Empowered

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Eastern Canada Youth Conference

ECYC 2011 Plenary Meetings

Valmy Karemera

The Prerequisite of Empowerment

Andy Im

The Lostness Monster: The Empowerment of Identity

Mirriam Norte

The Joy of Full Surrender

The American Facade: The Empowerment of Purpose

Mark Johnson

Outreach Charge

Possessing the Land: The Empowerment of Destiny

I am happy to be here, and I'm excited to be here.

I'm excited to be back in Toronto after, I think, some 12 months of absence.

It's good to be in Toronto, and it's good to have you all come to ECYC.

So on behalf of the ECYC, I want to really extend a cordial welcome to each and every 1 of you and say that we are truly excited to have you with us this evening and throughout this weekend.

You know, in every generation, in every generation across history, God always calls young people throughout history, he always extends this call for young people.

He calls for young people who are committed, young people who are dedicated, young people who yearn to do ordinary things and to do them extraordinarily well.

As young as he was, Abel chose to die rather than offend God.

Think of Joseph, who arrived in Egypt in his late teens.

God always extends this call for young people.

Think of Samuel, who was a child, but God extended that call to him.

Think of the young slave girl in Naaman's court and God extended that call to her.

Young people, throughout history We see God extending this call to young people.

God calling you and I for such a time as this.

Think of Daniel and his friends in Babylon.

Some of them, like Joseph, arrived in Egypt while he was probably finishing his high school.

Think of Timothy, whom Paul charged with the sacred trust of taking the gospel to the entire world, to the entire known world.

Think of that trust that Paul entrusted to Timothy as a young person.

Take this gospel, preach the word in season and out of season, think of those responsibilities.

Think of the solemn responsibility of carrying Jesus, God.

The responsibility that were laid upon Mary to carry Jesus, to nurture Jesus.

She was young, she was a virgin, she was a young person.

The responsibility laid upon young people.

These solemn responsibilities that God, this call of God that rings throughout history.

Think about the youth of Waldenzies who paved the way for the 16th century reformation.

Think of the Wesley brothers who in their 20s established the Holy Club at Oxford.

John Wesley would later on be the founder of Methodists.

They were in their 20s when they established that.

Think of our pioneers who laid the doctrinal foundation of our church, who studied until they laid the foundations of our church.

So we see that across history, across the span of history, God always extends his call to young people, to you and I, to help finish the work.

So it is no coincidence that you and I are here this weekend for such a time as this.

It is no coincidence that you drove, no matter where you came from this evening, that you are here this weekend.

This call is extended to you and I to finish the work of God.

This call is not exceptional for this time, for we see that throughout history, God extended this call.

So this is the reason also that ECYC exists.

Exists to respond to this call, to this call for such a time as this.

So that as a young person, when you leave this conference, you didn't just attend a conference in Toronto, but you carry the spirit of being empowered to reach and reach friends across where you are in your fields of study, at work, so that this spirit of being empowered, this call of God that rings throughout history, that also you may carry it with you.

This call of God as God calls each 1 of us, God also empowers us to finish His work.

God also empowers us to carry forward this work.

So throughout history, we see God calling young people.

So it is no coincidence that this weekend, our theme is entitled Empowered, because we want to finish this work.

Because we want to be like Christ and finish this work.

It is no coincidence that our theme is empowered.

The prerequisite of empowerment, the prerequisite to be empowered, the prerequisite to be empowered, What is it to be empowered?

Our message this evening is entirely the prerequisite to empowerment.

It can be summed up in these following words, believe and you shall receive power.

You know, in all scripture, as you study all Scripture, nowhere in Scripture, the Bible discusses more about the work, the person, and the deity of the Holy Spirit than in John.

The chapters between chapters 14 to chapters 16, we spend much of our time there.

That's where we find that the Bible discusses at length about the work, the person, and the deity of the Holy Spirit.

So if you have your Bibles, turn with me to John chapter 14.

I should mention that the book of John is unique from all other synoptic gospels.

You find that the book of John does not mention anything about the baptism of Christ.

The book of John mentions nothing about his transfiguration.

The book of John makes nothing, mentions nothing about the experience of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane.

The book of John also has only 1 parable.

The Book of John also is the only book that mentions the miracles, the few miracles of Jesus Christ, like the miracles of turning water into wine.

The Book of John also is the only book that mentions of the healing of the paralytic man at the pool of Bethsaida.

The Book of John is also the only book that mentions about the healing of the man born blind.

The book of John is also the only book that mentions about the resurrection of Lazarus.

The entire corpus of John is concerned with the divinity of Christ.

And so John writes his book, interestingly, John writes his book so that you and I might believe.

Series

ECYC 2011 Plenary Meetings

The Prerequisite of Empowerment

Transcript

Parent Series

Parent Conference

Sponsor

Recorded

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But the Lord Stood With Me

53m

Plenary

No Need To Fear: The Journey of Ellen Harmon and Samuel Rhodes

1h 1m

The Marks of an Abundant Life

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SWYC 2012: As In the Days Of ...

In the Days of Moses

55m

ABC's of Prayer

2-Seven Great Bible Facts

29m

Prepare to Meet thy God

4- The Plan of Salvation

1h 47m

The Kidnapper, the Ransom, and You

33m

Randy Skeete: Week of Prayer 2005

How Much Can One Man Take?

46m

Near the Cross: The Sunflower

48m

There is Hope

Extreme Makeover

59m

ECYC 2012: Plenary Sessions

Messenger Without a Message

1h

The Secret of Happiness

39m

Sound Doctrine