively teach these concepts.
Pray for biblical understanding of forming kingdom partnerships throughout YWAM. Pray for YWAMers to learn practical ways for increasing their support. Pray for God to change hearts and minds so that misperceptions about support raising are minimized.
Pray for the economies of developing nations.
Pray for a spirit of provision and abundance, as opposed to a spirit of greed and limitations.
Pray for YWAMers to trust in God’s provision first, rather than to trust in man.
Pray for the relationships of YWAMers to be built on solid friendships as opposed to relationships/perceptions that it is all about the support.
All the resources of the Godhead are at our disposal.
Jonathan Goforth
Pray for Two-Thirds-World workers that they would obey God’s call to send and to go. Pray for effective ministries and clarity of calling. Pray also that they would perform God’s work with integrity and faithfulness.
Pray for God to raise up more Christian and non-Christian people as supporters, and generous givers from the Two-Thirds-World.
Pray for our Two-Thirds-World workers to find favor with governments.
Pray for wisdom for YWAM’s Terry Sherman and her entire team to arrange more seminars on support raising.
Pray for YWAMers to be thankful and grateful for the provision that God gives them.
YWAM Ships thanks governor Muthuvel of West New Britain province, Papua New Guinea, for his support. Photo credit: YWAM Ships.
Take Action:
Identify a Two-Thirds-World missionary that you know. Commit to pray for this person regularly with regard to support. Pray about supporting them monthly. Think about ways you can encourage them. Provide them with tools and training that may be useful to them.
Take FREE online course at ywamelearning.com which can be done by individuals or as a group. Contact Terry Sherman about giving a workshop on relational fundraising (sherryterman@gmail.com). She can also connect you with others within YWAM that are so trained.
Watch an online class with a group to obtain a biblical mindset on partnership: relationalfundraising.com
Host a Kairos Course at your church –http://www.kairoscourse.org/ This will spread more understanding of the role of the church in the Great Commission as senders and supporters of missionaries.
Go to twitter.com; search for #praywithywam and tweet about your prayer time/post a picture. You can also post a photo on Instagram and use the same hashtag, #praywithywam.
Send an email to prayer@ywam.org letting us know how you prayed and what God revealed to you.
Newly-married YWAMers in Blantyre, Malawi. Photo credit: Sunganani Naziyaya
How We Prayed
June 2017 – Back to Jerusalem Movement
YWAM North Africa reported that they had a great time praying as a group for God to send more workers for this movement.
YWAM Perth, Australia prayed and received a picture of the base of a fence showing God’s promise that the Chinese Church will be unshaken.
YWAM Auckland, New Zealand interceded and gave thanks for those who have gone before the current generation in this movement, laying the foundation for the younger generation to rise up and be equipped.
YWAM Sarasota, Florida prayed for the Back to Jerusalem Movement and for the 10/40 Window and sent the drawing inserted below.
The roots of the Church in China go very deep. Photo credit: YWAM Sarasota, Florida
May 2017 – Spiritual Formation
Create International, Taiwan reported that they, as artists, found the topic of “silence” to be quite fascinating and that God spoke to them in very personal and powerful ways.
Future Topics:
August 10, 2017 Marriages and Singles
September 14, 2017 Disciple Training Schools (DTS)
October 12, 2017 Hindu World
Don’t Miss The Invitation:
Sign up for prayer updates. Go to ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to ywam.org/theinvitation. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the Facebook page on the second Thursday at facebook.com/youthwithamission or on Twitter @ywam, hashtag #praywithywam. You can also post a photo on Instagram and use the same hashtag, #praywithywam.
You can now listen to The Invitation as a podcast. To sign up or listen to past episodes, go to: ywampodcast.net/prayer.
If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM’s prayer, please contact us: prayer@ywam.org.
Thank you for joining us this month as we take up “The Invitation” and join together with thousands of YWAMers from around the world as we pray about the Back to Jerusalem Movement.
