l ‘THE YOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWED YOUTH CONTENTS DEDICATION | 03 FOREWORD | 04 INTRODUCTION | 05 FROM THE PRESIDENT | 07 NBCYC MISSION STATEMENT AND CORE VALUES | 08 JANUARY | RENEWED BY THE SPIRIT | 09 FEBRUARY | AHEART THAT LOVES | 13 MARCH | UNDEFILED LIFE | 19 APRIL | ENTERING INTO GOD’S NEWNESS | 26 MAY | GARMENT OF HONOUR | 30 JUNE | THE LIVING WATER | 45 JULY | CONTENDING FOR THE “AITH AUGUST | YEAR OF JUBILE SEPTEMBER | MENTOR AND MENTEE fagsTHE YOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWED YOUTH DEDICATION Dedicated to Pastor Onajite Enunuaye National President, Nigerian Baptist Convention Youth Conference 2019-2022 :THE YOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWED YOUTH FOREWORD The Youth Sword is an annual material produced by the Youth Ministries Division of Nigerian Baptist Convention for the purpose of all-round growth of her youth in their various local churches. itis meant for the weekly fellowship gatherings and each year has a specific theme that helps give a direction to all the monthly topics. This year 2023, the theme is ‘The Renewed Youth.’ In Psalms 103:1-5, the Psalmist celebrates the goodness of the Lord in his life but in verse five (5), he specifically gives the reason for which God decides to satisfy man; “Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.” The reason the Lord does that is for us to be renewed like the Eagle. What does it mean to be renewed like the eagle? What is God expecting from us as the youth of Nigerian Baptist Convention in 2023? The Jews believe that the eagle is a bird of prey that can live up to 70 years of age under certain conditions, But the eagle at age of 40 must make a very difficult decision, because his nails are no longer effective in grabbing its prey. Also the long and sharp beak became very curved so that it could not piece its prey, the wings has also became heavy because the feathers became very thick and attached to the breast. With these conditions, the eagle has two options; either die or endure a painful 150 day replacement process. The procedure requires the eagle to fly to a mountain and stay for the period. There the eagle knockouts its beak against the rock until it breaks its beak (self-discipline). Then he waits for his new beak to grow (patience). Next step, it pulls his claws with his beak (modesty). When his new claws grow out, it plucks the old feathers (maturity). After five months, the eagle recovers and can live for another 40 years. ‘Therefore, the focus for the year is calling on our youth to spiritual renewal that calls for self- discipline, patience, modesty and maturity in our walk and work with the Lord. Every Christian is called to defeat that old man who enslaves, the deceptive desires that lure and cage man in spiritual prison. This painful process of renewal starts with willingness to repent, it is breaking and pulling away of the accumulated passions in the soul. But this transformation is not without exploits and without restraint until the soul is decorated with the necessary virtues, like an eagle for rising to the new heights. | pray that as we faithfully go through the various teachings, the Lord will lead us to the next height of our journey with Him. ‘The material is well packaged for weekly fellowship. Leaders are supposed to go through it and get in touch with capable hands that will help handle the weekly topics for the good of the fellowship members. Thanks, and have divine encounter as you weekly come into His presence. Joshua Sunday IbukunOluwa National Coordinator, YMD / Acting Director, YSD, NBC [email protected] +2348038263958 or +2348159990073THE YOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWED YOUTH INTRODUCTION The Renewed Youth - The Renewed Mind. “! appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2). As | have thought and prayed about these verses, | considered more on the “Will of God” The Will of God hope we can discern what is “the will of God.” It's a very common phrase, when we use it, we may not know what we are talking about. If you get into the habit of using religious language without Knowing what you mean by it, you will increasingly become an empty shell. And many alien affections move into empty religious minds which have language but little or wrong content. The term “the will of God” has at least two and possibly three biblical meanings, First, there is the sovereign will of God, that always comes to pass without fail. Second, there is the revealed will of God in the Bible, do not steal, do not lie, do not kill, do not covet, and this will of God often does not come to pass. And third, there is the path of wisdom and spontaneous godliness, wisdom where we consciously apply the word of God with our renewed minds to complex moral circumstances, and spontaneous godliness where we live most of our lives without conscious reflection on the hundreds of things we say and do all day. The Renewal of Your Mind By the renewed mind; you do not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. We are perfectly useless as Christians if all we do is conform to the world around us. And the key to not wasting our lives with this kind of success and prosperity, Paul says, is being transformed. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed.” The Christian alternative to immoral behaviors is not a new list of moral behaviors. It is the triumphant power and transformation of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Lord, our Treasure. “[God) has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not: letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor Freedom to Be Enslaved to Christ This is why the Christian life, though it is utterly submitted (Romans 8:7; (Romans 6:18, 22) to the revealed will of God, is described in the New Tere YOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWED YOUTH Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” 0 no this is to you! + Ifyou long to break loose from conformity to the world, + Ifyou long to be transformed and new from the inside out, «If you long to be free from mere duty-driven Christianity and do what you love to do because what you love to do is what you ought to do, + if you long to offer up your body as a living sacrifice so that your whole life becomes a spiritual act of worship and displays the worth of Christ above the worth of the world; Then, give yourself with all your might to pursuing this: the renewal of your mind. Because the Bible says, this is the key to transformation. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” How crucial What is wrong with the human mind? Why does our mind need renewing? And what does this renewal look like? And how can we pursue and enjoy this renewal? Take good time, your passionate interest in fellowship with the brethren as we study together. Enjoy divine inspirations. Olubunmi 0. Ayodele Senior Ministerial Officer Youth Ministries, NBC [email protected] 07032803335/08159990091‘THE YOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWED YOUTH FROM THE PRESIDENT We appreciate God for the grace to sustain this project of preparing the Youth Sword for our young People to develop in them the opportunity of gleaning weekly with the Lord. Thanks to all the writers, the Lord has been using to write and co Mmunicate His thoughts for us. We also appreciate the department for the coordination, may God bless you richly. Our THEM for this year is THE RENEWED LIFE, John 4:24. This text opens our eyes to realize that we cannot worship God with our human body only but in the Spirit. God, desired that we be renewed in our inner Man by His Spirit that is living in us. The Spirit of God allows us to tune our hearts to the frequency of God and we enjoy our worship to. the Lord. As Youths, we must make frantic efforts to dwell in the secret place of the most High God. That's where we can only find satisfaction for life. Remember God seeks true worshippers, who will be ready to worship God in Truth and in Spirit, availing yourself to be renewed in your mind gives you access into God's presence. God bless you all Enunuaye Onajite National President, NBCYC 0706 715 3182 [email protected]uw SWORD, VOLUME 10. | THE RENEWED YOUTH He YOUTH SV NBCYC MISSION STATEMENT AND CORE VALUES MISSION STATEMENT Nigerian Baptist Convention Youth Conference (NBCYC) exists as a community of believers that represen, frist by proclaiming the gospel, making disciples of believers, caring for people and growing hurches through worship, mission, education, and recreation and collaborating with other Christian agencies of like mind across the globe. CORE VALUES Worship i We commit ourselves to worshiping God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour as expressed in relevant biblical teachings, proclaiming the gospel for life’s transformation, continual prayer and expression of reverence and adoration to God. Fellowship As Christian youths, our gathering affords us opportunity to relate together in fellowship for the purpose of strengthening one another in faith, in love, offering necessary support and encouragement as