Listooder Youth Fellowship

Grow in Grace (2 Peter 3:18)

At the conclusion of the Amongst Ourselves meeting, Jonny Rice spoke briefly about the need to grow as believers in Jesus Christ. Just as a child must learn to talk, to eat and to walk, becoming more and more independent and increasingly able, so a child of God must learn to develop in these things. 

A child of God must learn to talk, communicating with God on a regular basis, learning to listen to His voice and speaking often of Christ. In the same way a child learns by watching, listening and repeating, so must we find ourselves in the places where prayer takes place, listening to the teaching of the Word and chatting about the things of God with our friends.

A child of God must have a desire to feed on the meat of the Word, exploring the Scriptures for themselves rather than just sitting in church, Sunday by Sunday, with your mouth open, waiting to be fed. Explore the Bible for yourself, question the things that you learn and take them all back to the Word and make sure it checks out.

Finally, a child of God must begin to put the things he/she learns into practice, learning to stand strong and walk on for God in a sinful world, all the while growing in the knowledge of their Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and learning to love the things of God.

Sadly many believers, young and old, fail to grow. They miss out on the leading of God, the instinctive discernment of the Holy Spirit, in their lives, unskillful in the Word of God (Hebrews 5:12-14) and a weak force for the Gospel. Let's be strong for God, growing in grace and the knowledge of Christ as we both learn and teach, in Listooder and beyond.

Camp Sonshine Portugal - Catherine Harvey

In July 2014, Catherine made the journey to Portugal to join up with the other leaders and campers at Camp Sonshine. The camp welcomes 7 - 11 year old children from various backgrounds to a week long camp where the Gospel is taught. This presents challenges, not least in language, as the leaders are often with children who speak no English.

Mission to Romania - John Neil and Alex Rea

John and Alex traveled with 17 other local Christians, in August 2014, to reach out to the small community of Kisszántó in Romania, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As well as assisting in the work of the local Reformed Church, the team ran a Holiday Bible Club in which over 50 children attended. Lessons from the Bible were presented to the children (via translation!) as well as memory verses, singing, games and craft. 

CEF Junior Summer Outreach - Rebecca Hutton

At the end of June 2014, Rebecca spent 5 days at the Junior Summer Outreach Training Camp, held at the 'Seaview' in Kilkeel by Child Evangelism Fellowship. With a firm focus on prayer and the Word of God, the key aim of the camp was to teach young people the importance of bringing the message of Salvation to boys and girls, and provide training and advice to those who had a desire to serve the Lord in this way.

Psalm 16 - The 'Golden' Psalm

Opening the Word of God at Psalm 16, David McLaughlin drew attention to the title of the Psalm, a 'Michtam of David'. This word, of Hebrew origin, relates to gold, and so Psalm 16 could be considered a Golden Psalm of David. It is a special Psalm, not least because it speaks of Christ.

The Psalmist here is in a relationship with God. The word 'Preserve' in verse 1 indicates a continuing and ongoing relationship. He has already committed his life to the Lord, and put his trust in Him. In verses 1 and 2, God is referred to in 3 different forms. In the cry 'Preserve me, O God', the term 'God' relates to the Creator, who controls every breath of His creation. In verse 2, the terms 'LORD' (capitals) and 'Lord'. 'LORD' refers to Jehovah, and present the mediator between God and man, Christ Jesus. And in the term 'Lord' or 'Master', he acknowledges the control that his God has, not only in the Universe, but also in the life of the Psalmist.

As we read on, it is clear that David, the writer, exalts Christ, his Lord and his God. He does not consider himself to be of an great significance, but acknowledges that everything he has, is by the goodness of God. And in verse 3 we see that his love of God, and his acceptance of the provision of God, affects his relationship with others. He has a delight in spending time with the saints of God, with other Christians. A simple sign of the true faith a child of God is their desire to spend time with the people of God.

