[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm0GKiY2GY0[/youtube]
This is my testimony about the youth camp. The camp was really very awesome. It was my first time going to this camp at Melaka , El Santuary. The speaker was Pastor Chris Long. He was a very funny man. I really have learned alot in this camp. I made a lot of new friends. At the camp I experienced the lord’s presence there. It was a very touching moment for me. The place there was nice to stay but small. I had a lot of fun in the camp. A day at the camp without fun or laughter is a wasted day for me there. We had a lot of activities in the camp. Helping my friends, Pastor talked a lot of funny and touching things. He made us laugh and sad. We had a lot of activities like disco at night, playing pranks and etc.
In the camp , we had fun and also experience a lot of things. On the first day of camp, we had team building. There were 5 sections for team building. In each team, there must be a cripple, a blind person and a mute.The 5 sections were about the life of Jesus: Birth, Dove , Temptation, Suffering and Miracle . When we went through the ” Suffering ” , I know that Jesus had suffered more than this. We also had a speaker there. That’s Pastor Christopher Long. He’s very funny. In the sections, I had learn to have our own story and know the power of words. The most important thing that i learn there was ” We can’t, But God can ”. Besides that, we had a captain ball tournament on the second day. We also had devotion in the morning. I had learn to pray with faith and also choose the ” narrow road ” to walk with Jesus. In the camp, we also not only ” stick ” to our close friends, but also make friends with the pre-believers there.
IF WE ARE ASKED TO DO ANYTHING, WE KNOW GOD WOULD NOT WANT US TO DO; WE MUST OBEY GOD RATHER THAN OUR GOVERNMENT
In the Book of Acts, the religious leaders of that day attempted to force the disciples of Jesus to stop preaching the Gospel. However, Jesus had appointed these disciples to spread the Gospel everywhere they could. The Bible records the disciple’s response, “But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men…” (Acts 5:29). Clearly, from what we have already seen, the Christian is not to be a troublemaker. Nevertheless, if what we are asked to do conflicts with what God wants us to do, we are to “obey God rather than men”. If we are asked to violate our conscience, a conscience controlled by the Holy Spirit, then we should refuse and, instead, do what God would have us do.
CHRISTIANS NEED TO VOTE
In our country, we have the ability to make our opinions known by exercising our right to vote. What would our nation be like if every Christian prayed for God’s guidance and voted according to his/her conscience? It would have to have a positive effect. Besides praying for our leaders and our country, voting is the best way the Christian can influence the political climate of our nation.
REMEMBER THAT, NO MATTER WHAT THE SITUATION, GOD IS IN CONTROL
Oftentimes, we are intimidated by our perception of the government. We see it as all-powerful, as far as it has the ability to define, or rescind, our liberties. However, we can rest in the fact that nothing takes place unless God causes or allows it to happen. “So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above”” (John 19:10-11). God’s sovereignty applies not only to Pilate, but to everything in the universe.
It is very clear that God is sovereign over everything that happens to us. What is our responsibility to God? Our basic foundational response is to, “…love the Lord your God with all [our] heart and with all [our] soul and with all [our] mind and with all [our] strength.” (Mark 12:30). When we live this way, we have nothing to fear from man at all, not even the entity we call ‘government’.
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31) (ROBERT DRISKELL)
Where are the spiritual leaders in our churches, Christian organizations, and families? In your leadership role as a pastor, elder, counselor, group leader, supervisor, or parent are you leading in the way of the culture or the way of Jesus?
To lead like Jesus means two things: be submitted to God and serve people.
The way of our culture is to take charge, push to get ahead, and strive to get what you want. But Jesus shows us what submission looks like in leadership. He shows us a leader who is gentle and humble in heart, yoked to God’s leadership (Matthew 11:25-30).
Over and over Jesus said, “I only do what I see the Father doing” (John 5:19, par). “Jesus’ Rhythm of Life” put first priority on intimacy with the Father and he kept submitting himself to the Father’s lead so that his life and leadership flowed in the Spirit-currents of the Father’s love and wisdom. If necessary, Jesus was prepared to abruptly break into prayer in order to stay under the leadership of the Father and the anointing of the Holy Spirit (see Matthew 11:25, The Message).
The way of our culture is to hurry. We hurry to get more done. We hurry to get where we want to go. But when we hurry we lose touch with God and we neglect to care for the people around us.
When Jesus picked up a towel to wash his disciples’ feet at the Last Supper he wasn’t doing something religious — he was serving them, simply doing what needed to be done and cleaning their dirty feet (John 13:1-17). This unhurried kindness exemplifies how Jesus lived his whole life. Being unhurried helped him always to care for the people around him.
To follow the way of Jesus in your leadership role requires resisting the hurried, “make it happen” mentality of our culture. Instead, we’re to be as a caring shepherd over the flock, not lording over them or seeking selfish gain, but humbly submitting to God and serving others. This is the way of our Good Shepherd. (1 Peter 5:1-5)
Try waiting on God in prayer first. Before an important decision. Before a conversation. To begin a staff meeting, small group, or family gathering. Even just a few minutes meditating on a Scripture and waiting on God in prayer — whether alone or with a group you’re leading — will help you to lead like Jesus. (BILL GAULTIERE)
Click the image for details