co-pilgrims to eternity with Jesus Christ, our Lord Mission Outreach: As believers in Great Commission of our Lord Jesus, we commit ourselves to the proclamation of the gospel ‘y bringing unbelievers to personal faith in Jesus Christ and reaching out in missions to places that need the Bospel more desperately than where we are currently located. Leadership Development: ‘As people of faith and vision, we recognise the need for quality leadership for the church and nation. ‘therefore committed to helping and providing the platform through which Baptist Youth can Gevelop and deploy their spiritual gifts with confidence that they might use them as emerging building up the Body of Christ and the society. Career Development: ‘As 2 community of young people with passion for fruitfulness ani ‘one another to attain purposeful careers and academic pur id productivity, we are commit living by providing platform for our members to d to the level of self-sustainability and usefulness to the cl ‘Recreation: ‘As Baptist Youth with different skills, we commit ourselves to demonstrate our p ‘recreation and sporting activites for the purpose of glorifying God and bri Jesus Christ with the goal of populating His church, MOTTO: Let No One Despise Your YouTHEYOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWED YOUTH JANUARY RENEWED BY THE SPIRIT TITUS 3:5 Se iiction WEEK ONE ne Be Merion Webster Dictionary, to renew means to make like new; to restore to freshness, vigour oe to te re SPifitual perspective- to renew means to revive, reset, regenerated and restored, ince, to be renewed by the Spirit is to allow God's quickening power bring you back to life, making you Mnore effective for the course of the Maste f a and allowing His perspective to direct your course of action in life What does it mean to be renewed by the spirit? It means that the Divine causes a change in the natural man, producing a new ‘element: This new clement has gone through a kind of spiritual metabolic transformation. This could be likened to the physical changes we experience when we regularly eat healthy food. v A renewed man is regenerated by the Spirit of God. The Divi human spirit through the divine birth (John 3:6) These ‘two spi believer (1 Corinthians 6:17). By being so renewed in the spi the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). ine spirit joined to mingle with our rts’ have become one Spirit in the of our mind we are transformed to How can one experience being renewed by the Spiri 2. It begins from your strengthened spirit- your spirit, indwelt by His Spirit. When you turn to the spirit of the Divine (Rom. 8:6), a divine transmission will take place which will renew you with His Divine life. The more you turn to the Spirit, the more you experience renewing b. Through a regular study of the word of God, The more time you spend with God in prayers, the more transformed you become, ©. Through Prayer: To Contact the spirit is to call on the name of the Lord Jesus (21 Corinthians 12:36). Try Calling on the name of the Lord Jesus from deep within. You will find yourself making contact with the Spirit that is joined to your spirit. 4d. Put on the New Man Daily. When we are being renewed by the Spirit, we are executing the fact of putting off the Old Man and putting on the New man, Practice this daily renewing by the Spirit Continually drinking the one spirit by calling on the Lord and reading from the Bible daily. Conclusion Being renewed opens the believer to a new world of glory. It ensures you do not struggle unnecessarily to live the life of Christ. Hence, as a youth, itis necessary to let Christ rule your life on a daily basis. Everywhere, and ‘anywhere, you find yourself, let others see Christin you.D YOUTH THE YOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWEI WEEK TWO PRACTICAL WAYS TO BE RENEWED BY THE SPIRIT ill try to use rca self for strength. However, satan wil ae God Can Use our s to bring us back to g Scart wan usawey fom God, We cannot et ths happen, The next time you fel weary and you ney weariness to tur ui t to be renewed in your spirit, turn to the right things: Image, Jim Berg emphasizes the importance of rete esto or jure lbea NCE eee eee Gh Ass youth you must arn to ge up 2 dey or eve ew hoist to spend time ane tha, Even though we claim that our time is precious to us, we must bear in mind that ce wants t! tie no matter how hard it may seem. When you are wearied and run down, set time aside to spend with the Lord and you will be surprised at how fast you will ounce back. Sleep: Sometimes our spirit may be weary simply become our body is weary. Physical exhaustion and soul weariness go hand-in-hand. Sometimes we just simply need to rest. Schedule time to go to bed carly. Take things easy and create time to rest because itis an important part of life. © Four out your Heart to God, Talk to God and regularly pour out your heart to Him. He wants to fill us with tis Strength and joy f you discover you are weary, immediately start sharing your thought and feelings with Him, °n we are weak they can also hel Strengthen each other (Galatians 6:2). Hence, ‘an listen to you as well as pray for you, God wants Christians to €nsure you are regular in church; speak with a friend who wonderful encourage just read some hymi also encourage your ns. You will discover that the heartand hep renew you, the tym ou roaTHEYOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWED YOUTH h. Focus your energy on the Focus your energy on marian thins: If You are weary take a break from business and constant strivings. the efforts to eneeeee as out re i God, on prayer and time with others. Do not be afraid to make " ala reg meone else. Sometimes all we need to do to fe is tomake someone else feel blessed and cern do to feel refreshed and encouraged is Conclusion Itis important to always put yoursel If on check in order to kno rf some of these ways to re 'w whether you are on tra k. If not Vive your spiritual state and strength fe eae WEEK THREE IMPORTANCE OF SPIRITUAL RENEWAL Introduction Any effort to renew ourselves must follow the Holy Spirit's initiatives and enabling. This is primarily because He hhas all what it takes to renew us when we need it the most. It is important we take spiritual renewal so Seriously because it ensures we do not fall out completely from following God. Importance of Spiritual Renewal 2 Strength. When you experience renewal, you receive strength from heaven, You become active. The strengthening of the spirit is needed for the spirit of man body and to be a correct channel for the Spirit of God to flow out to 5. Joy. The stress of life can rob you of joy. Believers ar Our joy is not to be of this world but of God (Psalm 16:11). Because God is everywhere and, in his presence, there is fullness of joy, it therefore implies that joy is available to you always when you are in his presence. Our heavenly Father desires to bring about the fruit of the spirit in you. He has a Plan to lead you to a perfect and unshakable joy. But in order to receive this, you will have to make a choice to place your hope and trust in him. ‘@ connected to strength when our joy is renewed. © Peace. When you walk in peace, your mental and spiritual attitude creates a sense of well-being, When you choose to walk in peace, the stress of life cannot overwhelm you. Reading the Word of God, praying and meditating on His word, help you to walk in peace. Experiencing peace is simply knowing that the Lord of the universe is by your side and resting on that fact. However, you should not just know this, but you should also live it out. ¢. Focus. When your mind is renewed, your thoughts align with God's thoughts. You see your situation from God's Perspectives. This is a way to experience a focused mind over matters. There will always be moments when you are overwhelmed. During such times, itis helpful to focus on the Holy Spirit for renewal. €. Trust. God is committed to helping over overcome every obstacle confronting you. Trusting God is like relying on His ability to take you through difficult times and work all things together for your benefit. (Rom, 8:28), aTHE YOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWED YOUTH Love. In the heart renewed by the Spirit, love is the ruling principle of action. It modifies the charact governs the impulses, Controls the Passions and enables correct affections. This kit ba found in the heart where Jesus reigns (1 John 4:12-14), id of love can only be WEEK FOUR ESSENCE OF SPIRITUAL RENEWAL 2 Cor. 4:16 When we are able to build robust intimacy with God in our daily Christian living, we bound to enjoy; 1. Compact Relationship: The Holy Spirit, through the Word of God, renews us when we come into a relationship with Him. Our need today is to be those who are being renewed every day with the fresh supply of the resurrection life to replace our culture and to become a youth with newness, who has been made new in all ramifications. 