Numa Youth Ministry

Numa Youth Ministry NUMA Youth Ministry is part of Idaville UB Church, where our mission is to Pursue, Grow, and Multiply Disciples for Jesus Christ.

01/19/2025

IDAVILLE CHURCH HAS CANCELED SUNDAY SCHOOL AND CHURCH SERVICES TODAY - JANUARY 19, 2025

04/02/2024

Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent. . . . I am slow of speech and tongue.” Exodus 4:10
In our life of faith, there are times when God calls us to tasks that can seem beyond our abilities. Like Moses, we might think we lack the skills or eloquence to do what God has asked. Doubts and insecurities can grip our hearts, causing us to question whether we can truly serve God’s purpose. When God called Moses to go before Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses hesitated. He felt that he could not communicate the message well. He may even have had a speech impediment. But God said, “Who gave human beings their mouths?” In other words, God is the one who equips and empowers the ones he calls. So he assured Moses that he would be with him, guiding his words and actions. Just as God did not overlook Moses’ concerns, he also sees our doubts and knows our limitations. But God chooses us, imperfect as we are, to accomplish his plans. And it is in our moments of weakness that God’s strength shines through. He delights in using us to accomplish extraordinary feats for his glory. When we feel inadequate, let’s remember that our sufficiency comes from God alone. He provides the necessary resources, wisdom, and strength to carry out his purposes. We can trust that God will equip us with exactly what we need, and he will never leave us to face our challenges alone.

03/29/2024

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” John 11:25
This quotation is a brief summary of the good news of Jesus. He says that anyone who believes in him will live, even after death. He says that life comes only through him. And he does not merely say that he knows how to find the resurrection and the life; he says, “I am the resurrection and the life.” This occurs amid the dramatic story of the raising of Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, Jesus’ close friends. Lazarus became ill and died while Jesus was away. Jesus even waited to come so that everyone would know Lazarus was surely dead by the time Jesus arrived. Jesus did this so that his followers would believe, learning that he had the power to raise someone from the dead. Then Jesus went to Lazarus’s tomb and brought his friend back to life, so that everyone would believe and see the glory of God (John 11:1-44). Soon after that, resurrected life became available to all—through Jesus’ own death and resurrection. As the apostle Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 15, Jesus became “the firstfruits” of resurrection life for all who “belong to him”—that is, for all who believe in him as Savior and Lord. Because of Jesus’ resurrection, all can rise with him. All that God requires is that we believe Jesus is indeed the resurrection and the life.

03/28/2024

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life. . . . Deuteronomy 30:19

In Deuteronomy, Moses is giving his farewell speech to God’s people Israel. So he tells the Israelites straight up: “You can go one of two ways—the way of blessings and life, or the way of curses and death. Choose life!” The choice seems rather simple and obvious, right? I can’t imagine people saying, “Well, I’ll choose curses and death.” But some do. Some people reject or ignore the choice that God gives them. The same thing happens today. People reject or ignore the choice to follow Christ. In Moses’ day, God laid the choice in front of Israel in terms of a “covenant.” That was a pact between God and his people—a pledge of fidelity on both sides. God promised to be faithful to his people, and the people were called to reciprocate. They needed to be faithful to God. They needed to keep the terms of the covenant. Those terms made up the law, summarized in the Ten Commandments: do not worship or serve other gods; do not harm your neighbor; and so on. Yet no human could keep the terms of that covenant perfectly—till Jesus came. Jesus is the only human who kept every stipulation of the covenant. And he not only chose life for himself but also made it available to all who choose life in him. Thanks to Jesus, we have blessings and life!

