Brainerd Students: Recent Episodes
Brainerd Students
Brainerd Students exists to engage and equip 6th-12th grade students and their parents to become committed followers of Jesus from the Scenic City to the nations.
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Passages referenced: Hebrews 11-13
Main Point: Enduring faith is an invitation that moves us towards a greater hope, dependence, and enjoyment of God.
- Faith invites us to believe in a better reality.
- Faith invites us to race, not just run.
- Faith invites us to imitate our leaders.
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Passage: Hebrews 13:7-16
Main Point: Remembering God's work in the past fuels our hope for God's work in the future.
- Remember your leaders
- Remember Jesus
- Remember the Gospel
- Remember to serve others
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Passage: Hebrews 12:25-29 (John 15:2-8)
Main Point: Once saved, always remaining and always serving.
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Passage: Hebrews 12:18-24 (with John 15:2-8)
Main Point: Spiritual highs can't sustain enduring faith in God — only abiding in Christ can.
- God was unapproachable in the Old Testament because of our sin.
- God is approachable in the New Testament because of Jesus, who bore our sin.
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Passage: 12:1-11
Preview: Observations and themes from this week's passage in our "Enduring Faith" Hebrews Bible Study.
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Passage: Hebrews 11:32-40
Preview: Observations and themes from this week's passage in our "Enduring Faith" Hebrews Bible Study.
Speaker: Paul Christensen.
Passage: Hebrews 11:20-31.
Preview: Observations and themes from this week's passage in our "Enduring Faith" Hebrews Bible Study.
Speaker: Jackson Bowman.
Passage: Hebrews 11:11-19.
Preview: Observations and themes from this week's passage in our "Enduring Faith" Hebrews Bible Study.
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Passage: Hebrews 11:1-10
Preview:
- Recap of the value and purpose of this semester's Hebrews Study booklet
- Explaining the four "Ds" of Bible study
- Breaking down the passage on screen, so students learn how to do it on their own
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Passage: Psalm 19
- What the Bible Is Not
- What the Bible Is
- The Goal of Bible Study
This message is the beginning of a new study to help students love God's Word and be mastered by it.
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Passage: Jude 20-25
Main Point: We show that we are kept in Jesus by keeping close to Him in Joy.
- Keep Close to Jesus
- Keeping close to Jesus keeps us close to Joy
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Passage: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Main Point: God calls His people to care for and protect others' bodies like we would our own
- We are brothers and sisters in Christ
- Brothers and sisters prioritize their sanctification by controlling their bodies
- Brothers and sisters have received God's Spirit
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Passages: Genesis 1:27, 31; Psalm 139:13-16; Genesis 3:7-10; Galatians 2:20; Romans 12:1-2
Main Point: God cares about your body because he made it and wants to redeem it. Your body belongs to God and exists for His glory and your joy.
Big question: Why does God care about what we do with our bodies?
- God made our bodies
- Sin distorts our bodies
- God redeems our bodies
- How to glorify God with your body
Speaker: Jackson Bowman
Passages: Genesis 2:8-9; Psalm 37:4; Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 Corinthians 10:13
Main Point: What do I do with my strong desires if they are not part of God's design? Answer: Believe that nothing satisfies like Jesus, and trust that Jesus can give you freedom from those desires.
- What is Desire?
- What is Temptation?
- What is the right response to temptation?
Speaker: Hannah Christensen
Passages: Genesis 1:27-28; 2:18-25; John 14:6; 10:10
Main Point: Christ gave His life so that women can give their lives to others.
- Womanhood created
- Womanhood distorted
- Womanhood redeemed
Passage: Jude 3-4
Main Point: "The called" are called to contend for the faith.
Where do we contend for the faith:
- We contend for the faith in our souls.
- We contend for the faith in our culture.
Passage: Jude 1-2
Main Point: You are fully known and loved by God.
Mercy: not getting what we do deserve
Peace: the assurance that you are taken care of and belong
Love: both a feeling and a choice that sacrificially holds truth and mercy together
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Passage: Psalm 139:13-16
Main Point: God created you on purpose, for a purpose.
- How does God feel about you?
- How do you feel about God?
- How does it make you feel to know that God is writing your story?
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Passage: Matthew 7:24-27
Main Point: Build Your Priorities On Jesus
- Both houses experience the storm
- Both builders were genuine about their work
Speaker: Jackson Bowman
Passages: Hebrews 10:24-25; Proverbs 11:14, 18:1; 2 Timothy 2-4
Main Point: God designed us to live in community, so we can better know God and make His name known.
2 Implications
- If community is God’s design, isolation is the enemy’s design.
- If community is God’s design, then we must understand what community should look like.
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Main Point: Because God is invisible, He gives visible people gifts to show what He is like.
- God has gifted Christians with special grace gifts.