2. Newnes and Freshness: Our God is forever new; there is no oldness in Him and whatever He does is _ new. He created all things but the fall of man contaminated the old creation. However, in the new a creation, God reinfuse newness into His people making everything new by His Spirit. The only way we can become new is by receiving the life-impacting Spirit, which serves as the element of newness, ia 3. Enduring Steadfastness: We are, however, expected to remain in God in order to sustain the | that we enjoy as He dispenses newness to us daily. When we are not under the divine dispen constantly receiving the new element of God, we slide back into the old life. Our forever new infusing 5. Renewed lifestyle: What we want is to be renewed by turnir fresh supply of resurrection life, and allowing Him to renew us d: ‘come into full manifestation, we all as must experience a thoro\ by default and whenever the mind is not set on the spit tis en Conclusion May we experience a dai to renew our whole being. May the Lord remove anythir and Lordship (Roman 6:4-7). °THE YOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 |THE RENEWED YOUTH FEBRUARY A HEART THAT LOVES ROMANS 12:9-10 Introduction This month by the gr ‘ace of God our study will be focused on “LOVE” will be ta king is the practical aspect of LOVE. A writer called Brene and a shit ton of work to practice” ‘and grow, , but the in dimension in which the study Brown wrote that “love is easy to profess LOVE is something that we give or get, it is something that we nurture © connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each of them ~ we can only love others as much as we love ourselves. Love is messy, it's both easy and hard. It can bring out the best in us and the worst. Paul's letter to the Romans in our text clearly pointed out that we should stop pretending to LOVE, we should genuinely express love to others. If Paul is saying we should genuinely express love that means there are ways LOVE can be falsely expressed The month of February is usually tagged as the month of LOVE, probably because it is the month that connotes the VALENTINE’S DAY. That is why this month we are focusin that LOVES”. for these four weeks the topics to be considered are as foll Week One: Practical Meaning of Love Week Two: Expressing true Love Week Three: what matters when we love Week Four: He first love us. ig our teaching on the topic “A Heart lows: vvvy WEEK ONE PRACTICAL MEANING OF LOVE ‘Mathew 22:39, Introduction: ‘As youths, professing love is as easy as when we are hungry we remember we need to look for food and eat. But in the true sense of it how many of us truly mean what we say. The fact is that it is easier to say “I Love you", but harder to mean or act in a manner that shows that “I Love You”. It only takes someone that have a heart that loves to say and truly mean LOVE. In Mathew 22:39 Jesus said “A second is equally important, Love your neighbour as yourself”. What this verse implies is that the practical meaning of Love is in the way we love ourselves. As the saying goes “man is naturally selfish”, that is why everyday man will all that it takes to satisfy him/herself, to feel comfortable, to make himself more important than others. Meaning of Love ‘4 i 1. Loving your neighbour (fellow human): This means that a person's love for his fellow man should spring from God's love and thus reflect in his character. We should notice that the love commanded here ‘elates to both outward deeds and inward attitudes. “You shall not hate your brother in your heart” (Leviticus 19:17). "You shall not take vengeance (deed) or bear any grudge (attitude)” (Leviticus 19:18). And to love your neighbour as yourself does not mean to have a positive self-image or high self-esteem. 13,4 swORD, VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWED YOUTH eal, ingenuity and perseverance to pursue alee s happiness ag ; py bob and 1 Samuel 18:1, ayer pap tn Et ok al ek a rs Sea He Foar Ati Exodus 23:4-5 says “If be er Wuhan C campeon Fel shil| it back to him. If you see the ass of one who hates you ly 8 under its Berea ios hak Gee ba bi th i ou shall help him lift it up”. Proverbs 24:17 also says “Do nog sats acs yo os ah i are $roTeoT 25:21 says “If your enemy is hungry, give him breaq to tat Whats teaching sis that 5 Christian youths we don payback evil for evil but we payback ea it this is in with good. Proverbs 24:29 says “don’t say now I can pay them back for what they've done to mel I'll get vith good. Proverbs 2 s even with them!” you le of Christ. He loved us ive life of love: Ephesians 5:2 “Live a ife filed with ove, following the examp i oe a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God”. Jesus is our pers eipeale es his al to give us al, What are your friends saying about you? What are your parent saying out your Wat is yout pastor saying about you? What are the people in your neighbourhood saying about you? ‘ou are expected to be an example in everything you do. When you live a life of love it is like a light it fadiates and everyone will notice it without anyone drawing his/her attention. One bij ig reason why we must live a life of love is because love is infectious, your action will change someone you might not have thought of ministering to. Reflection Now are we supposed to live out our fe when there is fear, anxiety, pain, ‘comer of our lives? ot problem lurking around every WEEK TWO EXPRESSING TRUE LOVE it, Many youths mi dima i th Y ‘expressing love. There Sy. end up dof ing the wrong things all YS We can express love as Chri ene ‘the ways we can express love as children of God, 'stian youths, we will be looki small, and favour thy . , and do not hinder them from coming ian = In our society today; we treat childr rn aside. Rather, h en as little spent time with them, blesseny eN* Person tomorrow, WeeTHEYOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10. | THE RENEWED YOUTH see them, but re in every member the cont ody, the person you de: and care Christ showed to the p remember to nt Is more important than the container, Only God knows the content eshvicly may be your saviour tomorrow, We can emulate the love r, the marginalized, and the sick, Learning from his example, we can be kind to children and tho: re and those who are socially disadvantaged, We can ri {ove BY Prioritizing those who have nobody looking out for then erode ol all 2. Have patience with eac! : Patter ines vai a Bieter at Nee Is a virtue, Paul admonished the Colossians in Colossians 3:12- meekness, and patience, bos in sn Ones. holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, each other”. itis unfortanere goat one another and, ifone has a complaint against another, forgiving pact co arynate that, even when we are surrounded by fellow believers, “bearing with one Brace {0 one another? Patience in the midst of frustration and trial is one of the most shining examples of biblical love. Be generous: There are two aspects of generosity. First, and the one that it comes to mind for many of us when we hear the command “to give,” is the material sense. For, as James exhorts, 'f one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? The Bible has verse after verse reminding us that living with love means giving with love. But generosity isn’t just about Naira and Kobo. If we follow thé example of Christ and other biblical heroes, we learn that being generous means living with another-focused, self-sactificing spirit. It means living with kindness, encouraging others, and offering our good works to one another.The time you spent listening to someone may add value to that persons life even more than the money you give to him/her. Read these verses 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Galatians 4. Do not withhold forgiveness: When we are hurt, it’s tempting to reserve a secret place in our hearts to nurture bitterness, even long after apologies have been exchanged at times even when we have claimed to have forgiven. And while it may be necessary to change or even ‘break off relationships, true forgiveness sets us free and brings us closer to the Lord. Colossians 3:13 says “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you According to Mark 11:25, forgiving others is an act of emulating God. God forgives our sins freely. Christ offered his friendship to Zaccheus before he even repented for his sin: He promised eternal life to the thief on the cross, who no longer had chance to try and live a righteous life. Forgiveness, we see in Scripture, is the path to wholeness. James 5:16 says “Therefore, confess pond sing: to one onother and pray for one another. Forgive someone that never believed you will forgive him, is an expression of love, ‘and that is what the Bible is teaching us. 5. Keep your promises: Living a life of truth i, perhaps, one of the most concrete way to show God's love to those around you. But that requires more than just honesty: it means keeping our word. Psalm 89:4is a resolution every godly man and woman should strive to keep: “! will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips”. Keeping promises is so important for Christians because we serve a God of truth and love. ove Cree in this matter not only shows our respect for truth, but it serves those around vs by buldng trust in relationships. It takes a true