May 3rd Day of Prayer for YWAM Workers
from Dr. Tom Bloomer
International Provost
In unity with our fellow GLT members, we are calling all YWAMers to join us in a day of prayer on Thursday May 3, 2007. We have been deeply concerned over the increase in deaths, serious illnesses, injuries, and forced expulsions involving our YWAM workers over the past couple years. Our “accidents” seem suspiciously frequent. Some are harassed by hostile governments or religious groups while others are hit with physical and emotional illnesses. We feel the need to proactively and corporately increase our spiritual warfare and intercession for our workers out on the front lines.
On May 3rd, please pray for one another, your leaders, and especially for those YWAMers around the world who are currently under attack. You might consider fasting as well. We ask you to devote particular attention to our workers who have stirred up spiritual resistance by bringing the Good News of Christ to those who have not yet heard it. In addition, as a further act of warfare and generosity, consider a financial gift to YWAM’s “Storehouse fund” to assist our workers in times of severe crisis (see directions following this letter.)
Thank you for setting aside this day on your personal and ministry calendars to join together with us and other YWAMers around the world. Let's unite to ask our Father for His blessing of protection, health, and defeat of the enemy assembled against us.
Standing with you,
Gina Fadely, International Frontier Missions Director
Tom Bloomer, International Provost of the UofN
Maureen Menard, International DTS Centre Director
To send donations to the YWAM Storehouse fund:
1. Checks in pounds (British), dollars, or euros made out to "YWAM" can be sent directly to: YWAM Storehouse fund, c/o Highfield Oval; Harpenden Herts Al5 4BX; ENGLAND
2. Bank transfers can be sent from your bank to:
Bank : NatWest PLC; 16 The Boulevard; Crawley; West Sx; RH10 1XU
Sort Code: 60 - 06 - 20
Swift Code: NWBKGB2L
Account Name: Youth With A Mission Limited
Account Number: 56972989
IBAN Number : GB52NWBK60062056972989
* Please put “Storehouse Fund” in the details box of transfer to ensure the money goes to the right account and then e-mail Steve Sharp (ssharp@oval.com) when you have sent the transfer stating the date and the amount.
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Dear friends,
I have the impression that what we need to do at this point is to BIND THE STRONG MAN.
Jesus said, ‘How can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?’ (Matt. 12.29 ESV)
At our international leadership gathering in Fortaleza, Brazil, in 1997 I think, Steve Goode asked for prayer because our workers in Afghanistan were in real danger; and our Egyptian leader told us that he was facing immediate arrest on his return home. I had the feeling that we should rise up, take our authority, and bind any evil forces wanting to harm or kill our workers in M countries. Jim S. asked me to lead out, and then Frank to carry on. (This was just before Frank assumed responsibility as President.) We entered into a unified, loud, and powerful time of spiritual warfare, which Frank then took into Maori-style warfare. It was an unforgettable spiritual experience.
Years afterward I checked with Steve C., and he said he did not believe there were any deaths among our people in any M countries for the 2-3 years following that event.
It seems that not all YWAMers are convinced about spiritual warfare, and of course excesses do happen. But I believe that the teaching of the Word is clear, at least for those who believe in the supernatural, personified nature of evil beings resisting the advance of the Kingdom with all their limited power. I also believe that it is dangerous ignore the teaching of Jesus on this subject. Is this not the time to unite once more, not in one place as at Fortaleza, but unite around the world in prayer, and BIND the strong men who do not want their captives to be set free?
Below is more teaching on this topic, to use as needed:
The practice of ‘binding the strong man’ is contested by some in the Body of Christ, as a certain teaching holds that the word of Jesus about binding and loosing in Matt.18.18 is given in the context of forgiving sin and church discipline (vv. 15-17), and not spiritual warfare. However, v. 19 is about prayer for ANYTHING, and nobody thinks that promise is limited to forgiveness and church discipline.
Moreover, Jesus spoke about the authority of the Church to bind and loose three times in Matthew, the Gospel of authority. We cannot look at just one of these passages, we must obviously consider the three together.
The Matthew 12 word, cited above, is given in the context of power-encounter deliverance and Jesus making Himself known to his disciples and to the Pharisees. It clearly has nothing to do with church discipline, but is given to us to show that the captivity of certain nonbelievers is the result of strong spiritual beings holding on to them, and that we must deal first with those spiritual beings.
The other word about binding and loosing, in Matthew 16.13-19, is given in the context of the building of the Church and its awesome authority over hell (v. 18). The Lord says to us, ‘I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.’ (v. 19) What an incredible promise! Little wonder that we shrink back from using such authority, just thinking about it is mind-blowing. How shall we know that we use it rightly? When the leaders of the Church are in unity, agreed on the necessity of praying in such a way.
One other key passage is Psalm 149.6-9, revealing what happens in the heavenlies when the Church moves into high praises. This passage cannot refer to human kings and nobles, who would be unaffected by praise. Many believe that there is a parallelism in the organization of the Psalms, with Ps. 150 being linked to the first psalm, Ps. 149 to the second, etc. When we look at Ps. 2, so often prayed out by YWAMers, we see the principalities over the nations trying to shake off the bonds that the Lord has put on them to restrain their evil activities; and the messianic promise that the nations belong to the Son, and therefore to His people.
I believe that we are in a Psalm 2 moment, when the rule of Jesus is becoming more and more manifest, and the principalities are lashing out, trying to postpone the inevitable. We have done a certain amount of binding of the rulers through our praises in the nations (Ps. 149), but the time has come to pray according to His teaching in Matthew, and bind them up in the Name of Jesus, more intentionally and specifically.
Matthew's version of the Great Commission is based on the authority of Jesus. He tells us to go into the whole world, baptizing and discipling the nations and teaching them all that He has commanded us, because all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him! This means that understanding His authority and knowing how to use it must be integral to completing the task of missions. To the extent that we do this, we will be able to receive the nations as our inheritance.
Tom Bloomer
International Provost
University of the Nations