WOS Day 1: Gathering - The Bride of Christ

The first of Youthnet’s four night gathering at the Touch chapel auditorium brought with it many of our youths, coming in anticipation of what God’s word will be for us at this year’s Sanctification week. Judging from the turnout, the commercial value of Valentine’s Day proved to be no competition to what was in store at the gathering. Worship allowed us our own Valentine’s Day expression of love to God. We were reminded that our expression of love to God in this manner of gathering was indeed pleasing in God’s eyes, like the bride of Christ.

Pastor Eugene then opened the session with a personal sharing of his anticipation for Sanctification week. He shared that part of this annual event is letting God deal with issues in the family. Therefore, he said that the week brought about “a sense of great expectation and yet a sense of fear”. In that same spirit of surrender and faith, we invited the Lord’s presence with the voices of his sons and daughters lifting up the song You are welcome.The message for the night on holiness was preached by Pastor Eugene. This fittingly tied in with Sunday’s sermon on corporate holiness and emphasized the weight of the word that God wanted us to receive.

We were reminded that our first instruction from God was to be holy as He said in Leviticus 19:2 “Be holy because I the Lord your God am holy”. Without the need for further inadequate definitions, God is therefore the definition of holiness.

In the message, personal and corporate holiness were reiterated. We were told to be mindful of our corporate attitude and culture in order to ensure alertness, readiness and watchfulness amongst us. Corporate worship and celebration was another aspect highlighted to ensure that our passion fires on, creating eagerness, excitement and a longing for God. Lastly, we were commanded to be submissive, willing and obedient in pleasing God through corporate mission and commission. The message was evidently one from God that meant to teach Youthnet about not just being a family, but one that would be strengthened in holiness.

Armed with the knowledge of holiness, it would still be unachievable by our own strength without the cover of the cross. Not wanting to merely receive the word intellectually, the family knelt together before the cross, seeking not for redemption that had already been given but for a revelation of the cross. We wanted to take home more than a message but a sense of the sacrifice that was made in return for our lives.

The air was thick with the presence of God as the Holy Spirit moved amongst us, touching each individual in a different manner. Some cried with repentance and gratefulness, some had a silent, private dialogue with God and others had a supernatural experience with God then and there. In various ways, many of us had a revelation of the cross at the Touch Chapel and began to understand what Pastor Eugene meant when he said that “We will not understand the immensity of grace until we understand the severity of sin in our lives.”

Through this experience, we were reminded “take up the cross daily” (Luke 9:23) because of the significance of the cross. Through the session, we were all thus made more aware of the condition of our own lives and that of the spiritual family so as to be prepared for the following nights’ sessions of training, sending and celebration.

Written by:
Jerrine Chia, Pastor FeiFei's 12