- How do we know what our grace gifts are?
- Community
- Discovery
Speaker: Jackson Bowman
Main Point: God has a place for you in His grand story.
- God's Story
- Creation
- Fall
- Redemption
- Restoration
- Your Place In God's Story
- Blessing in Your Story
- Suffering in Your Story
Main Point: Following Jesus is an invitation to join a battleship focused on reaching the lost rather than a cruise ship focused on entertaining the saved.
- Christians Live on Mission
- Christians Place Jesus First
- Christians Go All In
Main Point: Surrender involves dreaming about what God could do with our lives and running after that dream.
- How do we let God build our dreams?
- How do we stop those dreams from fading away?
- How do we know we are following God's dreams wholeheartedly?
Main Point: We experience the pleasure of God when we live out the will of God.
- The Pleasure of God
- The Will of God
The Purpose of dating is marriage preparation: learning how to love another person while becoming a certain kind of person.
- Dating begins by recognizing God's plan for marriage
- Dating is about learning how to love another person
- Dating is about becoming a certain kind of person and finding the right kind of person
God has built us a need for:
- Physical Connection
- Emotional Connection
- Spiritual Connection
I. Jesus confronts the idols of comfort & control on the narrow road.
II. Jesus invites us to test our faith by losing everything and gaining him.
- What comfort do you run to when you feel out of control?
Passages: Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Psalm 42:5; 57:8-9; Matthew 11:28-29; Hebrews 6:19; 13:17; 1 Peter 2:11; Romans 12:1-2; Philippians 3:7-8; 1 Corinthians 10:23;
- You have a soul
- your soul has layers
- you must tend to your soul
Main Passages: Acts 17:6, 22-23; Romans 8:18-25
Idols are objects of worship. They demand our time, money, and attention. How can we identify what our idols are? Why do they tempt us? How can we redirect our worship back toward God?
Passage: 1 John 5:18-20
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Main Point: Those who belong to God share a family resemblance with one another.
- The family takes sin seriously (v. 18)
- The family knows who they belong to (v. 19a)
- The family knows where they belong (v. 19b-20)
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Passage: 1 John 5:18-20
Main Point: Those who belong to God share a family resemblance with one another.
- The family takes sin seriously (v. 18a)
- The family knows who they belong to (v. 19)
- The family knows where they belong (vv. 19-20)
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Passage: 1 John 5:1-4
Main Point: Belief in Jesus is an active and happy dependence on Jesus
- Belief in Jesus makes us dependant on Jesus
- Belief in Jesus makes us happy in Jesus
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Passage: 1 John 4:12-21
Main Point: Magnetic Community makes the invisible God visible
- By remaining in God's love
- By receiving His Spirit
- By serving others like Jesus
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Passage: 1 John 4:1-6
Main Point: John invites us to know the truth so we can avoid believing lies.
- Develop a spiritual spidey-sense (v. 1)
- Determine if it passes the "Jesus-test" (v. 2-3)
- Don't battle alone (v. 4-6)
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Passage: 1 John 2:18-27
Main Points:
- Antichrists don't abide in Christ
- Abide in Christ
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Passage: 1 John 2:7-17
Main Point: Do you really believe the Gospel? Is Jesus Better than anything?
- Living a Lie
- Loving the World
Speaker: Jackson Bowman
Passage: 1 John 2:3-6
Main Point: God wants us to know we belong to Him, through obedience and imitation of Christ.
- Do you know Him?
- If so, how do you show it?
Text: 1 John 1:5-2:2
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Main Point: The Enemy of Community with God and people is sin.
- Run from sin
- Run to Jesus
Text: Ephesians 4: 7, 11-15
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Main Point: God wants every Christian to become a spiritually mature adult who builds up the church.
- God gives gifts to every Christian (v. 7)
- God gives leaders to equip the saints (vv. 11-12)
- God gives saints for the work of ministry (vv. 12-15)
How do I... turn an ordinary conversation into a gospel conversation?
- We are called to share, not save.
- Observe & Ask Questions.
- Look for: jewelry, clothing, social media bio’s, cultural moments
- Ask about their passions and pains:
- Share your testimony/story
Prepare your heart
- Make a choice.
- Remove distractions.
- Make a plan.
- Pick a time.
- Pick a place.
- Pick a study.
- Prime your soul.
I. DIG INTO THE TEXT
What does the text say?
II. DISCERN THE MEANING
What did the text mean originally?
III. DRIVE IT HOME
How does this text challenge me to love & obey Jesus?
What is the Bible and why should I read it?
- The Bible is inspired by God (It has authority).
- The Bible tells us about God (It gives us identity).
- The Bible is infallible (It is perfect so we can trust it).
Why don’t we read the Bible?
- We think it’s boring.
- We don’t know what to read.
