Chris Boggess – NorthStar Church Blog

Digging Deeper – Coyotes in the Neighborhood

Chris Boggess on February 23, 2024

“Now go; I’m sending you out like lambs among wolves.”

Luke 10:3

COYOTES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

I saw a coyote in my neighborhood. I pulled out of my driveway early one morning, and as I slowly moved down the street, he came out of the trees like a ghost. He was a big boy. Not a wolf, but I wouldn’t want to meet that creature in the dark. He was slightly bigger than a German Shepherd (some of that might be the bulk of his winter coat). His long snout and loping stride gave away his wildness. He was not a dog or someone’s pet. He glided across the road through the beams of my headlights and disappeared into a tree-filled space by a creek that ran through our neighborhood.

Seeing him has caused me to think a little differently. I know he isn’t interested in me as prey, but seeing that lupine form in all his fluid grace made me a little warier when I take the trash out at night to the lightless lower side of our house, the side closest to the woods.

Wolves are made to hunt. And in their own territory, they are extremely dangerous. A full-grown ram would have his horns full with wolves around, but a lamb would be easy prey. So, when Jesus tells those he sends that they will be like lambs among wolves, that is a dire warning.

How does a lamb protect itself against wolves? First, keep the flock nearby. Having other believers around you to lift you up is essential. And it is even better when you give them the license to correct you when you stray. Accountability gives you protection from the wolves in your life.

Second, Keep the shepherd in sight. We must take time each day to “lock eyes with Jesus.” In my personal life, I can tell the difference between when I take the time to get myself into the right relationship with the Good Shepherd and when I don’t. It makes the difference. If you don’t take time to run to him, then you might just spend your day running from wolves.

What are the wolves in your life? The things that are too big to handle on your own? Lift them up to Jesus and share them with other believers you trust.

Chris Boggess is the Next Generation/Family Pastor at NorthStar Church. He grew up in St. Albans, West Virginia, and still cheers for the Mountaineers. He and his wife, Heather, have two grown children and one granddaughter.

Digging Deeper – Truth Seekers

Chris Boggess on February 22, 2024

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. ⁶⁷So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, ⁶⁹and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

John 6:66-69 (NLT)

“Now go; I’m sending you out like lambs among wolves.”

Luke 10:3

TRUTH SEEKERS

The Barna Group is a company that does interviews and compiles data on many topics related to faith and Christianity. I was reading a recent study that polled Christians, non-Christians, and Pastors, and the results were fascinating. When asked what might make them doubt the Christian faith, the Christians said “human suffering” gave them some doubts. But when non-Christians were polled, almost half of them said that the thing that makes them doubt Christianity is the hypocrisy of religious people.

Along those same lines, when the question was, “What are you looking for spiritually?” Christians and non-Christians agreed that “inner peace” and “hope” are in their top three. But Christians rounded out the top choices with “forgiveness,” while the non-Christians said “truth.”

Paul says, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” (Romans 7:15). This is something I think we can all identify with. It is probably also why Christians round out their top three with forgiveness and may also be why the non-Christians polled were quick to think of Christians as hypocrites. We know that we have these struggles with sin. When we try to constantly hide this struggle and put up a front of perfection, we set ourselves up for a fall. Then, we end up being the obstacle for non-Christians. They see us as hypocrites.

The people around us don’t need to see perfection. They need to know that we are not perfect but striving to live the best we can, not because we want to earn heaven, but because we are thankful that heaven has already been given to us.

Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). He offered the inner peace we crave by saying he is “the Way.” The best way to inner peace is to live in this world as a follower of the way Jesus showed us. Jesus fulfills the need for hope by offering “life.” He says his life is more abundant (John 10:10) and leads to eternity (John 10:27-28). And finally, he lets us know he embodies the absolute truth; not the subjective truth of our modern world (as if truth could be subjective), but eternal truth.

So, as we “live sent” in the world, let’s not live behind a mask of perfection, pretending we are always right and always alright. Instead, let’s live in the way of Jesus and let people see the truth of who he is through our lives, and when we fall short, acknowledge it and seek forgiveness. By living that way, we can show the forgiveness and hope he offers in the way we live our lives.