03/27/2024

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Notice that God loves this whole, great big world. He doesn’t just love only a few people—or even all people—but the whole world. That includes all creation. Wow, that’s a big love! All of nature is God’s, and God loves all of it. True, we humans are the capstone of creation, but we are still very much a part of it. All of us, and all of creation, can and should give praise to our Maker. So, for example, the flower that grows in a meadow, unseen by humans, is seen by God. And God delights in it. God’s love, as revealed in Jesus, is the broadest, deepest, most penetrating love there has ever been. Its breadth extends to every creature God has ever made. The bear, the butterfly, and the amoeba all celebrate God’s love, praising their Maker by doing what they are created to do. God loves the whole world, and he sent Jesus to redeem all of it. As the crown of God’s creation, we must love it too. How can we do that? By treating the world as an object of our love, by saving the scarce flora and fauna that God put here, and by nurturing rather than destroying the world. God’s love is BIG. Our love needs to be like his.

03/26/2024

Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers . . . nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
Most of the conquerors in history have been egotistical thugs. They established kingdoms by their own power and for their own glory, often killing many thousands of people to do so. But what we learn from Scripture is that Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, has conquered all things by laying down his own life as a ransom for us. By doing that, he broke the power of sin’s hold on us. And that means no other power in all creation or even in the spiritual realms can separate us from God. Nothing can separate us “from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Sometimes the challenges we face are from circumstances and other people, but the root of all challenges to our faith comes from spiritual forces that are at war with God. Those spiritual powers would love to destroy us, but they cannot touch us because of God’s protection in Christ. Jesus has already won the battle. And because he won, we win! When Jesus rose from the dead, he overcame the ultimate weapon of the forces of evil—death. Never again can Satan and the powers of evil have a hold on us, because Jesus has brought us into everlasting life. With him, we are more than conquerors.

03/25/2024

The creation itself will be liberated from its bo***ge to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. Romans 8:21
Did you know that God’s plan of salvation includes more than the saving of human souls? For many Christians “Jesus saves” means that Jesus saves us from our sins, and that is true—but there is also much more. Jesus came to save the whole world, all of creation. So, when Jesus comes again, the world will not be obliterated—it will be renewed. The creation will no longer be subjected to the effects of human sin. It will be renewed, purified, and made whole. At the time of our first sin, the ground itself became cursed. And throughout human history we have often been a curse to the ground and to the air and the seas as well. We often spoil and wreck God’s creation rather than protecting, guarding, and cultivating it. In this situation, creation “groans” under the effects of the curse of sin. All of creation longs to be set free from this cursed state. The universe longs for Jesus to return, for his enemies to be conquered, and for his children to be revealed as his own. Then all creation will be set free, along with the children of God.

03/13/2024

“To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.” Revelation 2:17
Jesus called the Pergamum church, some of whom were slipping into idolatry and immorality, to repent. Otherwise, judgment would come. But to all who would repent, to those who were eager to commit to Jesus, there would be victory. He would give them “some of the hidden manna,” he said. This refers back to God’s Old Testament people receiving a daily supply of manna for their food (Exodus 16). God sustained them in the desert with this “bread from heaven” as a sign of his love. Jesus built on that connection by announcing that he is the true bread from heaven who gives life to the world. All who come to Jesus in faith will receive bread that feeds the soul. Jesus, the bread of life, opens the door to eternal life (John 6:32-51). Jesus also said that each repentant believer would receive “a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.” We aren’t sure what this means, but it seems related to having a new relationship with God in Christ and a new character that is treasured deep within one’s heart. Though some details here are mysterious, the message is clear: Jesus calls us to live faithfully for him, and he promises eternal life to all who fully believe and trust in him.

