Great chatting with you this morning. So sorry that the opportunity had to come of a family loss, but we follow a God who makes no mistakes. There are no accidents or surprises for him. His plans are certainly above and beyond ours.
For some time now I have been troubled by schisms I see in the Church and especially among individual believers. Invariably, they are a result of a wound inflicted on one party, an uncaring heart on the part of the other, and a failure to find
forgiveness on both sides. The power of the shed blood of Jesus Christ made a way for forgiveness, and whenever it is not forthcoming among believers, we deny the cross and it power. Don't misunderstand, I am not
pointing any fingers at anyone. I have a large ax to grind with YWAM. I too, was polluted by MGT. I have friends who have NEVER recovered, and still wander in darkness because of the twisted perceptions of God created by MGT, and
the lack of grace evident therein. I too, have written to those who wounded me, and have received no response. They are either blind, cruel, or simply don't care enough to make amends and change course.
Some would argue,
"To know Him and make Him known," is for others- YWAMers are just things to be used. I fully understand the nature of this flawed organization and its leaders. I do not defend them. I assert only this: they should be
confronted, called to recognize the people they have wounded, and make amends. Where they refuse, another should be taken along. Finally, they should be brought before the whole of the Church. I understand that this is impractical
for an international organization with leaders all over the world. But it is not "YWAM" who hurt you and me. YWAM is just four letters connected. People hurt us. We need to make a list of the people, incident by
incident, and contact them as individuals properly. Email can even work. But to air the laundry of the Church before the world on the Internet brings disgrace to the name of our Master. We are his servants, called to guard His name
with our lives. We must find a better way of calling these brothers and sisters to repentance and accountability. The Internet should be a last resort when we declare, "Beware world: These YWAM people ARE NOT OUR BROTHERS- they are
false liars, led by the one who deceives all mankind-" [Although I would not agree that all "YWAMers" are in the same boat, I would agree that much of the leadership and membership is comprised of "false
liars, led by the one who deceives all mankind." GLR] If you believe this, then press on with you attacks, and stop referring to them as Christian brothers. If not, lets find some alternative means.
In the Old Testament warnings were given about taking care not to "touch God's anointed," in reference to speaking against His chosen vessel. Well, under the new covenant, we have all been anointed with the oil (the oil of the
anointing of the Holy Spirit), we all have become the Holy of Holies (the dwelling place of the most High), and we all have become royalty as the brothers and sisters of the "firstborn among many," all children of the Most High God, family
members of the Prince of Peace and King of Kings. We dare not speak out one word against one of our own brothers, for he too bears the same anointing as us- we are "joint heirs," common benefactors in the Kingdom that is here.
How can we pray that His Kingdom will come here on earth, just as it has in Heaven, if we defame our own family members before the corrupt men of this world? We MUST find reconciliation- nothing else matters- You can go to the deepest jungles
of Indonesia and make converts of the wicked, but if you have something against your own brother and have not made peace with him, then your deeds are wasted. Evangelism should be the evidence of the existence of the safest place on earth- the
precious body of Christ- the Church- the place of refuge and harmony- in fact, the ONLY place on the earth where harmony CAN exist, because of Jesus. All other harmony is merely human effort- our harmony is authorized by heaven, bought with
blood, and given as our birthright. The world's harmony lasts only as long as people agree or are of common opinion. Ours transcends opinion. It finds its foundation in Christ, and permeates the very soul of the believer. We
MUST find another way to make peace with our brothers. We must call them to account for their harms to the body- but above all, we MUST forgive them freely, without reservation. Corrie ten Boom learned and spoke of this kind of
forgiveness- forgiveness that is extended without the knowledge, request, or even the acquiescence of the recipient. Forgiveness that stands in the face of abuse, regardless of the source. This is the forgiveness our Master asked God to
extend to those who killed Him. How should we be better than our Master in withholding our forgiveness- free total and complete forgiveness that releases the offender and separates him as far as the East is from the West from his offense?
Forgiveness that make the blood-red pain of his wrongs white as snow. We must find this. Evangelism is wasted effort if we are merely bringing converts into a Church where believers divide themselves from each other, in directs
disobedience to the scriptures. Either these YWAMers are our brothers or they are corrupt, evil, and deceived men. There is no middle ground. If our brothers, we must reconcile. If evil men, then ignore them and let them go
their way, for we know their end. [Although I would not agree that all "YWAMers" are in the same boat, spiritually speaking, I would agree that much of the leadership is comprised of "corrupt, evil, and deceived
men." GLR] However, I believe they love our Master too. They are our brothers, foolish and arrogant as they may be. We must reconcile with them, and stop defaming them before the world.