On the second Thursday of every month YWAM locations, staff, students, and supporters join together in prayer for the mission and for what God is doing in the nations. Join YWAMers around the globe in praying and hearing from God. He is inviting you!
Photos from: Back To Jerusalem Website and Facebook Page
The Back to Jerusalem movement began in the 1920s when the Chinese church received a vision from God to take the Gospel to all unreached people groups between China and Jerusalem. Chinese Christians understood that the spread of Christianity had generally taken a westward path and had reached as far as China. Their mindset was that a Back To Jerusalem effort from China westward would complete the circle around the entire globe, ending where it all began, in Jerusalem.
Through decades of persecution, where the primary work being conducted was often underground, this movement has continued. The contemporary Back To Jerusalem movement started in 1983 when Simon Zhao was released from prison. Simon had been one of the leaders of this movement in the 1940s and 50s. During his time in prison he prayed daily, “God, the vision that you’ve given us has perished, but I pray you’ll raise up a new generation of Chinese believers to fulfill this vision.”.
Brother Yun (The Heavenly Man) said:
The world can do nothing to a Christian who has no fear of man.
The current movement has a goal to have 100,000 missionaries sent out across the globe, primarily in the nations between China and Jerusalem. Many of these nations are within the 10/40 window and are primarily Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu. There are approximately 5,100 unreached people groups and tribes in these nations. The Back to Jerusalem movement helps the Chinese church train and send Chinese missionaries into unreached areas of the globe.
Please join with YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, during the month of June to pray for the Back to Jerusalem movement. You are particularly invited to pray during our prayer day, June 8.
Prepare to Pray:
Listen to this short message about “Back to Jerusalem” (audio):
As you prepare we suggest that you ask God to reveal a key prayer request to you that He wants you to pray over and over. Pray this prayer as a breath prayer holding this topic before God throughout the day. Write out a short phrase to repeat in pace with your in and out breath, to pray whenever it comes to mind throughout the day. For example, as you breathe in, you pray: “Merciful and gracious God,” and as you breathe out, you pray: “Have your way in China and westward toward Jerusalem” (or whatever key prayer request the Lord gives to you).
From Back to Jerusalem Facebook Page
Pray for the Back to Jerusalem movement:
Pray for continued growth and strength of the Chinese house-church networks so they can train and send 100,000 missionaries to the 10/40 Window and across the globe.
Praise God for the growth of the Chinese church. Praise Him also for the Chinese Christians that willingly go, knowing that they may give their life so that the lost can hear the good news.
Pray that the Back to Jerusalem movement will be protected from people who would want to organise and control it.
Pray for the Chinese government, who have good historical reasons for being suspicious of Christianity because it was often intertwined with foreign governments and their political and military ambitions.
Pray for the government to recognise that Biblical Christians are trustworthy citizens. Many Christians go out to other nations or to minority tribes within China in the course of their work or as a result of government initiatives.
Pray for these workers to understand how to be an ambassador for Jesus. Also pray for the many who are wanting to start businesses or engage with other economic activities as part of their missions calling.
Pray for excellent training to help Chinese missionaries with cross-cultural sensitivities, language learning etc.
Remember Isaiah 48:10, which says:
Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.
Isaiah 48:10
Pray for financial and prayer supporters to partner with the Back to Jerusalem movement. Pray for the provision of Bibles and of supplies so that Back To Jerusalem can provide for people when disaster strikes and people have the greatest needs.
Pray for social change in the 10/40 Window through the impact of the gospel.
From Back to Jerusalem Website and Facebook Page
Take Action:
Consult the Back to Jerusalem website for more stories, information and prayer concerns: backtojerusalem.com
Pray about the Back To Jerusalem movement in a deeper and ongoing manner:
Fast regularly
Send intercession and spiritual mapping teams to China and 10/40 Window nations and pray on site.
