Listooder Youth Fellowship

A Life of Sacrifice - Fred Greenfield

Fred Greenfield returns to Listooder, bringing with him the exhortation of Paul to the Roman believers in the first two verses of this chapter. Speaking of need for each believer to be available unto the Lord for His service, Fred breaks the verses down even further to consider the exhortation of Paul, the presentation of our bodies, the dedication to the Lord, the separation from the world and the transformation of our minds. The result? The good, acceptable and perfect will of God.

Reaching the Rising Generation - Colin Tinsley

For this very particular topic, we welcomed Colin Tinsley from Hope for Youth Ministries. Colin is an experienced children’s and youth evangelist, and a friend to Listooder Youth Fellowship. Opening the Word in Deuteronomy chapter 32, Colin highlighted the phrase in verse 20, which speaks of a ‘froward generation, children in whom is no faith’. Sadly, as Colin pointed out, this is a very appropriate picture of the world in which we live, particularly in Northern Ireland. Children are growing up without a knowledge of the Scriptures, without a knowledge of Christ and without knowledge of their own sin. It is this reality that presents a challenge to today’s Christian youth worker. So how do we meet this challenge? Colin’s encouraging message exhorts us not to give up. The God who has saved countless men, women, boys and girls of all kindreds, tribes and nations throughout history, has not changed (Malachi 3:6). The message of Salvation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15), has not changed, and fundamentally the children of our land have not changed either. In his experiences, Colin recounted many occasions where children received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour the first time they heard the Gospel. The men and women of our nation have very little interest in the things of God, and as a result children are no longer brought under the sound of Gospel, yet in the opportunities we have to speak to them from the Word of God, they are as responsive as they have ever been. So the challenge facing the Christian worker in these difficulties days is: To reach the children, we must go to them, rather than wait for them to come to us. We should make the Word of God available to them in schools, in parks, at camps and in their homes. And if we are faithful to this challenge, our God, who changes not, will be faithful with his healing power and, as in days gone by, will once again bring many young souls to Himself.

Money Matters - Brian McCoubrey

The most recent Listooder meeting, our penultimate gathering before the end of the season, welcomed Brian McCoubrey back to the hall. With him, Brian brought a highly relevant message from the Word of God. Asked to speak on the financial responsibility facing each one of us, Brian provided the title ‘Money Matters’ for the following reasons… It matters how we view it. Reading from 1 Timothy chapter 6, we see in verses 9 and 10 the danger faced by the child of God who falls into temptation, where a burning desire to be rich can affect our actions, our work and our relationships. While in itself it is not a sin, increased wealth only heaps increased pressure upon believers to rely upon those riches, rather than upon Christ our Saviour. It matters how we gain it. While the vast majority of ‘good-living’ men and women would agree that it is wrong to obtain financial wealth by dishonest means, the devil has many subtle ways of deceiving even the children of God in sin. God’s plan is that money should be obtained through work, that ‘by the sweat of our brow we should eat bread’. Even for those who are unemployed, rightly claiming the ‘dole’ money, it is important that the we do not lose the desire to work. For those fortunate enough to have a job, there is a responsibility upon every believer to pay what is owed to the government in tax, according to God’s word in Romans 13:7. It matters how we give it. Whether it is a tithe (10%), according to Old Testament law, or simply giving as God has prospered us, the Scriptures are clear that we should give according to what the Lord has bestowed upon us. The more we receive, the more we give back to the Lord. We should give regularly, systematically, and according to the New Testament church we should bring our offerings to a central source (i.e the local church) – 1 Corinthians 16:1-3. In giving, we should also give liberally, confidentially, and perhaps most important, we should give cheerfully. It matters how we manage it. In closing, Brian brings some very practical advice, applying Biblical principles, related to investments, loans, credit cards, mortgages, and more, advising the young people to manage their finances with a godly wisdom, giving thanks for all that the Lord has graciously bestowed upon us. It is a message of great relevance today, and we encourage you to follow the link below and listen to the entire sermon.

