Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Live Blogs: K.A.G. Annual National Youth Conference 2016, Day 2 (20th April, 2016)


Venue: K.A.G. EAST UNIVERSITY
Date: From 19th to 23rd April 2016
Theme: Freed to Flee and Follow (2 Timothy 2:22)
8.05 am
Great praise and worship ongoing.
People are responding quite well to the music, way better than last year.

Delegates worshipping before Session 1
SESSION ONE
9.00 am
Pst. Daniel Musyoki invites the National Youth Director.
Over 90% of the youth are keen listening to the Word, great demonstrations from Pst. Sammy Kihu Mwangi.
Less Than 70% with Bibles and a great number are without notebooks and pens (are there arrangements by invited vendors to sell notebooks and pens?)

Pastor Sammy Kihu Mwangi
Topic: Freed to Flee and Follow

Exodus 33:15
2 Timothy 2:21-22Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

1 Timothy 6:11-12 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

·         History tells it that Timothy begun ministry as early as when he was 17 years old.
·         This generation is full of people who say that being in Christ is slavery and they can’t “enjoy” life as it should be. They do so much and bring pressure to the saved calling them stupid. This is the generation where fornication, pornography and homosexuality and drug abuse are celebrated. These things have become the norm and trend of the day.
·         We’ve seen it in the media i.e. “Project X” and many others that support a free and uncontrolled life. These things have enslaved the youth of today.
·         But these things should not take us away from the Truth of the Word of God.
·         A true example of a person enslaved by all kinds of sin was shown to us (provide photo).
·         Stories of most young people during holiday seasons is about how many ladies have slept with so far.
·         Paul is commanding Timothy to FLEE!
·         The abuse of good things is what brings about addiction.
·         When the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. But how can we be set free? God sees things beforehand and His instructions to us are always for our own benefit.
·         Analogy: we use baits to trap rats. In the same way, the devil uses addictions to trap us.
·         Christ is the only one who can free us. It is here where the journey of freedom begins. (Took photos of the bound man being freed. The congregation celebrates freedom.)
Luke 4:18 (ESV) “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
·         We should not be captives of sexual immorality, drug abuse or anything else because the Will of God is that we may be truly free. Once we are free, we can now FOLLOW.
·         WHY FOLLOW? Life is very unforgiving to people who think that they can free themselves and yet they are empty inside. It is impossible to free yourself. Our lives have a vacuum which should be filled altogether. To FOLLOW Christ helps us fill the vacuum/void that the addiction occupied. We are required to go for fellowships, read the Word and pray to fill that void.
·         The Apostle Paul commands us to pursue holiness through the Word, prayer and fellowship. If we don’t do so, demons that fleed after our redemption will come back and make us worse than we were before. The devil like a roaring lion seeks whom to devor.
Romans 12:1 (ESV) I 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.
·         The sacrifice should be LIVING because if our bodies don’t die to sin, then we have not received the redemption of Christ. The thing with the flesh is that if left ungiven fully to Christ and we conform to the patterns of the world, it will eventually fail: an analogy of the shape of water in any object: water becomes the shape of whatever object it is placed in. Many of us live that way: we lack standards, and become whatever the other people we meet and engage with.
An analogy of ice (still water but in solid form): ice cannot be placed in an object, it can’t be poured out because it has been TRANSFORMED. It can only fit in the place from which it was made.
·         He gave an example of some city police that wanted a bribe after he had paid the fee due but he said “No!” Also, a mkorino tried to go back to drinking and was beaten by drunkards who rebuked him saying that they had been trying to quit drinking yet he was turning back to drinking.
·         Altar call: We can't talk about finding freedom if Christ is not your personal Savior. making that first decision is the first step in the journey of freedom. Making that personal declaration to accept Christ is the best thing you can do right now.

Worship song: “I Surrender All / Yote Kwa Yesu”
A prayer of salvation for all those who came for the altar call. 8 youth got saved.
Moses wrote down the names of those who had received Christ.
A prayer of freedom and deliverance backed up by District Directors. People receiving deliverance.