Go to twitter.com; search for #praywithywam and tweet about your prayer time/post a picture.
Send an email to prayer@ywam.org letting us know how you prayed and what God revealed to you.
How We Prayed
May 2017 – Spiritual Formation
YWAM Champagne, France reported that they were very grateful for the proposal for a time of silence.
April 2017 – Growth – Persecution
YWAM Cape Verde prayed and reported that they are grateful to receive The Invitation in Portuguese.
Several YWAM locations shared that they utilize The Invitation to share information about YWAM with the students and staff at their location.
Multiple locations reported praying for the YWAM worker kidnapped last year.
YWAM Central African Republic reported that receiving The Invitation stimulates them to pray for matters beyond their area.
A YWAMer from Muizenberg, Cape Town, South Africa was inspired by 1 Corinthians6:19-20 and asked herself “Am I willing to give it all and give up myself?”
The Indonesian translator for The Invitation was moved by the response of love the people of Indonesia showed to a Christian governor who lost an election. (Shortly after this outpouring of love he was imprisoned.)
Future Topics:
July 13, 2017 Two-Thirds-World Workers, Financial Support
August 10, 2017 Family, Singles, Marriages
Don’t Miss The Invitation:
Sign up for prayer updates. Go to ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to ywam.org/theinvitation. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the Facebook page on the second Thursday at facebook.com/youthwithamission or on Twitter @ywam, hash tag #praywithywam.
You can now listen to The Invitation as a podcast. To sign up or listen to past episodes, go to: ywampodcast.net/prayer.
If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM’s prayer, please contact us:prayer@ywam.org.
Thank you for joining us this month as we take up “The Invitation” and join together with thousands of YWAMers from around the world as we pray about building our spiritual formation by creating space for God.
On the second Thursday of every month YWAM locations, staff, students, and supporters join together in prayer for the mission and for what God is doing in the nations. Join YWAMers around the globe in praying and hearing from God. He is inviting you!
Since the beginning of the year the focus of our monthly prayer times has been growth. Last month we prayed about the possible parallel increase in persecution. As we experience both of these realities – an increase in numbers and an increase in trials – it is crucial that we put our roots ever deeper into God.
Silence can be a gift to us in this regard. Silence offers us an opportunity to become more aware of God and more aware of the truth of our own hearts. When things are going well, as when our numbers increase, we are tempted to rely on our own strength. Silence can safeguard us from the pitfall of self-sufficiency by keeping us in touch with our great need for God. And when things are difficult, as when we face trials and persecution, we are tempted to panic and try to save ourselves in our own way. In silence we are reminded of the greatness and nearness of God.
In any case, as YWAMers we are often a people of action and it is easy to find both fulfilment and distraction in our activity. When we practice silence, we make space for God to meet us beyond all possible distractions. God invites us to know Him and, in knowing Him, to know ourselves and to become the God-imaging, God-empowered people He made us to be.
To remain in silence for more than a few minutes can be uncomfortable for us. We are used to noise and chatter and in the quiet we often find our minds buzzing with all sorts of thoughts. In order to make space for God, we encourage you to join us in this month’s practice of silence – whether as a community, or individually – trusting that this deep listening will lead to a fresh springing up among us of God’s abundant life.
Prepare to Spend Time in Silence (for the prayer time facilitator if being facilitated as a group):
This month’s prayer time will focus on making space to hear God’s voice, listening, and being attentive in silence. Here are some practical tips to help those facilitating the prayer time.
Decide ahead of time if you want the group to stay together, doing the same activity, or if you will let individuals choose for themselves which activity in which to engage. This is important in order to save time. If you want to let people choose which activity to do you may want to have the three options written out, either as a PowerPoint slide displayed on a screen or wall or on a handout. If the instructions are only verbal you may have to clarify and explain a few times, which would take away from the amount of time you could spend in silence.
