Learning from History to Grasp the Future

Danny Lehman shares his thoughts on the future of YWAM and how movements born in the 50’s can transition well in the coming years to continue their spiritual cutting-edge. In his article Walking Backwards Into the Future of Evangelism Danny looks at how YWAM started and teaches us a few things from history:

Revival
 historians 
have
 pointed 
out
 that
 even 
the 
most 
genuine
 moves
 of
 the
 Holy 
Spirit
 to
 awaken
 God’s
 church
 are 
barely
 able 
to 
keep 
their 
vitality 
for 
2
 generations.

Advocating lesssons learnt by Jonathan Edwards, Charles Finney, Evan Roberts (1st and 2nd Great Awakenings in America and the Welsh Revival respectively) we need to ensure that we remain Biblically based and Jesus focussed.

Can I highly recommend the entire article to you to read. It is a fantastic vision for authentic Christianity that my generation would do will to learn from.

Danny concludes with this declaration:

They 
will
 be 
free‐‐free
 from 
the
 religious
 legalism 
of 
the 
past, 
the
 cultural
 bondages
 of 
the 
present 
and
 the 
fear 
of the 
future.

 They
 will 
have 
no 
part
 of
 religious 
politics, 
elbowing 
for position, 
easy‐believism,
 dead
 orthodoxy,
 cheap
 grace
 or 
sleepy
 Sunday
 morning
 Christianity.
 They
 won’t
 seek 
to 
be
 cool, 
but 
to
 be
 holy.

 They
 will
 climb 
the
 spiritual 
ladder
 down, 
like their
 Lord. 

With 
shields
 raised,
 swords
 swinging 
and 
signs
 following 
they 
will
 storm 
the
 gates 
of
 hell 
and
 set
 the
 captives 
free
 in 
the 
name 
of 
the 
Lord.
 And 
when 
they
 turn 
around 
from
 their
 backwards
 walk 
they 
will
 see
 Jesus
 who
 will
 welcome 
them
 home:

 “Well
 done,
 good
 and
 faithful
 servants,
 enter 
in to 
the
 joy
 of 
the 
Lord.”