Listooder Youth Fellowship

The Gospel of Philemon - John Hanna

Returning to Listooder for the first time since being a regular attendee, John Hanna opened the Word of God in the book of Philemon. John begans by considering the overall content of the book, indicating that Philemon is an account of the ministry of Christ as well as being an epistle, a letter, from the apostle Paul.

From this small, often overlooked, book in the New Testament we understand that a servant called Onesimus had run away from his master, a believer in the church of Colosse. Onesimus, having now found Christ for himself, had come into contact with Paul, and it was Paul who was not writing this letter to his friend, Philemon, to request reconciliation for Onesimus.

However, it was more than a simple restoration of the master-slave relationship that  Paul requested. Knowing that Onesimus had put his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for Salvation, Paul was requested that he now be received as a brother, rather than a servant. He also requested that any wrong that had been done, any money that was owed, would be held to Paul's account and no longer held against Onesimus.

This is a beautiful picture of what Christ has done for us. Just a Paul identifies himself with the guilty party, Onesimus, so Christ has identified Himself with you and I, the sinner. Just as Paul was willing to take upon himself the wrong-doing on the part of Onesimus, so Christ, who owed us nothing, was willing to take upon Himself, as the ultimate sacrifice, the sins of the world.

Philemon had been the target of Onesimus' wrong-doing. Philemon had faced the suffering of having this wrong done against him. Just as man, created perfect by God and placed in the Garden of Eden, turned against the Creator, sinning constantly against Him and wandering far from His love. Yet through the willing sacrifice of Christ, we who were far off, can be brought back into the fold and family of God. This was Paul's hope for Onesimus, that through his willingness to take on the 'wages', the punishment for Onesimus' transgression against Philemon, Onesimus could be accepted into both the home and family of Philemon.

Paul now considered Onesimus to be his own son, and expected Philemon to treat him as such. This is a perfect picture of the sinner who accepts Christ, and so is given the adoption of son, and is brought into the fanily of God, considered an heir of God and joint-heir with Jesus Christ. Just as for Onesimus, every debt could be wiped clean, and a relationship not only restored, but transformed forever. This is the glorious reward of the sinner who repents of their sin, turns to Christ for salvation, and receives a full pardon. Justified freely forever. 

If you don't have that privilege, if you don't know the Saviour, come to Christ today and be reconciled with God for all eternity.

Jonathan Rea - For unto us a Child is born

Returning to Listooder, Jonathan Rea turned us to Isaiah chapter 6 to read the Old Testament prophecy of the birth of Christ:

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal 

of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Moving on to Luke 2, Jonathan reminded us firstly that the coming of Christ means that we can be brought near to God, despite our sin, and that if He had not come there would be no Salvation, no solution, for the sin of mankind.

On the night of Christ's birth, it was the lowly shpeherds who first received the announcement of the arrival of the Lord. The 'glory of the Lord' shone around them as the angel of the Lord proclaimed the good news. In that moment, the darkness of night was turned into the glory of light. This same glory, the glory of Lord, appreared to in the days of Abraham, and in the tabernacle. At the dedication of the Temple, built by Solomon, the glory of the Lord appeared. Sadly, however, there was a time in the history of the people of Israel that His glory left the inner sanctuary of the temple, then it left the outer courtyard, and finally it departed to the mountain.

The sin and idolatry of the children Israel had caused the Lord to depart out of their midst. But it broke the heart of God to withdraw His presence. This is significant. While the Lord felt the need to depart from the people, He gave them opportunity after opportunity to repent, yet the people did not turn back to Him.

For 500 years, the nation of Israel was without the glory of the Lord. And now, here in Luke chapter 2, the glory of the Lord returns, and is shone all round about the shepherds. What a wonderful thought. That God, in His mercy, would return His glory not first to the high and mighty, but to the meek and lowly, working at night in the fields.

The shepherds were afraid, but the angel spoke of the good tidings of great joy, 'For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord'. They were to find the baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. This was a sign that was given: the sign of His humilty. The King of kings, the Lord of lords, was to be found in a place of poverty, of lowliness and a place of need. 

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. - Philippians 2:6-8

Having presented the message of glad tidings, a multitude of the heavenly host appeared, praising God. And the shepherds believed. With haste they made their way to Bethlehem to see the Son of God. They went quickly, with an earnest desire to see Him. How sad it is that today, neither the people of the world, nor even the church of Christ, seem to have that same earnest desire to get to Christ, and to be found with Him.

And when the shepherds had seen Him, they could not contain their desire to share the glad tidings themselves, but made known abroad the saying which was told them about the Saviour. It was not the splendour, the setting or the experience that they shared, but the message. They were not caught up in the emotion, not where they distracted by the brightness of the heavenly hosts, but the focused on the message.

In a similar way, it is important that we, as believers, do not get carried away by our emotions, distracted by all the 'add-ons' that many churches offer, but stay true to the Word of God, to His promises and to the glorious truth of the Gospel.

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.