As a facilitator please help set the tone of the time by explaining the expectations to the group as you begin. You may want to emphasise the expectation of silence in the room (if you are staying in the same room) or of not talking to each other if the group is going outside. This may be challenging for some.
Please be sure to give all the instructions at the beginning of the time of silence in order to avoid interrupting the group with further instructions. Include in the instructions a specific time to gather back together again.
Consider ahead of time how you are going to process and receive feedback from the group. We have included some possible processing questions. Decide who will facilitate the processing time and how you will record the feedback.
Spend Time in Silence – The Practice of Silence
1. Choose an Activity Option:
As part of your time of silence, you are invited to consider one of the following three activities as a way to practice “making space for God.” If you are participating with a group, we recommend you all do the same activity so that afterwards you can share together about your experience of God through that activity.
Option A: Take a walk outside, in silence.
Begin by simply noticing how you are feeling physically and being present to the world around you. Practice curiosity and a deep listening to your intuition. Let this time be a journey of the heart, noticing where you are being invited to walk and where to stay for a while. Try to let go of any goals you have for this time (such as to reach a certain destination). Even if you walk only a few steps and simply notice what you see, that is enough.After spending time slowing down and being present to what is around you, become aware of any questions or reflections that come to your mind. Each season has its own particular questions to ask: for example, spring might cause you to reflect on the fullness of life and time for play. What draws your attention and what questions does your time outside invite you to ask at this particular time of your life?Finally, once you have enjoyed this time of reflection, ask yourself how are you moving in this journey of life with God? You might choose to mirror your response in the actual movement of your legs and feet as you walk (if you feel hurt, you might walk with a limp; if you are excited, you might bounce; if you are uncertain, you might mirror that in the way you walk). Then ask, how do you want to be moving through life in this season? You could move in that way for a short while. How might God be speaking to you through what this brings to your mind?
Option B. Get comfortable and keep silence wherever you are.Be sure you have your journal and some pens or pencils. You may want to light a candle as a symbol of God’s presence. Get comfortable in your chair, or on the floor. Take a few moments to settle into this time and notice how you are feeling. Pay attention to the part of you that finds silence difficult, and to the part of you that looks forward to being with God in this way.After spending time slowing down and becoming present to yourself and to God, begin paying attention to what comes to your mind. Are you aware of questions you want to ask the Lord? Is there something going on in your life that the silence offers you an opportunity to think about? You might reflect on how you have been turning towards God in recent times, and how you have been turning away from Him. Speak with Him about this.
In the quiet, you may well find that many random thoughts jump around in your mind, distracting you. If it helps, write down things you need to remember so you can stay focused during this time. Then simply return to an attitude of openness and listening to God. How might He be speaking to you through the things that come to mind? You could journal about this.
Option C. Reflection on a painting.Finally, you may choose to spend your time in silence considering a painting such as this one, based on the story of Jesus and his disciples in the boat during a storm (Mark 4:35-41). [https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2016/06/rembrandt-top.jpg]
Consider projecting this image so everyone in your group can see it, then settling into a silent time of reflection.
As you first look at the painting, ask yourself these questions:
What grabs my attention right away?
How does the scene change for me, as I look at the painting?
What is surprising to me about the painting? What questions does it raise for me?
Which of the characters do I most identify with, and why?
What would it be like to be in the boat in such a storm?
You could also consider reflecting on the following questions:
What are the storms in my life right now?
In what ways have I overlooked – or been aware of – Jesus’ presence with me?
What is His invitation to me in those stormy places? And what is my response?
2. Conclude Silence Activity:
In conclusion: Whichever activity you choose, at the end of your time simply express gratitude to God for your awareness of His presence, for what He has revealed to you, and for the grace to move toward Him.
3. Process Questions as a Group:
Once your time of silence has concluded, here are some questions to help your group to process:
How was the time of silence and listening different from having a specific topic to pray for?
What challenges did you experience in the time of silence and listening?
What insights did you gain from this time of silence?