In verse 5, David speaks of his inheritance. David was the king of the land. As a king he had already gained his earthly inheritance, but it was not an earthly inheritance that He was referring to here. It was not an earthly inheritance that He trusted in, it was not an earthly inheritance that he sought after. David lived for his inheritance in heaven. Every believer in Jesus Christ has a wonderful inheritance to look forward to, the reward of heaven. It is a guaranteed inheritance and one that every Christian will recieve.

The Lord, however, does not leave us only to look forward to this inheritance. He also guides us in our daily lives. Verse 7 speaks of the counsel, the guidance, of the Lord. He guides us (v7), walks with us every day (v8), and gives us a joy in our hearts (v9).

A relationship with God should give us peace. The knowledge of His guiding hand, of His wonderful inheritance and of His precious protection, should give us comfort and rest. As David said in verse 9, 'my flesh also shall rest in hope'. That hope is the hope of the cross, the hope of the Gospel, and the hope of Salvation. It is not a 'hope' as we understand it, but rather a certainty, based on the work of Christ at Calvary.

Christ, the Holy One (v10), suffered for the sins of the world. He died for your sins, and He was buried according the Scriptures. But His body did not experience corruption. His body did not decay. Instead He was raised from the dead and today is alive in heaven to interceed on our behalf. It is through Him that we have redemption, through Him that we have assurance of salvation.

As David turned his attention to Christ, the joy and hope of his heart, may we also focus of Christ and all that He means to us.

Faith in Action - 'Water of Life'

Earlier in 2014, a group of men from Saintfield Baptist Church took a trip to Burkina Faso, West Africa with the desire to dig wells and bring clean drinking water to the local community. A few of those men (Brian, Ed, Paul and Nigel) joined us at Listooder to update the young people on that trip and bring the needs of the people before us.

Opening with the Word of God, Brian recounted the battle for water in the time of Isaac. Unlike what we experience in the UK, many people across the world experience a real thirst for water, and this is the need that Friends in Action seeks to meet in this lowly country of Western Africa.

In the Bible we read of the deer, panting, thirsting for water. In writing of the deer, David was likening this 'panting' to his thirst and desire for God. Do we thirst after God? Is it our desire to be found in His Word and spending time with His people? Friends in Action works to meet the physical needs of the people in Burkina Faso, but their ultimate goal is to meet the spiritual need.

We also read of a woman, the woman of Samaria, who received the Living Water of Jesus Christ, the Saviour. The moment she received Christ, having her sins cleansed and her heart washed as white snow, she ran back into Samaria and told everyone of the Lord Jesus and what He had done for her. Surely this must challenge each one of us to reach out to others, bringing the message of the Gospel to those around us. For the work of Friends in Action, the preparation of the ground, installing of the equipment and commencing of the drilling process provides the perfect opportunity for the Gospel. As crowds gather to watch the impressive project unfold, local Pastors take their chance for the Lord and preach Christ to the needy people, the vast majority of which will never have heard the name of Jesus.

Finally, Brian brought to mind the ocassion when King David desired to have the a drink from the waters of Bethlehem. The nation was in battle, the army of the King was in grave danger, and the enemy was blocking the way to Bethlehem. Yet there were 3 men, having made this request, who made the dangerous journey to get a drink of water for their King. We serve the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, just as these men served David. Would we risk our lives to meet the request of our King, the Lord Jesus Christ? Even if few of us will ever be asked to take such risks, it is worth considering what we would be prepared to do for Him. 

The work of Friends in Action is fraught with dangers, challenges and hard labour, yet it is a work that is bringing genuine life-saving care to the people of Burkina Faso. But above all, it is providing a means of presenting the Gospel to those who have never heard it, enabling local Pastors to spread the name of Jesus Christ.

Listen to the podcast, and browse through the slides for a detailed look at the Friends in Action, through the eyes of 6 local believers who went out to spread the message of God's love in a practical way to needy souls.

Bobby Mackay - Alone with God (Luke 18)

In our first meeting back after the summer, Bobby Mackay begins the new season by turning our focus to the Lord, and more specifically the time we spend alone with Him. Considering the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee, who prayed to the Lord in very different ways.

