When God Gives us GoldLisa Borden - 31 Jan 2011

Remembering Ken McGreavy’s Words to our Movement

What I’ll always remember about Ken McGreavey is his smile.  Peaceful in the often slightly chaotic happiness of our gatherings, Ken carried a deep, calm joy that made him stand out, though he sat quietly, nothing about him seeking attention.

But Ken was a special friend of this movement for more significant reasons than simply his smile and grandfatherly age.  Of course, we loved that he had a head of white hair and held memories that extended back before most of us were born.  We loved that he had years and years of ministry experience that had taken him to something like 30 nations.  But the accumulation of years and the practice of “ministry” don’t guarantee that a person will hold the kind of wisdom and spiritual insight that Ken so winsomely shared with us. No, what we experienced in Ken was something gained through more than just years in ministry.  There was gold in Ken and, while I never knew his back-story, I sensed that it was mined in him through hard times.   The resident grace in his demeanor spoke of a man who had walked through significant trials and had learned the lessons the Lord had for him within those, arriving on the other side of them as one who had learned to listen very closely to Jesus.

When we heard the news in early December that Ken had passed away after a sudden heart attack, some of us who had been with him at meetings in Sunbury and Guildford felt it would be good to revisit the words Ken had spoken over us as a movement.   Having received prophetic words and sound Biblical insight from such a humble, Godly man, we will do well to settle down for a few minutes and let them teach us once again.  If you never had the pleasure of meeting Ken in person, picture a smiling, mild mannered gentleman with his face lifted slightly up as is if he had his eyes on the prize even as he spoke.  Picture expecting a gentle talk that reflects what you see in the outward man, but getting a shock of delight as you struggle hard to keep up with all the amazing things he’s saying.  His words tumbled out like a torrent of truth that our pens couldn’t keep up with!

Here, from notes taken by myself, Phil Togwell and Ian Nicholson, are some of the highlights or golden nuggets of Ken’s words to us.  

Ken spoke to us about prayer.  In Acts 1 the believers are in constant prayer when “suddenly” there is a great wind. 

Father, prepare us for Heaven’s suddenlies!

Ken said.  Let our hearts be ready for whatever surprises God is up to.   

He will work in us commensurate with his work through us.  In our passionate pursuit of God, we should risk our reputation but maintain our identity.  As fruitfulness and busyness increase, we must not let busyness take away our spiritual hunger.  We must remain a praying people.  As we train younger people, we must impart significance, but also sacrifice.  

We need to be careful not to take on a wrong sense of responsibility.  We are called to be obedient, and the resulting fruit is up to God.  Ken encouraged us to ask for discernment to turn down opportunities that are good causes or involvements, but not right for us.  We have spiritual authority to accomplish what Heaven has authorized us to do so we need to understand what we don’t have authority to do.  Still, he encouraged us to “double our vision” and allow God to expand us.  

Ken encouraged us to avoid the crash landings of burn out by keeping our hearts and souls healthy.  He pointed out to us that Jesus prayed for the blind man in Mark 8 twice before total healing happened.  He encouraged us to be a community of faith like the friends of the crippled man who broke the roof open and lowered him down to Jesus.  We can be like this for each other, bringing each other to Jesus.  We want to be a healthy community/movement so that we might sow wholeness as we go.

In the Christian world there is a frequent polarization between justice movements and those seeking the supernatural.  “We want both!” he said with passion.  “Give us a message for the suffering while we continue to expect the miraculous!”  In regard to spiritual warfare, Ken reminded us that we have authority to come against what comes against people—but not to come against people!  We must not intrude on Jesus’ Lordship in their lives.

Ken talked about prayer being the place where we receive grace, and find courage to do God's will, even in the face of our fears and questions.  He talked about Jesus' prayer in the Garden, asking that this suffering might pass.  Our prayers in crisis are similar to this, “God, if you can do everything, why not do this? Why not interrupt this suffering, my suffering?”



And then he said some things that really struck deeply. He said that prayer is a grace activity. He said that the greater the crisis, the more intimate Jesus' prayer language became.  The tougher things got, the closer in he got. And then Ken warned us of how tempting it is, when in a crisis, to pray for our own comfort, rather than God's glory.

In closing that day he said this...

Sometimes, God doesn't give us answers, God just gives Himself. And in receiving God himself, in receiving the grace-giver, even when nothing changes, we change. We find courage to submit our will to God's. Yet not my will but yours be done. Thine be the glory.

Like I said, we would do well to treasure these words by allowing them to take root in our hearts and inform our lives.

Ken is sorely missed by many who loved him.  Yet it makes me smile to know that on that day in December, God gave Ken Himself, deeply and truly, without dimness or veil.