Digging Deeper – GRAPE is not the Answer

Chris Boggess on February 21, 2024

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT)

“GRAPE” IS NOT THE ANSWER

I love the game Wordle. A quick round of the game is often part of my morning routine. It is a great way to wake up my mind and get me thinking. But I never believed that Wordle might have something to teach me about my faith. I was wrong.

The game is pretty simple. You get five letter blanks, and you enter a five-letter word. If you guessed a letter not in the word, it would appear in grey. If you guess a letter that is in the word but not in the position where you put it, it appears in yellow. It appears in green if it is the correct letter and in the proper position. You get six guesses. I usually get it on guess four.

On the morning in question, I started with my usual first guess, “FRAME.” I have never gotten it on the first guess, but maybe someday. The game told me that R, A, and E were the correct letters in the proper position. “Looks like I might get it in three,” I thought as I entered “GRAPE.” I know what you’re thinking. “GRAPE? Why GRAPE?” I don’t know. It was a heat-of-the-moment decision, but it wasn’t terrible because now G, R, A, and E were all green!

For guess three, I entered “GRAZE”… wrong. Guess four was “GRADE”… wrong again. Now things were getting a little desperate. I entered “GRATE” for my fifth guess but still no joy. Final guess, and then I saw it, what some of you will have seen already, “GRACE.” I plugged in the letters and it came up all green. The game posted “phew” across the top of the screen to let me know how close I came.

Grace can be a hard thing for us to see. We have our own ideas about how God should work, and most of the time it looks more like Karma than grace. We hear people say that God can’t exist because bad things happen to good people and that is God’s fault; but, in the same breath they will invoke Karma and tell someone “what goes around comes around.” So which way is it?

The only way it makes sense is that we as humans do our level best to mess everything up. We GRATE people. The definition of Grate is to shred or to make annoying sounds. We hurt each other going through our lives myopically ignoring the problems of the people around us. We make sure that people know what we are against louder than we let them know what we are for.

We GRAZE. We go after every little thing that draws our attention. We live our lives counter to God’s rules, chasing sex and money and anything else that takes our fancy.

We GRADE. We judge ourselves and others by comparing. We compare paychecks, addresses and sins. We want to put ourselves and others into categories that make us comfortable.

God knows we will do this and he offers GRACE. Not because we are so great, but because God is. Not because we deserve it but because it is His to offer. This is the message that the world needs. This is the seed that Jesus planted.

When we are there at the end, the last guess, with nowhere else to turn, GRACE is the answer. And GRACE is the gospel we can share with the world.

Digging Deeper – Living Sent First

Chris Boggess on February 20, 2024

After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others, and he sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.

Luke 10:1-2 (NLT)

LIVING SENT FIRST

Several months ago, Shelby, our NextGen Director of Student Worship, approached me. She told me she had an opportunity to attend a graduate music program. As she described it to me, I heard what a fantastic opportunity it would be for her to grow musically and professionally. But as we talked more, she let me know she wanted to do it, not because of the personal growth, but for the ministry opportunity it provided. This was a chance to minister in an exclusive world that would not be open to just anyone. This was a chance to minister in a way that she was ideally and specifically suited. She was being invited into this world, and even though it meant more work for her, she wanted the chance to try to reach some of the people in the program.

It strikes me that we make many decisions based on whether we will make more money, move up in our jobs, or grow personally. While none of those motivations are wrong, most of us do not consider the opportunity to minister and share the gospel when considering a job change or a promotion. We just think about how it will make us better or give us a financial boost. We will acknowledge the blessing of it, but do we ever consider it an appointment like what Jesus did with the 72?

Each of us is divinely gifted and ordained to serve God. For most, the field of service is in the place where you are each day. Students, do you realize that God is appointing you to be his ministers in your school and that each class and club is a divine opportunity to reach out to students that maybe no one else can or will reach? Adults, the same goes for your workplace, college classes, neighborhood, and pickleball club. Everywhere you go, you can be a lifeline to the gospel for the people who may not have another.

I pray that we will be people who consider the opportunities we are given as blessings that lead to opportunities to share the grace of God with the people to whom God has provided us access. And that will be our first consideration as we look at new life opportunities. This is the core of living sent.

Digging Deeper – What Can a Few Do?

