YiM - YiM Blog - YiMC 2008 - Abbau am Sonntag 23.03.2008 - ENGLISCH
Just like last year, the cleanup went like clockwork. With mountains of work to be done, that was not necessarily likely, but all the participants helped where they could. Within a few minutes, the chairs were carried out of the main hall and by 4 p.m. it looked as though no one had ever been there. There was also much to be done in the school building. All the classrooms had to be set up so that the students could return to their classes after the vacation. Around 7 p.m. all the cleanup was behind us. When looking back on the second Youth in Mission Congress, there were not only many things on the to-do list to cross off, but we also experienced many of God’s blessings. People came from far and wide to participate in this congress and to take something home with them that would change their lives. The most important thing that I took with me was the fact that we do not have much time left. Jesus will come soon and He calls us to follow Him and take His Word to the world. Youth in Mission is just the beginning. Let us hold onto God and, with His help, finish the task before us.
"Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown." Revelation 3:11
YiM - YiM Blog - YiMC 2008 - Abschlussansprache mit Ron Clouzet am Sonntag 23.03.2008 - ENGLISCH
"How would you begin a awakening?" With this question, Ron Clouzet led into his final sermon on Sunday. What is a awakening? Awakening happens when things are changed and thrown over within a short amount of time and, of course, people are affected by it. In spiritual terms this is called revival. But a revival without reformation following is useless.
There is one thing that all reformations have in common: all began with young people. Jesus' disciples were not a part of the elderly in society, as some may think. They were young people that were searching for direction in life. When we look on in history, even the Millerite Movement, the foundation of the Adventist church today, began with young people who carried the message through the world.
The last great reformation took place in Wales in 1904. A 26-year-old Evan Roberts set the wheels turning towards a revival in his church. The message was simple: 1. repent of every known sin, 2. set aside doubts and bad habits, 3. be immediately obedient to the Holy Spirit, and 4. testify publicly of your faith in Jesus. Although the pews were not full at the beginning of his meetings, eventually hundreds heard the message he had to share. This not only had an effect on their personal lives, but also on the lives of the officials in the city. The birth rate of illegitimate children dropped drastically and the judges and police officers were out of a job. The mining industry experienced noticeable financial losses because the animals used for work were not accustomed to hearing commands without curse words. Within five months 100,000 people had been converted.
Our awakening began 2000 years ago and the Bible leaves us the principles we need to keep this revival afire in our lives. In John 13:34-35 Jesus calls us to love each other, but not just those that believe in Him. More importantly, we should love those who have nothing to do with Him. What would people say if we began cleaning their cars without taking donations just so that they could have a glimpse of Christ’s unconditional love?
John 14:23-24 illustrates another principle. If we know God, then we also decide to obey His commands. Only if we live a godly life will the world be convinced that there is something different about us. In John 15:5 Jesus emphasizes this point once again: if we remain in Him so that He can change us, we can lead others to God. Storms will come that we cannot get through without having learned from God and we learn from God through prayer. Prayer changes people and through prayer, we learn who Jesus is which, in turn, changes our lives.
YiM - YiM Blog - YiMC 2008 - Morgenansprache mit Michael Hasel am Sonntag 23.03.2008 - ENGLISCH
On Sunday morning Michael Hasel continues with his study of Isaiah by looking at the siege on Jerusalem by the Assyrians in the year 701 B.C. In Isaiah 36 we read about the message from the servant of the Assyrian king, who attempted to discourage the Israelites and downplay their faith in God and their King Hezekiah. But King Hezekiah did not let that get to him; he prayed and God heard him.
Even today we are confronted with many philosophical ideas that try to disregard the fact that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. The question remains whether or not we would like to stay faithful to God, trusting Him, though we may be caught in a threatening situation. If trusting in God leads to us losing our lives, we still have His promise that He will never leave us nor neglect us.
YiM - YiM Blog - YiMC 2008 - Livestream vom YiM Congress 2008 - ENGLISCH
Fourteen hundred people certainly make up a small crowd, but why not share the message with the entire world? This is where Tobias and Johannes enter the picture, the two gentlemen responsible for the live stream and giving many the opportunity to see a number of the programs on the internet. Due to copyright laws, none of the songs were able to be posted on the internet, which is unfortunate considering that music is a vital part of the worship experience.
During this congress, 120GB of files were sent from two servers used solely for live streaming purposes. Both of the servers registered a total of 15,000 hits, although 320 internet viewers participated. We are so glad to know that the good news of our living Savior was of interest to so many who were not physically present in Mannheim.
