The following is an article I have written to be published in the next newsletter of the CEF European Headquarters (the Kilchzimmer Echo).Around the Atlantic coastal waters of Europe, there has been a recent increase in sightings of the second largest fish in the world. Commonly known as the basking shark (because they move lethargically near the surface), these fish can easily be distinguished by their large, gaping mouth, which they use to filter seawater through their gills while feeding on the tiny plankton. Experts estimate that a single basking shark can filter enough seawater to fill a 50m Olympic swimming pool – every hour!
That’s a lot of water and perhaps a fair picture of many of us – spiritually speaking. We look back with thankfulness to God that we heard the Gospel right from our earliest years. We praise God for the regular teaching we received in church, Sunday Schools, Good News Clubs and Junior Youth Challenge groups. Week by week these teachers fed us good spiritual food from the Word of God and challenged us to repent of our sin and to give our lives completely to God and His service. Now in our adult years we continue to take in thousands of litres of good biblical food in our own churches. Truly we can say we have been well fed! But so often after we have eaten a large meal, we sit down in our favourite chair and nod off to sleep. I wonder are we in danger of becoming like the basking sharks – taking in so much and yet happy to just relax in the comfort and warmth of the calm waters? Have we neglected our calling to pass on to others what we have been taught?
The principle of multiplication“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2Paul urged his young disciple Timothy, to make sure that he passed on the things he had learned to faithful people who would in turn teach them to others. In CEF we understand this principle of multiplication. The vast majority of the 220 million children in Europe have yet to hear a clear presentation of the Gospel. We realise that 570 full-time workers cannot reach them all on their own, so that is why we commit much of our resources to training others and providing them with quality teaching materials for the task.
Last year 17,000 people in Europe received some form of CEF training. During the past 12 months, 58 people from across Europe have attended our Junior Youth Challenge Instructors’ Courses in Ukraine, Romania, Poland and Russia. These people, many of them already CEF workers, have committed to take the teaching they have received, to train other teachers in the evangelism and discipling of 11-15 year olds. (Another course is planned for Kilchzimmer, 11-19 January 2009.)
Providing resources for the teachers‘Following Jesus’ is our latest teaching resource to be published for use in our Junior Youth Challenge (JYC) Groups. Part of a 5–year cycle, these new eye-catching Bible-studies are packed full of solid doctrinal teaching and personal application for the junior teens. You can download a sample PDF lesson at
www.cefyc.com.
We currently have over 300 JYCs in Europe reaching around 4,000 young people. Pray that many new JYCs will commence as our workers go out to train others, and that many of the junior teens will repent of their sin and begin to follow Jesus.
The following is an article I have written to be published in the next newsletter of the CEF European Headquarters (the Kilchzimmer Echo).
Today Joel had his first full day at school. He really likes his class and his new teacher. The day starts at 8.25 and later on in the year his classes will move to the normal starting time of 7.35!!!
For a long time I have wanted to visit the Shepherds' Conference at Grace Community Church and maybe someday I will... but even though it wasn't LA it was still very special to be in Zürich and to fellowship with brothers and sisters from across Germany and Switzerland who share the same desire to see the Word of God faithfully proclaimed across this most needy continent of Europe. The Masters Seminary has established a distance learning programme for German speakers in Berlin and Zürich know as EBTC (European Bible Training Center). They were the organizers behind this conference.
