Listooder Youth Fellowship

The Power of the Devil - Ian Wilson

Although we sometimes view the Christian life as a playground, Ian Wilson reminded the young people of Listooder that is is really a battleground, a constant battle with the world, the flesh and the devil. It is the devil which occupied our attention as we met for the first meeting of February. A created being, the devil was a cherubim at the beginning, the anointed cherub and top angel in heaven, until pride came in (Ezekiel 28:17) Asking the question ‘Who is Sovereign?’, Ian reminded us that the devil’s power is limited to what God will allow him to do. In Job 1, the he approaches God to ask for permission to attack Job. Just as with us, he ultimately wants to destroy one thing in Job’s life, and that is his spiritual relationship with God. Then looking at the ‘Schemes of the Devil’, Ian shows, from Scripture, the character of the devil as a roaring, devouring lion (1 Peter 5:8), as a hindering force (1 Thessalonians 2:18), a provokation (1 Chronicles 21:1) and a constant temptation (Mark 1:13) to us in our walk with God. He wants to stop us from living for God, and shining bright for Him, growing day by day. Subsequently, if we as young believers are not living for God, the devil will probably leave us alone, because that’s what he wants all along. So how do we react to this powerful force, whose main desire is the destruction of Christians? The Reality: ‘be sober…’ (1 Peter 5:8) – We must take the threat seriously. The devil is not a cartoon character, nor a football mascot. The devil of the Bible is real and dangerous. We must, as Christians, be sober and serious. The Responsibility: ‘Submit yourselves also to God…’ (James 4:7) – To stand against the devil, we must first learn to submit to the will of God. Only then will we be ready to face the foe. The Resistance: ‘Resist the devil and he will flee…’ (James 4:7) – Once we have submitted our lives to God, He has promised that the devil will flee from us, if we simply stand against him. Don’t give in. The devil has been defeated, and if we resist him in the power of God, He WILL flee. The Reliance: ‘Resist stedfast in the faith’ (1 Peter 5:9) – Faith is to rely upon the Lord, standing only in the power of His might. When the devil attacks, we have a far greater one on whom we can call for help. However, the closer we are walking with the Lord, the easier it will be to call upon Him. Ian concluded by reminding us that a Christian cannot be guaranteed a life without conflict, but every believer can experience a life without defeat.

The Sin of King David - George Speers

George Speers explores the lessons that can be learnt from this deep and dark experience of King David, an experience that could be all too relevant for any Christian. The circumstances of David’s temptation King David had sent his men to war, but did not go himself, despite Kings generally leading their men into battle. He had neglected his duty, and perhaps as a result of his recent successes in battle, he had taken his eyes off the Lord. His zeal for the work, and enthusiasm for the battle had been dampened. Surely it is under circumstances such as these that we are most susceptible to sin. The progress of David’s enticement King David saw, then he sent and then he lay. At each step of the process, he could and should have dealt with his sin. He should have stopped and considered his circumstances, he should have gone into a quiet place with the Lord. But sin doesn’t take time for thought, sin moves quickly and takes over the entire thought-process. King David had, at times, been closer to the Lord than we could even imagine, yet now his entire mind is occupied by sinful thoughts. Every believer is capable of every sin. It is dangerous to assume ‘that’ll never happen to me’. It is simply by God’s mercy that it has not already happened. The complexity of David’s sin The sin of King David went much deeper than the adultery itself. Covetousness, deceit, lies, murder, stealing, disobedience, dishonour are all seen in the actions of David before the end of this chapter. Sin is no simple matter. Sin is deceptive, and will subtly draw us into more sin. Once again, the mercy of God is our only hope. The heart of David’s failure In 2 Samuel 12, the prophet Nathan comes to King David with a heart-wrenching story about a rich man who takes and destroys all that a poor man has. Touched by this story, David asks ‘who is this man?’, to which Nathan replies ‘Thou art the man.’ At the heart of this sin, lies the sad reality that David’s actions not only caused much pain and suffering to those involved, it also displeased the Lord (2 Samuel 11:27). The Lord dealt with David’s sin by bringing him face-to-face with the reality of his actions, drawing him to sorrow and repentance. This passage is a warning to any believer. Can any Christian fall into the deepest and darkest of sin. Sadly, the answer is, of course, yes. Therefore we must seek God’s help to guard our eyes, our minds and our hearts. We must remain enthusiastic about the battle for God, and keep that close fellowship with the Saviour. The further we are from the Lord, the more likely we are to suffer these temptations. And remember, no matter how far we fall, no matter how deep sin takes us, as the redeemed of God, our heavenly Father waits with open arms to draw us back to Himself. The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin. 1 John 1:7 Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12:2