Chris Boggess on February 19, 2024

After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others, and he sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself was about to go.

Luke 10:1 (NLT)

WHAT CAN A FEW DO?

When I think of a large population that is mainly non-Christian, my mind goes to the nation of China. China’s population is approximately 1.42 billion people. A liberal estimate of the percentage of Christians would be around 2.9%, meaning there are roughly 1.38 billion non-Christians in the country. The harvest is plentiful, for sure!

Let us do a little thought experiment. Let’s say we could transport NorthStar Church to China, and that we do three packed-out services with 3000 people every Sunday! Even more extraordinary is that everyone who comes turns to Jesus as their savior. With that kind of fantastic response, it would only take us 9,137 years to reach the unchurched population of China as long as we didn’t take any Sundays off. The population would die off long before they could be reached.

But what if we sent one person, and they spent a year teaching and discipling one person who comes to Christ. At the end of the year, they each find one new person to walk with, and at the end of two years, one person will have reached three. If they continued like this, with each one reaching one person and then doing the same year after year, the unchurched in China would be reached in around 30 years. And not just reached, but discipled and reaching out to others (by the way, I did the same math starting with 72 instead of one person, and they would be able to reach the nation in 24 years, which is fewer than NorthStar has been around).

So, when we ask, “What are we to do? The harvest is so large, and I am so small.” The answer is to reach one. Find that one person you can intentionally pour into and show them who Jesus is, then encourage them to do the same.

One patient, intentional relationship – is that something you could do? Then you can follow the parable of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark: “And he said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.'” Mark 4:26-29.

You may not see the seed germinate, or the first sprouts grow, but the harvest will come if you are patient.

A few can do much. Even one can reach billions.

Digging Deeper – November 24, 2023

Chris Boggess on November 24, 2023

Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.

James 5:7 (NLT)

Shortcuts make long delays. – J.R.R. Tolkien

AVOID SHORTCUTS

Though we have focused on waiting for God to act, let’s take a minute and look at the alternative: being impatient.

There was a famous experiment from the 70’s called the marshmallow test. In the test, preschool children were asked to pick from two treats: a marshmallow or a pretzel. Then they were told that if they waited while the adult left the room, they could have the treat they wanted when the adult re-entered the room. They also had the choice to ring a bell, call the adult back earlier, and get the second choice treat instead. Most of the kids didn’t wait. They were fine with the second choice if they could have it now. Their wait times were also significantly shorter when the treats were in view. When they saw it, they couldn’t wait to have it.

Sometimes, we think of the need for instant gratification as a modern thing, but modernity just makes it more possible for us to have things immediately. Our satisfaction is just a click and a credit card away. We may be more programmed to be impatient now, but when we look at the people in the Bible, we see time and again people who were not willing to wait for God, but instead tried to take a shortcut. From Abraham to Moses and even in the fall in the Garden of Eden, we see people taking shortcuts to get what they want, and it always ends with a setback in their spiritual growth.

There is a passage in Matthew’s gospel that says, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. ¹⁴For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14 ESV)

I love the way The Message paraphrases this passage: Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention.

Too often, we are like the children in the marshmallow test. We will settle for less than the best to get it now. C.S. Lewis said we are “far too easily pleased” because we really haven’t tried to grasp what God has for us. Therefore, we settle for our earthly desires instead of God’s infinite joy through salvation in Christ.

When you find yourself impatient and looking for a quick fix, take a moment and meditate on what God has for you if you’ll wait on him.

Digging Deeper – November 23, 2023

Chris Boggess on November 23, 2023

We give great honor to those who endure suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.

James 5:11 (NLT)

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Romans 5:3-5 (ESV)

THANKFUL FOR SUFFERING

Think back to times in your life that were difficult. As painful as they were, they probably were not as difficult as what Job endured. In case you aren’t familiar with his story, Job lost everything: his children, his wealth, his livelihood, and his health. Then, after he wallows in self-pity, he finally hears from God, and everything is restored.

Now, think back to the difficult times that you have been through. Even though they are nothing like what Job endured, it can seem like it will never end when we are going through things and waiting for God to come through.