Bobby drew attention to the sinner's prayer in verse 13 of Luke 18. This is the critical starting point in any individual's relationship with God. If a person has never come to the Lord Jesus Christ in humility as a sinner, they will never be able to come to Him as Lord, Saviour and Friend.

In stark contrast, verse 11 features the prayer of the self-righteous. It is the prayer of one who feels they don't need God. The prayer of one who is coming to God for some sort of personal fulfillment, and not out of respect for who God is, and who they are before Him. We must remember who we are praying to. It is the God of heaven, the One who hold our very next breath in the palm of His hands. We must come in respect, reverence and humility. It is only then that we will experience the true benefit of prayer. The prayer of the Believer.

Prayer is a spiritual thing. It is the weapon, giving of God, to fight against the powers of darkness in this earth. As we pray, we must be mindful of the words of Ephesians chapter 6, putting on the armour of God to spiritually clothe us in preparation for the challenges that face us as Christians in this world.

But what about the success of our prayers? So many suffer the frustration of unsuccessful praying. But what is it that makes a prayer successful? It is simply knwoing that our prayers are in the hand of Almighty God. We cannot let pride creep in, rushing into prayer, just squeezing it into our frantic schedules, making all of our demands and expecting God to work them all out for us. No, we must come in humility, giving freely of our time to Lord, and allowing Him to show us, in His time, the path that we should take.

Not only must we humble ourselves, we should also be wholehearted in our praying. We should pray with faith to believe, with all of our hearts, that God will answer our prayers, in His will. Of course, at times we feel weak, weak in spirit and in faith. However, the answer to our prayers does not depend on us, it depends on a God who never changes, whose power never wavers and whose promises never fail.

It is also imperative that we are coming to the Lord with 'clean hands and a pure heart'. We must guard against unconfessed sin in our lives. Sin that we know is affecting our walk with God. Not that we will ever be perfect, for none of us are, but how can we expect to receive answers from the Lord when we are not in close communion with Him. Let us first confess our sins to Him, before bringing our needs. It is with obedience that we should pray, acknowledging our weaknesses and failings before Him, and exalting God in our prayer and in our lives as a whole. 

Spending time alone with God is vital. Calling on the Lord first thing in the morning, and coming to Him again before we lay our head down to sleep, is a pattern that every believer would benefit from. Prayer, however, is more than just the time we spend on our own with the Lord. It is also the time we spend supporting one another in our relationship with Him. Not simply praying for others, but also encouraging them to pray, bringing needs together before the Lord, and building one another up in our knowledge and understanding of God.

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

Rejoice evermore.

Pray without ceasing.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5:14-18

Living the Christian Life to the Max

In our last meeting of the season, Jonathan Rea brought a challenge to the young people to live the Christian life to the fullest. Examining the practical advice of Paul in Colossians chapter 3, Jonathan noted that in verse 1 we are advised to seek the things which are above. We are to look up. In verse 4, we look forward, to the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. The mind and heart of the believer should be occupied with thoughts of Christ and of heaven, not with the things around us. In verse 5, there are sins which we must 'mortify' in our lives. Jonathan stressed that there is no excuse for these sins in the life of the child of God. As new creatures in Christ, our desires will not be towards these things and they should therefore be put to death. 

Having listed 5 things which should be put to death, Paul then considers 6 things which must be put off (verse 8). These are sins which the child of God will frequently struggle with, and although we are commanded here to put them off, how often is it that we keep putting them back on us again. Sins like anger, blasphemy and deceit, both against God and other believers, tend to come very easily to us.

As well as the putting off of sin, Paul also exhorts us, as the elect of God, to put on 8 things . These 8 are to be considered as garments, clothing, that we should put on and keep on, that we might walk worthy of our calling, and experience the Christian life to the max.

1. Bowels of mercy - Showing the tender love and compassion of Christ to those around us, whether they be friends or enemies.

2. Kindness - Demonstrating moral goodness, integrity and being fully accountable for your actions. A believer should be above reproach, blameless, as well as having a gentle spirit in all things.