YiM - YiM Blog - YiMC 2008 - Abendansprache mit Ron Clouzet am Sabbat 22.03.2008 - ENGLISCH
How do we react when God speaks to us? How can we recognize His plan for our lives? Abraham knew the voice of God and still made plenty of mistakes. Despite God’s promise that Abraham would have a son by Sarah, beginning the fulfilment of God’s plan that his children would be as many as the stars in the heavens, Abraham had a son by the Egyptian Hagar.
Abraham's story continues as he is to offer his son Isaac upon an altar. How did he really know that God was speaking to him? Only the heathens sacrificed their own children to the false gods and, nevertheless, the man of God should do the same.
Some may think that our present situation makes things a bit easier, for we are blessed with the ability to go back to the Bible and refer to the Spirit of Prophecy. However, this does not mean that God's plan is always revealed to us at the moment we would like it. In moments such as these we have the privilege of putting our trust in the One who holds tomorrow. Some things He reveals to us only then when He knows we are capable of acting on it. When we put our faith in God and listen carefully for His voice of guidance and instruction, God will lead us down the road He has prepared for us.
YiM - YiM Blog - YiMC 2008 - Missionseinsatz am Sabbat Nachmittag 22.03.2008 - ENGLISCH
Sabbath afternoon was the chance for participants to reach out to the Mannheim community and to share just what Jesus did for His children. Over 1000 young people went either from house-to-house or set up spot in downtown Mannheim. Here are just two of the many experiences the youth had along the way.
Margarita, Magda and Michael Goetz visited a contact together that was made at last year's congress, but they were not at all ready for what was awaiting them. They rang the doorbell and were invited inside. The apartment was quite disorderly and Michael, the young man they visited, was lying on the couch smoking a joint. Two of his friends were also there playing poker on the computer. Margarita and Magda started a conversation with the two gentlemen, one of whom is Muslim, while Michael Goetz spoke with Michael. As the young ladies were answering the serious questions the two very interested young men were asking, Michael Goetz was puzzled by the various sounds Michael was making in order to disturb the conversation the others were having. Michael Goetz internalized that the devil was certainly at work and before they all parted ways, they took some time to pray together. Even Michael, who had been so busy distracting the others, was moved by the prayer.
Rahel also visited a contact that she made at last year's Youth in Mission Congress. This man lived in a high-rise, but she could no longer remember which apartment was his. She asked God to show her which doorbell she should try. Her eyes fell on a door almost blocked by a stroller and some other things and she decided to try there. The door opened and just the man she had been looking for greeted her.
"Now is a really bad time," he said. He was in the middle of a telephone call.
"No problem," Rahel replied. "I'll just come back in about a half hour."
They agreed and 30 minutes later she was back at the same door. To her surprise, no one was there. It seemed as though this gentleman was trying to sneak out of a conversation with Rahel. As he arrived some time later, they began to talk and he told her about his life. Since Rahel's last visit, his girlfriend had left him and he discovered that he was not the father of her child. Of course, Rahel jumped at the opportunity to pray for this man and his situation. Afterall, what better way to live according to Jesus' example than by putting two hands together in prayer?
YiM - YiM Blog - YiMC 2008 - Predigt mit Micheal Goetz am Sabbat 22.03.2008 - ENGLISCH
At 9 a.m. the large hall filled with the sounds of chairs clanging into each other and brushing across the floor. Young people formed small groups to more effectively discuss the lesson study on, of course, missions. The chairs quickly quieted down and the voices began to rise, but the half hour dedicated to better understanding what it means to follow Jesus' example was soon over.
After the last tones of Bach's "Air" in D Major resonated through the hall, Pastor Michael Goetz made his way to the pulpit, sharing with us a modern day tale of Luke 18:1-8, the story of a persistent woman of faith. Although the sermon was entitled "The Power of Prayer", Pastor Goetz also explained the meaning of faith – persistent prayer. What we need is persistence on this Christian journey, for in persistence is power.
YiM - YiM Blog - YiMC 2008 - Abendansprache & Taufe mit Ron Clouzet am Freitag 21.03.2008 - ENGLISCH
There is more to life than meets the eye. We all know that, but does this also apply to our spiritual lives? If our relationship to God does not come from the depths of our hearts, of what use is it?
The sermon Friday evening dealt with just this subject. "Complete surrender is necessary," Ron emphasized, in light of King Solomon, who had an obvious problem with sensuality and lust. His addiction to these things had its consequences and almost cost his family, his kingdom and himself eternal life. But what is the solution? How do we set aside those things that we actually do not want to do for a life of following the will of God?