10.00 am 
Break time

11.00 am
Great Praise and worship session.
The place is on fire!!

11.23 am
Assistant National Youth Director is the MC
He announces that the band has a theme song.

Presentations
1.    John G has a song. Plays it on DVD.  Great performance.
2.    Agnes performing song No. 5 from her CD: Alichoahidi Bwana Ni Lazima Kitimie. The CDs are available at 100/=.
3.    Tajiri singing “Wimbo Mpya”

11.50 am
The Worship Team presenting the Conference’s Theme song: “Kwa Jina Lako”
Theme derived from Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

11.57 am
The National Youth Director coming in to welcome the youth patron, the K.A.G. General Superintendent, Rev. Peter G. W. Njiri.
He says that the very first K.A.G. Conference was in 1973 and the General Superintendent was present.
God has used him to move this ministry to greater heights. He got saved while in his youth.

12.00 pm
SESSION TWO
The K.A.G. General Superintendent, Rev. Peter G. W. Njiri
Topic: DO NOT WORRY
The G. S. preaching in Session 2
·         He loves to be amongst the youth and in youth meetings.
·         The first meeting of 1973 was with an attendance of less than 200 people with less than 50 pastors. In those days, youth meetings were foreign and not many old people believed that youth could get saved, and they wouldn’t take any saved young person seriously. From that movement, this ministry has soared and mostly from the Children’s Church. Testimonies of transformed lives and people who are now a blessing to the society have also emerged.
·         Most people he begun with have advanced and soared to great places > Pst. Wanjiku (Shiko), Sectional Youth Leader and pastor at Bahati church is one such person. Pst. Karanja (Embu Town) is also another one.
·         He requested us to be who we are, serve the Lord and confess Christ wherever we are without fear. He opens doors to all who fear Him. God will show us favor to us wherever we are. Even when attending interviews and we are asked, “What is your religion?” simply answer who you really are. This may be the avenue to you getting what you need.
·         Let us not be ashamed of the cross. Let’s proclaim who we are to all. He pleaded that we serve God and that is all that makes him delight more in what God is doing.
Key text: Matthew 6:25-34 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
·         There is fear that leads to being terrified by life. 
·         One of the greatest killer diseases is worry.
·         Have you ever been worried until you can’t find sleep? It is now a reality even amongst the youth: telling ourselves how we may never make in in our lives. It makes us lose sleep and lose peace. Fearing to fail exams too leads to the devil showing us how we will fail even before we have sat down for the exams. Some even resort to saying that they’ll commit suicide.
·         Why not stop worrying and look to God who can provide for all? God knows and understands what we are going through. We should not worry because worry will not give us anything. Why worry too much about marriage partners?
·         Worry causes us to fail to put our trust in God.
·         Who knows about tomorrow?  Only God does.
·         Worrying is like trying to saw saw-dust: he demonstrated this by doing it practically. It is a waste of time and energy! Someone looking at this person will obviously say that they have lost their mind.
·         Worry will prevent us from moving into the next level of life.
·         Worry causes us to have low self-esteem and to think ourselves as nothing.
·         We need to conquer worry by telling it who we are in Christ.
·         He testified that his village is completely unknown but he has, by the grace of God, been favored to tour all the continents of the world. If he would have dwelt on where he came from, he would have failed. May the devil not harm us through worries.
·         Worry leads to depression.
·         God takes care of the birds of the air, how about us?
·         The devil always wants to keep reminding us of our past and to tell us how we cannot make it in life, yet Christ has already fully forgiven us.
·         Worry causes us to appear older than our age. Most of us really want to become old, but there is nothing too humongous about that. This is the truth: when you have the Joy of the Lord, you will enjoy your youth.
·         Demonstration: we don’t sit around crying over spilt milk. Learn to move on from that and enjoy what remains. Life has to go on. Don’t spend time crying over a relationship that went bad. Move on. Walk around in prayer, open your eyes and you’ll see that there is so much more out there.
·         Stop worrying and start living. Worries kill.
·         Sometimes worry overwhelms the youth even when in church. And this leads to a whole lot of trouble. Christ instructs us to leave it to Him so that on due time, His excellent plan for our lives will be fulfilled. His plan has no shame.
·         Sometimes, you are tempted to worry until you see yourself at your own funeral. Leave it to Jesus. Don’t live as if God doesn’t know us by name. God calls us friends. Abraham was such a man who knew for sure that he was a friend of God: he fully hoped in his friend, who was God.

