“If you build it, He will come”

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The above quote is taken from the 1989 Kevin Costner film ‘Field of Dreams’ and it is often misquoted as “If you build it, they will come.”

In the film he hears a voice that gives him the task of building a baseball pitch on his land.  I won’t say much more, see the film if you want all of the details.  However, there was a fulfilment to his endeavours.  The building it, lead to miracles happening.

Another man who felt compelled to build something was Nehemiah.

Nehemiah; whose name means ‘God comforts’ was a Hebrew born in exile under the Persian empire. At the start of the book of Nehemiah, he is the cupbearer to Artaxerxes King of Persia; around 444/445 B.C. When one of his brothers returned with news from Jerusalem, this is what happened: “In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.

They said to me,‘Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.’

 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” Nehemiah 1:1-4

Nehemiah learned about the great need of the people of God in Jerusalem and his response was to weep, fast & pray.  He immediately turned his focus and attention to God.

But he didn’t just pray.  Out of this time spent with God, he felt emboldened and compelled to action. He spoke to the King and with God giving him favour, he was able to go to Jerusalem and start the work of rebuilding the walls.

This work was not without its difficulties or opposition.

Whenever we are building something for God the enemy will always oppose the work. He will try to use circumstances and people to discourage, hinder, and threaten the work we are doing to build God’s kingdom.

It was the same for Nehemiah; he had to contend with the likes of ‘Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab’, but was resolute in his purpose, and most importantly, he did not try to do the work alone.

Nehemiah got everyone involved in the work of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.

Even when they discovered a plot by their enemies to take them all by surprise whilst they built the wall; Nehemiah encouraged them and focussed them on who they were building the wall for; ‘Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.’ – Nehemiah 4:14.

They were building the wall together, some with a sword & shield in hand to protect each other.  Building it for God and for their neighbour; for their families, their children & their children’s children.

It’s the same today, when we work together in building something for God’s kingdom, we are also building something good for our neighbours, our families, our children and leaving a legacy for our children’s children.

At Llandudno Youth for Christ we are wanting to build the Kingdom of God, one soul at a time.  Letting young people know about Jesus, and giving them the opportunity to discover a relationship with Him.  As part of this work, we need fellow builders.  Those who will come alongside us and work with us; whether it be helping out at our Saturday Cafe Reverb@St John’s, at our Sunday evening Bible Study: ‘Redefine‘, our Thursday after-school drop-in ‘Reverb – Youth Space‘ or praying faithfully with us at our Monthly Sunday evening prayer meetings; we greatly need and appreciate you being part of building walls of faith, hope & love in Llandudno and beyond.

If you want to help us with this great work, please contact us via email: llandudnoyfc@gmail.com, by phone: 07517 429 763 or by post: Llandudno Youth for Christ, c/o Ty Llywelyn Community Centre, Ffordd Yr Orsedd, Llandudno, LL30 1LA.

“If you build it he will come.“

“Saved People, Serve People!”

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“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them. ‘You call me “Teacher” and “Lord”, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” – Jesus (John 13:12-17)

Last night at our weekly Sunday evening Bible Study we looked at the whole issue of servanthood, servant-heartedness, serving one another.

The title for the evening was the same as the one for this Blog post.

Philippians 2:5-11 was the main text we referred to in looking at how God calls believers to serve not only one another, but the world around us.

As always we look to Jesus, the author and completer of our faith. Jesus who we follow and who, by the power of His Spirit at work in our lives, we are becoming more and more like as He transforms us into His image (see Hebrews 12 & 2 Corinthians 3).

This humility of Jesus that we see in Philippians, is also on full display in the act of washing His disciples feet. Walking on the roads in 1st Century Palestine was often a messy and dirty affair.  Your sandals were open to the elements. Your feet could get covered in dust and dirt and even animal droppings. Pooh indeed!

Maybe you cut yourself and the blood mingled in with all of that dust & pooh. There might even be blisters.

Pretty yucky.

Yet it is these feet that have been dirtied by walking through the world that our Lord and Saviour washes.

He is willing to kneel down and get his hands dirty to clean the feet of those He loves.

The Creator of the Universe.

