Be Wary of YWAM:
A Warning to Hawaii
Churches Concerning Youth With A Mission
Make no mistake. YWAM as an
organization has been and currently is involved
in promoting and endorsing Third Wave/New Apostolic Reformation (NAR for
short) principles, practices, and teachers. This is not to say that every
individual out of the 200,000 or so somehow involved in this group holds
uniformly to what the leadership promotes, BUT when YWAM leaders
officially cooperate and collaborate with dangerous teachers (including
endorsing and publishing their books), we need to see this massive movement for
what it is in light of it’s official views. What follows is a brief look at
some developments in the past few decades concerning YWAM and its leaders.
Founder Loren Cunningham,
Joy Dawson and her son, John Dawson (Current YWAM President) actively lends
their endorsement and cooperation to many in the New Apostolic Reformation. Cunningham has been a guest on the “This Is Your Day” program
and Joy Dawson openly endorses and promotes the ministry of false prophet Benny
Hinn and have appeared numerous times on his program. Joy Dawson even took the
stage at Neil Blaisdell one night during his crusade and pledged (on behalf of
YWAM) to work together with Hinn to reach the youth of Hawaii, yet this issue
was all but ignored by the local leadership of YWAM.
Although the
working together has not yet transpired, the fact that Cunningham would consent
to this and then Invite Hinn back to the YWAM base on the Big Island shows that
he is willing to work with him and give his endorsement)
The YWAM.org website sells
books by the new apostles like C. Peter Wagner and Cindy Jacobs. Wagner and
apostle-pastor Ted Haggard (2005 H.I.M. Conference guest) were both keynote
speakers in a 1999 YWAM leaders conference for UofN Kona. At this meeting, they
actively taught that the church needs to accept the alleged restoration of the
office of apostle and prophet as predicated on the heretical premise that God
is only today laying the foundation for His Church!
John Dawson’s book, Taking
Our Cities For God (YWAM publishing, 1989), in conjunction with Cindy
Jacob’s Possessing the Gates of the Enemy (YWAM publishing 1989),
introduced horrendous and unscriptural spiritual warfare practices and helped set
the stage for the emergence of Wagner’s apostles back in 1989. Around this time
George Otis, Jr. also contributed an array of false teachings involving “Moral
government theology” and the precursor practices for his faulty “transformations”
teachings. These practices have caused great damage to our young people as
these myths were exported worldwide.
In fact Peter
Wagner has this to say:
“We’ve
been doing this since 1990, since John Dawson’s book, Taking our Cities for
God, first came out, this has gotten on our agenda, in 1990, fourteen
years, we’ve been working on city transformation.” (C. Peter Wagner Arise
Prophetic Conference Gateway Church San Jose, CA 10/10/2004) (emphasis mine)
As things have developed and degenerated in some cases, hosts of new leaders have arisen within the ranks of YWAM. (Mike Bickle formerly associated with the Kansas City prophets that influenced the Vineyard (now with Wagner in the NAR), turned over the leadership of his Kansas City Fellowship to YWAM’s Floyd McClung. This might explain the recent collaboration between YWAM’s Global Leadership Team(GLT) and Mike Bickle’s International House of Prayer movement (New Zealand chapter) for YWAM’s recent 50-Day Prayer focus:
“This
year’s Global Leadership Team (GLT) meeting was hosted by YWAM Harpenden,
England from August 24 to 29, 2004. Approximately 50 members of the GLT
gathered with new members this year including Danny Lehmann (representing
evangelism ministries), Braulia Riberio (representing Brazil), Ros Jackson (of
mercy ministries) and Joshua Tanaami as South Asia-West regional director.
A “prayer
shield” facilitated by Donna Jordan was held for the duration of the GLT
meetings and is to continue during future meetings. The group had held 40 days
of prayer and fasting prior to the GLT meeting to prepare for this meeting.
The first day together was spent in worship, prayer and
waiting on the Lord followed by ministry to one another in small groups led by
YWAM President, John Dawson.
Mark Anderson shared with the GLT how effective the interaction with The
International House of Prayer was during the New Zealand Impact World
Tour evangelistic campaigns in early 2004. After discussion and prayer that
followed, the GLT have issued the following statement to the whole mission.
“The Lord has given us two points of obedience that are in
concert with His direction regarding spiritual eldership and alignment. This
relates to the promise of a ‘new
apostolic season’ for YWAM worldwide. Specifically, the Lord is showing
us that evangelism needs to be the tip of the arrow that aligns us in strategic
purpose. And, that a divine visitation of God’s revealed presence is the
highest goal of our lives and therefore of our bases and the greatest
contribution to transformed nations. This is the lesson we have learned again
in New Zealand.