act of love to consider our words and actions so deeply before we choo: 151H THE YOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWED YOUTI promise-keeping God: one who continued to sustain Israel throvgh slavery in ristians serve a z trough speak “ ies Lae and occupation by Rome. We worship a Christ who feces ere what, is este with his blessings, has patience with our shortcomings, and fois eee ae sd ete eae us. By following his example in these ways, perhaps we can teach one pe little more about living with love. Reflection: a What other ways can we practically express love as Youths? INCLUSION : i Constonty is not all about what you say but about what you do. Our lives as children of ea is cf every day people are reading it. What are they learning from your life? Are you actually practising what you are saying? Do not be like the preacher that said “do what | say, but don’t do what | do’ WEEK THREE WHAT MATTERS WHEN WE LOVE John 4:7 Introduction: Most 2 times we are afraid to show love. We're afrai afraid if we show love, we will appear weak. But the mé ‘God, and we should show His love to others. Because love, we would be lost.There are bases upon which necessitates us as Christians to express love, and these are the issues that matters when we love. Love represents our faith There are three fundamental Parts of love that represent our faith in Jesus and what it means to truly love ‘one another. 2. God Loves Us: 1 John 4:9-10 The first and most important com, if we express love, we will get hurt. And we're also 1eaning of this scripture above is si love is the foundati lponent of our Christian love is that God loved us first. God loves us. arates Us from Him. No matter hé ‘our own, ‘ow hard we try we can’t get past it on b. 1s5us Loves Us: The second component is that Jesus also loves us, J - John 15:13 described how Jesus loved us, Jesus knew He would face betrayal, pain, and death on a cross. But He willingly came to earth nay and aid down His lite for us. He did it so we could have ternal life with Him, Without the great love of Jesus, we wouldn't have salvation or the assurance of : \ od the Father, and Jesus the Son, that we can returs one to aa I's ony besauss a aia ird part of our Chri out the love we have for our Christian brothers and believers. How can we show love to an unbelieving show this love sho disagree, and meeting the physical © Our Love for Others: The thi stian love is to show love to theTHE YOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10. | ‘THE RENEWED YOUTH Why it is Important to Love One Another? j Love in a Christian's tife isn’ The question is; what will they see? Wil they take one look and decide Christi Benefits of Loving One Another When we show Christian love, w 3s we love Him and those around us. My prayer for you and be blessed for it! Reflection What are the common excuses we often give not to show love? CONCLUSION ‘There is fulfilment when we do the mast 'ers will, The live you touch when an indelible mark on someone's life if y ‘ou show him or her love. There You show love matters. We can put is endless joy when we impact the lives of others. What will you be remembered for? oH 7a WEEK FOUR HE FIRST LOVED US John 4:19 Introduction: There are misconception of some certain facts that needs to address so that we understand what it means to love, “Because he (God) first loved us” sometimes causes people get the wrong definition of love when we ‘equate love with blanket acceptance. Love does not mean acceptance: We must recognize that love does not always mean you accept, sometimes it means you must correct. We don’t always like to point to this aspect of love but the Bible does remind us: in Proverbs 3:11-12 "My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in”. Sometimes God's demonstration of love for you is not leaving you in the condition you are in but correcting r disciplining you to get you out of it. This type of love doesn’t always feel good in the moment but you are usually so grateful afterwards. ahs In learning ways to “love because he loved us.” | think we can find wonderful suggestions right out of 1 Corinthians 13, otherwise known as the love chapter. Bee ootient: + It does not dishonour __* Love does not delight ey wets ind: others, but rejoices with Be iced sat Savi) = Itisnot self-seeking, + Italways pi Bie iocs ct koe © It isnot easily angered, + Always trus 1 ae © It keeps no record of © Always hop wrongs. + Always perse 7‘THE YOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWED YOUTH Reflection What are the common fears that comes up when we show love to others? CONCLUSION: At times because of the love a father have for his child he deny him access to certain things either because ‘those things are dangerous, or may be a distraction to the child's development. The same applies to ys all, love also means correction, as the Bible says the father corrects the child he loves. Let us not misconstrue that to mean we are not being loved. As we have seen throughout this study God is love, that is his nature and we are called to take up his nature. We are called to love and to love we must have a heart that loves, and to have the heart that loves you must understand what love is and how it can be demonstrated, Jesus is our model, and looking up to him gives us the perfect chance to demonstrate what it means to be a Christian.THE YOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10. |THE RENEWED YOUTH. MARCH WEEK ONE UNDEFILED LIFE “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel.” (Daniel 1:8-9). INTRODUCTION An undefiled life is a life not made corrupt, impure or unclean’ devoid of ungodliness and sin. Youthful age is a period of time challenges. One among many challenges that faces young peo} defilement. Living a life of purity is daily becoming a thing of th to ungodly lifestyle which renders them defiled before God. The desire of God is that all His children should live an undefiled life. A person who defiles him or herself with sinful things cannot please God. This is because, things that people do that defiles them are detestable to God. ” Its a life that is lived pure and holy which is in life that is characterized with all manner of ple is the tendencies to fall into the error of past. A large number of young people give in But sadly, a large number of young people are living an undefiled life, These can be seen by the way they live their lives. These include the way young people dress, the music they hear, the movies they watch, the things they eat, the places where they hang around, the kind of friends they keep, the kind of things they read and feed their minds with. A life of defilement leads to separation between God and people. God is never pleased with such kind of life. LESSONS FROM BIBLE CHARACTERS The following are young people in the Bible who refused to defile themselves: 1. Shechem Dinah was the Daughter of Jacob and Leah who was highly loved and cherished by her family (Genesis 34:5, 7). But one day she went out to visit with the other ladies in the land of Shechem, She was eventually defiled by one of the sons of the king Hamor of Shechem (Genesis 34:2), Shechem was a man with a defiled heart who was so cruel and defiled a lady without remorse. Shechem was not well trained because his father too showed no remorse for his son did (Genesis 34:4.6) Shechem failed to learn to live 2 life of purity and get a wife without defiling her. He had a wrong understanding of approach to marriage. % ran was the eleventh son of Jacob and the first child of his mother. He was sold into captivity by the brothers who hated him. They hated him because he shared his dream of becoming greater than them (Genesis 37:5-9), Hence, they sold him into slavery in Egypt in the home of Potiphar (Genesis 39:1), Nile he was in the home of his master Potiphar, he was tempted to give into defilement. The wife i ‘master, Mrs. Potiphar sought to lure him into sexual sin (Genesis 39:6-7). But Joseph refused to defile himself with free sex (Genesis 39:8). Joseph refused to defile himself because he didn’t want to sin 19THE YOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWED YOUTH agninst God and his master the owner of the wife (Genesis 39:9). Infact Joseph fled away from her gig because he does not want to defile himself (Genesis 39:11-12). Daniel Daniel was a young Jew who was in captivity in Babylon alongside other Jews. They were sent intg captivity by God due to sin, the Israelites lived a defiled life (Daniel 1:1-2). Consequently, God was not happy with them and punished them through captivity in Babylon. While in Jerusalem, Daniel had lveg 5 pure and holy life. He stayed away from any act that could defiled him. He went as far as honoring Gog ‘with his lifestyle. Even when he was in captivity, he chose to live and maintain his life of purity. When there was opportunity to defile himself by eating the Kings food. He chose to eat ordinary food (vegetable and water) rather than the Kings food that must have been offered to the god of Babylon. Esther Esther Abihail was a young lady who live with her uncle Mordecia because she was