Our Youth Group
Thank you so much for visiting our Youth Page at Rehoboth Baptist Church! Take a look at our upcoming events below and come get plugged in! If you would like to reach our Youth Pastor, Jimmy Griffith, please email him at a2jfan1@yahoo.com or call him at 912-282-0187. Don’t forget to follow Pastor Jimmy on twitter
Also, follow us on Instagram and Snapchat: rbc.students
We have Small Groups at 9:30 each Sunday Morning and each Wednesday Night we begin our evening in the
Youth Room at 6:30.
Come join us for youth worship and Bible study! We begin at 6:30 with Praise & Worship, followed by Bible Study.
This Week 12/18/24 Bible Study Is on Luke 2 (NASB
Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem
1Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3And all the people were on their way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4Now Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5in order to register along with Mary, who was betrothed to him, and was pregnant. 6While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock at night. 9And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10And so the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army of angels praising God and saying,
14“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among people with whom He is pleased.”
15When the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem, then, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16And they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17When they had seen Him, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18And all who heard it were amazed about the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
Jesus Presented at the Temple
21And when eight days were completed so that it was time for His circumcision, He was also named Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
22And when the days for their purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the Law of the Lord: “Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), 24and to offer a sacrifice according to what has been stated in the Law of the Lord: “A pair of turtledoves or two young doves.”
25And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27And he came by the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28then he took Him in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29“Now, Lord, You are letting Your bond-servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
30For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
31Which You have prepared in the presence of all the peoples:
32A light for revelation for the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”
33And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34And Simeon blessed them and said to His mother Mary, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and as a sign to be opposed— 35and a sword will pierce your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
36And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, 37and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She did not leave the temple grounds, serving night and day with fasts and prayers. 38And at that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak about Him to all those who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
Return to Nazareth
39And when His parents had completed everything in accordance with the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. 40Now the Child continued to grow and to become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him.
Visit to Jerusalem
41His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42And when He was twelve years old, they went up there according to the custom of the feast; 43and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days required, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but His parents were unaware of it. 44Instead, they thought that He was somewhere in the caravan, and they went a day’s journey; and then they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45And when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for Him. 46Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. 48When Joseph and Mary saw Him, they were bewildered; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You!” 49And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” 50And yet they on their part did not understand the statement which He had made to them. 51And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued to be subject to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
52And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and people.
S.O.A.P Study Method
I hope you‘re eager to deepen your relationship with the Lord this year. Here‘s my daily devotion system, which may prove helpful. If you want, text me and let me know how things are going and what God is doing in your life…would LOVE to hear about it!! 912-282-0187
Something I do is Life Journaling. I use the S.O.A.P. method of writing out the devotions. It may take you 30 min each day, the goal is to have daily encounters with the Lord…don’t be surprised if while your devotion is going on God calls to your mind some other scripture for you to read or brings to your mind things you may need to be praying about or repenting of, etc….God’s word is living and active…expect to be challenged and transformed as you dig into God’s Word!!
- Scripture…read through the scripture for the day and write out a verse or a passage that God draws your attention toward…don’t just write out the reference, but the whole verse…(i.e. don’t write out John 3:16…write out “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16)
- Observation… write about these things: who was the original audience, who were they writing about, what were they writing about…what would it have meant to the original hearers of the word?
- Application… write out how this passage applies to your life today…what did YOU learn from this passage and how will it impact your faith today?
- Prayer… write out a simple prayer…ask God to reveal Himself to you in new and real ways, to help you apply what you have studied to your life and to draw closer to Him, etc…these will be different each day and should come from the heart!
That’s how I do my daily devotions. I hope this benefits you all, and if so, I hope you decide to share that with me! Let me know if you have any questions or comments! Thank you for taking time and having the desire to “Go Deeper” with the Lord this year! See you soon!!
Pastor Jimmy Griffith
Come join us for youth worship and Bible study! We begin at 6:30 with Praise & Worship, followed by Bible Study.