“Therefore we are calling for 50 days of united repentance,
prayer and worship with a schedule of fasting beginning at Easter (March 27)
and finishing at Pentecost (May 15) in 2005. This is to parallel a targeting of
the 4K zones of the world while reinforcing the wave of 24-7 prayer now sweeping the body of
Christ.” (GLT Calls
for 50-Day Fast http://ywam.org/articles/article.asp?AID=210
Date: 10/1/2004 | Source: International
YWAMer | Issue: IYOct04)
It’s obvious from this above
article that YWAM and the NAR-affiliated prayer movement are ready to
co-minister! Where’s the Biblical discernment among
these leaders?
This year will also bring an
increased ecumenical alliance between YWAM leadership and the Catholic Kerygma
teams:
“The
GLT also made many new leadership and ministry appointments. The GLT gave two
ministries transnational status: YWAM Associates (Peter & Donna Jordan);
and Campus Ministries International (Jang Bin Hong). Also, after a presentation
by Bruce Clewett and Rob Clarke of Kerygma Ministries, the GLT issued a statement on their behalf:
"The GLT welcomes Kerygma Teams to the YWAM table as a member of our global family of ministries, and esteem the pioneering work of this ministry currently reaching out to the Catholic world on five continents through evangelism, training and mercy ministries.
"We recognize the risk of misunderstanding inherent in
bridging from the YWAM family into the Catholic world. We
therefore...underscore the need for Kerygma Teams, as with all YWAM ministries,
to embody all the YWAM values, and in particular to build relationally with
appropriate regional and local leadership." (GLT
Calls for 50-Day Fast http://ywam.org/articles/article.asp?AID=210
Date: 10/1/2004 | Source: International
YWAMer | Issue: IYOct04)
All this bodes
menacing for any who are concerned with biblical ministry and discernment. The
ecumenical stance of YWAM and the Roman Catholic Church, as well as the
charismatic Catholic renewal movement continues to blur the lines between the
“gospel” of Rome and that of Protestant Christianity. Is there any line drawn
to prevent this?
As we read above, the
leaders of YWAM believe that this group is entering a “new apostolic season”
and it is clear from what we’ve already mentioned that there will be much
influence and collaboration with the apostles/prophets of the NAR!
John Dawson is now the
president of YWAM and the founder of the International Reconciliation
Coalition, a Third Wave organization that specializes in promoting his strange
spiritual warfare practices (basically the same as C.Peter Wagner’s Strategic
Level Spiritual Warfare principles) and new rituals designed to atone for past
misdeeds between cultures and countries. Unfortunately, he is coming to
Hawaii in June 25, 2005 for Aloha Ke Akua’s “Call to the Nations” Conference
where he will sharing his premises and teaching how Hawaii churches should
integrate with the apostles/prophets for island ministry. Here’s the
description of one of his topics from their website:
“Integrating the Apostolic and Prophetic Ministries – John
Dawson
In
this new season of pioneering non-Western nations/ethnos in Culture
Specific/Based ways, how do the equipping gifts, apostles, prophets, pastors,
teachers and evangelists, work together with the church to reach the people of
these nations/ethnos?”
(http://akaministries.tripod.com/mc2005/id1.html)
Aloha Ke Akua’s website
lists YWAM as a main sponsor of this event along with NAR pastor Ted Haggard’s New Life
Church! Is there any doubt that YWAM and the New Apostolic Reformation are
joined together with a specific agenda? We’re heading for a massive import of
dangerous doctrine.
YWAM in
Hawaii
Yes it’s here
and has been for quite some time. YWAM’s University of the Nations is located
on the Big Island in Kona and this has served to be an epicenter dispersing
many of the concerning teachings I mentioned briefly above.
On Oahu we have
YWAM Honolulu, whose director, Danny Lehmann, is well known as a top recruiter
for YWAM living here. He will be the focus of this next segment of the article.
Danny Lehmann is
now the Global Leadership Team’s head of evangelism and is quite a well-known
rep for YWAM here in Hawaii. He has become a frequent fixture in many Calvary
Chapel pulpits and has a large listening audience for his radio show on KLHT
1040 AM. His Saturday night Mars Hill ministry seems also to be growing in
influence. He is now also a pastor under
Bill Stonebraker at Calvary Chapel Komo Mai.
As a part-time missionary to
India over the past few years, I had great affection for this man’s early
ministry and his zeal for missions. But my faith in
his discernment has waned as I’ve heard his recent teachings and made personal
attempts to try and meet with him several times with the hope of discussing
some areas that we disagree on. (If you want a short synopsis of my early
interactions with Danny, visit the YWAM Concerns section of our site and
click on the article Why I Am the Way I Am about YWAM.)
