On Saturday (October 5) the Awakening Youth opened its 12th season. Many young people from Istanbul and Edirne came to the event with great enthusiasm.
The program began with the presentation of the Awakening Youth and its vision. “We have always served to strengthen inter-church unity, fellowship, brotherhood and love. If these days are the Awakening days, you are the Awakening Youth” Happy 12th year!”
The worship group was led by one of the young worshipers Özgür Tunç. The worship time songs which many of them were composed by himself impressed the youth.
After the worship, the play “Joy” was performed. The message of the theater was to find peace and joy in God, even in the hardest circumstances.
Kanivar Bakir, the youth leader of Besiktas Church, stepped on the stage to lead the prayer for the city of Bingol. Bakir, after mentioning the history of Bingöl, the Christian past and the few believers living there, three people got up and prayed for Bingöl.
After the prayer, people born in September and October were invited to the stage. While gifts were given to them, Akin Demirtel from the Eternal Life Church in Edirne prayed for these young people.
Akın Demirel shared the story of the foundation of Church of Eternal Life in Edirne, which was inaugurated as a church under the leadership of Önder Uyar in September 2018. After a three-year prayer time, Önar Uyar who was living in another city, felt in his heart the need of serving the Lord in Edirne and this was the beginning of the Edirne Church community.
Ramazan Arkan, the Past Pastor of the Bible Church in Antalya, preached about the “Sovereignty of God”.
Pastor Arkan used the following words in his sermon: “An awakening is coming! There was a group of people that wanted to restore the temple of God. They started with enthusiasm. But after a while, they all forgot God’s work and went into their own business. But after 16 years, God addressed his people through the prophet Hagay and called them to complete God’s work. People said “Time has not come”. Are we like this? When God tells us to do a job, do we start with enthusiasm and then go into our own business saying, “It’s not the time yet”?
Our work is not going well, we cannot get the results of our labor. Because instead of doing God’s work, we go into our own business. Because we strive for our own homes without fulfilling the duties we must do for the house of God.
The temple of God of that day is us now; the church. God gives us works for the church, and for his temple; how much do we prioritize them and how much do we fulfill them?
When we begin to do the work of the Lord, the Lord says, ‘I am with you’ (Hagay 1:13). When we are under pressure from our environment, when we start to fear, the Lord says, “My soul is with you. Do not be afraid!” (Hagay 2: 5). So let’s work without losing our courage.”
After the sermon, a short time of worship took place. Then announcements were made and joint photographs were taken.
It is announced that the next Istanbul Awakening Youth meeting will take place at UG Hall on November 2, 2019. (SAT-7 TÜRK / DAP)
