Once I was talking with a man from a particular Pentecostal denomination (a denomination that puts little emphasis on teaching the saints and bringing them to maturity but strongly emphasizes evangelism) and he made an interesting observation. He said, “Lynne, as a whole, the word of faith churches teach their people well. They dig a mile deep in the Word of God, but they only go about an inch wide. They don’t reach out very far beyond themselves. My denomination, on the other hand, goes only an inch deep but we’re a mile wide. Somehow we ought to get together.” I believe in this age of the apostolic Church, that’s exactly what we’re going to do.
I believe God is going to coax us all out of our little denominational cliques and start sending us out. He’ll send us out to other nations, other cultures, and other regions to preach the Gospel to those who are still waiting in darkness to hear it. He’ll send those of us who have been trained in the powerful principles of faith across denominational lines to share with the rest of our brothers and sisters in Christ what we’ve learned.
Years ago, when Jesus spoke to brother Kenneth E. Hagin, the spiritual father of what we’ve come to call “the faith movement,” He said, “Go and teach My people faith.” He didn’t say, “Go and teach a few of My people faith,” or “Go and teach it just in Word of Faith churches.”
No, every Christian on earth—Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian, and every other kind—needs faith teaching to complete their God-ordained course. And before Jesus comes back, He is going to get that teaching to them. He’s going to break down the bars of exclusivity that have separated us all and start sending us out—to one another and to the world.
So get your Gospel shoes on, get ready to go, and keep praying for the apostolic Church to arise!
Scripture Reading: Romans 1:1 – 16
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”