When I returned
from India in 2004, I tuned in, as was my custom to KLHT radio to hear my
favorite teaching programs. I came across Danny’s radio spot, Word to the
World, and listened intently to hear what he was currently teaching about.
Previously, I had questioned Lehmann about where he stood concerning the New
Apostolic Reformation and the restoration of apostles/and prophets as C. Peter Wagner promotes. After all, YWAM leaders
had been promoting the New Apostolic Reformation for quite some time.
Lehmann’s response in 2003
to others and myself was that “God’s doing a new thing” thereby
demonstrating that he believed in the restoration of these offices in the
church. As far as I knew he agreed then with Wagner and top YWAM leaders and
that sends the red flags flying. Sure enough in his 2004 shows he began using
some terminology that sounded pretty sketchy (like “postdenominationalism”- a
term that Wagner kicked around to describe what he later called the Third Wave
Movement) and even lumped Calvary Chapels in as a Third Wave church:
“We
also looked yesterday at the amount of Christians, this is an encouraging trend
that are involved in some type of renewal movement, whether it be the classic
Pentecostal movement, the modern Pentecostal movement, what’s left over from
the Charismatic renewal of the ‘60’s, and the Jesus movement, or what some people have called
the Third Wave of neocharismatics which would fit groups like Calvary Chapel, and the
Vineyards, and Hope Chapels, and New Hope Christian Fellowship; some of
the more modern churches that have vestiges of Pentecostalism but for the most
part are doing their best to present the Word of God in a culturally relevant
way.” (Word to the World program, KLHT 1040 AM, Sept. 29, 2004).
When I first heard these
words I was rather concerned and definitely troubled. This statement was
unsettling to me because I wouldn’t consider Calvary Chapels a Third Wave
church! So I wrote Lehmann a letter and in his response he claimed to be using
“wave” as a surfing term and then, by the end of his comment, he claimed to be
using “third wave” as descriptive of the type of churches in a new “wave” of a
missionary movement. Well, which was it?
Was this really the case?
Contradictions seem to abound here. One thing is certain: Mr. Lehmann most
certainly was not referring to surfing in his broadcast. He used the
term “third wave of neocharismatics” and made no mention of any “third
wave of missionary church movement” In his broadcast either. Thus this response
must be labeled rather disingenuous.
I was finally told by his
Pastor Bill Stonebraker and then Lehmann himself that he was quoting a man
named Elmer Towns and that he had no connection to Wagner’s concepts of the “Third
Wave”. Note here that he gives then a third claim as to the origin of this
quote, which when used in such close proximity with “postdenominationalism” and
neocharismatics” definitely sounds like NAR terms to me. Interestingly enough,
if Lehmann was actually quoting Elmer Towns, then we have a fascinating case
because Towns was a contributor with C. Peter Wagner in a book. However in this
book it is Wagner who uses it in relation to signs and wonders:
“ As an evangelical Congregationalist in a way similar to Pentecostals and charismatics, but also somewhat differently. I call it the "third wave," and I write a monthly column under that title in Christian Life magazine.” (P.37 CHURCH GROWTH: The State of the Art by Peter Wagner with Win Arn and Elmer Towns published in 1986)
Clearly this is Wagner’s terminology.
To clear this up, I wrote
him back with vigor, even citing his own words back to him so that he could see
the untruth. He mentioned nothing about “surfing” or “waves” in that sense. He
had said what he said. There doesn’t seem to be any further effort on his part
to actually clear this up.
I was happy to get the first
response from him but there was no second answer to my next letter (which
prompted me to ask more questions). Lehmann referred any further dialogue on
this matter to his Pastor Bill Stonebraker and refused to meet or talk with me
again. Just one week prior to me writing him and asking to meet and talk things
out, Lehmann taught on Matt. 18:15-20 (over the radio) and how the church
needed to be faithful to this command on confrontation and getting things
reconciled between believers. Yet, it must be noted that Pastor Lehmann himself
refused to participate in this, despite the fact that I was willing and ready
to meet and talk these things out. I was later told that no further meetings
would be necessary because we disagreed, but isn’t this the very reason that
Matt. 18 needed to be pursued?
Danny then told me any
further dialog would be handled by Pastor Bill Stonebraker so I did as he recommended and called up
Bill. He refused to acknowledge or even entertain the fact that Danny had been
untruthful in his response, among other issues that needed settled. I was told
that this rift between us was serious enough to prevent me from fully
ministering with a Calvary Chapel, yet he himself was unwilling to “get involved”
and help me to meet with him and bring about reconciliation. I explained to
Pastor Stonebraker that he was already involved as Lehmann was one of his
pastors and he had sent me to him to resolve this. Pastor Bill merely stated
that this problem had nothing to do with him and that Danny and I should meet.