How do you think a time of corporate, worldwide silence and listening like this could impact the mission?
What do you think God thought and felt as we took time around the world to be silent before Him?
4. Close the Time of Silence:
You may like to use this as a closing prayer:
Lord, thank you that you are not a silent God. Thank you for your desire to communicate with your children. Please give us patience to wait in silence and the ability to quiet our hearts before you. Please train our ears to hear your voice. Help us to be aware of the noises and distractions in our life that may keep us from being close to you, and give us the grace to be still and know that you are God.
Take Action:
Find out more about spiritual formation from YWAMers:
Go to twitter.com; search for #praywithywam and tweet about your prayer time/post a picture.
Send an email to prayer@ywam.org letting us know how you prayed and what God revealed to you.
Christians Persecuted in Egypt on Palm Sunday
How We Prayed
April 2017 – Growth – Persecution
YWAM Melbourne prayed for our Egyptian brothers and sisters from the Coptic Church after bombs exploded in multiple churches on Palm Sunday.
YWAM Madison and YWAM Melbourne prayed and invited others to join them through Facebook. YWAMers from Homer, Alaska also posted that they prayed.
Others posted on Facebook that they prayed specifically for Christians in Nigeria, the Middle East and for the Hazara people group in Central Afghanistan.
YWAMers at YWAM Europe conference prayed for the nations.
YWAM Europe Praying for the Nations
Future Topics:
June 8, 2017 Back to Jerusalem
July 13, 2017 Two-thirds-world Workers, Financial Support
August 10, 2017 Family, Singles, Marriages
Don’t Miss The Invitation:
Sign up for prayer updates. Go to ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to ywam.org/theinvitation. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the Facebook page on the second Thursday at facebook.com/youthwithamission or on Twitter @ywam, hash tag #praywithywam.
You can now listen to The Invitation as a podcast. To sign up or listen to past episodes, go to: ywampodcast.net/prayer.
If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM’s prayer, please contact us: prayer@ywam.org.
Photo credits: Nick Kenrick and Carol Jacobs-Carre, Flickr
Thank you for joining us this month as we take up “The Invitation” and join together with thousands of YWAMers from around the world as we pray about the Persecution that often comes with Growth.
On the second Thursday of every month YWAM locations, staff, students, and supporters join together in prayer for the mission and for what God is doing in the nations. This month we pray about persecution that often comes from growth …
Join YWAMers around the globe in praying and hearing from God. He is inviting you!
YWAM Redding prays for the persecuted Church (YWAM Redding)
In this, the last of our three-part series on growth, we invite you to join The Invitation this month as we pray about the persecution that often comes along with growth. According to Christianity Today magazine, persecution of Christians continued at a high level last year: “For the third year in a row, the modern persecution of Christians worldwide has hit another record high.” YWAM’s founder, Loren Cunningham, expects more opposition in the years to come. He says “The reason I believe that persecution is going to increase on us, and I’ve already seen the signs of it, is that we are going to have a release, not just of workers but of effectiveness.”
Have a listen now to Loren Cunningham’s comments on how to pray about persecution…
Recent examples of persecution of YWAM workers include a kidnapping, families expelled from countries, one YWAM worker killed for his faith and bold witness, a YWAM worker held by militia, family members held by police, all workers from a YWAM location expelled from the country, computers and phones confiscated, home burnings of YWAM associates, burning of a church planted by a YWAM team, government harassment, imprisonment, monetary fines, beatings, hours of interrogation, and intimidation.
Loren Cunningham warns that persecution can also come by legal means such as media attacks, loss of jobs, and lawsuits against Christians. YWAM leaders also express concern over the ways governments seem to be tightening their control of, and opposition to, Christians.
Persecution is different by region and even from family to family as persecution extends to that level. One of YWAM’s leaders for the Middle East notes that there are some regions currently where “we are being much more bold and active than we have been before, but getting the same or less hassle than before, but there are some areas that have become more restrictive and are continuing to tighten up.”