Understanding who was in control of our will led us to the solution of this problem that has been in existence for centuries. Ron described how our will has been Satan's property ever since Adam and Eve fell. In Genesis 3:15 we find a description of the animosity God set between the serpent and Eve's offspring. This is without a doubt the prophecy of a coming Messiah. But the ancient people did not have to wait 4000 years to be free from Satan's bonds. They had the same opportunity as we have today: they could give up their will to God everyday. God gave us the authority to take back our will from the devil through taking hold of the power of Jesus Christ. We can keep our will, but in the end, we will most certainly turn our will over to the devil once again. Our only chance for success is when we give Jesus our will so that He may have the opportunity to purify and refine it. In this new state we receive our will from the Lord because His government is founded on the principle of free will.
Following the sermon, the eight baptismal candidates – Yvonne, Anita, Elizabeth, Sarah, Aki, Lovinia, Ella and Viktor – shared their conversion stories, made their way into the baptismal pool and publicly made a statement of their surrender to Christ. This experience offered the perfect occasion to make an appeal. Eighty-two people heard the Holy Spirit speaking to their hearts that night and answered the call to be baptized and another 38 had made the same decision by the end of the congress. To God be the glory!
"But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God." – John 1:12 (NLT)
YiM - YiM Blog - YiMC 2008 - Missionsblock am Freitag Nachmittag 21.03.2008 - ENGLISCH
"With such an army of workers as our youth, rightly trained, might furnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming Saviour might be carried to the whole world!" (Education, p. 271). This is the Youth in Mission movement and the reason why so many young people came together in Mannheim: to be inspired, to be trained and to go out into the world. Friday afternoon was spent focusing on the mission opportunities and projects going on throughout Germany and Switzerland in order to awaken the youth to passionately serve Christ.
"Youth for Jesus" is a ten-day mission project in Lahr, where young people will not only be trained, but will also get down to the work on the practical side of our call to share the Gospel. Michael Goetz, a pastor for the Pennsylvania Conference in the US, will be a presenter for the project. He has a heart for youth evangelism and loves helping young people become active missionaries in order to bring people to Jesus.
Another branch of missions that is beginning to bloom across Europe are mission schools. One such school is the Josia Mission School in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. Other options are the Mission College of Evangelism not far from Bern, Switzerland or the European Bible School in Norway. The goal of all these schools is to teach the students the biblical principles of their faith in order that they may go out and spread the Gospel in a practical and effective manner, bringing people to Jesus while on their own Christian journey.
"The Mission" is a project begun by students from Bogenhofen intended to train up youth for the mission field in their own backyard. "The Mission" should take place in every large city in Austria. Following "The Mission" in Klagenfurt, other campaigns are being planned for Ried, Vienna and Salzburg.
The Adventist Youth of Schwaebisch-Hall, as well as many Adventist young people from neighboring churches, will be participating in a youth evangelistic campaign. They will be heading to the streets and going door-to-door sharing the Good News and inviting the community to attend evening programs. Youth evangelistic campaigns are becoming a growing trend around Germany, where young people are determined to share their values, start conversations about the meaning of life and pass on joy to those around them.
Project Neumarkt is a church planting project already in its second year. Neumarkt fits into the category of Germany’s ten richest cities, which does present its challenges when trying to motivate community members to personally become involved. Nevertheless, Bible studies are being given and every Sabbath is another opportunity to worship together.
This summer, the project "Holiday for Jesus" will be headed to Albania. Imagine dedicating your vacation to share the Gospel! Besides time to relax, participants will be offering various courses, including running a health expo.
"Share Him" is a chance for lay people to target their circle of friends and family twice a year through an evangelistic campaign. This project takes place in a familiar setting and no large amount of advertising is necessary.
With so many opportunities to share the Gospel, everyone is bound to find a perfect fit and with much prayer and diligence, we can see the Holy Spirit at work.
YiM - YiM Blog - YiMC 2008 - Morgenansprache mit Michael Hasel am Freitag 21.03.2008 - ENGLISCH
Michael Hasel opened to Isaiah 6:9-13, where God calls Isaiah to be his servant and explains to him his future assignment. God wants him to preach faithfully, not taking into consideration how the people will regard the message or the messenger. No matter what comments, grimaces or arguments they might make, Isaiah was to keep on preaching.
This is the type of loyalty God expects from us. We are also called to preach faithfully despite the responses of those around us. We have no need to fear or be discouraged while working on the Lord's side, regardless of whether the way is smooth or full of potholes. We can trust that He has walked along the road ahead of us.