an Orphan. She and her Uncle, live in Susa as captive under the rule of King Xerxes. She was a beautiful lady and godly in character (Esther 2:5-7). Esther never allowed herself to be defiled by immorality. Due to the fact that she kept herself pure, she was chosen as the queen to the King (Esther 2:15-17). She could have chosen. to mess around with men in Susa. But she honored God with her life and she too was honored by the king before all people (Esther 2:17a-18). Perhaps if she had defiled herself, she may have denied herself the position of a queen. The King of Kings will not accept a person living a defiled life, so will an earthly king too not accept it. Mary Mary was a in before she got engaged to Joseph and also before became pregnant of Jesus as she was filed by God's Spirit (Matthew 1:18-25). She was a young lady who lived in the days when evil deeds i. But she kept herself pure and undefiled by any man. When the Angel came God's message to her, she queried how that could be possible since was a virgin (Luke bold to say that she was a virgin. Her life of purity singled her out as a vessel to be used not defile herself by indulging in premat nee seulsp cite alia ate Judas was one of the disciples of Jesus Christ who lived a oe life. that he ‘exchanged his Savior for money (Matthew “mammon and later plunged himself into destruction. “only one out the twelve See ease himself with eatTHEYOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWED YOUTH DISCUSSION QUESTION a. Whatare the things th: b. How do you think that What are the implic ‘at You doing that is defiling you? God feels anytime you defile yourself? ations of defiling yourself? WEEK TWO CAUSES OF A LIFE OF DEFILEMENT “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a uurderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him, When he fies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of les.” lohn 8:44 NIV) “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires, but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” (Romans 8:5 NIV) INTRODUCTION Things just do not happen, there is always a reason for every action. Defilement is an action or behavior that people practice. Some of the things that causes defilement is tie to what dictates people's thought and action. There are two spirits that controls people. Its either the spirit of God or that of the Devil. When the Spirit of God is in charge of a person. Life, it leads the person aright. But if the Devil is the one charge, it leads astray, Therefore, what cause a person to live an undefiled life or a defiled life is determined by the kind of spirit that dictates the person's action. Hence the need to keenly pay attention to the spirit that dictates our actions. INSIGHT ON CAUSES OF LIVING A DEFILED LIFE ‘There are different reasons why people become defiled. Below are some of the reasons: 1. Lack of Self-control Some people get themselves defiled by living sinful lifestyle because they personally lack the ability to control their desire for sinful things. Some young people feel that they cannot stop drinking beer, smoking, immorality and cheating, Below are few example of Biblical characters who defiled themselves due to lack of self-contre > Shechem: Lack of self-control is the reason why Shechem raped and defiled Dinah (Genesis 34:2). 7 ' sr > David: It was failure to control himself that made David got himself defiled by having sexual sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:1ff). David equally lack self-control of his official responsibility. When he was supposed to be at war front, he stayed back in his palace, That was the era when Israel go to war by taking the lead. jf ye AaBS I Israe Bo te lack of self-control over love of money that plunged him into seeking to and cuentual betrayal of Jesus (Matthew 26:14-16; 27:47-50). Judas loved money so much that he defiled himself with money and eventual killed himself. a1THe YOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWED YOUTH 2. reer rent that the reason some people do what they do is due to the fact that they are bei compelled by their friends. A number of young people wants to be like thal ies They want tg feel among, they want to feel that they are accepted to their friends. But t ie i le a that 64g be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." (1 Corinthians 15: a aa le who clove bad company have been led into error and destruction. Some people were defile because they hose do what their friends tells them to do, While other people are influenced by their environment. Here are some people who allowed people's device to make them lived a defiled life: ; Y¥ Amnon: Amnon was the son of David who was moved by peer counsel to harm his sister, He raped Tamar his step sister because he lacked both control over his emotion and goog counsellor (2 Samuel 13:1-14). He defiled himself and defiled and disgraced his sister. 3. The De is ’ The main enemy of humanity is the devil. He Is daily going about seeking to make people sin against God. The devil subtly suggest to people evil things that can defile them. Incidentally, the devi js seriously out to get young people to render themselves defiled. This he does in the bid to deter them from possessing their possession. It is only those who have made up their mind like Daniel that ‘overcomes him. Here are few examples of people who were influenced by the devil to defile themselves: ‘Eve: The fall of humanity into sin was due to the fact that the Devil influenced the thought of Eve the wife of Adam (Genesis 3:1-14). Eve defiled herself by eating from the three of life which God had told them not to eat. She also gave it to her husband (peer pressure) and got him defiled too. Jesus: The Devil came to tempt Jesus to defile himself after fasting for 40 days (Luke 4:1- 13). He tried to lure Jesus to sin but Jesus rejected him and his schemes. Jesus countered the devils antics with the word of God, He refused to be defile himself with things that the devil told him to do, CONCLUSION tis apt to state that all these causes of defilement are still at work today. A wise child of God who wants to live an undefiled life must avoid them. Self-control is what must be done daily to overcome living a defiled life. More so, living above the pressure of friends and the Devil becomes a battle to fight and triumph over. DISCUSSION QUESTION 1. What are the things that are dictating your actions? 2. Are you leading people into living a defiled life? 3. What practical steps would you take to avoid these cause of Defilement? WEEK THREE KINDS OF DEFILEMENT “The acts of | ie sinful ranure are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, an * ty I y ition, di y; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. | warn you, prctaicrelcctions asd em: {35 did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21 wiv) 2‘THE YOUTH sworD, INTRODUCTION their consequences. All acts of ungodi that a person is living a defiled life. REFLECTIONS ON KINDS OF DEFILEMNETS The following are some of the thin 1. Sexual immorality 11. Backbiting 2. 2. Impurities 12. Envy 23. 3. Idolatry 13. Discord/Quarrel 24. 4. Witchcraft 14. Rape 25. 5. Hatred 15. Lying 26. 6. Drunkenness 16. Deceitfulness 27. 7. Murder 17. Lust 28. 8. Stealing 18. Greed 29, 9. Cheating 19. Extortion 30. 10. Examination 20. Smoking Malpractices 21, Nn leads into sinfulness. Understa liness are root cau VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWED YOUTH 'gs that makes people to become defiled: Love of money inding the things that our hearts desires will reveal ses for living a defiled life. Bad habits are evidences Orgies . Injustice . Un-forgiveness Homosexuality . Cyber Crime Betting Indecent Dressing Gambling Corruption There is need for us as God's children to daily examine ourselves to be sure that we are not giving into defilement. Some of the things that defiles appears to have become normal things in our society today. Some people no longer see those things as sin any more. CONCLUSION The fact rem: that all the above mentioned things that defiles people can be overcome. You must be ready to say no to anything that can defile you. Remember that when you are defiled you are impure and unholy. Undefiled life pleases God and wins the favour of people. DISCUSSION QUESTION 1. List some other things that you know can defile. 