This YWAM Middle East leader thinks YWAM has been spared significant persecution up to this point and attributes this to “possibly quite a bit of prayer cover.”
As we experience growth, we will also experience greater persecution. Now is the time to ‘review and count the cost’ of following Jesus to the ends of the earth. God hears the cry of the poor every day and he wants us to respond, ‘Here I am Lord, send me.’
Steve Goode, YWAM mercy ministry leader
In some cases, YWAM does not experience the persecution directly but we find ourselves helping others who have been or are being persecuted. Some of these examples are many YWAM locations sending teams to refugee camps that house Christians who have been persecuted in their home country. Other locations offer immediate assistance to cities, towns, and villages where Christians and new believers are persecuted.
The most recent World Watch List from the organization Open Doors predicts that the top ten countries for persecution in 2017 will be North Korea, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen and Eritrea. YWAM has had a presence or has a presence in most of these countries.
Jesus said, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20). Please join us for The Invitation in April, and particularly on our prayer day April 13, as we pray about persecution.
Prepare to Pray:
Review these Bible verses and other resources regarding the cost of following Jesus:
Review this article and watch some videos regarding YWAMer Dan Baumann when he was imprisoned in Iran. I’ve grabbed the audio from one of the three videos, and you can hear it now:
All of a sudden I realized something, I am free! I am free! So what if they kill me. My life is bought by the blood of Jesus, my home is in Heaven. No one can take that away.”
Dan Baumann, YWAM teacher and author
As a group or individually, ask God to give you clarity on the cost of following Jesus for your specific ministries.
As a group, note things that you can do to prepare DTS students and staff for the persecution that is expected with the anticipated YWAM growth.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulations or distress, or persecution, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Romans 8:35, posted by YWAM Abuja, Nigeria
Pray about persecution that comes with growth:
Pray for courage and protection as we make more disciples. Pray for safety for new believers as they become rooted in Christ.
Pray for courage to bear witness when we are persecuted, imprisoned and brought to court (Luke 21:12-13). Pray that we would endure when we are persecuted (1 Corinthians 4:12).
Pray for YWAM locations in countries known to be the worst for persecution including: North Korea, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, and Eritrea. Pray for more workers and disciples in these countries.
Pray for YWAM locations that have had to leave certain areas including Syria and South Sudan due to persecution. Pray for eventual YWAM growth in these areas.
Pray for YWAMers in the field who must remain relatively isolated for security reasons.
Praise God for the way that He works in all things, including persecution, for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).
Pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44).
YWAM Prays for the Persecuted Church (Photos posted on Facebook by YWAM Ozarks and YWAM Worcester)
Pray for persecuted Christians to be rescued from their persecutors (Psalm 31:15).
Pray for the YWAM missionary kidnapped in Africa last year. Pray for his safe return, for comfort for his family and that his captors would know Jesus.
Pray for God to create “Pauls” out of those who persecute today. Pray for God to provide them with mercy and to show them love through YWAMers and other workers.
Pray for those who are displaced and marginalized to find safety and for YWAM workers who are ministering to them.
Pray for loved ones of martyrs of the Christian faith to see their deceased as more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8:37). Pray also for practical relief and spiritual support for these families.
Pray for YWAMers and their friends and families who are directly impacted by persecution. Pray for strength, wisdom and provision.
sharing the Gospel with refugee children on Easter morning; one of the first YWAM signs in South Sudan
Teaching YWAMers in South Sudan
YWAM’s presence in South Sudan has shifted as persecution has intensified – Sudan being one of the worst countries in the world for persecution.
Take Action:
Watch Loren Cunningham on growth and persecution:
Trees of Growth for YWAM (teaching video, 14:33 minutes, 2017)
Rise of Persecution explained (6 minutes):
https://vimeo.com/76347562
On the Voice of the Martyrs Persecution Blog (http://www.persecutionblog.com/) see January 30, 2017 and February 7, 2017 to hear interviews with Loren Cunningham on sharing Bibles in the hardest parts of the world.
