CEBU – “Do not be ashamed. Proclaim yourself and stand in what you believe in as Christians!” – this was the message that reverberated as hundreds of graduating students from Talisay City National High School sang in joyous music that gave praise to God in a concert by the Jesus Miracle Youth Crusade dubbed “Holding Nothing Back.”
“Sin is growing and increasing today, but the Bible says that we must go out and tell about who Jesus Christ is,” Luke Smith, a Minister of the Jesus Miracle Crusade International Ministry Youth Crusade, said at the side line after the concert held recently at the grounds of Talisay City National High School.
Smith said it is important to reach out to the youth, especially in this generation, where they are barraged with information, influences – both good and bad – as well as the challenge of being heard and be accepted.
“They are hungry (for God), but they don’t know how to express it,” Smith, who is the son-in-law of the self-styled Evangelist Wilde Estrada Almeda, leader of the 2-million strong Jesus Miracle Crusade International Ministry, and one of the most influential and respected in the Philippines.
“We have started these two years ago because we want to reach out to the youth,” Anna Liza Almeda-Smith, the Evangelist’s daughter who is now based in the United States.
The Smith couple said they will be spending more time in the country to fulfil their spiritual obligation -and part of this obligation is their sincere commitment to launch a series of concerts all over the country “anytime where people want us to go.”
MUSIC FOR THE SOUL
Smith said the advent of technology and the rise of social media gave the youth of today “access to the world”.
“Social media is everything. In Biblical times, if they would have our technology now they (Christ and his disciples) would have reached more,” he said.The Philippines has ranked among the top 3 countries globally for being active social media users and a large chunk of this are the teenagers and middle-age young professionals, who incidentally are reported to distance spiritual and religious activities.
It is in this light that Smith underscored the importance of being spiritually strong while at the same time accepting the power of the social media to influence a larger part of the population. “Social media can be used for good or bad,” he said.
It is also in the same situation that music will be Jesus Miracle Youth Crusade’s way to reach out to the youth. Almeda-Smith, who grew up with the Ministry as one of its triumvirate of singing sisters that included elder sister Rachel Almeda-Esguerra and younger sister Leah Almeda-Mallari, said it has been her life-long dream to have a concert and share the words of God through music.
“Young people are very impressionable. To be able to reach out to them we must listen to them,” Smith said. “What we can do is take the sound that they like but put words that has the voice of God and put in their hearts that I can do all things in Christ,” the Minister added.
Smith said that if music will be able to influence the youth and allow them to express what is in their hearts “and give them hope” and instill in them “a message that I am a friend of God” will be a mission fulfilled.
“Knowing that we are relating with them…even if we influence just one (out of the hundreds that are out there), then it is worth all,” the Preacher said.
Many of those in the concert were so touched by the emotional preaching of the Smith couple that they broke down and cried and joined in praising God and His words. Many of them also joined the Jesus Miracle Crusade International Ministry and vowed to spread the words of God in Cebu.
The Jesus Miracle Youth Crusade has already scheduled series of concerts in the City of Naga, in Cebu province and the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Davao in May and June. It also held a concert recently in Baguio City. (With a report from the Cebu Examiner)
Like Us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindanaoexaminer
Follow Us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MindanaoExamine
Read Our News on: http://www.mindanaoexaminer.com/ and http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/
Share The News
20
