Dr. Jason Hubbard, Director, LOWPC The International Prayer and Mission Leaders' Consultation, May 8-12th convened together 120 of the world's top prayer and mission's leaders from 34 nations. We partnered together with the International Prayer Council, www.ipcprayer.org led by John Robb. In John's words, "Together, we transacted business with the King of Kings for His world."
John Robb and the IPC council asked us at Light of the World Prayer Center to administrate and organize the event, together with his oversight and leadership! John is an amazing leader and it was truly an honor to work together with him! Jamie Frey, one of our full-time staff members, and I started planning back in August of 2016. Over the next number of months we helped create a vision statement and set goals for the event, drafted an invitation email to key leaders, launched a website to share vision and process registrations, and put together complete color program booklets for the each of the delegates.
The impact of the Moravian community, both the intercessors and missionaries, is undoubtedly one of the greatest stories in church history! We have patterned our house of prayer and prayer strategy in the 'spirit of the Moravians.' Our vision is become a modern-day expression of this inspiring community, linking together night and day prayer, revival and mission to the remaining unreached, unengaged peoples on the earth!
It was a such a joy to travel together as a family, Kristie, Gracelyn and Joshua. It was the first international trip for Gracie and Josh! Kristie connected much with our amazing friend Sue Williams, sharing tea together and praying for one another. Sue served with us for a year at LOWPC as our staff development leader and now is one of the primary leaders at the Jesus Haus (house of prayer and retreat center where the Consultation gathered). Gracie sang with Sue on the worship team on Wednesday night, and Joshua helped Michael Lienau in capturing the Moravian story on video. We are praying for the provision to produce a full-length documentary on the history of the Moravians!
Mark Iblings, LOWPC board president, and Tim Scott, one of my prayer partners and our Education sphere leader both came to help serve the 120 leaders, carrying bags and escorting/driving many of them around during the event! They were such a huge help!
Tom Victor, director of the Great Commission Coalition, who serves as one of our advisory board members also joined us. From Tom's perspective, "The International Prayer and Mission Leaders Consultation in Herrnhut was, from my perspective, one of the most powerful mission and prayer gatherings of our day. Bringing together key leaders from the global prayer and mission movements as well as leaders of the children in prayer and youth prayer movements was so strategic, especially in light of the history and heritage of the Moravians and Herrnhut."
Paul Wemmer, author, historian, and one of our original leaders at LOWPC, was also with us and donated a copy of his book on Count Zinzendorf and the Moravians to each of the 120 delegates.
Serving together with Jamie Frey, Mark Iblings, Tim Scott, Tom Victor, Paul Wemmer, Sue Williams, and our on-site intercessors in Whatcom County...What a joy! I am so proud of our team...All for the Glory of the Lamb!
The vision for the consultation was to gather key mission and prayer leaders from around the world to ask God how the global prayer and mission movements could unite in our day - to accelerate the fulfillment of the Great Commission. I have personally never been in a gathering before with such humble men and women of God, young and old, who truly longed to encounter the Lord together, and grow in loving and serving one another!
Dick Eastman, the president of Every Home for Christ, was one of the 120 leaders. The ministry of Every Home for Christ sees about 20,000 decisions for Christ every day around the world, giving Dick a unique perspective. After the consultation he wrote, "I am more convinced than ever that the Moravian movement of prayer and missions was the greatest such movement in the history of missions, especially in light of the challenges they faced in that unique time in human history."
Dick shared that this gathering was "the most personally significant gatherings he had been a part of in his 5 decades of full-time ministry." Wow!
We sensed the Lord's leading to gather in historic Herrnhut, Germany to learn from the Moravian story of a canopy of 100 years of continual prayer, beginning in 1727, which launched the start of a Protestant Missions Movement across the earth! At its core, the motivation and watchword of the Moravian prayer and missions movement was this: "May the Lamb who was slain receive the due reward of his sufferings!" He is truly All-Deserving!
