Riverbend Youth

BOTTOM LINE: The Kid changes how you see yourself and everyone else. GOAL: To show students that the birth of Jesus and all His arrival means for us is a gift available to everyone. SCRIPTCH: Luke 2:8-16 NLT, Matthew 2:7-11a, 16 NLT

BOTTOM LINE: The Kid from nowhere changes how you see your situation. GOAL: To point students toward seeing that Jesus’ birth was God’s answer to our broken world and to encourage them to see Jesus as the answer to their broken situations or circumstances this season. SCRIPTCH: Luke 2:1-7 NRSVUE, Luke 2:6a NRSVUE, John 1:46 NLT,

BOTTOM LINE: Gods light in you brings light to others GOAL: To show students the value of seeing other people and their needs through the eyes of Jesus and to encourage them to take a step to shine a little light by meeting the needs they see around them. SCRIPTCH: “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when y...

BOTTOM LINE: God's light in you brings order to chaos GOAL: To show students the power of God’s light to calm the chaos they may feel in themselves and others and to encourage them to be that source of light to someone who needs it this week. SCRIPTCH: (Genesis 1:2-5a NLT); (LUKE 11:36B NLT)

BOTTOM LINE: Light is who God is, God created you to shine GOAL: To point students toward embracing the fact that they were created to shine God’s light into this world and to give them a few ideas on how they can do that right now as middle/high schoolers. SCRIPTCH: (Philippians 2:15 NIV; 1 John 1:5b NIV; Matthew 5:14, 16 NLT)

BOTTOM LINE: THE AUTHENTIC YOU IS HONEST WITH YOURSELF AND OTHERS GOAL: To encourage students to see what lies they may be believing and to embrace a more authentic version of who God has made them to be. SCRIPTCH: He said to the Jews who believed, “If you keep and obey My Word, then you are My followers for sure. You will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31-32 NLV). They...

Session 2 of 2 from our series on Creation, brought to you by guest speaker, Marc Lynch.

RBYouth welcomes back Marc Lynch to bring a 2-part series on Creation, based on Genesis 1 & 2, that is sure to blow your mind! Genesis 1 -Creation as a Cosmic Temple -Genesis is about function, not science. -Science and the Bible:

BOTTOM LINE: God doesn't change, and that's a good thing!! GOAL: To encourage students with the truth that God never changes and to show them how leaning on and remembering that truth can help them navigate challenging circumstances and changing seasons in life. SCRIPTCH: Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens...

BOTTOM LINE: Change is apart of life GOAL: Find how God can use change to build your faith SCRIPTCH: -For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT) -[...]A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:2-8 NLT) -Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.(Hebrews 11:1...

BOTTOM LINE: We exist to help Students discover, deepen, and deploy the good news about Jesus GOAL: To remind us all about our purpose, not only at RBY, but as Christ-followers in general SCRIPTCH: 1 Timothy 4:12; John 17:20-23

BOTTOM LINE: Be part of something big. GOAL: To help students see the influence they have as high schoolers and to encourage them to use that influence to make a big impact on other people. SCRIPTCH: Matthew 23:8-12 NIV, Matthew 20:25-28 NIV, Matthew 28:18-20 NIV

BOTTOM LINE: Do something small to serve others, even when you don’t have to. GOAL: To encourage students to see the value in serving others and to help them find new ways to show up for those around them. SCRIPTCH: Philippians 2:3-8 NIV

BOTTOM LINE: When you give in, you can still move forward. GOAL: To remind students that God’s love and grace are always available to them and because of that, there’s always a chance to move forward. SCRIPTCH: Romans 8:38-39 NIV, Romans 5:8 NIV, 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

BOTTOM LINE: Trust what God says is true. GOAL: To point students toward the truth that God wants them to live a full, joyful life and to help them trust that, in making better decisions in the face of temptation, they’ll see better outcomes. SCRIPTCH: Matthew 4:5-7 NIV, Galatians 6:7 NIV, Philippians 3:17 NIV

BOTTOM LINE: Choose to believe that God will provide for your needs. GOAL: To encourage students to lean into God’s goodness in the face of temptation and to trust God to provide them with the tools they need to resist temptation when it comes their way. SCRIPTCH: Matthew 4:1-11 NIV, Matthew 3:17b NIV, Philippians 4:19 NIV

BOTTOM LINE: Let what God says about you influence what you do. GOAL: To help students recognize the battle they may be fighting with temptation and to encourage them to ground themselves in the truth of who God says they are to help them resist giving in. SCRIPTCH: James 1:13-15 NIV, Matthew 4:1-2 NIV, Matthew 3:17b NIV

BOTTOM LINE: God is working with you when you choose to do good work. GOAL: To encourage students to choose how they respond when they see or experience injustice. SCRIPTCH: Daniel 3:24-27 NIV, Psalm 139:24a NIV

BOTTOM LINE: Justice says good isn’t good enough. GOAL: To help students develop and/or strengthen the practical skill of noticing the need for justice around them and encourage them to take steps toward doing good by responding to that need. SCRIPTCH: Matthew 25:41-46 NIV

BOTTOM LINE: Love lets people know they matter. GOAL: To show students that they have worth and value to God. SCRIPTCH: John 20:11-19 NIV

BOTTOM LINE: Love shows up in the low points of life. GOAL: To remind students of the valuable truth that, because of Jesus, they are forgiven and to help them see that forgiveness is a result of God’s love for them. SCRIPTCH: 1 Peter 4:8 NLT, Luke 23:32-43 NLT

BOTTOM LINE: How Jesus loved us shows us what love can do. GOAL: To help students see the ways they view God and to encourage them to see that the Easter story shows us that God is love. SCRIPTCH: 1 John 4:8b-10 NIV

BOTTOM LINE: Without people who make you better, you can miss out on what’s best. GOAL: To encourage students to see the value in inviting others to speak into their lives, specifically when it comes to dating and relationships. SCRIPTCH: Proverbs 11:14 NIV

Sage brings the HEAT! BOTTOM LINE: The pressure to be with someone can cause you to settle for anything. GOAL: To open students’ eyes to the things they may be excusing, ignoring, or settling for in relationships and to encourage them to be honest with themselves and someone they trust about it. SCRIPTCH: 2 Samuel 11:1 NLT, 2 Samuel 11: 3 NLT

BOTTOM LINE: Nothing in life should hold you back from the rest of your life. GOAL: To help students see the potential fallout of obsessive thinking about dating and relationships and to encourage them to choose wisdom to help them shift their focus. SCRIPTCH: Ephesians 5:15-16 NIV