21 Days

Now if anyone does not have 

the Spirit of Christ, 

he is not His.

Romans 8:9

Dead Man Walking

"For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." 

Romans 8.6

To be carnally minded means that all you think about is pleasing yourself. It refers to those people whose only worry is who they’ll be dating next, how to get the latest trainers or cell phone, how they will make themselves the most popular girl/boy in their little group - in other words their minds are only set on satisfying the desires of their flesh. And because of this they are prepared to lie, steal, hurt, cheat and even kill for it.

These are the people who are dead spiritually. They are completely self-absorbed and ignore God; they have no life in them. They come to the YPG meetings thinking that because they spend a few hours in the church they are exempt from eternal death. Poor people! They are already dead without knowing it. They are breathing, studying, playing, laughing, talking, etc. but are dead spiritually.

"What are you right now, alive or dead?"

Now those who are spiritually minded - those who mind the things of God - are constantly thinking about what Jesus would do if He were in their place. They seek God’s direction through praying and meditation on the Bible.

Amongst other things they attend the youth meetings not for appearance but because they understand that what the pastor preaches is God’s instruction for their lives. Therefore they always make the difference. They stand out. They are not problematic people who need to be constantly rebuked or reminded of their duties as Christians. They are like flames of fire, they’re ALIVE!

Because their minds are set on the things above, they do not need to be around other people to fill the void. They are at peace.

What are you right now, DEAD or ALIVE?

Adj. Carnal - 1.Marked by the appetites and passions of the body… involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit. 2. Of or relating to the body or flesh

Pr Luke Castro

YPG National Coordinator

Your Way or His Way?

Actions speak louder than words! God does not take into consideration what we say, but rather what we do. Let's take for example the story of the rich young ruler and Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector. The rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked, "...Good Teacher, what good things shall I do that I may have eternal life?" (Matthew 19:16). In reply to this, Jesus told him, "...go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." (Matthew 19:21)


As we can see from Jesus' reply to the young man, all He asked of was ACTION. 'Go', 'sell', 'give', 'come' and 'follow me'. These same actions are being asked of youths today. 'Go' and 'sell' what you have. Get rid of the things that are impeding you from forming a stronger relationship with God.

"Like the young rich ruler, 

many youths know what they have to do in order to get closer to God. 

The problem is that they want to do it their way."

Give up the treasures that you hold dear to your heart; anything that comes first before God like friends, music, family, reputation, fame, recognition, etc. Things that you might even say are not first in your heart but through your actions and behavior, it shows otherwise.


The other actions Jesus pointed out were to 'Come' and 'Follow Me'. To get rid of our worldly treasures is the first step in having eternal life. The second step is to have Jesus Christ as your Leader and to live according to His will. The sad conclusion to the story of the rich young ruler is that he was unable to drop all his possessions in order to live according to God's will. "But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions." (Matthew 19:22) 


The other individual in the Bible who was faced with another similar situation was Zacchaeus. As you probably heard before, he was the man who climbed up the tree to see Jesus, (Luke 19:1-6). Like the young ruler, "...Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector, and he was very rich." (Luke 19:2). However, unlike the rich young ruler, he was not asked to give up his possessions by the Lord Jesus; he did this voluntarily. "Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 'Look Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have  taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold" (Luke 19:8).


Like Zacchaeus, most youths know what they have to do in order to get closer to God. So what is stopping them?


The main conclusion that can be drawn from this message is that God requires us to act upon what He reveals to us. Who do your actions take after, the rich young ruler or Zacchaeus?


Pr Luke Castro
YPG National Coordinator