Youth Advent 12/06
Note: This devotion material was purchased digitally from YM360 to be used for the Advent Season of 2024.
Day Six: The Announcement of Hope
“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” — Luke 1:26-38
Think about a time in your life when you felt truly scared. Take those emotions, multiply them by 100, and you can imagine how Mary likely felt when an angel told her that she would give birth to the Savior of the world.
In these verses, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary, and understandably, she is “greatly troubled.” Seeing an angel can do that to a person! Gabriel tells Mary not to be afraid and that she has found favor with God. Since God delights in Mary, He chooses her to give birth to Jesus. Gabriel lays out a few of the details: this baby will be the Son of God, He will come from the line of David, and His Kingdom will never end.
Clearly, Mary is in shock over both seeing an angel and hearing that she will soon be a mother. She knows that this is physically impossible, yet, her faith tells her that nothing is impossible with God. She recognizes that as a servant of God, she will do whatever He asks of her.
There is an old Christmas hymn called “Gabriel’s Message” that puts music to the words
of Luke 1. Near the end of the song, the author writes: “Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ was
born.” Mary gave birth to Jesus, also called “Emmanuel,” meaning “God with us.” This is the
great hope that Gabriel was celebrating and the same hope that we can celebrate today!
Questions:
1. In what areas of your life are you not fully obedient to God?
2. What steps do you need to take to surrender those areas to the Lord?
3. Why is it important to cling to hope, especially when we feel scared?
Youth Advent 12/05
Note: This devotion material was purchased digitally from YM360 to be used for the Advent Season of 2024.
Day Five: The Light of Hope
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and
forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” — Isaiah 9:2-7
forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” — Isaiah 9:2-7
Before reading today’s devotional, grab a flashlight and go to a room that can get fairly dark with the lights out. Turn off the lights in your room and get it as dark as possible. Then, carefully walk across the room, holding your flashlight and keeping it off. Once you reach the other side, walk back, but this time, turn your flashlight on to guide you.
What difference did you notice when trying to walk in the dark with a flashlight versus without one?
Now, keep your room dark and read today’s verses again using your flashlight. As you do, notice how crucial the light is to help you see in the darkness.
This passage of verses is an ancient prophecy by Isaiah written about the promised Messiah. This prophecy is of a great light shining in the darkness, fulfilling God’s promise to bring hope to those in darkness. Without Jesus, we live our lives in darkness, but His light can cut through any darkness and fill our lives with light.
Today, and as we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ arrival into the world at Christmas, we can also celebrate this gift that Jesus gives us: the promise to be with us as our “Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
The Christmas hymn, “Handel’s Messiah: For Unto Us A Child Is Born,” puts these verses in Isaiah to song. Find this song wherever you listen to music. Then, listen to it today as a way to remember who Jesus is to us.
The Christmas hymn, “Handel’s Messiah: For Unto Us A Child Is Born,” puts these verses in Isaiah to song. Find this song wherever you listen to music. Then, listen to it today as a way to remember who Jesus is to us.
Questions:
1. How is Jesus described in this prophecy we read today?
2. Have you ever experienced Jesus in the ways Isaiah described?
Youth Advent 12/04
Note: This devotion material was purchased digitally from YM360 to be used for the Advent Season of 2024.
Day Four: A Promise of Hope From the Town of Bethlehem
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” Micah 5:2
Have you ever felt too young to do something that matters? Maybe you were told you were too little to understand something or participate in something. As humans, we tend to think that people who are older, wiser, or stronger than us are more capable of accomplishing big things.
But Christmas is proof that God often picks the young, little, or weak to be part of His plan. Jesus was born in a small town and in total humility. The King of Kings, born as a human baby. His mother, Mary, who was a teenager at the time, wrapped Him in cloths and placed him in a manger (feeding trough). While this might seem a small detail to us, the fact Jesus came to Earth as a baby in this way fulfilled the exact prophecy we read about in these verses!
