“New Creation” Winter Youth Conference 2014
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” 2 Corinthians 5:17
From the 28th – 30th November we were graced with the presence of Bishop Paul from Africa. The weekend was filled with thought provoking workshops, and talks led by Bishop Paul himself.
The concept behind the conference was the idea that through Christ, we can be transformed into a whole new being. Although we may see ourselves as a ‘hopeless case’, it is simple through the power and eyes of God. We were reminded of many stories in the Bible in which seemingly hopeless cases were made into beacons of hope for many. For example, in Acts 16:23-28, Paul and Silias were thrown into prison. They had no control over this themselves, however God stood by them and broke them free with an earthquake.
In the Holy Bible and in church, we are reminded that we are promised the kingdom of God. However many of us often have feelings of sadness, frustration, despair and hopelessness which can occasionally push us away from prayer and the church. To paraphrase His Grace’ words, the devil is deceiving. We all aspire to be holy and holiness is described as a living relationship with Jesus. When we sin, the devil wants us to feel ashamed and embarrassed so that we hide ourselves from God; just as Adam and Eve did. This deception causes our relationship with Christ to suffer, preventing us from reaching this certain state of holiness.
We were reminded of God’s faithfulness, and his presence during all our trials and tribulations, and that despite our hopeless feelings, God will never abandon his children. We were also taught the importance of faith, and having the belief that God will never accept defeat over the devil and that he will stand by us and protect us.
Throughout the conference, we were given countless examples of people who Bishop Paul knew that had experienced these drastic changes in their lives. Each of these stories provided us with valuable lessons to learn and grow from. As the conference drew to an end, Bishop Paul left us with the message that Jesus came to burden our sins and worries. He told us that we were not meant to carry them alone, and that each person should give their worries to God and trust in Him for the earthquake in our lives to change us.
This was the first UKmidcopts conference I attended and my expectations were surpassed a great deal. I avidly look forward to the next and encourage others to come along too!
The talks and sketch are now available for you to watch and listen to
