 small.png "York Elim")
Pentecostal Church
Essential 100
E100 – the Essential 100 bible readings that we as a youth group are reading through together!
Encouraging words help unlock potential!
Dec 20th
* Colossians 1:1-23
Sometimes people drift and their enthusiasm for God begins to decrease. How do we encourage these people? Paul faced this challenge when writing to the church in Colosse.
Paul praised the Colossians for their good start in following Christ, giving them positive feedback rather than scolding them for drifting. New believers need encouragement rather than criticism. Paul repeatedly tells them that he has been praying for them.
However, when the believers were in danger of going off track, forgetting the supremacy of Christ and the power of the gospel, Paul reminded them that the heart of the gospel is Jesus. Verse 15-20 present incredible truths about Jesus, and then in verse 21-23, Paul hits them again with the gospel. Paul’s gentle approach, which repeats things they’ve already heard in order to cement it, helps the new believers to re-focus. Sometimes we can criticise new believers and think that they must not have ‘got’ it. But if we gentle walk alongside them we have help them to re-focus on Jesus. However, its important that we remember that God knows the person’s heart and he is working in their life.
- Do you know someone who is drifitng? How can you encourage them More >
Protect yourself in mind, body and soul!
Dec 13th
More amazing wisdom from Paul about protection! Wear God’s armour and follow the formula for peace of mind too!
* Ephesians 6:10-20
Someone recently made a comment that really struck a chord with me. Their comment concerned the way in which our society moves straight from celebrating Halloween to getting ready for Christmas. Isn’t it funny that shops will dress up their display windows with Halloween symbols, and then more or less straight after 31st October, they’re covering the same space with Christmas decorations? How bizarre when the two occasions are completely contradictory. I think its incredibility weird that people would be perfectly happy to spend time thinking about evil things, dressing up as and decorating their homes and shops with witches, goblins and devils etc, and then that all comes down, and we’re instantly bombarded with Christmas trees, carols, nativity plays; a celebration chiefly about Jesus’ birth, Jesus who is the light of the world, who came to combat the darkness! How ironic.
But what’s so good about evil? Why do people want to celebrate something like that? Maybe they don’t really understand the reality of it. This passage in Ephesians looks at this, Paul was aware of the reality of evil, More >
The Holy Spirit: God’s help for us today.
Dec 12th
* Romans 8
What a cracking passage! Paul hammers home so much truth in this chapter, and it contains so many verses that I have heard before, but I didn’t realise that they were all packed into the same space! I could fill pages with my musing about this chapter, but we’re only look at a few verses to save time and space. However, you might want to spend longer pondering the chapter as a whole. Remember you can comment on the post if you have things to add or questions you want to ask!
In this passage, there is a section entitled, “More than Conquerors” which is full of truth that can encourage our faith. It includes 2 questions, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31) and “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (8:35). These hypothetical questions enable Paul to spur on the believers, reinforcing the power of God and also his unfailing love for us. What is sometimes misunderstood is that these verses are not saying that God promises that only good things will happen to his followers. No, it is saying that God has an overall plan for good things for More >
What’s your will?
Nov 22nd
Both of theses passages look at how Paul did God’s work across different counties in setting up the early church. But they also describe different challenges he faced, and they encourage us that even though things might be tough, that doesn’t mean we are outside the will of God. God uses all situations and teaches us lots through each of them.
* Acts 16-20
Its interesting to note how at the beginning of this passage Paul was searching for God’s direction. In verses 6-8, Paul and his companions are trying out different options, trying to work out where to go to preach next. Sometimes we can find ourselves struggling to know what God’s will for us is. Which way should we go?
The starting point always has to be God. However, its often easier to set off and then invite Jesus to join us. It doesn’t really work like that. It’s much better to pray, fast, seek advice and wait for the Holy Spirit to guide us, than to set off on the wrong course, just because we’re too impatient (and maybe even too proud) to hold back and let God lead. However, that doesn’t mean that we hold completely still. See how More >
Sharing News…
Nov 14th
* Acts 13 & 14
This passage looks at the ministry of Paul and Barnabas. At the beginning of chapter 13, the Holy Spirit calls them to go out and proclaim the gospel. Each of us is called to share the good news with others.
But it is the way that this is done which is often a talking point for Christians. How do we share the gospel with others without being accused of ‘shoving it down their throats’? If we are excited about what God has done and want to share that, is there any harm? What’s the difference between us talking about what we believe and atheists proclaiming their opinion? We chatted about this today at a Christian Union group… I guess as long as your message is one of hope and you share in a sensitive way, then it should be okay!
We can take a directional lead from Paul’s approach (13:16-43). He communicated the truth of the gospel but did so recognising that his audience were both Jews and Gentiles. The emphasis was also a positive one, rather than a negative one that gets so much press.