Ping Pong, anyone?
Alas, what can be said if
these parties refuse to acknowledge the proper biblical action in this case? I
think this reflects poorly on these men, as they appear unwilling to pursue
terms of true communication, especially after Danny preached emphatically on
how we should be practicing Matt. 18.
Oddly enough, YWAM leader
Darlene Cunningham published guidelines concerning leaders and confrontations.
If someone had a grievance or a problem with someone in YWAM leadership, then
these are the following steps a good leader should take:
How to Deal with Confrontation:
General thoughts to consider when handling sticky situations
By Darlene Cunningham
1. Look beyond the person's words to the motives of their
heart. The method or approach may be harsh or unwise, but if you'll take their
complaint to the Lord in humility, you may learn much.
2. Look for the truth. Even when 99 percent of a complaint
is unwarranted, there is nearly always some seed of truth to be discovered. Our
critics are often our best friends. They help keep us in balance.
3. Don't be defensive. If someone "comes on
strong" with an accusation against you, remember that it is possibly out
of their own insecurity. You, as an authority figure have a great potential to
wound others easily and deeply if there is a lack of self-control or wisdom in
your response. Beware of taking a "you, you, you" attack mode in
order to defend yourself. Remember that love delights to cover over another's
transgression.
4. If you have difficulty receiving correction, do a study
on the “wise man" who receives instruction. Proverbs 1:5, “Let the wise
listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance"
(see also Proverbs 4:13 and 9:9).
How to avoid the need for someone to confront you
1. Make yourself vulnerable and approachable. Create an
environment which encourages people to feel free to give input and ask
questions. This will also allow many opportunities for you to teach principles.
2. Be humble. Freely admit, “I don't have it all together. I
need you and your input." Recognize that you have areas where you need to
learn. A threatened leader carries a heavy burden, always trying to cover over
weaknesses to make himself or herself look good. (Date: 2/1/2004 | Source:
International YWAMer | Issue: IYFeb04)
There you have it and sadly,
this advice seems unheeded in this case as we see Danny Lehmann’s refusal to
comply with these points in his situation with me. If he is unwilling to meet
and talk, what does this say about the approachability a YWAM leader should
have? Perhaps were I in YWAM, I might have gained audience with him. To be
sure, if I were Chuck Smith, Both Pastor Bill and Danny would be more than
eager to sit down and discuss these important issues. It is clear from Lehmann’s
disregard for the Matthew passage and even guidelines from his own organization
that there is a gross inconsistency in what is preached and what is practiced. My
efforts to truly talk things out have been met only with evasiveness and
unwillingness to dialogue about these things.
There were other concerns I
highlighted in my first letter, notably Lehmann’s apparent mishandling of a
popular text in Ps. 2:8 which reads: “Ask of Me
and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth
for Your possession.”
Its apparent to anyone
reading this passage that this is a promise to the Messiah from the Father and
should be viewed as such. Vs.7-8 shows that this is a statement made to the Son
from His Father and that the nations would be His inheritance (the Messiah’s)
and the ends of the earth would be His possession.
Third Wave teachers and
folks who believe in dominionism often view this verse as a prayer that we are
to pray and a promise given to the church as though the passage teaches us to
ask God to give us nations as we do our missionary efforts. Dominionism teaches
that the church will rise up as a warrior bride and conquer the world for
Christ. Some even go so far as to teach that the whole world will be saved and
that Christ is stuck in heaven until we do the job of world evangelization.
I do not believe that Danny
believes this but that does not stop him from repeatedly sharing that Ps 2 was
a prayer we should be praying. He actually did this one-week on his radio show
no less than four times. Here is one sample:
“These are some of the macro prayers that are prayed in the Bible for the whole world. For instance, Ps. 2:8 says, “Ask of Me and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for Your possession.” Now that’s a pretty macro prayer” (Word To the World program, 2005).
Lehmann also writes this in his new book, Beautiful Feet. In appendix V under “100 Reasons We Should Evangelize the World”, point 76 reads: “The nations are our inheritance.”(Psalm 2:8)”(p.202)
He continually used this
verse as an example of a prayer that the church should be praying. His use of
Scripture this way is the very reason that I felt I needed to write him. It is
obvious there is something seriously scary about the way he used these verses.
