An Answer to Prayer

A group of California high school students had spent three months preparing and planning to go to Mexico during Easter break to help the poor. They had prayed that God would use them in a mighty way. Anticipating an exciting week of ministry, they journeyed to a small church near Mexicali.

Upon arriving at the small rural village on a Sunday morning, the students saw that the church where they were going to serve had been badly burned. The roof had caved in, and only the four walls remained. They cautiously made their way into what was left of the building, while a hymn was being sang in Spanish. They were greeted by the puzzled stares of a weary, discouraged Mexican pastor and nine parishioners who were midway through their Sunday morning service. It was apparent that the congregation had never received the group’s letters explaining their plans to serve and had no idea that the group was coming to spend the weeks with them.


At the end of he hymn, the pastor stopped the service, walked back to the group of high school students and said, "Que pasa?" (which the group interpreted to mean, "What in the world are you rich white kids doing in our church?")

After a long silence, one of the students spoke:” We are Christians, and we are here to serve.”

On hearing this the pastor’s eyes brimmed with tears."Some people in the village burned down our church six months ago," he explained. "We’ve been praying that God would send help, but we had given up hope that help was ever coming. Praise be to God!"

The thirty-five high school students were stunned silent. They had heard many times that God wanted to use them; now they were experiencing it for the first time. Amazed, one of the students turned to another and said, "I can’t believe it. We’re an answer to a prayer!"

God does want to use us, and He will — if we will only obey Him and follow Christ’s example to be a servant. (See Philippians 2:3-11.) We can be the answer to someone’s prayer by moving out of our comfort zones to use the gifts God has given us to make a difference in the world.

Taken from Hot Illustrations For Youth Talks by Wayne Rice

Face the Music

Have you ever heard the expression "Face the music"? Here's how that phrase came about:

Many years ago, a man wanted to play in the Imperial Orchestra, but he couldn't play a note. Since he was a person of great wealth and influence, however, he demanded to be allowed to join the orchestra so that he could perform in front of the king.

The conductor agreed to let him sit in the second row of the orchestra. Even though he couldn't read music, he was givena flute, and when a concert would begin, he would raise his instrument, pucker his lips, and move his fingers. He went through all the motions of playing, but he never made a sound.

The deception went on for two years. Then one day a new conductor took over the Imperial Orchestra. He told the orchestra that he wanted to personally audition all the players to see how well they could play. The audition would weed out all those who weren't able to meet his standards, and he would dismiss them from the orchestra.

One by one the players performed in his presence. Frantic with worry when it was his turn, the phony flutist pretended to be sick. The doctor who was ordered to examin him, however, declared that he was perfectly well. The conductor insisted that the man appear and demonstrate his skill.

Shamefacedly, the man had to confess that he was a fake. That was the day he had to "face the music".

Many of us go through the motions of the Christian life. We attend church or youth group, recite Bible verses, and say all the right things. In reality, though, we are fakes. A time is coming when all of us will be called to stand before the judge of heaven and earth and "face the music". No one will be able to hide in the crowd. The phonies will be separated from the true players. (See Matthew 12:36-37 and 25:31-46.)

Taken from Hot Illustrations For Youth Talks by Wayne Rice

Sorrow can cause us to doubt God’s plan. Even the writer Psalms wondered if God was still there and if he still cared:” Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” ( Psalm 77:8-9 ). Though we may face trouble and difficulties, sadness and pain, God is still in control, and he is always with us.

Life can sometimes leave us feeling completely crushed and lost. When terrible things happen, you may feel like you’re the only one who has ever felt so bad. It may help to remember that as long as there have been people, bad things have happened to them.

Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. …His wife said to him,” Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied,” You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
(Job 2:7, 9-10)

What should help even more is to know that God has been with all people who have suffered, comforting and caring for them in dark times.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
(Psalm 34:18)

The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.
(Psalm 6:9)

Even Jesus experienced deep sorrow while he was living on earth as one of us. In the Garden of Gethsemane, where he prayed the night before he died, the Bible says that Jesus was actually sweating blood because he was in such turmoil. Jesus did that for you, and when you experience deep sorrow, he’ll be there to see you through it. He’s been there and knows what it’s like.

Probably the deepest sorrow we’ll face in this life is losing people we love to death. But God reminds us that he is still in control. Death is not the master-God is!

Never again will they hunger; Never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, Nor any scorching heat. For the lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
(Revelation 7:16-17)

Jesus said,” I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26)

I’m a college professor. Sometimes I ask my students,” What is the most evil thing that ever happened in human history? They always answer,” The crucifixion of Jesus! ” Then I ask,” What is the most wonderful thing that ever happened in human history?” The same students say,” The crucifixion of Jesus! ” This horrible event, which was the result of sin, was taken by God and transformed into something that has blessed people everywhere.

God doesn’t make bad things happen, but he is at work in the middle of all things, overcoming evil with good and turning tragedy into blessings. So, instead of asking,” Why does God allow bad things to happen?” we should be asking,” What can God do through this tragedy? How can I work with God to turn this into something good?”

~ Tony Compolo ~

Taken from Footprints for Teens by Margaret Fishback Powers

Who was Cain's wife? Was Cain's wife his sister?

The Bible does not specifically say who Cain’s wife was. The only possible answer is that Cain's wife was his sister or niece or great-niece, etc. The Bible does not say how old Cain was when he killed Abel (Genesis 4:8). Since they were both farmers, they were likely both full-grown adults, possibly with families of their own. Adam and Eve surely had given birth to more children than just Cain and Abel at the time Abel was killed. They definitely had many more children later (Genesis 5:4). The fact that Cain was scared for his own life after he killed Abel (Genesis 4:14) indicates that there were likely many other children and perhaps even grandchildren of Adam and Eve already living at that time. Cain's wife (Genesis 4:17) was a daughter or granddaughter of Adam and Eve.

Since Adam and Eve were the first (and only) human beings, their children would have no other choice than to intermarry. God did not forbid inter-family marriage until much later when there were enough people to make intermarriage unnecessary (Leviticus 18:6-18). The reason that incest today often results in genetic abnormalities is that when two people of similar genetics (i.e., a brother and sister) have children together, there is a high risk of their recessive characteristics becoming dominant. When people from different families have children, it is highly unlikely that both parents will carry the same recessive traits. The human genetic code has become increasingly “polluted” over the centuries as genetic defects are multiplied, amplified, and passed down from generation to generation. Adam and Eve did not have any genetic defects, and that enabled them and the first few generations of their descendants to have a far greater quality of health than we do now. Adam and Eve’s children had few, if any, genetic defects. As a result, it was safe for them to intermarry.

Taken from http://www.gotquestions.org/Cains-wife.html by Got Questions Ministries

Camp Reunion & First YF Session of 2010

Hey youths! Youth Fellowship will having its first session of 2010 soon! We'll be starting on the 16th of January at 4pm in The Life Chapel. To kick it all off we'll be having a Made to Last camp reunion! So invite your friends and make sure you're there too!

Beyond The Gates of Splendor

Bible Knowledge (9221/1)

Hey youths! Bible Knowledge (BK) (9221/1) class for SPM will start this Sunday, 10.01.2010!!! BK is an elective paper for SPM. The weekly classes will cover 2 books of the bible, firstly Luke and followed by Acts in a year. The class is open to all who wants to take BK as an elective paper for SPM and to all who wants to have an in-depth study of the 2 books. Studying the books of Luke and Acts will open your eyes to the life of Jesus and the growth of the church in early Christian history. Please contact us should you require more details.

Time: 11.00am
Venue: Dr Daniel Wong's home
Fee: FOC