Greenwood Students: Recent Episodes
Greenwood Students
Thank you for listening to the Greenwood Student Ministries podcast. GSM is a ministry for 6th-12th graders in Weatherford, TX. For more info on GSM, please visit greenwood.church/students. We hope you enjoy the message.
Some of the worst things ever done in middle school - bullying, gossip, sarcasm that hurts - all come out of a deep feeling to be liked by others. In this sermon, Ty Hirsch kicks off the UP series with a message on how we can find security in Jesus when we look UP at Him. He already loves us infinitely more than could imagine!
If we're not careful, we'll lose the high view of sex that God has from His created intent for it. This week's message closes out the Base Camp series talking about the reality that we MUST view sex the way God does and take Him at His Word for it or we will get hurt and hurt badly.
God cares about marriage. Big time. That's because it tells us a lot about Him, for good or for bad. So we'd better see how He designed it and think about dating in this way or we're going to end up in places and with people that will hurt us.
There is a lot of confusion about what dating is and how to do it right in our modern world. This week, Jake Valdez preaches about how to know what God thinks about dating, and how to do dating in a way that honors him.
To kick off our Season 6 series on Relationships & Dating, we dive into the reason why romance exists in the first place: to reflect how much God loves us. For the full sermon manuscript, click here.
Have you ever heard the phrase "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain?" Do you know what it means? Maybe you think it just means that God doesn't want us to say "Oh my God". And that might be it. But what if we told you that there was so much more to this command than we think? In this message, Fuse MSM tackles the question, "What does it men to take the Lord's name in vain?"
Why do we gossip? Honestly, some of us don't even realize that we ARE gossiping when we do - so how do we know what it is an why we do it? In this message, we break down what gossip is, why we participate in it, and why Jesus is a MUCH better option for us than gossip is.
We might not want to admit it, but we like bragging on ourselves. Even if we tell others, "Oh no, not me - I don't brag!" we're still bragging about the fact that we don't brag! It's harming relationships all around us, and we can't seem to figure out why. Thankfully, Jesus, through Paul, shows us in 1st Corinthians 1 and other scriptures how we don't need to brag on ourselves. Jesus is worth bragging on so much more.
We often treat our speech like the words we use aren't worth much. "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me," might have good intentions - attempting to teach us to value who we are regardless what people say. But it has an unintended weakness we may have missed - it trains us to devalue words as pointless. But this is far from the case. Words are eternally powerful. And we must treat them with the utmost care - they have the power to bring life or to take it away. And in this message, Fuse MSM dives deep into this reality in the world of lies and truth. We MUST not lie. But why?
Anxiety might be the most prevalent pressure middle schoolers today are experiencing. So how do we navigate it? Is there a way out of it? Jesus says there is, and it's in community with other believers, not alone.
One of the highest pressures we face every day is the pressure of suffering. How can we make it through it? Is there even a point to it? Jesus has a lot to say about it in Matthew 11.
In this sermon, we mention an amazing organization called Abel Speaks. If you want more info or would like to get involved with Abel Speaks, you can check out their website http://abelspeaks.org
We also mentioned a picture of the families that Abel Speaks has gotten to serve. You can find that picture by clicking here.
The pressures of life don't have to catch us by surprise; they are coming whether we're ready for them or not. The good news is that Jesus has offered a way for us to prepare for them: by putting ourselves under the pressure of His teaching to enable us to not just make it through the pressures of life, but to thrive in them.
Life is full of unbearable pressure. So it's a good thing for us that Jesus wants to take the weight off our shoulders!
People who can't admit their faults are not good friends; living a self-righteous life leaves too much room for selfishness for good friendships to occur. In God's family, we know we're sinners and therefore we acknowledge our faults. In this message, Fuse MSM continues our series on friendships, Welcome Home.
Not everyone who calls themselves a Christian truly is. In God's family, there's a clear definition from Jesus about what it takes to follow Him. The kinds of friends we are will depend entirely on how we respond to Jesus's test. In this message, Fuse MSM continues our series on Friendships - Welcome Home.
The best kinds of friends we could ever have are people who follow Jesus - God's family! When the family of God acts like we should, we become a home for those who have none. In this message, Fuse MSM kicks off our series Welcome Home; inviting all, no matter who you are, into the family of God.
Cussing starts around middle school age for many people, but why? Generally, it's because we want to be liked by others, but cursing in the Bible hurts not only others, but us as well. This week, Fuse MSM wraps up our series on words: Use Your Voice.
In Ephesians, Paul says the only words that should come out of our mouths are words that build up and encourage. That's not easy to do, but the world that would come from it if we all did it would be epic. In this message, Fuse MSM continues our series on words: Use Your Voice.