While I don’t believe he is a full-blown dominionist, I do believe that this is
a case where we can clearly see how YWAM actually influenced him during past
training. Many in YWAM and the NAR do hold to some form of dominionism or
tenets of Latter Rain doctrine. Here’s an example of a meeting he was at
recently where we can see the official YWAM stance of this verse in action
through song:
Danny Lehmann's prayer of dedication called for a new spirit
of apostolic authority to
rise up here and reach out to the nations of Asia and the Pacific. And
the evening concluded with the crowd loudly singing an anthem based on Psalm 2,
"You said, Ask and I'll give the nations to you. That's the cry of my
heart!" (Campus celebrates opening of new Ohana Court facility By Scott
Tompkins http://www.uofnkona.edu/new/ohanacourt2.html)
(Emphasis Mine)
Here we
see this verse being sung by all present and in complete ignorance of the
context. When I wrote Danny about his use of Ps. 2:8, he admitted that he
should have shared it in context and assured me he only used it in passing.
Sadly, this case was a bit
more serious. He actually quoted that verse at least four times “in passing”,
includes it out of the context in his book, and is present at gatherings where
the entire group is singing it out of context! It would appear that he didn’t
know the proper context to begin with or why the repeated error. As for
clarifying this to everyone, we’re still waiting…and it goes to show one of
many examples of how YWAM misuses Scripture.
What of his prayer for “new
spirit of apostolic authority’ in the above segment? Its obvious that he
concurs with the Global Leadership Team’s prediction of a “new apostolic
season” for YWAM efforts and on his Word to the World programs he had
mentioned that we should be praying for apostles and prophets to be raised up
for world “evangelization” (A term constantly used).
Given his answer to me in
2003 (which bears repeating here) that “God’s doing a new thing.” in
reference to the restoration of the apostolic offices, I had every reason to
conclude that he was in support of this new “wave” sweeping through much of the
church today as well as YWAM. I assumed that YWAM’s official use of C. Peter
Wagner and other apostles as keynote speakers for their 1999 leaders conference
was indication that YWAM as an organization was in agreement.
I asked Danny afresh about
this and he assured me that he didn’t believe in this new group of apostles and
I was a bit relieved but then I thought of something and the obvious soon dawned. If this is Lehmann’s
true stance then he is in direct opposition to Wagner’s view of foundational
apostolic office being restored to the church today, and this then puts him at
odds with much of the leadership of YWAM and notably John Dawson and others that
will be guest speakers at the upcoming conferences here in Hawaii. It must be noted
that this is not the position he represented to others I know when asked
similar questions in the past, and if this were the case, why is he not
lovingly correcting and confronting his co-leaders in YWAM?
What is unclear is how
someone can with good conscience recommend mission endeavors and stand by as
the organization that he promotes and is loyal to continues, in many cases, to
promote the teachings of the NAR to young people everywhere, complete with this
aberrant view of apostles and prophets.
I challenged him with a
second letter asking him to stand on our side and not with Ted Haggard and
Peter Wagner if this was truly his stance. No reply yet, and still no
acknowledgment concerning the continuation of these teachings in YWAM. So if
you don’t agree but continue to rep and never correct those in such error in
your own movement, there’s still collaboration and guilt by cooperation there rendering
even the seemingly orthodox position he claims to hold rather anemic. I can
only hope he stands for what he claims to believe as things worsen within YWAM
leadership and even as, in the near future, his friend and co-GLT leader John
Dawson comes to Hawaii and teaches the NAR position on apostles/prophets at the
Call to the Nations Conference 2005 (June 23rd).
Mr. Lehmann needs to tell us
how truly distinct his beliefs are as compared to those he represents and take
discerning action in order for the danger of this scenario to be alleviated. As
for me I’m just left wondering if he still believes that Wagner’s teachings on
apostles/prophets is still the “new thing” God is doing. I also find some cause
for rejoicing here because I heard he changed his views in this area recently.
I would just love to know the details of this welcome change. When did he
change his position? I wish the other leaders in YWAM would change their
position on this also.
Well, as was God’s desire
and my own, we did have a meeting during what could only have been a Divine
appointment from which the unwilling participant could not escape. Briefly, it
was my final two minutes of the final night of my job as an airport shuttle
driver (March, 2005). I was just heading to the parking lot to go home for good
when, in the last two minutes of my shift (10:58 PM) I received my final radio
call to pick up two passengers from the Aloha Airlines gate. Lo and behold
there was Danny and his wife waiting at the curb fresh from a flight from
University of Nations Kona and meetings with Dawson and other YWAM leaders.