The great ‘I am’ humbles Himself to serve those who have given up everything to follow Him, even one who will deny Him and one who will betray Him. Jesus’ love is unconditional and extravagant.

The hands that formed the first man out of dirt are now washing the dirt away and cleaning the feet that He created.

Our God wants to be involved in our lives.

He wants to clean us up and make our lives beautiful.

He also calls those of us who have had our feet washed by Him, to go and serve those around us in the same way. To humble ourselves and get involved in the dirt and dust and mess of life and bring His cleansing and life.

Saved people, serve people.

Let’s go out there and serve others and in doing so, serve Jesus.

PS: The next Study in our ‘We Believe‘ series will be ‘Everyone is a Worship Leader‘. If you are aged between 11 and 18 years old, or know someone who is, perhaps you or they want to come check it out on Sunday 2nd October @ ‘Redefine’, Ty Llywelyn Community Centre, Ffordd Yr Orsedd, Llandudno, LL30 1LA.

 

Store it up!

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‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.‘ – Jesus

During the whole of this discourse by Jesus, He is trying to get his listeners to realise that the true rewards of a relationship with God, are essentially a relationship with God.

He compares the Pharisees and their hypocrisy of doing ‘righteous’ acts in full view of everyone in order to be praised by others, with the person who does the same acts out of a heart of love in relationship with God.

Acts done without any thought of or desire for the praise of man, but done to please God alone.

The ‘treasure‘ that Jesus keeps referring to is, I believe, the praise of God in heaven. That ‘well done good and faithful servant’.

Also, within the context of treasure and reward, Jesus tells his listeners to ‘not worry‘ about their life, what they will eat or drink, but to trust in God’s provision for their lives. A trust that will flow naturally out of relationship.

Our focus should not be on building empires and kingdoms for ourselves here on earth. Getting the biggest car, and best ‘stuff’; but rather on ‘seeking first His kingdom’. It’s a shift of focus, putting our hearts in the right place. Not on the temporal and earthly, but on the eternal and heavenly, for ‘where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’

What is our focus in our day to day?

Are we seeking to build God’s kingdom? Are we praying for His kingdom to come and His will to be done in our lives and the lives of those around us?

With that thought in mind, we are having the first of our monthly prayer meetings this Sunday 25th September, 7-8pm at Ty Llywelyn Community Centre. We would love for you to join us this coming Sunday and pray for God’s kingdom to come and for His will to be done. To pray that the lives of young people in Llandudno and beyond will be transformed by the good news of Jesus.

Let us put effort into where our heart is; for “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Galatians 3:1-4

Let’s store up treasures in heaven today!

Redefine – We Believe Series!

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Last night we held the first of our Redefine meetings for the new term.

The title of the night was ‘Found People, Find People.’

It was a great night where the young people go to grips with the challenges Jesus give us as believers in the ‘Great Commandment’ and the ‘Great Commission’.

Above is the promotional video for the series, with the titles of each night’s topic:- Found People, Find People. Saved People, Serve People. Everyone is a Worship Leader. Growing People Change. You Can’t Do Life Alone.

Each week we will be looking at 5 different applicable creeds or beliefs that will help the young people walk out their faith in real and practical ways.

As said above, last night we looked at how we love God and our neighbours and how out of that place of love we are commanded to ‘go’ to share Jesus with those around us. Not merely to ‘evangelise’ them, but to actually walk with others and ‘make disciples’; just a Jesus walked with his disciples, sharing life and bringing ‘Kingdom’ transformation to their lives.

Next Sunday we will be building upon this foundation stone, for as Jesus said after being asked which is the greatest commandment in the Law? ‘“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’ – Matthew 22:37-39. Loving God and loving others is the foundation upon which everything else hangs and depends.

Our going and serving flow from this.

We really hope that this series of evenings will encourage, challenge and transform the lives of the young people that come to the events; and we look forward to seeing what God does in and through what we are doing.

Please continue to support us in Prayer, Provision and with People (we are always looking for volunteers to help us in the work that we do).

If you are interested in helping in any way with the work of Llandudno Youth for Christ, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email: llandudnoyfc@gmail.com, by post: Llandudno YFC, c/o Ty Llywelyn Community Centre, Ffordd Yr Orsedd, Llandudno, LL30 1LA, or by phone: 07517 429 763 (Mondays & Thursdays 9am – 5pm).