But Paul and Barnabas’ journey isn’t a complete success, it also throws up More >
No one is out of God’s reach…
Oct 27th
These passages look at how the salvation of Jesus Christ is for everyone… even those who might have rejected Jesus in the past have the opportunity to be transformed and begin a relationship with him.
* Acts 10:1-11:18
In this passage we read about a remarkable event: God declares that the gospel is for everyone! For us today, we may not understand the significance of this as we feel like we are constantly offering it to others, and (maybe) they are rejecting it. But this passage marks a turning point in the story of God’s people. For centuries, it had been all about God’s ‘chosen’ people, and their successes and failures. However, through a vision God reveals to Peter his plan to extend the gospel to all people, thus inviting all to have a relationship with him. The relationship between Jews and Gentiles is given lots of coverage in Acts, mainly because of the previous issues between them. The way in which Peter is challenged for his actions at the beginning of chapter 11 marks how radical this decision was: the Jews had always been separate from the Gentiles. To make salvation available to them was a major change.
However, God wanted to More >
Being obedient no matter what!
Oct 17th
* Acts 6:8-8:8
Stephen was doing great things for God amongst the people, speaking great truth and showing God’s power. The people opposed him but they could not stand up against the spirit that was with him. Because they could not confront him, the opposition chose to use deceptive means in order to attack Stephen, claiming that he had spoken words of blasphemy.
Rather than shutting up when he was under attack, Stephen chose to preach a lengthy sermon directed at the Jewish leader who were opposing him. Why? Because even though they wouldn’t listen, that is what God wanted him to do. In anger, they rejected the message. We might know people who reject God angrily, maybe its because they have some hidden issues with him that they haven’t yet resolved. Pray for them!
The leaders also didn’t want to listen as they loved their religion above their love for God. Church is good, as are its traditions, but if you become more passionate about that than you do about your relationship with God, there are problems! In fact, we’d probably all agree that Jesus didn’t come to start a religion; he came to start a relationship- with us
The consequence of Stephen More >
Empowered by the Holy Spirit…
Oct 10th
* Acts 2
Jesus’ disciples had seen (and done) a lot, but little did they know how much more was ahead. I’d imagine that after all that had happened, in following Jesus and seeing his miracles, to his death and resurrection, and then ascension into heaven, the disciples must have felt a little low about it being all over. However, there was something still to come; the ‘helper’ that Jesus had promised.
As the disciples met together to worship God (despite all Jesus not being there they continued to worship with one another), and wait on God since they maybe didn’t know what else to do, the Holy Spirit came in a very powerful way. Although since it was part of the trinity, it had been there from the beginning, at this time, at Pentecost it was poured out on all the believers and as Jesus had said, it became their source of power in his absence.
The Holy Spirit transforms. He has the power to completely change a person, and we see an amazing example of this in the transformation of Peter. Peter, through the power of the Holy Spirit, became a pioneering leader of the early church. As Peter addresses the More >
He rose again victorious!
Oct 3rd
These two passages look at the final bits of the life of Jesus and the things that happened after he died…
* John 20, 21
The resurrection of Jesus is the most important aspects of the Christian faith. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then faith means nothing. That’s why it is so important to fully understand the significance of Jesus’ resurrection.
In these two chapters we meet four characters and we learn a lot from each of their relationships with Jesus.
Mary: Mary was the first one at Jesus’ tombs and she was incredibly distressed when she didn’t know where Jesus’ body was. She showed her deep love for Jesus openly. How do you show your love for Jesus?
John: Although he had been a faithful follower of Jesus, it was only once John had seen for himself the evidence that Jesus wasn’t in the tomb, that he truly believed for himself in Jesus’ power. Maybe you’ve been going to church for a while and think you know Jesus, but deep down you’re a little confused? Ask Jesus to reveal himself to you so you can fully believe.
Thomas: “Unless I see… I will not believe it.” (20:25). Thomas was honest about his problem More >
Why did they want him killed?
Sep 27th
This weeks passages look at Jesus’ arrest, trail and crucifixion. They also unpack why the story unfolds the way it does; why did the religious leaders hate Jesus? Why did he let them do it?
* John 18
This passage tells the story of Jesus’ arrest and trial. From the beginning the leaders have no desire to be fair, but seem to have decided already that they want Jesus dead. Even Pilate tries simply to deal with it so there is the least amount of hassle involved. Sometimes people today can be the same, they think little about truth and instead just say that each person can think about truth differently. Do you think that’s possible? Or is there an absolute truth that is not debatable? If we do not hold on to the word of God it is very easy for us to drift from the truth and lose our ideas about what is true. That’s why it is so important to read the bible regularly.
One reason the religious leaders were so against Jesus and were determined to eliminate him from the picture was because they made them uncomfortable. It must have felt like everything they thought they knew was right More >