This week, we’re continuing our series on our words; why they’re important, how to use them, & why it’s so important to know what God thinks about them. In this message, we’re focusing on lying and the truth; we were made in the image of a God Who cannot lie. So every time we lie, we use our voices for something they were never made for, & it leads to death. But when we’re truthful, we use our voices correctly, & it leads to life!
Jesus says that whatever our hearts are full of will come out of our mouths. We don't have to look very far to see how true this is: angry people speak angrily; happy people speak happily. So it's super important to make sure the words we say reveal a heart full of good; what we give our attention to is what we worship, and what we worship will come out in what we say.
Two weeks ago we said we are not our feelings. Last week we said we are not our actions. After two weeks of who we aren't, what about who we are? This week we wrap up the ICON series in Fuse MSM talking about who God says we truly are; and if He's saying who we are, it's super important that we listen to Him.
The things we do have a lot to do with the kind of person we are, but if we're not careful, we can wrap our entire identities up in our successes or failures. The Bible doesn't really agree with this though - our successes might make us thing we're a big shot, but Jesus says nothing we can do can save us from our sins. On the other hand, our mistakes can make us think we're a failure, and Jesus says that our mistakes are never big enough to keep us from His love. This week Fuse MSM continues our ICON series by looking at our identities and our actions, no matter how good or bad they may be.
When we are figuring out who we are, often our feelings can hop in the driver's seat and tell us a lot about our identity. But the problem with that is that our hearts often lie to us, as much as we might not like to believe it. This week, Fuse MSM kicks off a series called ICON: In His Image. We're looking at who we are and who God made us to be, and this week we're looking at our identity and our feelings.
Every single human was made in the image of God. The Bible is pretty clear about how much God serves His people. So that means that if we want to be who we were made to be, we must be people who serve. If we wait around to be filled up by others, we'll be left wanting. But if we all choose to serve each other, nobody gets left out. This week wraps up Fuse MSM's Never Have I Ever series with a conversation around being who we were made to be by serving others.
Everybody wants to be liked. But what if there was someone who not only liked you, but LOVED you enough to literally die for you? This week, Fuse MSM continues our Never Have I Ever series talking about how Jesus' love for us changes everything.
This week, we’re talking about how God has a good plan for us. In Matthew 14, Jesus commands Peter to walk to Him on the water, and not only that, but Peter ASKED Jesus to tell him to do it! When we know God as well as Peter did, we see that we can ask Him to lead us in ways that might seem crazy at first, but at their core, we know they’re good because we know He’s good.
You'll never find a life as good as following Jesus, and a life following Jesus starts with understanding that Jesus came to us before we could ever come to Him. This series breaks down what Fuse MSM is, why we do what we do, and how we can find life, purpose, and passion following Jesus.
Who do you know that's good at life? Like, every decision they make seems to work out for their good. Many people have many different approaches to life, and how to make decisions, but there's only one way that always leads to good and human flourishing, guaranteed: God's way. In this message, Fuse MSM kicks off the series All Our Ways, a walk through the book of James. In this series, we'll talk about how to make wise, good, and God-honoring everyday decisions by looking at His plan for our everyday in a letter from Jesus's half-brother, James.
Bragging never works. Not when it’s self-centered. In this message, Fuse MSM continues the Real Joy series by breaking down Philippians 3 and what it looks like to humbly brag on Jesus.
What makes you happy? You might be surprised to learn it, but getting what you want isn't the best way to get real joy in the long run. It's actually scientifically proven that serving others makes you happier. Today, Fuse MSM continues the series Real Joy in the book of Philippians talking about the truth that real joy is found in serving others, not ourselves.
If our lives are like a cup, we tend to use the love and joy we fill them with to pour it out and give it to others. But then, when it's time to refill them with love and joy, we keep them pointed out to others and expect them to give it back to us. But the only true way to get Real Joy in our lives is from Jesus. In this message, Fuse MSM kicks off the series Real Joy in the book of Philippians.
Jesus makes His plan for people really simple: He does all the work, we just choose whether we respond to Him by trusting Him or not. We aren't Christians because our parents are, or because we say we are, or even because we just think that we are. We are Christians because we make Jesus the center of our lives by trusting His Word. Text for this message is John 15:5.
Ever met somebody who claimed to be a Christian but their life choices proved they definitely weren't? Sadly, this kind of thing happens more often than we would want to admit. In this message, Fuse MSM continues the Jesus & Me series with More Than Just Words: You can't be a Christian just because you say you are.
Nobody gets to choose for you what you believe. You have to make that choice yourself. In other words, it's not possible to be a Christian just because your parents are Christians, or because of where you were born. This message kicks off a Fuse MSM series called Jesus & Me: what it means to follow Jesus for yourself. Text for this message starts in Judges 8:28.
"I've been a Christian my whole life," is a phrase a lot of us have found ourselves saying. The problem is, that's not how being a Christian works. In Jonah's story, though he grew up around God's people and could recite God's Word eloquently, his heart was far from Him. Jonah's actions, especially in chapter 1 of his story, prove that the only way to be a follower of God is to actually trust Him. Anything short of that isn't the real thing.