Read books by YWAMer Dan Baumann, who was imprisoned in Iran, to see how persecution has shaped him and his teaching within YWAM:
Consult Operation World for more prayer points on the persecuted church in each country of the world. Adopt a country and pray regularly or focus on a new country each month or week.
Jesus Driven Ministry, Ajith Fernando (See what it looks like to follow Jesus through Sri Lankan women and men who have been imprisoned for their faith.)
Remember and honor YWAMers who have gone to be with the Lord as a result of persecution or other reasons: http://www.ywam-memorial.org/about
If you missed The Invitation in February or March please review these short videos about growth that were produced for The Invitation: YWAM’s Lynn Green on ten-fold growth:
Go to twitter.com; search for #praywithywam and tweet about your prayer time/post a picture.
Send an email to prayer@ywam.org letting us know how you prayed and what God revealed to you.
How We Prayed
March 2017 – Growth – Global
YWAM Togo, Kuwede Kara, Togo, West Africa received Genesis 1:11-12 regarding multiplication in the Horn of Africa and a vision of an open eye with the Lord saying “I the Lord have my eyes on you, I support you.” They also prayed for growth of faith for staff and students and for ending Bible poverty.
YWAM Perth sensed God giving them Hebrews 12:26-29, concluding that if we want to see growth and breakthrough we need to refine our character. They also prayed for the children who grow up in YWAM that they would have a heart for the Lord, and for smaller locations to have an increase of staff joining and increase in finances.
An individual prayed that YWAM would influence youth in their spheres of influence and that professionals and scientists would aggregate their knowledge to the kingdom of God and the advancement of the gospel.
YWAM Vijayawada, India posted on Facebook that they prayed for women’s ministry growth.
Future Topics:
May 11, 2017 Spiritual Formation
June 8, 2017 Back to Jerusalem
July 13, 2017 Two-thirds-world Workers, Financial Support
Don’t Miss The Invitation:
Sign up for prayer updates. Go to ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to ywam.org/theinvitation. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the Facebook page on the second Thursday at facebook.com/youthwithamission or on Twitter @ywam, hash tag #praywithywam.
Thank you for joining us this month as we take up “The Invitation” and join together with thousands of YWAMers from around the world as we pray for Global Growth.
On the second Thursday of every month YWAM locations, staff, students, and supporters join together in prayer for the mission and for what God is doing in the nations. This month we pray about global growth …
Join YWAMers around the globe in praying and hearing from God. He is inviting you!
500 People from 43 Countries Celebrate New University of the Nations (UofN) Campus DNA Infusion Asia at Battambang, Cambodia in January (Dawn Gauslin)
Many of you joined us last month for The Invitation when we prayed for supernatural growth for ourselves and for our local communities. In a video last month YWAM leader Lynn Green talked about prophetic messages YWAM has received about ten-fold growth and he explained how praying for growth fits with themes in the Bible.
We asked you to provide growth plans that God has given your location so we could include those in The Invitation for this month as we pray for growth from a global perspective. We heard from many of you and we reached out to several of the ministries associated with YWAM to ask about their growth goals. These specific growth plans and prayers have been included in The Invitation for March and our prayer day on March 9.
In this episode of the Youth With A Mission Teaching Podcast we get to hear a classic teaching about True Repentance from Loren Cunningham.
Loren Cunningham is the founder of Youth With A Mission (YWAM) and the co-founder of the University of the Nations (U of N). He is also a leader at the YWAM, UofN Campus in Hawaii, and a member of the YWAM International Eldership.
Citing some stories from the Gospels, Loren explains what it means to truly repent of our sins. He gives practical steps for examining our own sins and seeking true repentance. His central message is that real repentance means death to self and selfishness.