Prayer.
Is your life filled with worries of all kind? It is time put all our burdens to the Lord, because when the Son of God sets you free, you will be free indeed.

End: 1.09 pm

1.10 pm
Presentation and commission of new elected National Youth Office by the General Superintendent and assisted by district directors.
1.    Director – Pst. Sammy Kihu Mwangi
2.    Assistant Director – Pst. Daniel Musyoki
3.    Secretary – Mike Otieno
4.    Treasurer - Andrew Wafula

1.14 pm
Giving of love offering to bless the General Superintendent.
Song by the Praise and Worship Team: “Wa Hamba Nathi” and “Bwana Ni Mchungaji Wangu”

1:50 pm
Lunch break
 
The Worship Team during lunch break
2:36 pm
·         Delegates sluggish to join their various groups.
·         Discussions on STL and football going on in groups outside the Hall.

3.28 pm
Praise and Worship session.
Lead singer: Pst. Karanja
Worship: Wewe Ni Mwema, Heshima Na Utukufu.
Praise: Alpha, Omega You Are Worthy of My Praises Today, Receive All Praise Oh Lord, Papa I Praise Your Name You Are Worthy of My Praise, Zambe Wa Moyo.

3.43 pm
MC: Pst. Musyoki: leads us in a great session of worship.

3.50 pm
Pst. Kihu Mwangi
Said that last year’s STL helped buy him a ministry car.
Thanked the youth for the good work they did last year.
Invited Pst. Muraya.
Rev. Muraya (Getwamba K.A.G.): invited a pastor from Nairobi District: Full Glory Ministries, Kawangware who said that God has the intention of changing our destiny: we can now tell people about our destiny.

3.55 pm
SESSION THREE
Pst. Geoffrey Muraya
Text: 1 Chronicles Chapter 11 and 12
“PEOPLE WORTHY OF OUR IMITATION”
Rev. Muraya in Session 3
·         The people in this passage will cause us to say, “My pastor is looking for a person like me, it is my time to influence etc.”
1 Chronicles 11:10 Now these are the chiefs of David's mighty men, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel.
  • He begun by listing the victories of each of the warriors in the passage.
  • We should all acknowledge that there are battles all around us.
  • Eleazer (v.12 to v.14) said to David, “I’m not running away.”
  • We need warriors in this generation that are mighty in battle; a people who overcome in the Name of the Lord.
  • We have many youth today who act and walk in many foolish ways and lack understanding, but now we need youth who know their God, know the Bible, know who they are and know where they are headed.
  • In times of war when David had gotten tired and had hidden in a cave, there were three men (Eleazer, Jashobeam and another one) went to fetch water for their king. They showed their selfishness by fully giving themselves to service.
  • Abishai was also amongst the thirty great men. He was respected together with the three. He worked to support them and expand David’s kingdom. A people who choose to support God’s work even when they are not having any positions or titles work to make God’s name famous and His Kingdom prospers. God rewards them.
  • A committed person needs not be reminded on the basics or fundamentals of service. They simply serve, and they serve with dedication and devotion. They serve to bring change.
  • What will your church remember you for? Do all you can do when still young to the glory of God.
  • There are things, friends, burdens we need to put aside in order to be effective in this generation.
  • Benaiah was also a great man. David made him his bodyguard. Do we qualify to be our pastor’s bodyguards? You can’t be supportive to your pastor and remain poor. When you are distant from your pastor in service, it’s likely that you are sitting far from your blessings and closer to the enemy to the vision of your pastor’s ministry.
  • Assignment: memorize your pastor’s phone number and his car’s number plate off head.
1 Chronicles 12:2 (ESV) They were bowmen and could shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right or the left hand; they were Benjaminites, Saul's kinsmen.
  • The verse above shows that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. (This place is on fire right now!! The congregation is encouraging one another to do more for God wherever they serve.) God can bless us from whatsoever place we serve Him: the more the service, the more we expand our avenues of getting blessed.
  • Assignment: go read and meditate on this verse > 1 Chronicles 12:8 (ESV)From the Gadites there went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness mighty and experienced warriors, expert with shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were swift as gazelles upon the mountains…”
  • Song (Unifinyange) and prayer.
5.15 pm
Speed the Light (STL) Offering
Pst. Kihu Mwangi
The National Youth Director, Rev. Kihu Mwangi (holding microphone) during STL offering session
Maina of BMF is in the house. 
Nairobi emerged as this year's STL winner.