2. What are the bad habits that are defiling you? 3, What steps would you take to stop those habits? WEEK FOUR PERILS OF DEFILEMENT "Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father's bed, onto my couch and defiled it.” (Genesis 49:3-4 NIV) 23sie yOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 | THERENEWED YOUTH INTRODUCTION Every action usually cts, Negative actions will always birth negative effects, wri, venion definitely will bring about positive effects. Living a life of defilement has it consequences, cult will be dependent upon the kind and gravity of the defilement There is no bad behavior that can go ay only take while before nemesis will atch up with the perpetrator. ‘ave shown that people who lived 2 life of defilement faced ig veeords of people like Adam, Eve, Reuben, Achan, David ang itis cheaper to stay undefiled than to give intg dd agony to it doers. have it corresponding effet unpunished. It m: Biblical and human historical facts hi consequences. The Bible is replete with the r Judas who experience the hazards of defiling themselves. defilement. Life a life of defilement will always bring pain an HAZARDS OF A DEFILED LIFE A practical example of person who defiled was excelling in his endeavors. But he falle wife. Unfortunately, his father cursed him th hazards of living a defiled life 1. Itcan deprive you of Eternity- (Revelation 21:8) Every act of sn is defilement which can hinder people from entering eterni inte the lake offre. There is no hope heaven forall evil doers unless the re life poses you at a dangerous point of not entering etern himself and reaped it pain is Reuben. He was a mighty many wig din demonstrating his excelling spirit by sleeping with his fathens ‘at he will longer excel again. The following are some of the ity. All sinners shall be cast spent. Hence, living a def It causes separation between you and God. (Genesis 3:7-9) Defilement is a seal of sin on the life of the doers. Adam and Eve became separated from God sin. They had to hide away from God because their lives have been defiled. God hates sin and not consione sin, Therefore, sin stands as barrier between man and God. Sin hinders oUF Pra getting to God. And it blocks the doors of God's blessings. 3. It can expose you to public shame. (Genesis 3: 0, Joshua )-25) Living life of defilement often drag people into unbearable disgrace and shame, Achan Bro shame and disgrace upon his family and clan. What is done in the secret will be exposed t Unfortunately, Achan brought the pain and agony of his act of defilement upon his entire fa It can take away your joy/happiness. (2 Samuel 12:1-15) One of the things that sin does i that takes away the joy of God that should fill human be is joy and pride of being a King immediately he was confronted with sin of defiler ike a baby and refused to eat for a while. Living a life of defilement takes joyai being God's children. ee 5, Itcan lead to destruction and Death. (Joshua 7:26; Romans 6:23) ‘A defiled person always stands at the verge of destructio t n by the devil who lures thet they give way to become enemy OF God and liable to both spiritual and physical that the wages of sin-defilement is death. 5 ANTIDOTES TO DEFILEMENT The following steps are paths to take to overcome thi ‘L. You must be born again in CHRIST- (ohn 338) temptation to indulge in defilement: itis a regenerated person that can live an undefiled ; lite, ‘You must daily take study the word of God- (Psalm aes 105) ’THEYOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10. |THE RENEWED YOUTH The word of God is one of the major the keys to-help you to Say no to living a defiled life. 3. You must engage in constant Fellowship Believers, (Hebrews 10:24-25) a nate ied ee must be involved in continues Christian fellowship with other believers in Christ. it ae ays help you to be sure that you are not been drifted away by negative influence by bad 4, You must personal Resolution to stay Pure, Amajor decision that you must make so as to live an undefiled life is to resolve in your heart not to sin This decision is the bedrock of the assurance that you will live an undefiled life. Remember thet Joseph, Daniel and Mary had to make up their mind not to defile themselves, And God saw their decision and helped them. (Genesis 39:9; Luke1:34; Daniel 1:8) 5. Stay away from world ss and bad friends. (Proverbs1:10) ‘One of the things that causes defilements is peer pressure. You must be ready to keep only good friends that will encourage you to do good things. Bad friends will always bring about bad influence on you. Consciously choose your friends, don’t let them choose you. 6. You must be very prayerful. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Prayer remains our source of communion with God. You must be able to commit to continuous prayer life. You tell God what you wants him to do for you. One of the things you must daily tell God is to help you live and pure and holy life. The world is daily becoming perverse, but you must daily become preserved for God in purity and holiness. Harcanas 3 CONCLUSION The dangers of living a defiled life is destructive. A wise people will rather stay undefiled than delve into for Him daily in holiness and purity. He was with jel and Esther and He will be with you too as you resolve to live an undefiled life. Remember that - who honour Him with their lives. rds of living a defiled life? ‘that a person can do to stay pure and holy? sae tabos iv Be dr uh NER gaigido Pret Str Wort eit.‘THE YOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWED YOUTH APRIL ENTERING INTO NEWNESS THROUGH LOVE AND UNITY WEEK ONE UNDERSTANDING THE THEME IN RELATION TO YOUTH WHAT IS NEWNESS. According to Cambridge dictionary; Newness means the quality of having been recently created or having started to exist, It also means the quality of being different from other similar things. Newnes can be referred to as the quality of someone or something that was not previously known, It can also be referred to as freshness, innovation, novelty, originality, pioneering, etc. WHAT IS LOVE? Love, according to Urban Dictionary; is defined as “The act of caring and giving to someone else”. It also means “Having someone's best interest and well being as a priority in your life. Sarah Calvert; 2 psychologist and relational therapist and psychotherapist explains that “Loving someone is about accepting them for who they are”. AOD It is important to know as Youths that Love is different from Lust. WHAT IS UNITY? se Cambridge Dictionary defines Unity as the state of being joined together or in agreement. / 50 Oxford Dictionary explains Unity as “the state of being in agreement and working together; the state of joined together to form one unit’. Unit is the quality of being in one spiri ferred | harmony, agreement, concord, uniformity, oneness, union, etc. ‘According to Delmar.instructure.com; Unity can be identified in three ways; - Compositional unity - Conceptual unity - Gestalt unity ‘Compositional unity has to do with the strategies used bind the different elements of art in a work ina unified manner, Conceptual unity can be described as the act of combining things for the user's conve the co Gestalt unity isa theory on perception which explains how the human Seine ‘them mentally to form a larger unit. " to do with the strategies MEANING OF ENTERING INTO NEWNESS THROUGH LOVE AND Entering into newness through love and unity means he sor caring for and agreeing with other people. It implies reaching one’s and being in agreement and oneness with other brethren,THE YOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10. | THE RENEWED YOUTH engaging to attain the height you are aiming at, are less privileged and you think cannot assist you in Ina nutshell, to enter into newness throu a igh love and unity i through caring, giving and being in agreement wit oo h others, ‘0 your desired haven WEEK TWO WHAT Is LOVE? Love means a deep affection for someone. Love; according to the Urban Dictionary, means “the act of caring and giving to someone else.” Some people explain that love is when you bulld each other up. {tis important for us to know as youth, that, love; though a four letter word goes a long way when showed to People. Love does not need wealth before it can be showed to people. This means that love can be shown in the smallest things. We should also know that love is different from lust, TYPES OF LOVE Eros (Erotic, Passionate love). Eros is the type of love that is exercise for the purpose of self-satisfaction. It is a state intense longing for union with another. 2. Philia (Affectionate, Friendly love). This can be defined as the love shared between friends and intimate family members and is characterized by loyalty and trust. Philia is a thing of equal love shared between people who valued one another. Storge (Unconditional, Familiar love). It is the kind of love parents have for their children. It is a protective love, kingship-based love that embodied approval, sacrifice and acceptance. 4, Agape (Selfless, Universal love). Agape love is one-of-a-kind love. It is an empathetic, selfless love for others irrespective of who they are. Agape love is a spiritual love and itis the kind of love that God has for us that made Him send His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sin. _ 5. Prayma (Committed, Long-lasting love). This is simply patiently-enduring love towards one another. ia (Self love). : fis love for ye self which the Ancient Greek saw as healthy and necessary, because it makes it jive and receive love. mee evol tight ne ook Benen ars Jesus explains love as the greatest commandment. Jesus went further to in the Book of Luke 6:26-27 by telling us to love our enemies. a7THE YOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWED YOUTH The Book of first Corinthians 13:1-3 also explains that if @ person has one gift or the other and does not haye 1e Book of first Cori Jove, such a person is nothing. ; pea rtea hc christian Youth, we are to show love to others as love is part of the fruit of the Holy Sp CHARACTERISTICS OF LOVE. 1 Corinthians. 