3. Humbleness of mind - Many Christians want to be seen, to be at the front and to be congratulated for their efforts. Christ calls us to lowliness rather than arrogance, doing the jobs that others might not see, but doing them for Him.

4. Meekness - Not to be confused with weakness, a Christian can display great power and strength, but under the full control and restraint of the Spirit. To be consistent, approachable and representing the Lord in all of our ways.

5. Longsuffering - Having patience, both when waiting for the Lord to speak and when dealing with other people. A believer should have endurance in the Christian life, not always rushing ahead but waiting for God to reveal His will. Slow to anger.

6. Forbearing one another - It will not always be possible to be friendly with everyone. Some believers we will get on with better than others. However, it is important that we are able to put up with each other, showing grace, understanding and love to those outside of our 'group'.

7. Forgiving one another - This goes hand in hand with forbearing. The grace and kindness that we show to others may not be reciprocated, yet we must continue to 'forbear'. Forgiving the attitudes of others, demonstrating kindness and grace despite how we may be treated.

8. Charity - This is the love of God, which has been given to us. It is unconditional love and it is the 'garment' that binds all of the others together.

These are the 8 characteristics of a believer, characteristics in which we should be 'clothed' if we are to fully live out the Christian life. However, as Paul goes on to say in Colossians 3, we also need our lives to be governed by the right authority. To live the Christian life to the max, we must allow our conduct and our thinking to be controlled by:

THE PEACE OF GOD (v15)

We need the peace of God upon us. By nature our hearts are evil, and only the peace that passeth understanding can keep our hearts and minds right. We must allow the peace of God to rule. It must manage our decisions, our emotions and our desires.

THE WORD OF CHRIST (v16)

The Bible is to dwell within us. It is to find a home in the believer, and drive our thoughts and deeds. It has been said that it is one thing for a believer to be found in the Word of God, but another thing for the Word of God to be found in a believer. It is only then that the Word of Christ will fully control our words and our nature that they might be a blessing to others and a testimony for Him.

THE NAME OF JESUS (v17)

Whatever we say, whatever we do, we should do it all in, and for, the name of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:31). In the retail world, customers will make purchases based on a name. A name carries a reputation, a standard, and with that standard comes an expectation of quality. For the believer, we do everything in the name of Christ. His standard of perfection is our standard, and it should be a standard of excellence in everything that we do. Whether it be washing floors, writing letters, stacking shelves or raising children, every effort must be made to represent the name of Christ, and to represent it well.

The Faith of Caleb - Numbers 13

From Numbers chapter 13 and 14, we read that Caleb was a spy. He was one who was sent into enemy land, gathered data and returned with a full report to the leaders of Israel. It is interesting to note that it was the people themselves who had originally requested that this land be spied out. Despite the fact that the Lord had already promised to give them the land, He granted this request and permitted them to send spies into Canaan. The people clearly had doubts in the promises of God, failing to remember the many times when He had honoured His word and delivered them from trouble.

So twelve spies, one from each tribe, were sent in to the land. Of the spies that were sent, only two demonstrated full belief in God, Caleb and Joshua. Caleb was described as a man who wholly followed the Lord. This was his testimony. It causes us to wonder what words would be used to describe us. Would we be described as following the Lord as Caleb, walking with God as Enoch, a friend of God as Abraham or would we be described as selfish, proud, two-faced or arrogant?

Caleb was in the minority, one of only two spies from the original 12 who returned from the mission with a positive report. Yet he was not silent. Caleb, as we so often tend to do, did not let fear of his peers stop him from completing the work of the Lord. When the 10 spies brought their evil report, Caleb and Joshua stood strong and spoke out against it, reminding the people of their God who had delivered them from the hand of the Egyptians, and who could overcome these Canaanites.

This was a difficult stand to take, but Caleb and Joshua were rewarded for their service to God. As punishment for the unbelief shown by the people, who chose to accept the evil report rather than the promises of God, the Lord did not permit any of them to enter into the land. For 40 years therefore, the children of Israel would wander in the wilderness until all of that generation, above a certain age, had died. All, that is, except for two people. Caleb and Joshua received their reward, as they would be the only ones of their generation to see the promised land.