I said nothing until we
parked in front of their car in the parking lot and I told Mr. Lehmann that it
was obvious that God wanted us to meet. I explained that the timing here was no
coincidence and it would be in our best interest to actually dialog on some of
this. Reluctantly, he agreed and we talked for a few moments and, although things
weren’t totally settled, I was able to convey to him the very reason we had to
meet and to assure him that I had no personal grievance with him and nothing
against him with bitterness or malice in my heart. I am concerned and will
continue to be as long as YWAM and its leaders continue on the course they are
going. He claims to understand this fact and as far as I know understands that
I am not personally attacking him with malice or meanness. As for this article,
its strictly doctrinal business (Titus 1:9). I’m just presenting what YWAM is
saying. My concern remains…
What tragic fruits are
resultant from the above-mentioned confusion and mishandling of Scriptures that
seem rife within DTS’s and among the leadership of YWAM? Well, for one a lot of
young people get misguided and misdirected all around the world. I have seen
this in India and among my friends here in Hawaii as I have been told many
instances of false teachings and shenanigans that went on in some DTS’s. Its no
secret and I have received many favorable responses from Calvary Chapel pastors
around the US for an open letter I sent out earlier addressing these and other
concerns, several of them recounted some instances as well and reasons why they
would never let YWAM be represented in their churches. Sadly, many pastors in
Hawaii have balked at these concerns and have continued to promote and endorse
the ministry of YWAM leaders and the organization itself as a safe and healthy
missions agency.
I’m just going to say it! I
care for Hawaii’s youth and I’m going to take some earlier advice from Danny
Lehmann himself as told to me in our first phone conversation. He admitted that
YWAM had some dangers in it and told me to tell young people to go somewhere
else if that was a problem. This is what I am doing. YWAM cannot be expected to
get safer if this is the mentality of its primary representative in Hawaii. True
fact, YWAM as a whole has gotten more dangerous in terms of teaching of late
and as the apostles wash ashore here in Hawaii, YWAM is all too willing to
perpetuate their falsehoods and participate with them.
Here is the basis for my
concern as evidenced by this recorded prayer from a young YWAMer from his Internet
blog entry. This is a concrete example of what I’m talking about:
“We need to step out in faith and fully believe that God is going
to restore nations and not
just cities * I dream of the day when every man and women on this round earth will have
heard the gospel and respond
to Jesus. Every nation will be turned around. Governments will be changed and
restored. I do not believe that this is unrealistic. God is so much
bigger than we can ever imagine. Isn’t it his heart for every nation and every
person to be turned around? We should not concede that there will be some that will not be
saved. I don’t believe God wants anyone to go to hell so why do we
pray so small, when God is so big? Why are we restricted to boundaries
that we have created ourselves when God can move mountains and cause the
blind to see or even make the sun stand still. Satan is blinding us from Gods dream for our
lives. If we all led out in faith and died to ourselves and took up the cross
and followed the one what has no boundaries and has defeated Satan, we can do
miracles and save nations
in the name of Jesus. This day I dream of will have every single person lifting their hands saying and
praying in unison. "Thank you Jesus for saving us, and we send Satan and
all of his demons back to hell so they cannot rule over us anymore. We
rise up together in one voice, one spirit and call your name out
in every nation of this world. Can you imagine every single person in this entire world raising their
hands,eyes,voices,hearts up to heaven and called on Jesus name. What the
heck would happen? Something we could never imagine in our
wildest dreams. I do
believe this day will come, but it is our job to seek God and step out in faith
to achieve this dream. Let us never doubt or dream small. Let us
take this dream and make
it a reality. It is time for my generation to rise up. IT IS TIME, THE
TIME HAS COME FOR REVIVAL!!!!. AMEN” (
http://www.reeftooutback.com/staffstudent/mypage.asp?name=DavidL1
). (Emphasis Mine)
By careful reading of this
young man’s prayer one can see that he is obviously being taught some
dominionist ideas such as a refusal to “concede that there will be some that
will not be saved.” And several other mentions of saving nations and cities
and sending “Satan and all of his demons back to hell” through our
united strength.(all of which is not found in the Bible). It’s clear that this
young YWAMer learned to pray this way and is encouraged to do so in his DTS
training.
The Bible does not predict a
massive end time’s revival in which the whole world will be saved. In fact the
opposite is clearly the reality. Jesus said…
“Because narrow
is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who
find it.” Matt.7: 14.
“Then one said to Him, “Lord,
are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, “Strive
to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter
and will no9t be able.” Luke.13:
23
“I tell you that He will avenge them
speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on
the earth?”Lk.18: 8
The Bible is quite clear on
this issue therefore the presence of the above-mentioned concepts in his
mentality are disturbing to say the least, but can we honestly expect less than
these misunderstandings, misguided expectations, and mishandled scriptures from
actual YWAMers when the leaders set these unsound patterns? Sadder still is the
case of those leaders and pastors who refuse to acknowledge to false doctrines
and potential hazard in the lives of their young people. How long will many of
these men here, who have been informed about these issues, remain silent and
inactive.