Every Home Crusade - Samuel Adams

In 2009, Every Home Crusade printed and distributed… 33 Million Gospel Tracts, 8.2 Million Gospels of John, 16 Millions Gospel and Scripture Booklets, 60,000 Sets of Children’s Lessons... …in over 90 languages. The work of Every Home Crusade distributes this Literature free of charge to Churches, Missions, Pastors and Evangelists in 120 Countries across the world. Last year they used 880 Tonnes of paper in the production of Gospel Literature. Director of the work, Samuel Adams, makes a return to Listooder Youth Fellowship to speak on the challenges faced by the work in the incoming year. A huge number of requests are continually received from all over the world from many churches, missions and Christian workers asking for large supplies of Evangelistic Literature. In an attempt to fulfil the many requests, Every Home Crusade recently moved to a large printing, storage and distribution facility just outside Belfast, Northern Ireland. At least 4 Tonnes of Paper is used each day on the 3 large printing presses. Samuel Adams concludes his report with a DVD of the work among the people of Venezuela, where many tonnes of literature have been sent in the past year. The audio of this DVD can be heard below.

Hunting versus Fishing - Marcus Sommerville

Marcus Sommerville returned to Listooder on Saturday night to consider the attitude of believers towards personal evangelism. Opinions range from those who believe that we should be hunters: using quick, aggressive tactics to persuade unbelievers to come to Christ. Others see our responsibility as more of a fishing role: where we slowly and cautiously draw the unsaved towards the truth of God’s Word. Taking the lead from the conversations of our Lord in the New Testament, Marcus presented the reality that neither of these scenarios are truly relevant to personal evangelism. The journeys of two sinners to Christ are never the same: one may need to be removed from a ‘comfort zone’ before they can begin to see their need of Salvation, whereas another might simply need to hear the Gospel presented once, before turning to Christ. As believer’s, and more particularly as men and women, we do not have this knowledge, and so both the fishing and the hunting can only be directed of God. He is both the Hunter, and the Fisherman. So then, what is our role? What is the role of a believer in drawing men and women to Christ? Marcus proposes that, at best, it is merely as the ‘bait’. God, in his infinite wisdom, often chooses to use the lives of other believers to bring sinners to Himself. He doesn’t need to, but He chooses to. So the question is this: Are we attractive bait? Do our lives reflect the Glory of God? Do our words reflect the Word of God? Does our attitude reflect the Love of God? Are we ready to be used as the bait that draws precious souls to the Saviour, or will we be discarded as vessels, as bait, not fit for the Master’s use?

How to Get Away from the Lord (Luke 22)

Despite the strange title, this message from Pastor Ian Wilson features warnings from the life of Peter outlining how easy it is for a young believer to 'drift' from the presence of God. Ian outlines the circumstances in Peter's life which led to his ultimate denial of Christ. These are circumstances that every child of God should be vary careful of emulating. However, as Ian goes on to explain, Peter's restoration begins when his eyes turn back toward the Saviour, and is completed in full as he steps up to preach on the Day of Pentecost.

The Prayer of Jabez (1 Chronicles 4)

Baptist Pastor and missionary with ACRE Gospel Mission, Victor Maxwell, looks at the prayer of Jabez in the first Listooder meeting of 2010. Considering Jabez as a special man, a sorrowful man and a supplicating man, Victor explains that through his prayer, and subsequently through the blessings of God, Jabez goes on to become a successful man.

A Happy Family Life (Ephesians 5)

Pastor William Creighton brings a message focussed on a Happy Family L.I.F.E. Starting with the LORD, it is only through faith in Christ that we can experience true happiness in our live. Then, as INDIVIDUALS, we must understand our own responsibilities before God, relying fully upon Him for our happiness, and not upon the circumstances around us. The FAMILY happiness is the result of following the guidelines of Scripture, as outlined in Ephesians chapters 5 and 6. And finally, our happiness in Christ will affect our relationship with EVERYONE around us, at home and at work.

The Testimony of Gordon Dane

Gordon Dane, minister of the Free Presbyterian Church in Crossgar, speaks very genuinely and frankly on the Lord's leading in his life. His early childhood was not hugely influenced by Biblical matters, however, things changed when his father gave his life to Christ. Despite this, and the constant call from God to repent, he resisted Christ for a few years. But Christ is longsuffering and gently brought Gordon to Himself, guiding him in many wonderful ways to the place where he now ministers. As Believers, the Lord is our guide, and it is His desire to bless us, but we must heed to His call. It is only in the will of God that we will be truly blessed.

The Humility of Christ (John 13)

David Reid, author of the book 'If My People', visits Listooder for the first time to present the Biblical truths behind the book. Speaking from John chapter 13 on the subject of Humility, he brings to our attention the humility shown in Christ as He washed the feet of the disciples, revealing His true nature as the servant who became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.