In the story of Jonah, Jonah is a fraidy-cat who runs away from God in the story's very first moments. In this message, Fuse MSM goes back into the story of Jonah in 2nd Kings and other books to figure out why Jonah ran from God - because he didn't really know God like he thought he did. And for ourselves, we see the necessity of asking the question - do we really know God ourselves?
Ever met somebody who just KNOWS they've got it all figured out? They're focused on themselves and when push comes to shove, most times it all falls apart for them. In this message, Fuse MSM finishes the series All of My Best Friends, looking at why it's important to recognize that focusing on Jesus is the only way to find what we need. Anything else, in Jesus's words, leads to destruction, and many people find it.
"Treat others how you would want them to treat you." The Golden Rule is something we're all taught at some point, but do we really get what it's saying? In this message, Fuse MSM continues our All of My Best Friends series as we talk about what Jesus said BEFORE He said the Golden Rule, and why it matters as we determine how to use it in our friendships.
How do you feel when somebody accuses you of doing something wrong? Often we want to look right back at them and call them out, too. Who are they to criticize us? Jesus says that good friends don't call others out until they've drawn a circle around themselves and let Him take care of the issues inside first. In this message, Fuse MSM continues our series All of My Best Friends.
What is most important to you? The way you spend your time, money, and thoughts will tell you. For most of us in Middle School, it's getting others to like us. So we try to act like them, dress like them, and do everything like them - it's the most important thing. But Jesus warns that this is a dangerous thing to do. In this message, Fuse MSM continues our series All of My Best Friends.
Most people are really good at promoting themselves; look at me, think about me, let's only talk about me. But what kind of friend is a person like that? Not a very good one. In this message, Fuse MSM continues the series All of My Best Friends, as we talk about why the best kind of friend is one who prays for and with you.
How good are you at loving other people? According to Jesus, the answer to that question is determined by how you treat the people you can’t stand. In this message, Fuse MSM continues the All of My Best Friends series as we discover how real friends show love to everybody always, while fake friends show preference and miss out.
Ever been told that someone is your friend only to have them turn around and make fun of you behind your back? Yeah, us too. It's not fun. In this message, Fuse MSM carries on the All of My Best Friends series as we talk about how real friends mean what they say, while fake friends have to convince you that they do.
It's REALLY easy to make fun of our friends as a joke. We tend believe things like roasting our friends is good and not harmful, but the Bible disagrees. In this sermon, Fuse MSM starts a series called All of My Best Friends, where we walk through the sermon on the mount and learn from Jesus what it means to be a real friend, and why it's worth it to do it His way.
What's the most valuable thing in your life? Whatever you protect, whatever you run to to fix your problems, and whatever you depend on to provide for you, that's what. So what is it? In this story from John 2, we dive in to the truth that Jesus is all we need. And it's not a trade-off, giving up the really fun stuff for just okay stuff so that God is happy with you-the plans Jesus has and the abundance He brings is above and beyond anything we could ever imagine.
What are you expecting God to do? Are you even expecting anything? The reality is, God is making decisions every day on a level that we could never understand, so His actions will always be unexpected to us. We can be confident He will fight for us, that He will protect us, and that He'll otherwise act as He says He will act. But we can't expect Him to always do things the way we would expect ourselves or our friends to. He's God after all.
God never promised we wouldn't have trouble. What He did promise is that He would be with us in it. Not removing the problems, but bringing meaning to them. What do the story of Jesus calming the storm, Genesis 1, and Revelation show us about God and chaos? That He makes beauty right in the middle of it.
Life feels like a few big highlights that chart the main course we follow with a bunch of little moments in-between. But that's not what the Bible teaches. The truth is, the little decisions we make every day have more influence than we could ever imagine. What would life be like if we gave all those moments to Jesus?
How do we get back to normal? What do we do now that we can actually meet with each other face to face? In this week's message, Jon Hartman walks us through what the Bible has to say about our current COVID-19 situation, regathering, and how that plays out in student ministry.
Some questions are heavier than others. And throughout the history of the American church, there hasn't been a ton of talk about suicide. This isn't cool, because it leads to all kinds of interpretations and ideas about what God thinks about it, since there's no explicit scripture as to whether or not God is okay with it. So what do we do with this heavy topic in a world where anxiety and depression have a hold on so many people? This message from Jon Hartman seeks to dive into the Bible's approach to suicide, what God thinks, and how we should respond.
When you're feeling down, for lots of people, the Bible is not the first place to turn. And that's a shame, because it has so much to say about sadness, depression, and feeling low. This week, Ty Hirsch breaks down where to go in the Bible when we're feeling sad, so that when we have our down days, we can see where to run to find Jesus in the darkness.