6.02 pm
  • There is unnecessary departure for games.
  • STL is on-going.
  • Prayer and break.
  • Only musicians who have not recorded their music are legible for the music competition.
  • Upcoming artists have been supported by the Youth Ministry before to record at least a single song. We’ll be listening to such a recorded song tomorrow.
  • There will be a dancing competition too.
  • An announcement by Pst. Steve (Nairobi) to all dancers interested in the dancing competition  to come and register.
  • Everyone is leaving for games. Will come back at 8pm.
6.10 pm
Dance and Music Competition Auditions
Judges: Pst. Oyaro, Pst. Steve and Maina of BMF
They began by encouraging all youth who will be in the competitions to give it their all.
Judges during music and dancing auditions
7.25 pm
There were shouts outside from the teams that had just come back from football games at the old EAST University grounds.

7:32 pm
Supper time.

8.50 pm
Praise and Worship session
Quite some joy and deliverance shouts in this place!!

9.40 pm
SESSION FOUR
Topic: FORNICATION AND PREMARITAL SEX
Pst. Kihu Mwangi
·         Misbehavior amongst youth with cases of condoms being picked as part of liter early today morning.
Hebrews 12:15 (ESV) See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.
·         The devil is robbing us of many good things because of ONE MEAL.
·         The exchange and interchanging of sexual pleasures and satisfaction is the result of the corruption of the hearts of men. They have been blinded na dthey need reception.
1Corinthians 6:12-20 (ESV) “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food” - and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
·         Don’t just do things because it is allowed by everyone else. Daniel and his friends purposed in themselves that they won’t defile themselves with the king’s food.
·         A sexual relationship is more than just a physical bondage: when you join two pieces of paper with glue, you won’t be able to separate them each as it was before. They happen to get into each other and therefore tear from each other when you try to separate them.
·         Why is 30% of Christian marriages facing divorce? One major cause is fornication or premarital sex. Not having sex hasn’t killed anybody, and please don’t put yourselves in risky places.
·         There are many who have fallen but rise up. The devil fools us into doing it again in order to soothe our guilt, but that is his weapon into getting us deeper into sin.
Many people are now dozing away (10.20 pm)
·         How to you find your freedom?
a)    Accept that you are in bondage.
b)    Confess your sins – and mostly one to another.
c)    Do something that is different from what is leading you into sin. Sieve out the things that are leading you to sin.
d)    Go back to the basics.
·         Prayer and an altar call.

Observations on the Band and the Praise and Worship Team

  • We observed a good level of unity and harmony in the musicianship of this year’s worship team.
  • The band was well coordinated and from our investigations, the team was praying together and was also submissive to Trumann as the leader. This had a really good effect on the quality and effect of the music they produced. The delegates highly appreciated these efforts.


Bonface Morris.

No comments:

Post a Comment