Time to ACT, like the Apostles

We've just finished the 21 Days Fasting of the Holy Spirit and I'm sure many youths have had an unforgettable and amazing experience with Him. The question that many are asking now is, 'What next?' 

I'd like to answer this question directly and straight to the point. 

If you read the first chapter of the ACTS of the Apostles you'll see right at the beginning of the chapter the Holy Spirit encouraging the disciples to stay in Jerusalem until they were baptized (Acts 1:4-5).  Immediately after that He said they would receive power, after the baptism, not to worship or sing nice songs of praise, but to "... be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). Hence the title of the book is ACTS of the Apostles. 

This means that the Holy Spirit has been given to us for action and not to become religious. There is this false idea that after the baptism our lives will become a bed of roses. Jesus said that He came not bring peace but sword, referring to the constant battle we'll go through until our death or His return. And this battle is fierce. We're fighting against the spiritual forces of this dark world that want to drag every single soul, especially youths, to hell. LET'S BECOME THE WITNESSES JESUS SPOKE ABOUT. The Holy Spirit is here for that cause, and not so we can use Him as an accessory.   

The YPG will be screening Paul, the Apostle nationwide. You will have the opportunity to see what you've heard so many times in church and read tirelessly in your Bible coming to life.

Speak to your local YPG leader and find out when the screening will begin.

It's time to ACT!

Pr Luke Castro

YPG National Coordinator

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

5 Steps To Make It Sweet

Verbal and physical abuse, violence, lack of role models, poverty, no communication, divorce, separation, betrayal. 

These are few examples of what many young people go through in their homes. It's so common  nowadays to talk to youths whose families are falling apart. This is a shocking reality. Sometimes I few that we, YPG pastors, are not doing enough to help them. Not that we don't put effort. It's just that it seems not to be enough. We can feel their pain. 

Sorry to be so honest but sometimes I feel like giving an earful to their parents, some slaps if so.

Due to these awful experiences, they develop hatred, grudges, suicidal thoughts, depression, loneliness and all kinds of evil feelings which, with time, develop so much that the need for a coping system is needed.

And that's when things get worse. Plans to kill the culprit of the family's crime begin to disclose. Running away from home or swapping the family for the streets become the only apparent solution. Slashing the wrists or consuming drugs seem to be the only method available to vent the frustration and scape the pain.

The question is: who is hurting who? Is this type of behavior and act the solution to solve the problem? Is it an intelligent way to 'get back on them'? I don't think so. I mean, doing all these and keeping all alive, vividly inside for too long is hurting you only, not your parents or whoever hurt you. You put your future into jeorpady because of what happened years ago. Is it worth it? 

I know one might say, "I am what I am because of them. So why should be the one to forgive?" True. One might have plenty of reasons to think in such way. But, again, IS IT WORTH IT?

I've heard of people getting to the point of going to jail due to the turn his/her life took after years of tasting the bitterness at home.

So, there is only one way to beat all these: FORGIVE and FORGET.

I know some of you will probably frown after reading these, like some youths did before once they heard the magical word FORGIVE. But this is the only way. What else is left to do? Get into a time capsule, turn the leveler back 10, 20 years ago and arrive back in time in order to try and fix the whole thing? There is no such thing and we know that.

We, at the YPG, are proposing that you come and let's help you with that. We know it isn't easy but with spiritual help and guidance you will definitely get there. We've witnessed this happening many times in the YPG. www.youthpowergroup.com

Beginning this Sunday we will teach you 5 steps of how to turn a bitter home into a sweet one. We meet at 1pm (some churches at 1.30pm) in every YPG branch throughout America.

God bless you.

Pr Luke Castro

YPG National Coordinator