When 15-year-old Ethan Jitt first attended the Scripture Union Youth Bible Conference, he had not read the book of Judges in the Old Testament.
However, after the one-day seminar held at PJ Evangelical Free Church, Jitt who regularly attends the YMF Kuala Lumpur, said that he now plans to read the entire book of Judges. “The characters from the book of Judges teach us all about leadership. We pick up the good qualities from these judges, and avoid making the same mistakes that they made,” he added. “Yes, I would encourage people to come for the annual Youth Bible Conference.”
This year’s theme is “S.O.S”, which seeks to challenge young people to remember that they are firstly “Saved by God”, after which they now have to “Obey in Response” and “Serve in challenging times.” The speaker was Dr Wong Fook Kong, who is currently Professor of Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament at the Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary.
Dr Wong, who is a Malaysian, unpacked the Book of Judges through a series of four sessions during the 8-hour session on Saturday June 25. He did a character study of four judges – Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah and Samson.
Another participant, Jessica Cheah from SS Gospel Centre said that she learnt that God is always there from the book of Judges. “He is willing to help, whenever you need Him,” she said. Her friend, Choo Chiew Jynn from Shah Alam Gospel Centre added: “Yes, I, too, learnt a lot of lessons from the Bible characters. They are not as far off as we think they are.”
Echoing Choo’s sentiments is 17-year old Alessandra from FGA Kuala Lumpur. “I learnt about how different characters of the book of Judges behave,” she said. “This gives me a better insight into their personalities.”
Meanwhile, 16-year-old Samuel Goh said that the seminar was really good. “It has taught me many things which I have never explored before, as I read through the Bible,” he said. “I hope more young people will come for the SU Youth Bible Conference held every year.”
The conference which targets young people between the age of 15 and 20, attracted young people from a number of churches including PJ EFC, SS Methodist Church, FGA Kuala Lumpur, Inter-Brethren Assemblies Youth Development, the Anglican Dioceses and the Methodist Churches in Malaysia.
SU Executive Director, Koh Earn Soo said that these young people represent the future generation of Christian leaders in this country. “We want them to build a strong foundation, and learn to explore the treasures hidden in the Word of God,” he said. “With good speakers like Dr Wong, we are able to train the young people how to discover the gems in God’s Word.”
NOTE: This article was first published in the editorial column DEAR GOLDIE.
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