Have a great week and “go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” Matthew 28:19-20

“Ad novum alumni, ambulare cum Deo et frui in via.”

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The title of this post is in Latin and says ‘To new students, walk with God and enjoy the journey’. As you read on, you will understand why I chose this title.

“Sollicite cura te ipsum probabilem exhibere Deo operarium inconfusibilem recte tractantem verbum veritatis.” – II Timotheum II:XV. (Vulgate)

“Bydd ddyfal i’th osod dy hun yn brofedig gan Dduw, yn weithiwr di-fefl, yn iawn gyfrannu gair y gwirionedd.” – 2 Timotheus 2:15 (Beibl William Morgan)

“Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth.” – 2 Timothy 2:15 (Amplified Bible)

Last night at the final ‘God, Games & Goats” night of the summer we had a party themed night, with silly games such as ‘pass the parcel’ & musical chairs. There were party snacks and cakes and everyone had a great time.

It was though, sadly, the last night for some of the young people and volunteer leaders, who in the next 2 weeks will be heading off to Universities and Bible Colleges around the globe. Some will be as close as Bangor University, and others as far afield as Austria.

We prayed for those who are leaving to start a new adventure with God in new surroundings.

It is often hard to do this.  Hard to go somewhere new, and leave what is familiar behind; but we can take great courage from the Bible as it reminds us that the God who created the Universe, who holds everything together by the power of His word. Our God has promised that He will be with us even when we walk into new and unfamiliar territory.  He will never leave us or forsake us and in Jesus, He has revealed Himself as ‘Emmanuel’, the God who is with us.

So as our young people go to University and set foot for the first time in their new accommodation, our God is there with them.

As they walk down the halls of their new campuses, Jesus is right there alongside them; like the lion Aslan in the book ‘The horse and his boy‘ (read the excerpt here). “surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:20b

This time at University is a great opportunity for them to grow in knowlege and understanding. An opportunity for them to grow in their faith and relationship with God. An opportunity to make new friends and broaden their horizons.

Let us pray for them.

Pray God’s protection and strengthening of them in this time.

Pray they will find a church family near University that will support them in this part of their journey as much as their church family that is sending them will.

A great resource for our amazing soon-to-be students is UCCF (the University and College Christian Fellowship), they have a fantastic website crammed full of more information and resources, well worth a visit. They also have created some short but insightful videos about life as a Christian on campus, such as the one below.

uccf2And they can help our students find Christian Unions at their University which will in turn help them find great churches in their area.

So once again, please pray for our young people who are heading to University.

Also, as we are equally, losing some of our amazing volunteers who are heading to University and Bible College respectively, we are looking for people to fill their shoes and help us with the work we do, so if you have a passion for Jesus, and want to help us impact the lives of young people in our area with the good news about Him, then please do not hesitate to contact us (scroll to the bottom of the page)

 

Who is the greatest?

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“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said:‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Matthew 18:1-5

The opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Paralympics was held last night at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio De Janeiro. It was a wonderful spectacle with dance, stunts, music and the lighting of the Olympic flame.

During the Paralympics, just as with the Olympics, each sports-person is competing to win the gold, to see who is the ‘greatest’ at their respective sport. It is a wonderful and thrilling time for all of us spectators as we watch these titans clash.

We love watching competition it seems.  Like all of the cooking, sewing and talent shows on the television; such as ‘the great british bake-off’ or ‘the X-factor’. We are watching to see who will win, who will succeed, who is the ‘greatest’.

This can also spill over into our lives, where we look at those around us as we compare ourselves with them. What kind of car do they drive, where do they live, what is their job, what is their family like?

Compare, compare, compare.

We are so competitive.

We want to be the greatest.

It makes us feel good about ourselves, but it comes from the wrong source.

Jesus’ disciples were asking the same question and as always, Jesus took their question as an opportunity to declare the kingdom of God. Turning all of their wrong ideas on their head to reveal the heart of God.

Jesus took the smallest, youngest, most inexperienced and unqualified person to show who was the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.

A child.