03/12/2024

“I have a few things against you. . . . Repent therefore!” Revelation 2:14-16
Many of the Christians in Pergamum remained true to Jesus. That would not have been easy. An altar to Zeus stood near the tip of the city’s mountaintop, in the shadow of a temple built by the emperor Trajan. Below stood a “healing center” dedicated to the god Asclepius. And the worship of Dionysus led to sexual perversions in pagan worship. Jesus commended his followers for remaining true to him. “Nevertheless, I have a few things against you,” he said. Some people in the church were trying to mix their faith in Jesus with pagan practices. Those practices included worship “parties” where food was offered to idols and people engaged in drunkenness and sexual perversions. And Jesus does not put up with that. Many years earlier, Balaam, a false prophet, had set up a plan to tempt the men of Israel to similar perversions (Numbers 25:1-3; 31:16). Jesus also mentioned the Nicolaitans (see Rev. 2:6), who seem to have wanted Christ’s followers to compromise their beliefs. But any compromise would oppose a wholehearted commitment to Jesus. So the church was to call its members to repent, said Jesus, or he would come “and fight against them with the sword of [his] mouth.” This meant he would bring his Word of judgment against them. This warning remains for all of us today. Let us take note, repent, and submit to Jesus.

03/11/2024

“These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name.” Revelation 2:12-13
The city of Pergamum was the capital of the Roman province of Asia (present-day Turkey). The Roman ruler there held the power of the sword; at his decision someone could immediately be put to death. So in that setting Jesus, “the ruler of the kings of the earth” (Revelation 1:5), with “the sharp, double-edged sword” of his mouth (1:16; 2:12), claimed ultimate authority over eternal life and death. Jesus commends the church for “remaining true to [his] name” and staying in Pergamum. They took up permanent residence in this city filled with pagan temples and idol worship. They became rooted in the Pergamum community and built up the church in a most difficult location, where Satan lived and reigned. Jesus had previously taught his followers to do this: “On this rock [the so-called ‘gates of Hades’ at Caesarea Philippi in northern Galilee] I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18). Similarly Jesus is saying, “In Pergamum I will build my church, and the throne of Satan will not overcome it.” Satan will never overcome a faithful community of Jesus-followers. Trust the One who is Judge to keep his word on your behalf. Be humble, be obedient, be strong.

03/06/2024

Paul devoted himself . . . to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. But when they . . . became abusive, he . . . said . . . “From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” Acts 18:5-6
The apostle Paul had become God’s “chosen instrument to proclaim [Jesus’] name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel” (Acts 9:15). As Paul ministered across Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Greece, his method was to go first to Jewish synagogues and then to the Gentiles, sharing the good news of Jesus. Acts 18:1-8 describes Paul’s ministry in Corinth. Some of the Jewish people there believed the gospel, but others “opposed Paul and became abusive.” So Paul shook out his clothes in protest and moved along, saying he would go and preach to the Gentiles. In Smyrna a similar situation developed. The church of Jesus was being persecuted by people who said they were Jews, God’s original chosen people, but they were being influenced by Satan. Though Jesus’ church there was healthy, it faced troubles. Jesus said he knew the people’s affliction and suffering for being his followers. He also knew their poverty. In the bustling city of Smyrna business thrived, but unless you offered incense to the city’s gods, you could not do business there. Without an income, you became poor. Yet Jesus said they were rich! The kingdom of God operates on a different scale: amazing grace! Be strong in Jesus. All who are children of God in Christ will wear the victor’s crown.

03/05/2024

“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.” Revelation 2:10
If we had the privilege of being with Jesus throughout his ministry years, we would have been on the lookout for enemies or traps. He told his disciples, “If they persecuted me [and they did], they will persecute you also” (John 15:20). Like John, Peter had heard Jesus say this, and he wrote about suffering “grief in all kinds of trials” because of belief in Christ. Yet, despite those trials, followers of Jesus would experience victory. Because of Jesus’ resurrection, all who believe in him have “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.” This reality helps to form the foundation of our faith. The knowledge of our eternal inheritance with God outshines the suffering and grief caused by trials and persecutions that we might face in this life. Peter also says that the trials we can face will prove the genuineness of our faith, the effectiveness of the gospel, and the truth of the written and spoken Word. The church at Smyrna heard the word about persecution and the subsequent promised victory. Persecution would not be the end. Since Jesus is God’s promised Messiah to the world, we can boldly proclaim him to all who will listen.

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3590 Carlisle Road
Gardners, PA
17324

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+17176778076

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