Youth Revival 2010

"The Word of God" was the theme of our youth revival that took place on October 27th - 31st. Bro. Peter McPhun, who formerly attended our Brooklyn branch of AFC years ago but presently worships in Washington, DC, was the guest speaker. Each night he built upon the foundation that was laid the previous evening, helping us to refocus on the importance of the Word of God in every aspect of our lives. The Lord blessed during each night's session of praise and worship as well as during the testimonies that followed and also met hungry souls at the altars of prayer.

On Oct. 27th, Wednesday evening, Bro. McPhun recounted his experience of losing his tithe envelope and having to place a stop on the check so that it would not be cashed by the wrong person. He told us that he was able to take that step after visiting his local bank and learning the rules and procedures that they follow to avoid fraud or misappropriation of funds. Likewise, he explained, when we obey the rules in the Word of God we can reap good results -- i.e. life -- but if we disobey the rules we will reap death.

The following evening, Bro. McPhun again reminded us about the importance of following the rules. He told us that rules can produce bondage in and of themselves, but we need to allow the Spirit of God to be mixed with the Word of God, noting II Corinthians 3:6, "the letter killeth, but the spirit maketh alive." His topic that night centered on the application of the Word of God to our everyday lives, in terms of our morality, character and integrity; during tests, trials, persecutions and challenges; as well as in our confession. The words we speak will determine if life or death will flow out of us, he said.

We were treated to a stirring rendition of "The Blood Shall Never Lose Its Power" on Friday evening, Oct. 29th, by one of our teenagers. Bro. McPhun afterwards ministered to the congregation about three different types of faith. He asked us, "What type of faith do you have?" He described "dead" faith, which involves the intellect, as exhibited by the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-22, who recognized Jesus as the "Good Master," but failed to follow Him wholeheartedly. "Deceptive" or "demonic" faith, in contrast, involves the intellect and emotion, as seen in Luke 8:26-32. We learned that evening that we should have "dynamic" faith, however, as described in James 2:20-26, that involves not only the intellect and emotion, but perhaps most important, our will.

Saturday night was the youth concert and the host church choir presented several selections as a "throw back" to years gone by. Many "Amens" were heard and smiles were seen as the congregation took a walk down memory lane while the choir sang songs including, "It's Gonna Rain," "Behold, Bless Ye the Lord," and "Total Praise." We were also treated to a short pantomime by our sister church in the Bronx, NY as they brought to life the song, "I Bowed on My Knees and Cried Holy." It was amazing to see how the Lord can use songs, scripture, and even a play without spoken words to bless our hearts and cause us to rejoice in what God has prepared for us.

During the close of the revival on Sunday morning, Bro. McPhun admonished us about "Obeying the Word of God." He reminded us that this Christian life is not to be lived in doubt and insecurity. Just like Paul told Timothy that he "hast fully known [Paul's] doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience" (II Timothy 3:10), we too have been given many examples to follow in God's Word. Bro. McPhun counseled the youth to obey the Word of God and reminded them that if they are struggling with something, they should seek counsel from the pastor or youth leader. God will bless our lives when we obey Him, he said.

May the Lord continue to remind us of the messages we heard that week and help us to obey His rules with the dynamic faith and obedience that will produce His blessings on our lives.

Copyright Apostolic Faith Church of Brooklyn, New York