YEC: A SHOW FOR REDEMPTION

The New Life Apostolic Church's Youth Department hosted a Youth Evangelism Concert
on July 10, 2022, under the direction of their Youth President, Ms. Lovely Angeles, and
her secretary, Ms. Jahmai Parina. The aforementioned evangelism concert was
reportedly successful despite the limited capacity of the place, as God had restored
many souls.

PLANS AND TASKS

The Youth Evangelism Concert (YEC), has been organized for at least two months to win souls
and restore our long-forgotten relationship with Christ. The youths who actively helped make
this event possible also positively impacted the achievement of this evangelism's only goal. This
evangelism concert's topic, "Once Lost, Now Found," was deliberately chosen after carefully
considering various options with a bible verse in Luke 15:24, “For this my son was dead, and is
alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.” The theme symbolizes the
hope that a lost can be found too. In the hopes of having the best outcome, Ms. Lovely divided
the tasks among the youths to make moving easier. Everyone had their designated tasks that
truly helped the whole event to be successful.

ACTIVITIES AND PERFORMANCES

NLAC Youths prepared two performances, to entertain and show the visitors through
performance how God moves in our lives in the middle of our lostness. The first performance is
spoken poetry led by Samantha, where the two main leads, Ainiezel as the ‘lost’ and Ramses as
‘God,’ presented two different points of view from the lost and God. A lost soul seeking to
rediscover herself in the middle of nothingness was depicted in the performance. The world was
unaware that she was damaged. Though she makes an effort to look for the light, the darkness
keeps engulfing her. By both the world's chains and her own blindness, she was imprisoned.
She had no idea that God had always fought alongside her in the conflicts she believed she had
lost. God is attempting to communicate to her that He never left and that He has been patiently
waiting for her to turn around and realize that He has always been watching her back. The
lesson is, God has always been with us, thus a loss isn't really lost. Since we were never truly
lost and are always found, all we have to do is turn around to find His loving arms stretched out
in anticipation of our homecoming, just like in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The second
performance is a song interpretation directed by Lourdes, with Glairence playing the lead role as
a Christian who has struggled mightily to remain in God's presence. She lost her identity as a
Christian as she sought solace in the pleasures of the world due to her overwhelming sense of
loss. But God revealed her true identity, which is found in Christ. The moral of the story is that
even though we often struggle to find a place where we truly belong amid the chaos of our lives,
the one place we truly belong is in the arms of the One who bore all of the nails that were meant
for us, to lose death and find eternal life.
With the people in Christ's praise and worship, the YEC has effectively come to a close. The
concert has deepened the bonds that the young people there have formed as well as their
relationship with God. Many souls have been saved, and they are now living proof of God's
wonders. Many people have been given great delight in their hearts, which will undoubtedly be
remembered when we look back on it in the future.

3-Day Prayer & Fasting

Before the YEC happens, NLAC Youths need to prepare themselves and ensure that they are
spiritually connected with God. Some youths did straight fasting for 3 days, while others did 2
days, and the rest chose to have a break every night. Nonetheless, this will not measure how
they are eager to make this event successful and save more souls. Their sacrifices result in a
holy ghost-filled place during the event. Overall, the event went well with the help of the Lord.

TESTIMONIES AND TEACHINGS

Bro. Abel and Sis. Ann also shared heartfelt testimonies during the time that they were ‘lost’ and
couldn't find their way. They looked for joys in the world, but they only found fleeting satisfaction
there, and they still struggle with the issues they have with themselves, their families, and their
friends, and the issues they deal with daily in the harsh society. However, God has always
provided a way for us to look back and recognize that His kind arms are extending to our
wounded spirits. God used those around them to compel them to return to His presence and
feel His tender arms encircling their impure souls.

The teaching for that afternoon was delivered by the National Evangelist Director, Mr. Arvin
Nicolas with the blessing of Bp. Ricardo Parina. Luke 15:24 is the first scripture he quotes in his
sermon with the main topic, “How God Loves a Sinner.” God hates sin, but He loves the sinner
is one of the most unforgettable he quoted during that time. God is renowned for being just.
Ironically, He loves the sinners even though He hates and despises sin. The text explained how
much God values a straightforward surrender, a single call, and a willing comeback. The
heavens are rejoicing for a lost soul that has been found. The preacher started telling a parable
about a prodigal son who took everything he could from his father and fled. He used up all of his
inheritance and eventually had nothing left. Later on, he realized that he has a better life with his
father. He decided to return, only to discover that his father is waiting for his return. He
embraced him and proclaimed a time of celebration in honor of the return of his long-lost son.
God is waiting for us to turn back to Him, just like the father in the parable. As long as we are
willing to give Him everything, He is ready to receive us with open arms. When we return to Him,
He is more joyful than anyone could ever be. God loves us without condition, just as a father
loves his son lovingly.

One thing you can never doubt in this world is His love for mankind. God even sacrificed His
own and shed blood for the remission of our sins. That no matter how we sin against Him, He is
willing to embrace us as long as we come to Him. He is the definition of love. We made
mistakes, we turned our backs on Him during our happiest times, and we even complained a lot
and blamed everything on God during our lowest points. We doubted Him. But you know what?
God is still waiting for us to call Him. He is waiting for us to come unto Him and surrender
everything. God loves us so much that we can never be deserving of that love but He still calls
us deserving. And if you ever find yourself being at a moment where everything seems dark,
look up. Maybe then, you’ll see the light that has been guiding you through your highest and
lowest points— a reminder that you will never be alone in a battle that God has already won.