A little child is dependant on their parents for love, protection, provision, support. A little child is teachable, open to learn and discover. A little child is full of wonder at the world around them. A little child is humble.

Jesus was challenging the disciples to drop their own success, self-effort and self-righteousness. In God’s kingdom we rely totally on our heavenly Father. Dependant on Him, like little children.

Our comparisons and competitions drop to the floor when we see how loved we are and that our worth comes from what God thinks about us, not how ‘great’ we are.

From that place of receiving God’s love comes a freedom to love and accept others in turn.

“And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Matthew 18:5

“The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40

When we do this, we see the Kingdom of God at work.

If you want to get involved in some work that is all about building the Kingdom of God, we at Llandudno Youth for Christ are always looking for volunteers to support what we do.

Whether it is at our Saturday Cafe, our Reverb – Youth Space after-school drop-in club, or Redefine, our Sunday evening youth Bible Study, or being a champion in your congregation promoting the work we do, we would love to hear from you and find out how you can get involved.

Contact us on tel: 07517 429 763. email: llandudnoyfc@gmail.com.

Kicking-Off Soon!

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Next week Llandudno Youth for Christ have the launch, or ‘kick-off‘ of the events we will be holding in the 2016-2017 academic year.

Reverb. youth space banner

On Thursday 15th September our ‘Reverb. Youth Space‘ will start. We are really looking forward to this.

Our first ‘Recess‘: school lunch-time meeting at Ysgol John Bright will also be held on Thursday 15th of September.

Then on Sunday the 18th of September; ‘Redefine‘, our Sunday evening Bible study group for young people will be the first of what is going to be a great autumn term.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” Genesis 1:1-2.

I love that, ‘in the beginning God‘. Right at the beginning of everything was and is and always will be God. Or as it is put in the letter to the church in Colossae “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 4:15-17. Jesus holds it all together and he is ‘before all things’.

As we start this new season and this new time of reaching out to many young people in Llandudno and beyond, will you join with us in praying that God would be with us, blessing us right at the ‘beginning‘ of all that we are wanting to do. Praying with us and for us that as we take the gospel relevantly to these young people, Jesus would hold everything and everyone together.

That Jesus would be right at the centre of all that we do, and that we would always begin everything we do with God.

Also, don’t forget that we will be holding our next group prayer meeting for the work of Llandudno Youth for Christ at the end of the month: Sunday 25th of September at 7pm in Ty Llywelyn Community Centre.

We hope you can join us, but even if you can’t we really appreciate your prayers.

Thank you & keep on praying.

Do what you love and love what you do!

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‘See I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills –  to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.’ – Exodus 31:2-5

What are you good at? What do you love doing?

The two men mentioned above were gifted by God with the creative skills to build all of the items needed for the Tabernacle in the wilderness.

They were also called by God to serve Him in a unique way.

Why am I talking about these two guys who were both gifted and called by God for a special purpose that no-one else could fulfil?

Well, this September 15th we will be launching our new after-school’s drop-in event ‘Reverb Youth Space’. Held at Ty Llywelyn Community Centre, Ffordd Yr Orsedd, Llandudno, LL30 1LA.

As part of the event, we will have a ‘Quiet room‘ with books, board games, puzzles, colouring books & crafts for people to quietly get stuck into; there will be a ‘Music Zone‘ with guitars and other instruments for people to play and jam with; a ‘Movie Room‘ where people can watch a film and chill out; and finally a ‘Geek Zone‘ where there will be ‘retro gaming’ stations, a comic book reading corner, sci-fi & superhero top trumps, anime, cosplay and other geeky goodness.

For each of these ‘zones‘ we are looking for more volunteers to help out with the work.

A-ha!

Yes, as with Bezalel and Ohaliab, we are looking for people who are passionate about serving God and who want to see young people engaging with Him in a safe and fun environment.

We want people gifted and called by God, like the two craftsmen above.

If you love to see young people engaging with God, then like the title above says ‘do what you love’.

Contact us here at LLYFC and let us know you would like to help out.

Tel: 07517 429 763 (Office Telephone: Mondays & Thursday 9am – 5pm)

Email: llandudnoyfc@gmail.com

we want you pointing finger LLYFC