13:4-8 ‘i 1. Love suffer long ands kind: This explains that love is always patient and’ is 8 2. Love does not envy: This means that love is not usually ile of Se pl it proud or boastful. 3. Love does not parade itself: This explains that love is not 4 4A Love does not behave rudely: This means that love is not rude or arrogant towards anybody irrespective of class, age, status, etc. 5. Love does not seek its own: people's ideas. : 6. Love is not provoked: it means love is not irritable or resentful, that is, love does not get angry easily or hate anyone. , ’ 7. Love thinks no evil: No room for bad gesture towards anyone nor in what it does. . 8. Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoice in the truth: That is love rejoices at what is right and not what is wrong. . _ Lobe bears all things: It means believes all things, hope in all things, endures all things. In love, there is faith, trust, and endurance. 10. Love never fails: if it is Agape love, it does not fail, because it suffers long, endures, forgives and bears with others. True love has unlimited elasticity. No offence from anyone frustrates its patience. If Jesus says “feed your enemies” then, love never fails. is always ready to help others, means love does not consist on its own way, it is ready to listen to other In conclusion, for us to enter into newness as Christians Youth, we must love others (believers and unbelievers alike) unconditionally. WEEK THREE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOVE AND UNITY Love is the act of caring for and giving to someone else, together or in agreement or the quality of being in one spirit. Love impossible without love. The Bible says in the Book of 1 John 4:8 that " 7 love’ Also the Bool af lobe thot con 48 that He who doesnot love does not know God, for God is comarca! to not pray for these alone but also for those who wil believe in ‘explains that there can be no unity without love, becau , because anyone will b loved Him ana st oon othe pea before they can dvelinoneness, nn sts Must have fst the Book of 1 Samuel 18 ’ while unity is the state of being joined is indispensable to unity, that is, unity isTHEYOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 |THE RENEWED YOUTH When God told Abraham to leaver wife (Sarah) and Lot, his broth his country and go to a place where He (God) will show him, he went with 'er’s son. This explain ho 12:5). Then ‘Abraham knew the love between them WEEK FOUR BENEFITS OF ENTERING INTO NEWNESS THROUGH LOVE AND UNITY ‘The benefits of entering into newness throu 1. Peace: One if the reasons why there is insecurity igh love and unity cuts across many areas of life. y in our country is because of the medium through which Fine People have decided to attain their own newness such as money ritual, kidnapping and asking for ransom, armed robbery, etc. this shows that they do not love other People not to talk of them being truly united with others. f we as Christians Youth intend to enter our newness through love in unity, there willbe a change and peace will reign in our heart, homes, Church ora she society at large. Trust: Many people believed that it is not possi ‘associates and even some husbands and wi le to trust human being. It is not surprising that business fives do not trust each ‘other., as much as we are to put all, ‘Our trust in God, there is an extent to which we can trust human beings whether among family ‘members, friends and parti ularly among brethren. For there to be trust in others, there must be love. Unity results when there is no betrayal of that love that makes us to trust each other Many people are suffering in silence while others have died untimely because they did not trust people. So, rather than showing or sharing their problems with others, they were bearing them alone. As Christians Youth, we can start to make a change by entering our newness ‘through love and unity according to the leading of the Holy Spirit, so that People will trust one another than before. 3. Blessings from God: ‘Showing love and being united attract blessing from God. The Bible says, “It is more blessed to give ___ than to receive” (Acts ). As love had to do with caring and giving, it means when we show love, we will receive blessings from God, Iso, God does not dwell where there is disunity, so if you pray to God in a gathering where there is discord, it can hinder answers to prayers, sunity in the Church is the reason why the Church is no longer vibrant and Progressive. Disunity. “Children of God’ is the reason why unbelievers seems more blessed than they are, Let ue t newn ough love and unity so that we will receive our abundant blessings ts deni atORY SeareNdTume 10 | THE RENEWED YOUTH MAY rue YOUTH SWORD, VOL GARMENT OF HONOUR EXODUS 28:1-43 WEEK ONE Introduction The call to dress modestly an delight is to bless His children wi distinguishes them from the multitud 4 decently has been the outcry throughout biblical and cultural history, Gog, th righes and honour. Every child of God carries the grace of God that fe. This informs God instructing Moses e neeraa ae that is not for ge a Priest of God. The Scriptures said that God will put differene Sr Seater te iin artic that did not. His Spirit abides with them that fears Him, Abraham were jome county at te instruction of God. He enjoyed grace everywhere fe went because God's glory was upon him, David abdicates his throne for his son Absalom, but everywhere he went was full of honour, won ina strange land. Honour is symbol of our sonship of God through Jesus Christ. : The people of Israel were possessed of @ magnificent ritual, every detail of which was ordained by God Himself. This has led some to argue for ritualistic forms in Christianity. If God was pleased with such things in Judaism, surely He will be pleased with them in Christianity. So it is urged. But this is to lose sight of the typical character ofthe ancient ritual “The example and shadow of heavenly things,” is God's account of it all in Hebrews 8:5. Christ having come, and redemption had accomplished the work of redemption, the reality is ‘ours; the shadows therefore pass away. Christianity being an essentially heavenly and spiritual system, ‘everything connected with divine worship therein is of the simplest possible character. From Exodus 28, the priests'robes, as the chapter following describes the ceremonies that are connected with the consecration of ‘Aaron and his sons for the priestly office. As people of God, when we sin, we become naked and exposed to ‘the devil and his cohorts; who seeks to shame us, God offers us His “robe of righteousness” brought through Jesus Christ to replace the lost honour and glory. When other believers fall, such should be encouraged ‘through counsel, prayers and the love of God extended to such individuals. ‘The Nature and Meaning of Priestly Adornment While there would be little difficulty in taking the unique priestly vestments for granted, they actually pose ‘many interesting questions. What is their purpose? Perhaps the best category for understanding their use is that of the priests as mediators. As mediators, the priesthood stood in a unique position in relation to God and His people. Gordon J. Wenham puts the point this way: “As mediators priests had a dual role: they represented God to Israel and they represented Israel before God.” This, he goes on to explain, is a key ‘reason why God ordained such particular clothing for them, for “Their godly authority was expressed by their splendid robes, which evoked the majesty of God himself.” ‘ a PORE co), 0% of the garments God commanded to be made and ‘aron and his sons with “dignity and honour” mbolise that the high priest represented ar the names of the sons of Israel ). It was called the “breast piece of vith st piece, were used toTHEYOUTH sWoRD, VoLUME 10. | THE RENEWED YOUTH that “the sound of the bells will be heard wi ost stat he wil ot de” and hen suchisnenen HOM had died (v. 35)-The turban was plain white, with fea unto God). This gold plate “will be o: the Lord” (v. 38). This reminds th. symbolized the importance of app ‘ymbolic of being set apart for God's work of d. This is noted in verse 43: “Aaron and his sons meeting or approach the altar to minister in the “dress code” was requires must wear [the garments] whenever they enter the tent of Holy Place, so that they will not incur guilt and die.” Though, such distinguished garments may seem not contemporary today, God used these distinctive rt from the others, Each piece of a continual reminder of the y also had a foreshadowing of Jesus, the “great high Priest” Heb. 4:14, who would carry out God's plan of atonement in true holiness and perfection ‘The adornment of Aaron should be viewed as an essential part of God! ver forward towards the Incarnation of Christ. With these kinds of thoughts in mind, a vision of Jesus at she heart of every chapter of the Scriptures, then by no means should even priestly