These scenarios break my heart
and serve as reason enough to stand against the failure of the leadership to
discern and correct the errors taught to these precious young people.
In our divinely appointed
meeting Lehmann assured me he would never leave YWAM and he was stoked about
where everything was headed. He mentioned that he was returning from a fabulous
meeting with John Dawson and others in Kona. Here are some of the things that
were happening there:
“The U of N Kona campus rose to the "Arise and
Build" challenge on March 9 as walls for Village II expansion went up on
foundations that have sat empty for 15 years. Hundreds cheered and shouted
their praises to God, recognizing this as a turning point for campus
development.
An exuberant Loren Cunningham, surrounded by most of the
other top leaders of YWAM international, prayed for the fire of God to fall on
the campus. "All the buildings in the world won't matter if we don't have
the fire of God!" he declared to the large crowd gathered in Ohana Court.
Loren retold the story of a woman from New York who flew
here specifically to give him a prophetic word. This woman, who was unknown to
Loren said, This would be a year of release, and [the Holy Spirit] fire would
go forth from here; that leaders from all over the world would meet here; and
that we would become more international/cross-cultural than ever. He then
recounted how that prophecy is already coming true. (http://www.gospel.com.net/uofn/kona/new/build.html)
Fire from God and an unknown
prophetess feature heavily in this event. As far as “fire from God” is
concerned I think I would be quite concerned about a coming judgment fire from
God if repentance isn’t made for YWAM’s collaboration with the falsehood found
with the Third Wave teachers and the New Apostolic Reformation, not to mention
false prophets like Benny Hinn and Cindy Jacobs. Doesn’t the truth matter in
this organization? All the facilities in the world wont be a good thing if they
serve to issue forth such false doctrines, and a mishandling of God’s Word
which are a hindrance to one’s spiritual growth and maturity.
“With a shout of "Arise and Build" the swelling
crowd of students, staff, Mission Builders and visitors surged up the hill,
through the existing Village II section and onto the old foundations. Bright
colored flags and a team of worship leaders welcomed them.
Loren began by honoring Duane Betsill, a major Hawaii
developer and a member of U of N's Eagles development team, who will be
overseeing the project. Duane quoted Zechariah 4, "This is the word of the
LORD to Zerubbabel: `Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the
LORD Almighty. "What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you
will become level ground ... Who despises the day of small things? Men will
rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel."
He concluded his prayer shouting, "We will build! We
will build!"
U of N International Provost Tom Bloomer followed quoting Psalm 37 -- that those who wait upon the Lord will inherit the land.”(Ibid.).
Here we have recent and
present evidence of their continued strange handling of Scripture with little
or no regard for context. Zechariah 4 is a specific Word from God about the
building of His Temple (to Zerubbabel)! Can YWAM’s new building be likened to
that in light of many of the teachings that come from them? “The land” in Ps.
37 is a clear reference to the inheritance of the Israelites not YWAMers. This
is like replacement theology, and it is used
very frequently in the teachings of YWAM leaders.
Don’t get me wrong, we can
have limited applicable principles in some Old Testament scriptures but we
should never just apply the Word in this way, assuming these to be the “Word of
the LORD” especially when this group is actively involved with false teachings
and practices that don’t honor the Word.
“Other prayers and blessings came from YWAM leaders Lynn
Green, Iain Muir, Jim Stier and John Dawson. Leaders from the 40 largest YWAM
bases are also here for meetings and they were invited to join in prayer.
"What we do here will be felt around the world," declared Lynn.
Before the walls went up, markers were passed out so people could write scriptures, blessings and prophecies on the wooden frames. Afterward, YWAM Hawaii Director Danny Lehmann had the crowd lay hands on the foundations and quoted Psalm 11:3, "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" He then prayed that our foundations would always be firmly laid on God's Word and that we would be aligned to that word.”(Ibid.).
Ritualistic practices aside,
Ps. 11:3 is a reference to the very Word of God and Lehmann seems to use it
correctly here except for it accompanying the blessings and prophecies
inscribed on the frames. Rituals like this abound in YWAM circles and recent
examples include the Saturday May21, 2005 meeting of Lehmann’s Mars Hill
ministry where attendees were urged to come forward, kneel in front of a wooden
cross and actually nail little slips of paper to it with people’s names on them
that they had trouble forgiving. They were told to nail these papers on the
cross as a “point of contact” in giving them to God. Many more examples of
these practices could be cited especially in light of all the prayer marching
and spiritual mapping that go on all over the world in YWAM. Needless to say,
these practices aren’t biblical and therefore are not healthy to those who
promote or participate in them believing in some mystical “point of contact”.
