Listooder Youth Fellowship

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

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 proclai

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 G

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.

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. 

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.

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 a

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

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 on

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

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

A special night at Listooder as we invited Kyle Boyd to answer a vitally important, yet commonly asked question: What does it mean to be a Christian? Kyle began by defining a Christian as a follower of Jesus Christ, one who obeys the commands of Christ and seeks to do His will. Breaking it down even further, he highlighted four key words that demonstrate what it is to be a Christian. GOD 'Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory' - Isaiah 6:3 For those who are not saved, it is difficult to comprehend who God is, or even what God is. God is our maker, He is the One who formed us, the One who designed us and the One who knows us inside out. He is holy, perfect in every way and created us in His own image and in His likeness. US 'For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God' - Romans 3:23Mankind was created perfect, in the form of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In that garden they were given one command, that they were not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of

A special night at Listooder as another 'Amongst Ourselves' meeting gave the younger Listooder members an opportunity. The highlight of the opening part of the meeting being the 'Million Pound Drop' quiz, presented by Ross Greer and John Neil. Also in the early part of the meeting, favourite songs were chosen from the Listooder chorus book, including these two wonderful pieces: And can it be that I should gainAn interest in the Savior’s blood?Died He for me, who caused His pain—For me, who Him to death pursued?Amazing love! How can it be,That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?Amazing love! How can it be,That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?  In Christ alone my hope is found;He is my light, my strength, my song;This cornerstone, this solid ground,Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.What heights of love, what depths of peace,When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!My comforter, my all in all—Here in the love of Christ I stand. It was then time to welcome one of the leaders of the work in Listoode

In his first visit to Listooder, Paul Hanna turned to his favourite passage of Scripture, Psalm 46, and drew attention to the word 'Selah', which appears on 3 ocassions. The word itself, which can be found over 70 times in the original Hebrew Scriptures, represents a pause or a break in the text. It is a pause that, in the case of Psalm 46, creates 3 naturally divisions within the passage. 1. THE PROTECTION OF GOD (v 1-3) The Psalm starts with God. The very beginning of the passage begins with He who was, and is, at the beginning of all things. Many people today will deny the existence of God, yet the Psalmist declares His existence with absolute certainty. God is our refuge. There is the evidence here of a personal knowledge of God's refuge and strength. It is possible to know God in such a real and personal way that He becomes your strength in all things. The strength to walk for God, speak for God and stand for God can come fully and unconditionally from the Creator Himself. God is our present and immediat

The Listooder hall was well filled to welcome Gareth McDowell, who began the meeting with a word of testimony. Gareth was saved at an early age, and attended many meetings and church services as a child and young person. As he grew up into his teenage years, he recalled with thankfulness that the sin of the world had little effect on him.  At the age of 18, following a missionary meeting, Gareth committed his life to the Lord, publicly going forward to declare his willingness to serve God.  After spending time at a college in America, Gareth met his wife Lorelei, and the two began to prayerfully consider how the Lord might use them in their new life together. But with no money, and a growing desire to provide gospel literature to church fellowships in the Philippines, they had to rely on the Lord for every step. In 1999, the Lord opened the door for them to travel to Manila and commence the work there. And for 14 years, fully resting on the Lord for every provision, they have been able to help over 200 pastor

Listooder welcomed David Scott to begin the new season of meetings. On the topic of assurance, David began by reminding us that our salvation is of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is in Christ that we can have assurance. Turning to 1 John 5, David pointed out the words of the Apostle John in verse 13 where he indicates that we can know that we have eternal life and that we can believe, with assurance, in the name of the Son of God. Throughout the larger book of John, the fourth book of the New Testament, we find many great and wonderful promises regarding salvation found in Christ. However, in the epistle of 1 John, the Apostle draws attention to certain behaviours of a Christian that should give any believer the assurance they need of Salvation. In 1 John 2:1, John draws attention to our sin. Every believer sins. We fail, and in failing we grieve the Spirit. However in the next verse John points us to Christ, for it is in Christ that we have forgiveness for these sins. In turning to Christ for Salvation, we ha

In our final meeting of 2013, Trevor Matthews drew attention to the word 'present' in the opening verse of Romans 12. At this time of the year, gifts and presents are given as a token of love, and we also rejoice in the greatest gift that ever was given, when the Lord Jesus Christ came from His home in heaven to die for us on earth. In this first verse, and the proceeding verses, the Apostle Paul pleads with his fellow believers, and us as modern-day Christians, to 'present', to offer as a gift, our own lives and bodies to the Lord. Paul had explained the mercies of God in previous chapters of the book, and now he refers to these mercies as the reason why we are able to give ourselves over to Him. The mercy of God, which justifies a believer and sets them free from the power of sin, gives every child of God the strength and the desire to hand our lives over to Him. 'By the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies...'. And by the mercy of God, it is His right to expect that we give our lives to Him.  The Lo

In the first of a series on the Psalms, Tim McIlwrath choose Psalm 55, a Psalm of David. David, the King, had a passion for his God, but he was not a perfect man. Despite his burning desire to serve His God, there were times when David failed in his walk with the Lord. There were times when he felt crushed under the burdens and the responsibilites of life. And it is at one of these moments that we find David in Psalm 55. A believer is not immune to rejection, to hurt and to pain, but Tim used this passage to remind us that our reaction to the hurt, pain and betrayal is what really matters. Reminded of David's sin with Bathsheba, we looked at firstly his reaction to that sin. David sought the Lord, he asked for the cleansing of God and for the joy of God's salvation to be restored to him. Later in David's life, as his own son was in rebellion against him, David showed his reaction to the hurt and turmoil which had befallen him. With the throne of the King under threat, David turned to the Lord. He showed a wil

Another exciting 'Amongst Ourselves' night was brought to a close by Danny Roberts. Reading from Romans 10:11-17 and from Mark 5:1-19, Danny brought a message on obeying the call of God in our lives.  In Mark 5, the Lord Jesus passed over the sea of Galilee and healed a man possessed of a legion of demons. This man, so thrilled by the Salvation he received from the Lord, wanted to go with his Saviour. But the Lord tenderly told him not to come, but rather sent him back to his friends and family to speak to them of the great things that Christ had done for him. We then read in Scripture that he did go back, and began to promote the Lord Jesus Christ in Decapolis, a region of ten cities, at the request of Christ. The Lord graciously reached out and saved only one man on this particular occasion, yet through the salvation of this one man, countless others had the opportunity to learn of their need of a Saviour. Through this man's obedience, God's word spread into other parts of the land which may have remained u

On a wet, stormy night Jonny Smith brought a message to the young people on the importance of spending time with the Lord. Reading from Mark 14, Jonny considered the disciples whom the Lord ask to 'tarry ye here' while He went up to pray, on the night on which He was betrayed. The Lord Jesus Christ, having already indicated that one of His disciples would betray Him, in verse 27 also prophesied that all of them would be ashamed, on that night, to be associated with Him. He then took them away from the noise and bustle of the city of Jerusalem and out into the quietness of Gethsemane. We can imagine how they must have pondered the Saviour's words in the calm of this garden. How He had told them that He was soon to be put to death. How that He would rise again, and how these men, His disciples would be ashamed of Him that very night. Perhaps that was the reason that Christ brought them to this place. As believers, it is critical that we regularly take 'time out', that we regularly take time to close the door on