garments appear dry or dul Instead let all Christians say that in the priestly code and clothing, in the vestments as a whole and in their arts, they were and remain a powerful testimony to Jesus Christ, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, and the Savior of the world. aE O7 rite ‘Understanding priesthood in the ways of God. | was in Egypt, groaning under the yoke of Pharaoh, God did not provide a priest but a saviour. But © people were delivered, having come under the blood of the Lamb, and having passed through the 4 2nd not till then; did God say anything about a priest. In like manner today, the Saviour is God's provision for the burdened sinner, and the Priest is God’s provision for the delivered saint. It is the “holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,” who are exhorted to consider the Apostle and High Priest ‘of their confession (Heb. 3:1). s shaping of Israe'’s life and pulling it Priesthood is not designed to bring men into relationship with God, but rather to help those who are already 1 relationship with God. Priesthood is introduced in the book of Exodus(Ex. 25-30), are occupied with the ‘but there is an evident break in these instructions in Ex. 27:19. Here, God revealed Himself to the second part begins with the priesthood and his activities, which includes, but not se altar and the laver, these article of furniture having to do with man’s approach to God, festation of Himself to man, The instructions concerning the priesthood are (Ex, 27:20,21). The time had not come in Moses’ day for the blessed and “God is love."Jesusalone could bring this to us (1 John 1:5; 1 John 4:8).ut r presence. All works of darkness must be put off by those it Him before the people, would be before Him in the joy of His “evening to morning” is God's word. Aaron and his sons typify)UTH THE YOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWED YO! f their fathe, The priesthood of Aaron’s sons depended upon the alee : ee #5 our Me ok eiiall ts by divine call (Heb.5:4). Christ's c wan d ¥ the Lord Jesus. They were priest De CeT ae il ments "the Spirit of wisdom’ essary, urs in APeter 2:5. Inmaking of the priestly garments " niet ce _ ae “4 of the Holy Ghost and wisdom” were required to attend to ar era fi early an ar {Acts 6).Nothing, either great or small, can. be efficiently wrought for Christians (Acts ing, ji Dress blical Perspective versus Secular Perspective on . ieee Serptres tell us to dress from the inside out. Christians should be clothed rh itl iy Sg done another because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace ° e ft eas reed ee , ion, kindness, humility, a " le should clothe ourselves with compassion, Coleadne 31112), Paulin (Rom. 12:14) advised Christians to clothe themselves with the ce Christ srraer not to gat the desires ofthe flesh, James warned about the evil of giving better treatment tthe well-dressed while looking down on the poorly dressed (lames 2: 1-5). fee pee ee i th in fact fraught of sin insi their observance of external cleanliness while they were in fat ; simulates counsel has been taken lightly by many but the truth i, a5 God's children, we cannot atord tbe more concerned about outward appearance than the condition of our hearts. Christians dress to glorify God, and our clothes serve as a frame to reveal the personality of the God we serve. Conclusion Clothes Christians wear do not necessarily make them Christians, but they (Christians) should reveal their individuality through the way they dress and appear. The Bible is unambiguous and has many admonitions on what Christians should avoid but it does not prescribe a standardized dress code for either men or women to wear. There is no explicit specifications documented in the Bible, but the terms modestly, with decency, and Propriety given in 1 Timothy 2:9.which gives adequate, and sufficient guide for Christians to follow. This calls tus to follow the simplicity of Jesus' lifestyle, in our dress and appearance. Christians should remember always that, though we are in the world, but definitely, not of the world. This certainly calls for courage; courage to be transformed by the sensible dictates of the Word of God (Romans 12:2), and refuse to conform to the seductive appetites of fashion. We should quest for courage to exhibit a warm and sincere Christ-like character, that is not by powder deep coverings of cosmetic nature on our faces and gold or pearls or Sxpensive clothes on our bodies (1 Timothy 2:3). Christians should strive to beautify their souls with the beauties of the heart, the gentle and quiet spirit which is precious in God's sight (1 Peter 3:4). As Christians, Wwe should cultivate courage to dress not to glorify ‘se’, but to glorify God by dressing modestly, decently, and soberly. Also, remember that our outward appearance is a perpetual silent witness of ov Christian 'eentity from within, therefore, you will be addressed the way you are dress, goes a saying. WEEK TWO DRESSING AS A MARK OF IDENTTITY Identity is very crucial in human endeavours, Dressing is a sign of identi some, equipment, like Doctors, tailors, gowns and wigs as in th Fy: Some use laboratory coats, overall also reflected in the way an individ selves acct tawyers and Judges and so on, This is lual’s carries themseh individuals to live “another person's li Tues, Lack of knowledge of such, makes such ife.” No wonder, man le i are, you will know how to portray yourself before people snd resent your het Mcrae whe Ye 32 = reTHEYOUTH SWORD, VOLUME 10 | THE RENEWED YoutH believers in Christ, ou have a peculiar, bein & interconnected with one another ay 9 ro ae eaaeauell ose) nt Holted stones. Instead, we shines nour indhdualstic culture, Often, Christianity is only seen te? Tesora] oes ee humans. Asa church, we are a counter-culturalsacety, With levee Rete cena belong together. Every member is precious, peculiar and unique, Each ote Cae cour calling when we are connected to the Of God. Because of lesus, we are aera om and fulfil are nota inactive building, but the active parti, aie ea Roi a holy priesthood, We in worshi 3 enabled us to come to God's presence by his our the P, Worshiping God through Jesus Christ, who that sen and precious to God. Jesus is the precious cornerstone for block for those who disobey the word (1Pet. 2:8). How those : i w precious is Christ to you? Do you treasure him above all things? Do you constantly come to him? The Identity of the Church Weve in the world that takes offense at Jesus Christ. In this hostile environment, we may feel that we are strange and insignificant to the world. However, itis the fulfilment of God's words in Fx. 19:5-6 fulfilled in desus Christ, Here, Christians are called by significant titles such ast a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession. These are the titles that the Old Testament Israel used to define seclt Now, Peter applies that to the New Testament believers who come to Jesus Christ, which reminds us of God's covenantal love, our identity and calling in Christ. 1. We are a chosen people: In the Old Testament, God chose Israel out of his own prerogative: mercy (Deut. 4:37). This blessing belongs to all who believes in Jesus Christ, How? Such are chosen through Jesus, who was rejected by humans, but chosen by God. The world wants qualified people who Prove themselves through their performance, People scuffle to be chosen. You should be good and Qualified for a position or a title as the most valuable player of your team. How happy would you feel ‘when you are picked for that! But how sad would you feel when rejected. Christians are strangers to this world and often rejected. Who loves rejection? None. That's the reason why many people are driven by peer pressure. Do you feel that you are not good enough to be chosen? But remember that we are chosen by God. We become God's people, not because we are better than others. It is entirely God's free gift. God took the initiative out of his one-sided grace. It is not that we loved God, ‘but that God loved us first and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1Jn 4:10), God chose Us as His people not because of anything we have done, but because of His grace. By grace ye are saved, not of works, lest any man should boast. A royal priesthood. This combines kings and priests into one role. As a corporate body the church is “a royal priesthood.” This is a prominent doctrine about the priesthood of all believers. This is the amazing fulfillment of God's original design when he created humankind. Adam and Eve were created to be covenant partners with God: to dwell with God, enjoy his presence forever and “represent his gracious rule on earth. When they rebelled against Gods rule, they fell to the bondage 'sin and death, and we fell with them. But God gave his promise to Abraham to bless all peoples on th through him. In Ex 19:5,the nation Israel was called to be a kingdom of priests to mediate "God's blessing to the world. The offices of king and priest were both anointed and represented God’s. is rule. But at that time, they were strictly separated. While a king ruled people by God's law,