As we walked through the Moravian cemetery (pictured here), we were on historic ground. The graves here honor 6000 intercessors and missionaries who had fully embraced God's heart for missions. They had joyfully taken the gospel to those who had never heard, many at the cost of their lives. These radical Moravian missionaries launched over 5000 missionary settlements around the world!
The legacy of Count Nicholas Zinzendorf, the leader of the Moravian prayer and missions movement, is astounding. Zinzendorf was famous for saying, "I have but one passion, and that is Jesus, only He." The seal of the Moravian church has in its center the white Lamb of God . He holds a staff with a victory banner displaying the cross. In a circular band on the outer edge it says: "Our Lamb has conquered, let us follow Him!"
During the consultation, descendants of the Moravians shared with us about the lifestyle of prayer and missions that emerged in Herrnhut, and the powerful role that children and youth played in the movement. It was truly an honor to be with the elders and leaders of both the church and the Jesus Haus. We love them and stand with them as they continue to see day and night prayer and worship established together with the sending of missionaries to the ends of the earth to share the good news of Jesus!
A request went out to leaders of children in prayer around the world, asking them to pray as we met in Herrnhut. 1,000 Royal Kids in Chennai, India, committed to pray for 100 hours and then added another 50 hours while we met!
We were so aware of the prayers of thousands of children around the world. It was an honor to meet and learn from Anton Cruz, the leader of this amazing orphanage in Chennai, India. Here is a powerful video clip of the children praying for our gathering!
Paul Eshleman,with Campus Crusade for Christ, (CRU), founded the Jesus Film Project, the most watched movie in the world. He currently serves as the Executive Director of Finishing the Task Network and as President of the Issachar Initiative, passionately calling us to make our lives Count for Zero, that there would be Zero unreached people groups without a witness for Christ.
Paul challenged us with research showing that, with more than 2.7 unreached people, Asia is the focal point for the global mission challenge. While other regions of the world have on average one missionary for every 1,000 unreached people, Asia has only one missionary for every 46,000 unreached people! There are currently 1570 remaining unreached/unengaged people groups yet to hear the good news of Jesus, and 521 of the largest remaining unreached people groups on the world map have over 500,000! We also learned that 90 percent of the missionary force and finances today goes towards the reached world. We came away with the passionate conviction and cry, "Lord of the Harvest, send forth laborers into the remaining harvest fields of the world!" (Matt. 9:37)
A final personal highlight for me was gathering together at the Bertlesdorf church. This historic church, known as the church of reconciliation, is where the Holy Spirit was poured out among the Moravians, young and old, in a powerful way during a communion service on August 13th, 1727. We celebrated communion together there, and reconciliation took place on several fronts! I truly believe we experienced a 'baptism of love' for one another. Coming away from the gathering, we had such a sense of family and affection for one another, desiring to continue to partner together in prayer and mission across our various denominations, generations and nations! The Lord truly knit our hearts together and I believe much fruit will come in the generations to follow!
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).
We only love to the degree that his love, most fully revealed at the cross, is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5). Just as Zinzendorf and the Moravians were compelled by the Glory and Love of the Lamb, to pray 24/7 and go on mission, I believe the Lord is calling forth a "Lamb's Reformation" in the church in this hour - a new reformation that will lead to a great transformation!
Prayer: "Father, I believe that the hour has come for your Son, the Lord Jesus to be honored, and treasured as the Worthy Lamb who was slain! Even as the Lamb is in the center of the throne in Heaven, we declare and decree that it's time for the Lamb to become the center of the throne on the earth! Father, we know that you are always looking at the wounds of your Son and we ask for a Lamb's Reformation in the church that would wake us up again to his cross, to bring your Son the reward he deserves for giving his life as a Lamb!"
"Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power, and wealth, and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing" (Rev. 5:11-12).
For the Supremacy of Christ in all things,
Jason Hubbard