The Sword and the Flesh - Neil Mateer

The fifth Saturday of the month provides an opportunity for the familiar faces of Listooder to take leading roles in the meeting, and this Saturday, 30th October, was no exception, as a crowd of over 30 young people gathered. First up was Victoria Hanna who brought a report of the six weeks she had spent serving the Lord in Central Africa. After much prayer, and as a result of the Lord’s clear leading, Victoria used her free summer months of 2010 to travel out with F.A.M.E. to the land of Kenya. Dressed in traditional Kenyan clothes she reported on her time among underprivileged Kenyan families, opportunites to distribute Gospel tracts, and spoke of the general enthusiasm among children and older people for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Following the report, Stephen and Barbara Hanna split the hall in two with a highly contested battle in which the two sides answered questions on general Biblical knowledge for a chance to earn points on the dartboard. The Right (from the front) easily defeated the Left, as the front of the hall took a severe battering from some badly misplaced darts. ehud and eglon - the sword of the spirit Once the excitement eased, Neil Mateer brought the closing message from the Word of God. From Judges chapter 3, Neil presented the life of Ehud, a Judge in Israel during a time of idolatry and wickedness throughout the land. Over-ruled by the wicked King of Moab, the mission of Ehud was to defeat King Eglon, described in Scripture as ‘a very fat man’. Considering Eglon as a sign of our own fleshly lusts and desires, Neil proposed that it must also be the mission of every Believer to overcome this enemy. To do this we must follow Ehud’s example as he first meets with God at the altar, then takes a concealed dagger, symbolic of the hidden Word of God in each of our hearts, and attacks the sinful flesh with one powerful thrust. A solemn, yet vital message to the young people gathered, and well worth listening to again as we remind ourselves of the constant battle facing the Believer in this world.