Loren Cunningham is the author of a number of books including:
Thank you for joining us this month as we join together with thousands of YWAMers from around the world as we pray for local growth.
On the second Thursday of every month YWAM locations, staff, students, and supporters join together in prayer for the mission and for what God is doing in the nations. This month we pray about local growth …
YWAM Medical Ships Expands in Papua New Guinea to build a Youth Training Campus in Alotau
YWAM began with a vision of growth. A young man, Loren Cunningham, saw a mental picture of wave after wave of young people covering the continents. A few years ago, YWAM received two more messages about growth, prophetic pictures of YWAM growing ten-fold, from 20,000 to 200,000 missionaries. YWAM’s leaders prayed about these words and sensed they were from God, and in keeping with a consistent theme throughout the Bible. Said Lynn Green, one of YWAM’s leaders, “growth is just intrinsic to the kingdom of God.”
For the next three months of 2017, we invite you to pray about growth. In February we invite you to ask God, do these messages about ten-fold growth apply to me and my community? If so, how?
To better understand what this prayer could look like, watch this video from Lynn Green, prepared specifically for The Invitation in February (for a transcript, see the bottom of this file):
Then, after you pray, if you sense God giving you a vision about growth please share it with us. You can do so by emailing prayer@ywam.org.
In March, we will pray for these faith goals as well as for other global goals in YWAM that seek supernatural increase.
Then in April The Invitation will again focus on growth, specifically on persecution that often accompanies growth and expansion.
As we begin this season of prayer for increase, consider this promise from the apostle Paul:
“He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness” (1 Corinthians 9:10).
Join YWAMers around the globe in praying and hearing from God. He is inviting you!
The Cunninghams Meeting with (left to right) Justin Welby, Head of the Anglican Church; Pope Francis, Head of the Roman Catholic Church and Pope Twadros II, Head of the Coptic Church to End Bible Poverty
A great awareness has been taking place on a worldwide level that is bringing people from different confessions and denominations together in Christian unity. Recent events include a global gathering held in Jerusalem to link the east and the west; an event commemorating the 500th year anniversary of the Protestant Reformation in which Lutherans, Catholics and many other denominations celebrated Christian unity; and the upcoming annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity January 18 – 25th in which many YWAMers and denominations are involved.
Some have described Christian unity as the process of becoming one or oneness vs. having a focus on one denomination’s distinctions over another’s. The process of becoming one involves having a greater focus on the workings of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; affectionately loving our Christian brothers and sisters even if we do not agree completely with the doctrine of their denomination; focusing on the essentials of the Christian faith as opposed to the details of one denomination or another, and humbling ourselves like Christ. In humility, we can perceive that the Body of Christ exists within and outside different Christian expressions. Though we might agree with the theology of a particular church or denomination, we know that does not mean everyone who attends there is a believer, but there are also Godly believers who are members of churches or confessions with whom we might disagree. We all seek to have a Biblical faith and theology but we all reach different conclusions. Continue reading →
This teaching about “Understanding God’s Justice” was shown, by Joy Dawson’s request, the 2009 University of the Nations Workshop. Despite being an older message, Joy felt that it was still very relevant to Youth With A Mission.
Joy Dawson states that we’ll only successfully navigate the roughest storms of life’s trials and testings when we’ve taken the time to study God’s Justice. It is paramount in knowing and understanding God and His ways, and an essential message for every believer.
Joy Dawson has authored or co-authored eight different books:
Loren Cunningham is the founder of Youth With A Mission (YWAM) and the co-founder of the University of the Nations (U of N). He is also a leader at the YWAM, U of N Campus in Hawaii, and a member of the YWAM International Eldership.
Loren Cunningham is the author of a number of books including:
This teaching about “Understanding God’s Justice” was shown, by Joy Dawson’s request, the 2009 University of the Nations Workshop. Despite being an older message, Joy felt that it was still very relevant to Youth With A Mission.