New Tribes Mission - Dave & Libby

Since 2005, Dave and Libby have been serving the Lord in Southern Asia. As missionary workers with New Tribes Mission (NTM), their aim is to learn the language and culture of native tribes, ultimately finding themselves in a position to present the message of the Gospel to the people for the first time. Now home in Northern Ireland for a period of rest and recouperation, they hope to return later in 2011, to continue their language training, medical work, and general practical assistance to the people. Building this relationship of trust with the people, in the midst of their spirit worship, immorality and frivilous life style, is vital as they continue learning the language to the extent that they can systematically and chronological teach the message of Salvation in their mother tongue. Through much prayer and by the mighty hand of God, they have already secured the trust of the tribal leaders, and been granted residence within the village, a major step in the long journey that God has brought them on. Let us pray that as they return, many more doors will be opened, and through their lives and through their testimony, souls will be won for Christ.

Taking a Stand - Alistair Crawford

In the final Listooder meeting of 2010, Alistair Crawford questions the adage that ‘every man has his price’ by looking at one individual in Scripture who never sold out. Despite the Babylonian pressure to conform, Daniel never abandoned his principles. Similarly, it is the desire of the devil to conform us to the ideas of the world, but as Believers, we have been given the responsibility of taking a stand for Christ. The Babylonians sought to change Daniel’s Godly attitudes by first changing his surroundings. He was given a new home, new environment and new influences to turn his attention away from his God. Many young Christians find that, once they leave the familiar, safe surroundings of home, the ‘bright lights of the world’ become too great a temptation. They also attempted to give Daniel a new knowledge, exposing him to different beliefs, opinions and standards. Believers today are faced with many things that are legally, culturally and fashionably acceptable, but which are contrary to the Word of God – social drinking, dirty jokes, sexual relationships, acceptance of homosexuality are all things that we are expected to partake in, yet the standard of God’s Word has not changed. The Babylonians even tried to change Daniel’s diet. The things which he once had an appetite for were removed, and food was placed before him which, according to the law, would defile him before God. Our hunger, our thirst for Christ should be strong, lest we find our appetite turning towards the things of this world, rather than the things of God. Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself. He took a stand. He had a standard. It is imperative that we, likewise, take our stand. In many simple ways, whether at work, school, college or home, we can take a stand for Christ, nailing our colours to the mast and declaring the Word of God as our standard. A stand like this takes courage. Daniel’s courage came from God. As the children’s song goes ‘Daniel was a man of prayer’. Each day, he spent time with the Lord, each day he asked for help and strength to take that stand. The God who helped him to stand up against the Babylonians is willing to help us to stand up against this world, if we simply ask. If we do take our stand, then God has promised to bless us, ‘He will remember his own’ – 1 Samuel 2:30 – Them that honour Me, I will honour.

Influence of the Media - Maurice Warburton

Maurice Warburton brings several years of experience in online media to Listooder as we consider the influences the media has on our Christian lives. As co-founder of the website EternityWhere.com, Maurice has seen the positive impact that online communications can have for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The dangers, however, are many, and this is the focus of Maurice’s message tonight. In Ephesians 2:2 we see the devil described as ‘the prince of the power of the air’. It has pleased God to allow the devil to have dominion over the air, the atmosphere, that which we breath, see, hear and speak through. Whether it be mobile phones, television waves or the internet, every form of communication travels through the air at some point along its journey, through the devil’s domain, and so it is not surprising to see his control and his influence upon these things. The media is being used by the devil to lie. The deity of our Lord is questioned in the media. So too is the authority of Scripture, the creation of the world, the moral standard for our lives. For many years, media has been used to carry lies which have turned many against the truth of Scripture. The media is being used by the devil to lull. The Word of God often asks that we ‘think’, ‘consider’, ‘behold’… To ponder the Scriptures can be a great revelation to our hearts, revealing what Christ has done for us. But the devil does not want us to think. The devil want to ‘amuse’ us, occupying our thoughts with mindless concepts, lulling us into a spiritual sleep. The media is being used by the devil to lead. Not only does the devil subtly ‘numb’ our minds to the Word of God, he also tries to lead us as far from God’s truth as he possibly can. Often the most lovable characters in a soap are those engaged in homosexuality, causing a conflict in our minds as we attempt to reconcile those feeling with the clear condemnation of Scripture. Much of most catchy and appealing music in the charts today promotes materialism, lust and many other concepts which, in any other situation, Christians would run from, yet music tends to pull us in. It is in all these circumstances that we must show great discernment, accurately employing the wisdom of God and the leading of the Spirit in our lives. Television in itself is not inherently wrong, nor is music, but whilst enjoying these gifts we have been given a responsibility of God to be disciplined, to be careful and to be wise, lest we allow the devil to lie to us, to lull us into spiritual sleep and to lead us into temptation.

