RCMI 2018 E-newsletter No.05E

Youth in Paris

The 2nd generation of Revival Christian Church Paris

Pastor Matthew Leung

This is the 6th time we have come here to hold a youth camp. We have been praying since last year in preparation of the time. We wanted to receive revelations from the life of the young Joseph (Genesis 37-45), of how he received God’s calling for his life, but it was fulfilled in a way that was completely different to what he had wanted. He knew since the age of 17 that his Father in Heaven wanted to influence the people around him through him, he was even given the vision of those people needing and bowing to him. However, his brothers were jealous, they beat him up and sold him to Egypt. It was an obstacle, but it was also part of God’s plan.

Our lives are filled with mysteries and unknowns as we search for true love. God has put a desire in all of us that we would not be satisfied until we find our personal goals and see ourselves how God had intended us to. We hoped that the camp would facilitate the youth in RCC Paris to receive God’s vision for their lives, to really encounter God, to be refreshed and strengthened.

More than 40 young people participated in the camp, they are all members of RCC Paris and the 2nd generation of the church. A few of them have just joined the youth ministry from the children’s ministry. I brought my older daughter Dorcas to serve with me at the camp, she was responsible for the morning devotion. She shared her insights from reading Jonah and served alongside the RCC Paris worship team. She put in a lot of effort to prepare beforehand. The youth were encouraged to see Dorcas share as they have seen her when she was young and how she has grown, and now they can serve together. God is keeping and blessing our next generation.

Recap of the Camp

The 1st day’s theme: The Real Me & the Ideal Me – During the adventure/experience-based activities, the youth shared the struggles they experience in life as they grow up, the tension and the contrast between the ideal and reality. We then all prayed together. They engaged more actively with the activities than I expected.

In the morning of the 2nd day, we worked on building leadership that would help them accomplish their goals. We wanted the youth to learn the things that are important and practical, to improve their leadership, to increase their unity and ability to work together, and to help them understand the importance of using their influence for God. Some of the young people shared their experience of making an impact for God’s glory - they have set up a charity called AHABAH (“Ahabah” is Hebrew word for “true love”) to serve the refugees who have come to Paris. They send them food and other supplies and they share with them the selfless love of Christ. It was very touching to hear them share. They were told to use their infinite creativity to look at the story of Joseph from different perspectives in the last meeting, and then they wrote down their own life goals and vision.

The last day was the most anticipated part: Harp and Bowl. Everyone was excited to experience the power of God’s presence. It was a bit difficult at the beginning because the new generation spoke mostly French, they could not sing the Mandarin songs and seem slightly disengaged. I kept praying and asking God for strength and guidance, then when we were singing “Good Father”, the Holy Spirit told me to tell them that the Heavenly Father is going to touch every one of His children. So, I put my guitar down and I walked in the congregation to pray for them. I prayed for the release of God’s heart in them. The children started to cry. I saw the Spirit of God walking among them and one by one they started to laugh or weep. Some of the girls even laid down as they encountered the Holy Spirit and I could not tell whether they were laughing or crying but it went on for over an hour. It was until after the meeting when the staff gathered to debrief us that they helped the girls up. This is the work of our Heavenly Father.

In the debrief, we concluded that we need to do praise and worship in French in the future so that they would resonate with the young people and they can express themselves to God directly. The sermons also have to be revised. This is to make it even easier for young people to engage, because our Father God longs to have the hearts of these young people of the next generation. Thinking back, the early participants of the camp were also deeply touched by the Holy Spirit and they have now become leaders in the church and are leading the youth now. I believe this is the “Damascus’election and calling for these young people, to raise them up to be the next generation of leaders, to impact this world, to bless people and to glorify God.

Our vision

Christianity was once the dominant driving force of religion, literature, art and the economic revival in Europe, but its influence has been gradually declining in the last 30 years. Europe has even been considered a hard ground for the gospel! Many large cathedrals have been sold to become museums or mosques. The situation is even worse with Chinese churches in Europe. Most of them have fewer than 50 members and most members are preoccupied with life, work or their businesses. Very few believers go to church anymore.

Ten years ago, having received the vision that God would once again visit Europe and a great revival of the Church would come, RCC Paris decided to take up the mission and take part in God's plan. Through the many trips to Chinese churches in different European countries over the years, "Revival Europe Mission" was formed. The purpose is to unite the Chinese churches, combine their power and resources and seek to further evangelise in Europe. The RCTC conference which is being held at Frankfurt, Germany this year is the 5th one we have held. Churches from 12 countries have joined us - coming to serve and to provide resources. Already, more than 1000 people have registered for the conference. Germany has experienced a few terrorist attacks recently. Please keep the conference in your prayers. Please pray for God's protection over the meetings and above all, that the participants would experience revival in their lives and would take on the mission of spreading the gospel. Welcome you participate.

For more information： http://revivalchinese.wixsite.com/rctc