What does the Bible say about our relationships? How do we navigate them? What does that look like? The Bible is full of wisdom and sound teaching on relationships, first and foremost our relationship with God. In fact, the story of the entire Bible is how God is rebuilding our relationships with Him. This week, Jon Hartman dives into what the Bible says about interacting with others, in all kinds of situations.
How do you have a conversation with someone who doesn't believe in Christianity without letting it get ugly? It seems like not many Christians know how, and as a result, it's led to many people seeing us as judgmental and mean. However, in 1st Peter 3, there's another way to do it that shows care, love, and concern.
What does the Bible have to say about anxiety? Turns out - a lot! This week, Ignite HSM Pastor Jon Hartman and Small Groups Pastor Justin Allison discuss anxiety, the Bible, and where it all fits together.
How do we sift through all the various claims that other people make about God? How do we know if they're right or wrong? This message offers a step-by-step plan from 1st John 4 on exactly how to do that.
'Just follow your heart!' might be the most pervasive false teaching in the Christian community today. But as popular as it is, it couldn't be more opposed by the Bible. God has a lot to say about our hearts and why we shouldn't trust them.
"God just wants me to be happy," is a phrase a lot of people will use to do whatever they want without being held accountable, even though, on the surface, it sounds really spiritual. In reality, God wants so much more for us than just to be happy. In this sermon, we look at what God really wants for His people.
It's really easy to say "God won't give you more than you can handle" when life is difficult, but there's a major problem with that: all throughout the Bible, God definitely gave tons of people more than they could handle. But that was the whole point: He gives us more than we can handle in order to lead us to depend entirely on Him,
LOTS of people say LOTS of things about God and the Bible in times of crisis. How can we tell which ones are true and which ones are bogus? As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps through the world, many people are asking questions about God and looking to Him for stability in this crazy time. This week, we look at 2nd Chronicles 7:14, which has been shared A LOT lately, and see just what God was talking about in this widely shared verse.
A lot of followers of Jesus feel a lot of shame because they don't "read their Bible enough" or "pray enough" or "go to church enough". But that shame doesn't come from God. We don't practice spiritual disciplines (reading the Bible, prayer, church, etc.) to convince God to love us; we do them to convince ourselves that He already does.
"Just follow your heart!" Ever heard that before? Have you ever told someone that as advice before? It sounds great, and it sounds like deep, inspired wisdom. The reality is that it is REALLY bad advice. the Bible tells us that our hearts are incurable, and no one can understand them. They constantly lie to us, and ALWAYS lead to heartbreak and hurt. It's just a matter of time. What you think about is what you'll care about. And we know this is true. We see it every day. So in this message, we're looking at what our heart really is (since it's not to be followed), what's wrong with it, and how we can find healing for our heart every single day.
What you think about is what you care about, and what you care about, you chase. God knows that our thoughts determine our affections, and our affections determine our actions. Thoughts have consequences, every single time. So what we think about is super important. This week, we look at Romans 12:2, and what it means to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.
We all have deep desires in our lives. In a way, we're thirsty. But the value of God's Word-the Bible-is that it tells us a story of Jesus, and that story can satisfy our thirst for life and love. So what does it look like when everybody around you is thirsty, but you have the solution? In this message, Ty & the Fuse middle schoolers look at a life centered on the Bible, and how when we have a source of life, we can be a source of life for others.
Just like a man with a $10,000 watch on his wrist is "iced out", a Christian with a Bible in their hands is decked out with the most valuable thing they could ever own. Our Bibles are not just old books to read for fun sometimes-they're infinitely valuable, and when we realize that, we can center our entire lives on them, and we should. In this message, Ty & the Fuse middle schoolers break down the value of scripture, and what it means for us.
Curse words have been around for a LONG time. Christians and non-Christians the world over have lots of different opinions about them; whether or not to use them, when, how, and which ones. But the Bible has a lot to say about words that we use to curse. Not just words that "put a curse" on someone, but more so insulting, belittling, and offending others. Curse words, and the tone with which we speak in general, fall into this category. This week, Ty & the Fuse middle schoolers dive into what God has to say about our words, especially the ones we use to curse others.
Gossip is fun. Most of us would be lying if we said we didn't think it was. But what we think is just a harmless comment about someone that they'll never hear is actually planting seeds of conflict that will surprise us when they grow. This week, Ty & the Fuse middle schoolers break down what gossip is, why it's dangerous, and how to heal from its painful effects.
"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." Ever heard that phrase before? We like to think that the negative words others might use against us don't hold any power, but we still feel the hurt that comes with them. We know that words have power, and this thinking invades every part of our lives. In this message, Ty and the Fuse Middle Schoolers dive in to James 3:2-6 to see how words affect our interpersonal relationships, our relationship with God, and how using them carelessly can have dire consequences.