- We don’t read because we don’t understand.
- We have unrealistic expectations.
- We’re too busy/distracted.
Text: Colossians 4:7-18
Speaker: Paul Christensen
- Live On Mission
- Love On People
- Lean On Jesus
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Text: Colossians 3:12-17
4 Spaces of Relationships
- Church
- Home
- School/Work
- Hobbies
Sanctification: The process of who becoming who we already are in Christ.
Text: Colossians 3:1-4
Speaker: Paul Christensen
I. Gospel glasses help us seek Christ-like character (vv. 1-2)
II. Gospel glasses help us identify with Christ (vv. 3-4)
- If Christ is your life, then his identity becomes your identity.
- If Christ is your life, then you are not your struggle.
Text: Colossians 2:16-23
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Main Point: Jesus died to purchase your relationship with God and no amount of religion or freedom can improve on or replace him.
- The Lie of Legalism (vv. 16-23)
- The Lie of License (v. 23 & Rom 6:1-2)
Text: Colossians 2:5-15
Speaker: Jackson Bowman
- ROOT YOURSELF IN CHRIST (vv. 5-7)
- REJECT LIES ABOUT CHRIST (v. 8)
- REALIZE YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST (vv 2:9-15)
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Text: Colossians 1:23-2:5
Points:
- Prioritize the Church
- Proclaim the Gospel
- Pursue Spiritual Maturity
Speaker: Matthew McConathy
Text: Colossians 1:9-14
Points:
- We learn so that we may walk worthy 2. We can walk worthy because of God's power 3. We can walk worthy because we are redeemed
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Text: Colossians 1:3-8
Main Point: Our gratitude for the gospel motivates our gratitude for others.
- Godly gratitude (vv. 3-5a)
- Godly worship (vv. 5b-6)
- Godly example (vv. 7-8)
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Text: Colossians 1:1-2
Main Point: We (RE)claim the Wonder of the gospel when Jesus reigns at the center of our lives.
Main Idea: The Sermon on the Mount reveals that a perfect God desires the obedience of imperfect people as he shows them the true reality of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Outline:
- Those amazed by Christ are in Christ.
- Those amazed by Christ have received Christ
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Main Point: The Sermon on the Mount reveals that a perfect God desires the obedience of imperfect people as he shows them the true reality of the Kingdom of Heaven.
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Build your life on Jesus
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The Wise Builder
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The Foolish Builder
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Be Amazed by Jesus
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Main Point: The Sermon on the Mount reveals that a perfect God desires the obedience of imperfect people as he shows them the true reality of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Three deceptions of cultural Christianity:
- Deceptive Way (vv. 13-14)
- Deceptive Wolves (vv. 15-20)
- Deceptive Witnesses (vv. 21-23)
Speaker:Jackson Bowman
Text:Matthew 7:7-12
Main Point: Since God is a good Father who answers prayers, we can treat others the way He calls us to.
Outline:
- Expect God to answer prayers righteously (v. 7-11)
- Expect God to challenge you to live righteously (v. 12)
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Main Point: The Sermon on the Mount reveals that a perfect God desires the obedience of imperfect people as he shows them the true reality of the Kingdom of Heaven.
- Beware of a judgmental attitude (vv. 1-2)
- Beware of a hypocritical attitude (vv. 3-5)
- Beware of a gullible attitude (v. 6)
Speaker: Jackson Bowman
Text: Matthew 6:1-4
Main Idea: The Sermon on the Mount reveals that a perfect God desires the obedience of imperfect people as he shows them the true reality of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Outline:
- Live righteously in motivation (v. 1)
- Live righteously in opposition (v. 2)
- Live righteously in action (vv. 3-4)
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Text: Matthew 5:33-48
Main Idea: The Sermon on the Mount reveals that a perfect God desires the obedience of imperfect people as he shows them the true reality of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Outline: Confidence in the sovereignty of God empowers us to...
- Speak honestly (vv. 33-37)
- Sacrifice willingly (vv. 38-42)
- Serve selflessly (vv. 43-48)
Speaker: Paul Christensen
Text: Matthew 5:33-48
Main Idea: The Sermon on the Mount reveals that a perfect God desires the obedience of imperfect people as he shows them the true reality of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Outline:
- Jesus clarifies the standard for holiness (v. 27-28; 31-32)
- Lust leads to adultery
- Divorce* leads to adultery
- Jesus calls us to kill sin (vv. 29-30)
Speaker: Jackson Bowman
Text: Matthew 5:21-26
Main Idea: The Sermon on the Mount reveals that a perfect God desires the obedience of imperfect people as he shows them the true reality of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Outline:
- Anger is a heart issue (v. 21-22a)
- Anger is expressed in many ways (v. 22b)
- Anger calls for reconciliation (v. 23-26)