Roots Student Ministry Podcast

The story of the shepherds hearing about Jesus wasn't enough for them, they had to go experience Jesus for themselves. So they traveled to the town of Bethlehem to go see Jesus with their very own eyes. This story helps us know that a relationship with Jesus is meant for everyone.

When we go all the way back to the very first Christmas, we realize that Jesus really shook things up. He didn't come exactly how everyone expected their Savior to come, but He came in a way that was far better for everyone. Because He came, everyone can now live a life with a relationship with Jesus.

The invitation that Jesus came to bring is the biggest invitation that you can have...a relationship with Him. We saw this invitation the very first day that Jesus was born, when the lowly Shepherds were invited to see Jesus. And that story can let you know that you're invited too.

It's good to have people you can look up to. But sometimes, if we are not careful, we start to compare ourselves to them and think that we can't live up to the standard they laid out for us. If we find ourselves comparing, we need to let God transform and renew our hearts and rest in the identity that He gave us.

When we start to compare ourselves to others, we start to become envious and jealous of the person who we compare ourselves too. We may even wonder if we can ever live up to the way they live or every have the talent they have. But the best way to combat that jealousy is to celebrate what you have and celebrate what they have. It will make you an overall joy-filled person.

In a world that is full of comparison, we can be confident in ourselves knowing that God doesn't compare ourselves to others. Instead, we should turn our focus on God and know that He made us just the way He wanted to make us.

When we're in a dark world, the Bible helps bring clarity to the darkness. It lights it up so we can see clearly around us. It may not illuminate all the answers we're looking for, but within context, it helps us know what our next step should be.

The Holy Spirit speaks to us when we are reading scripture. So it's important to keep the words of Scripture on our hearts. We do that by memorizing and living out the Scripture that we have memorized.

There are a lot of confusing things that we can read in the Bible. Most of the time it's confusing because we open the Bible to a random page and start reading. But when we really spend time looking into the context of what is happening at that time, it creates clarity for us so we can understand the Bible better.

We all probably have different views about the Bible. Some of us may love reading it, while others of us may get confused when we read the Bible. What's important is that we understand that Jesus is the main part of the WHOLE Bible. Which means we need to read Scripture through the filter of Jesus. That way we can get to know God and how He works.

Many of us may have family that isn't very consistent for us. Maybe our family is going through a hard season. It's important that we have friends that we trust as family. That's why the church is so important, because you have a church family who can come alongside you and support you.

One thing is inevitable in life, things are going to change. And when things change in our family, the way we handle it matters. Instead of fighting change and pretending that everything will always stay the same, we can open our hands and give up control to God. We can trust Him with it all.

Every family has it's challenges. Families have tension, secrets and maybe even wounds from the past. But just because every family is imperfect, it doesn't mean that your family should be counted out. God has a plan for your family and your family story isn't finished.

When it comes to family, there are a whole bunch of things in the mix. Faith can even be another big thing to add into the family mix. Maybe your family doesn't believe. Maybe your family puts a lot of pressure on you to believe what they believe. For others of us, it feels like faith is one thing and family is a completely other thing. But if you want faith to help your family, you must show...

Jesus has already come down to this earth and showed us how to make a difference in the world around us. We can look at Jesus' life to know how we can spread the good news of God's party here on this earth. The Kingdom of Heaven has already been brought down to this earth. It's our role to show it to everyone else.

When we're Christians, we feel like we have to defend anything that seems to be different than what we learned about faith growing up. When we're trying to defend, we stop spending time listening. But we can learn from Jesus that it's important to spend time learning. If you want to walk with wisdom, you need to know that there is always something to learn from others.

Everyone has worth and value. It's important to remember that we are valuable. And if we are valuable, that means others are valuable as well and we need to treat them that way. We need to get creative in how we celebrate others. That very act of creativity can be an act of worship to God.

We can have a lot of insecurity about where we stand when it comes to our influence. As believers, we have the light of Jesus in us that gives us the influence that we can have towards others. We can tell other people about Jesus and the relationship we have with Him.

We have all been gifted with many gifts and talents, but sometimes it seems like there is so much going on in the world that we can't really make a difference to change it. Instead of us trying to think how we can change the world, we need to think about how we can change our neighbors life around us.

Sometimes it's hard for us to be generous to others. We may even fear what other people's response would be. But a true party starter is someone who goes above and beyond. Someone who is generous to others. They celebrate and help others win.

It's easy to be a party starter in peoples lives when things are going great. It's easy to celebrate the great times in life. It's harder to come alongside those who are struggling. But in order to be a good party starter, we need to walk alongside others through their pain.

In a lot of ways in our lives, it can feel like there are two groups in life: the insiders and the outsiders. Sometimes, if we realize it or not, we can be the ones to make other people feel "out". But Jesus gave us an example that with God, everyone gets a seat at the table. Jesus spent time with the tax collectors and the sinners. The people in that society that everyone looked down up...

It's easy for us to do the bare minimum. We may do it because we're tired, or it seems like it wouldn't be any benefit to do more, or maybe we're afraid of what would happen if we put more effort into something, or maybe it's simply a lack of motivation. But Jesus came and gave an example of going the extra mile for someone else. To literally go above and beyond what is expecte...

We may think that to be a Christian, it means we have to follow a bunch of rules. And if that were true, then Christianity would not be like a party at all. But Jesus said that He came so that we can have life to the full. That means that Jesus came so we can celebrate the life that God gave us. When we choose to follow Jesus, we’re choosing to say yes to believing that His promise of a full life...

It's easy to draw conclusions on other people. Many times we may even create bad conclusions about others because of choices they have made or ways that they act. But when we look at who we were created to be as image bearers of God, then we also need to recognize that everyone else was created as an image bearer of God as well. Knowing you’re valuable to God is never meant to make other peopl...