We ought to obey God rather than men - Acts 5:29

Them that honour me I will honour - 1 Samuel 2:30

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, it will often be hard for us to take a stand. But when we do, God will honour and bless that stand. If we wholly depend on Him, and on His promises, He will give us the strength to speak for Him, even among our peers. Yes, we may face opposition from both believers and from those who are not saved, but we will have our reward. That's not to say we will see instant results, nor does it guarantee any kind of material prosperity in our lives, but God WILL honour those who honour Him. Perhaps, like Caleb, we will have to wait 40 years too see, but God will keep His promise to His people. 

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us - Romans 8:18

The Testimony of Joanna Tinsely

Speaking at Listooder for the first time, Joanna Tinsley related the story of how she came to trust in the Lord Jesus Chrsit as her Saviour. Joanna began by reading Psalm 27:1, he LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? She stated that she was not there to present Joanna Tinsley, but instead to present God in her life.

Brought up in Poland, in the ways of the Roman Catholic church, Joanna never heard of the need to have a personal trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Baptised in the Catholic church at 1 year old, and Holy Communion at the age of 7, she was taught to confess her sins to the priest. She was also told that, to God, certain sins are considered greater than others. This is, of course, against what we find in the Word of God.

With a desire to go to art college, Joanna pursued the necessary results in her exams. She passed those exams and moved on to college. However, in this, Joanna sees the hand of God. She now believes that if she had not moved on to college, she may have ended up becoming a nun. At that college, Joanna began attending an early morning mass. Although this mass did not teach the truth of Scripture, there was one chorus which was sung on a regular basis: 

Jesus, name above all names

Beautiful Savior, glorious Lord.

Emmanuel, God is with us.

Blessed Redeemer, Living word.

This spoke to Joanna, and she prayed to God. She prayed that if this was indeed true, that the Lord Jesus Christ was above all others, that He would reveal Himself to her. God eventually answered this prayer, but she was to go through some dark times before He did.

Over the next few years, Joanna began to get disillusioned with the church. She stopped attending mass, and began looking for spiritual answers elsewhere. Moving on to continue her art studies at University, she began to dabble in astrology, spirit worship and other religions, but she found no answers.

At University, she became friends with some young people who met together to study the Bible on a regular basis, a group of true Christians. One of the group, Martin, began to share the Gospel with her. This was the first time Joanna had heard that the death of the Lord Jesus Christ meant that He could take away all of our sins forever, that the Pergatory taught in the Roman Catholic church was not true, and that it was possible to have a real and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Over time, Joanna began to come to a better understanding of the Gospel. She knew that Christ had died for her, and that she needed to be forgiven for all her sins. With the help of Martin, Joanna turned to the Lord for Salvation. That moment, she knew that her burden had been lifted, her sins had been forgiven forever and she had been lifted from the road to hell and was now set for heaven. Joanna knew this was different. She knew that she had been changed forever. And despite her parents' belief that this would be a temporary 'fix', Joanna began to grow in the knowledge of God, and to the grow in the strength of the Lord.

As a believer now in the Lord Jesus Christ, and at the age of 24, Joanna began to pray that she would meet a Godly man and be able to get married. Humanly speaking this was a difficult thing to pray for. In a predominantly Catholic country, truly Christian men were hard to find. But God had plans for Joanna's life. Within a few months of getting saved the Lord brought Colin into her life, a believer from Northern Ireland, and clearly led them to get married. Together, they now serve the Lord Jesus on a full-time basis. In both Poland and Northern Ireland they have been given countless opportunities to lead children and young people to Christ.

Joanna finished by reminding the young people of 2 Corinthians 12:9, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. We all face challenges in our lives, but God is real and God is sufficient. Whatever the trial, whatever the difficulty, God knows all about it. He will give us the strength to endure it, and will use that trial to make us stronger for Him, so that we might do His will and serve Him day by day.