I like the fact that Lehmann
prayed for YWAM to be aligned with God’s Word as long as that doesn’t mean
alignment with the many prophetic “words” that go beyond Scripture and are
sometimes delivered by false prophets of the NAR. Looking at their history,
there is a lot of “guidance” from extra biblical sources (just look at Dawson’s
teachings).
It is my prayer that YWAM will indeed align with the Bible in the
near future, that is exactly what needs to happen. Namely, they need to return
to the Word of God for the guide to their doctrines and practice. Although
there are some good works done within this group, there is such a mixture of
aberrant doctrine that it proves hazardous to the participant. Just one look at
the current events of YWAM here in Hawaii shows that they are precisely
misaligned when it comes to following biblical doctrine and practice. Just
consider the following facts:
YWAM is continuing its
relationships with the apostles/prophets and pledging further ecumenical ties
with the Roman Catholic Church.
YWAM is a leading sponsor at
the upcoming Aloha Ke Akua Call to the Nations Conference June 23, 2005. At
this conference, Dawson and others will be teaching their reconciliation
rituals, identificational repentance, and the integration of the new apostles/prophets
in our island churches, not to mention perpetuating the myths of Kikawa, Siu
and other Third Wave First Nations leaders like Leblanc and Twiss.
YWAM’s Fifty Days of Prayer
is in alliance with the Global Day of Prayer which espouses such concepts as:
Ten Days of Prayer toward a Greater Pentecost
6-15 May 2005
.6-15 May 2005
Building a canopy of prayer over all the continents
Saturating our Communities with Prayer
Establish day-and-night
prayer furnaces for 10 days all over the world to pray for the healing
of the nations and for the glory of the Lord to be revealed
“Over the past five
years a vision was born and is being realized that is and has been the blessing
of millions of people and whole continents. This dream has been the hope of many, including the prophets,
and is now being joined with a critical mass and modern technology to bless the earth.
Certainly, this story represents a call and a movement of God. Soon, the whole
earth will be affected.” (www.globaldayofprayer.org ). This
site is linked with YWAM’s 50day prayer focus on YWAM.org (Emphasis Mine)
This is all Third Wave/NAR
terminology and concepts and YWAM is joining with them in these efforts among
still more questionable things:
Danny Lehmann continues to
share some questionable teachings on his programs as well as encouraging others
to join YWAM knowing full well that there is danger in the ranks concerning their
teachings and affiliations. He claims to disagree with many in YWAM concerning
apostles/prophets yet continues to rep for them hoping to recruit many young
people into mission environments that admittedly carry some danger.
YWAM Honolulu participated on some level with the Transformation
Hawaii conference (May 20,21 2005) featuring Ed Silvoso and his Apostolic Transformation
Network (affiliated with the NAR). The receptionist assured me that several of
the local YWAM leaders from the Honolulu base would be in attendance and didn’t
know if Lehmann was speaking but was sure he would be involved somehow in the
meeting. No news about that yet but one thing is certain: YWAM founder Loren
Cunningham was a featured speaker and this shows YWAM’s support for this
dangerous collaboration with false teachers.
This should bring all of us
great concern. Danny Lehmann is excited about YWAM and working with John Dawson. I cannot share his
enthusiasm as things heat up around here. Sadly, unless there are major changes
in the form of a major return to the Bible as the guide for their faith and
practice, my stand against where YWAM is headed and who they are getting
involved with remains steadfast and stalwart in disagreement with the very idea
of allowing our young people to, be taken in and released as missionaries from
this group.
Any pastor with a true
shepherds heart would want the same questions I have answered biblically and responsibly.
I’m still waiting for either. And while many more concerns could be detailed
and outlined concerning YWAM locally and abroad, let this be sufficient for
those who need to be informed about the rapid developments we’re witnessing in
the church and in Para church organizations.
May we take to heart the
words of the Apostle Paul:
“Test all
things; hold fast to what is good.”
1 Thess. 5:21
(Qualifications for elders) “Holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught,
that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who
contradict.” Titus 1:9
“Teach
these things (sound doctrine), exhort,
and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.” Titus 2:15
By way of closing, I wish to
express the reality that this article is in no way intended to be an attack or
personal act of malice on anyone mentioned. I love and pray for these men and
YWAMers and I must share these concerns for the sake of contending for the
faith.
Please feel free to
contact me with your comments. In Christ, Steve Mitchell Power To Stand
Ministries