The hymn “O Little Town of Bethlehem” describes the night Jesus was born. The lyrics of this hymn help us imagine Jesus powerfully entering the scene with His everlasting light on a sleepless night as a newborn baby born to accomplish a huge part of God’s plan. When you feel small, young, or insignificant, think about what God has done through Jesus at Christmas. Remember that God is in the business of doing great things through everyone, no matter how young you are!
The hymn “O Little Town of Bethlehem” describes the night Jesus was born. The lyrics of this hymn help us imagine Jesus powerfully entering the scene with His everlasting light on a sleepless night as a newborn baby born to accomplish a huge part of God’s plan. When you feel small, young, or insignificant, think about what God has done through Jesus at Christmas. Remember that God is in the business of doing great things through everyone, no matter how young you are!
Questions:
1. What’s one area or thing that you feel too young or insignificant to do in your life?
2. Spend two minutes in prayer, asking God to use you in those areas of your life this week.
Youth Advent 12/03
Note: This devotion material was purchased digitally from YM360 to be used for the Advent Season of 2024.
Day Three: Hope in the Righteous Reign of the Branch
“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.” Isaiah 11:1-5
Have you ever watched a competition TV show with judges? Maybe it was singing, or dancing, or a talent show. The judges are there to make sure that those who are talented make it through to the next round of the competition, and sadly, they have to reject those who are not talented enough to continue on. Although it’s hard, that’s what keeps the competition fair for everyone who is participating!
Just like these judges, in these verses, the Messiah, which would be Jesus, is referred to as a judge and a King. The author of these verses, Isaiah, describes the Messiah as someone filled with God’s Spirit – full of wisdom, understanding, and strength. He wouldn’t judge based on appearances but with righteousness and fairness, especially for the poor and meek.
In the Christmas hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”, we sing of this prophecy from Isaiah. Just as Israel longed for their Savior to free them from captivity, we too long for Jesus to come into our world of brokenness. In this hymn, we recognize that Jesus came into the world at Christmas as “Emmanuel”, meaning “God with us.”
Thankfully, we have the opportunity to look back in Scripture at the birth of Jesus, His life, and all the prophecies He fulfilled, including this one in Isaiah. We get to celebrate the rescue offered to those who believe in Him and celebrate that Jesus is God with us!
Questions:
1. When you think about Jesus as a judge and a King, what qualities about Him come to mind?
2. What is one thing you can do today to celebrate that Jesus is “God with us”?
Youth Advent 12/02
Note: This devotion material was purchased digitally from YM360 to be used for the Advent Season of 2024.
Day Two: A Sign of Hope Through a Miraculous Birth
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
Find a plant, either outside or in your home, or find a picture online. Bonus points if it’s a rose or a flower that’s already bloomed! What do you notice about it?
Here’s the thing: There is a lot that has already happened before a flower has bloomed. It takes time. It takes energy. It takes sunlight and water. And it takes time for the roots to grow deep into the ground. All of these things we likely don’t get to see, but they are crucial in the process of the flower’s creation. The flower wouldn’t bloom without them!
Just as a flower emerges from its roots after lots of time, Jesus was born from the “root” of Jesse in their family history after lots of generations, which was promised long before it actually happened. The hymn, “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming,” helps us to remember that Jesus’ birth fulfilled the promise that God made!
It is an absolute miracle that God the Mighty Creator chose to give us hope by sending Jesus to Earth for us. What may seem like a boring genealogy, or family history, to us is actually God working throughout all of time to fulfill His word and rescue us.
Isaiah, who was a prophet, gave a prophecy about the Savior hundreds of years before the first Christmas that this Christmas hymn was written about. Isaiah wrote that the one God sent would be called “Immanuel” meaning “God with us”. What a story that God has been writing throughout time, all leading to the hope we find in Jesus. The best part? God invites you to be part of that story, too.
Questions:
1. How does it make you feel to know that Jesus came to be with you?
2. What’s one way you can choose to be part of His Kingdom today?