Contagious Christians - Tim McIlwrath

Tim McIlwrath explores the contagious characteristics of the Apostles, on a superb, highly-attended night at Listooder Youth Fellowship. Defining the word ‘contagious’ as:tending to spread from one to another, Tim highlighted many examples in Scripture when the apostles had a massive impact on the world around them. Accused of ‘turning the world upside down’ and ‘ filling Jerusalem with their doctrine’, the apostles had something special about them. So what was it? What was this special formula which each of them possessed? In 1 Corinthians 2, Paul describes himself as first coming to the Corinthians in fear, weakness and trembling, yet many souls were saved and a church established. It was not the men themselves that were special, but rather it was the Spirit within them that enabled them to wreak havoc on the heathen world. And today, when so many around us are living in darkness, our desire should be that we also would possess this Spirit. A gift of God at the point of our Salvation, we must allow the Spirit to have room to work in our lives. To fully experience the Spirit’s power in our lives we must reach the point where we are prepared to die unto our own desires, our own plans, our own ambitions and submit to the perfect will of Christ, and the leading of the Spirit. Praise God that He can use us to turn the world upside down for Christ, but our hearts must be willing to be used.

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.

Summer Missionary Work - Victoria Hanna

Victoria Hanna brings a report to Listooder of the six weeks she spent serving the Lord in Central Africa. After much prayer, and as a result of the Lord's clear leading, Victoria spent her free summer months of 2010 with F.A.M.E. in the land of Kenya. Dressed in traditional Kenyan clothes she reporting on the time spent among underprivileged Kenyan families, opportunites to distribute Gospel tracts, and the general enthusiasm among children and older people for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Relationships - William Creighton

Pastor William Creighton explores various passages of Scripture to provide a deep, practical and instructive message on what God has given us to guide our relationships. From conception, each of us become part of a relationship. A relationship that we cannot choose, yet a relationship that will form the foundation (good or bad) for every future relationship that we have. As we go on through our lives, the experiences and relationships that God brings us through will shape who we are. These experiences will mold us into the future husbands and wives that we will become, thus the importance of ensuring that the company which we keep is befitting of a believer living for Christ. In marriage itself, it is critical that both man and wife leave the old relationships behind, forming a new, unique bond in marriage, where every blessing, every failure, every trial, every joy is discussed and shared within a loving relationship with God and with each other. This message is a true blessing to all young believers, regardless of which stage of life you are in, as every single type of relationship in our lives is fundamental to creating the foundation for that unique bond with one person whom the Lord would choose us to spend our lives with.

The Purity of the Tongue - Samuel Murray

Following on from the hugely successful Listooder Games Night, a large crowd gathered for the first meeting of the season. Samuel Murray, formerly of one of the local churches, now ministering in Tandragee, brought the message from God’s Word. In a world that is increasingly hard for a young Christian to take a stand, the purity of the Christian life is very difficult to maintain. In all the aspects of our lives, a Godly standard is what is required of us by our Saviour. Our thoughts, our paths, our actions can speak both for and against the Lord of heaven, but no one part of us can be so useful, while at the same time so harmful, to the work of the Lord as the tongue. In James chapter 3, we read of the mighty potential which the tongue possesses. Likened to a small flame capable of utter destruction, a tiny rudder with the power to steer a large vessel and a ‘bit’ in the mouth of a horse, the tongue has mighty potential to both encourage and to cast down. It is a beast that no man can tame, bringing both a blessing and a curse in the same breath, yet God has declared that nothing is impossible with Him. As believers, it is our responsibility to seek God for His help to guard our speech. Without His power we cannot truly speak forth the truth of Christ, we cannot prevent our speech becoming tainted by the world. But James speaks in chapter 3 about ‘the wisdom that is from above’, a wisdom that is ‘first pure, then peacable, gentle and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy’. Surely as believers, this is the wisdom that we should strive for, this is the speech that we should desire, and praise God He has promised us that wisdom and that speech, if we seek Him for it. Listen to the message below, as Samuel Murray outlines both the dangers and the desire, and as young believers may we make this our own desire…to follow after Christ in all our words, our thoughts and deeds, and may He be pleased to make our lives examples of His love and His salvation.