Take a minute to reflect on the times that God has come through, even though you may have had to wait. With those times in your life in mind, look at Psalm 40:1-3:

I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he inclined to me and heard my cry.
²He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
    out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
    making my steps secure.
³He put a new song in my mouth,
    a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
    and put their trust in the Lord.

Remember that even though we might have to wait for God to act in some situations, we must realize that God’s acting is purely for his glory. So, when he acts, we should, like the psalmist, put a song of praise in our mouth and let other people know how God has come through for us.

Digging Deeper – November 22, 2023

Chris Boggess on November 22, 2023

For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

James 5:10 (NLT)

OTHER PEOPLE CAN DO IT

I remember the summer before junior high school like it was yesterday. I remember that I was highly anxious about walking the halls of McKinley Jr. High – and not anxious in a good way. How will I find my classes? Who will I be in class with? Will people make fun of my huge ears? (They weren’t abnormally large, but I was convinced they were). But even as I was facing all these fears, I remember going over the same mantra in my head. Over and over, as I fell asleep that August with 7^th grade looming in my future, I would repeat, “Other people have made it through this, and I can too.” I leaned into the idea that no matter how hard it would be, if other people could do it, I could make it through, too.

I find myself repeating that idea over and over in my life. When faced with difficult circumstances, I return to that 7^th-grade reassurance, “Other people did it, so I can too.”

I think that is why the writer of Hebrews in Chapter 11 recounts the hall of famers in the Old Testament. He brings out all the big names, from Abel to Abraham and Moses to Samson. Then, the writer shares how each lived by faith. They all encountered stumbling blocks, but they kept moving forward, and they gave testimony to what God can do in the lives of everyday, flawed humans.

Then comes the opening of Chapter 12: Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ²looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV).

He is saying all those others made it, and you can too. So, don’t give up. I don’t know what is looming over your life or what struggle you are facing, but I know that the testimony of scripture is that we can have faith that God is doing something, and because of that, we can have “patience in suffering,” even when we don’t know what is coming next.

Digging Deeper – November 21, 2023

Chris Boggess on November 21, 2023

You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near. Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!

James 5:8-9 (NLT)

ON CAMERA

One of my guilty pleasures is to watch videos on YouTube. But not just any videos. I love dashcam videos. In these videos, people are not expecting cameras, so they often misbehave, thinking there is no accountability. They cut people off and make rude hand gestures. Sometimes, they even jump out of their cars to confront other drivers. The road rage is wild in some videos! The funny thing is that sometimes a driver will be raging, and the person in the car with the camera will point to the device. When the other driver sees it, their demeanor changes. It’s as if they are suddenly replaying everything they just did and don’t like what they see.

It is the realization that they are being seen that changes them. In today’s world, it seems like we should always expect to be on camera. There are cameras in stores, on streets, in doorbells, and on the dashboards of cars on the road around us.

The verse above says, “Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!” I get the picture from this of being back in elementary school, and the teacher leaves the room for a minute. There is always a kid or two that will use the opportunity to misbehave. But sometimes, the teacher comes in quietly, and the kid acting up doesn’t see. That moment of realization that they have been caught is what I get from this verse.

How would we act differently if we were more aware that we are seen by God? It should change everything about our day. And based on the verse, it should significantly impact how we treat others.

Live today like Jesus is watching.

Digging Deeper – November 20, 2023

Chris Boggess on November 20, 2023

Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the Spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.

James 5:7 (NLT)

ARE WE THERE YET?

“Are we there yet?” That cry is the bane of every parent’s existence. How do children know this phrase? It seems pre-loaded in their juvenile brains and programmed to activate once they have been in a moving vehicle for at least 15 minutes.

And how many parents throw the answers back to the query? “Are we still moving?” “Does it look like we are there?” “Time will pass faster if you quit asking.” That last one is untrue, but we’ll do anything to stop the question!

I remember yelling that question from the back of the LTD Country Squire on our frequent trips to North Carolina to visit cousins, or on the drive to a fun destination like King’s Island. It was a sincere question, even though it was annoying to my parents and logically pointless (because we were obviously NOT there).

For a child, everything seems to take forever. A road trip seems to be never-ending, and Christmas always seems so far away. And now, as adults, we lose that intense anticipation.

In James’s passage, we are called to be patient while waiting for Christ’s return. Can you imagine the anticipation of those first-century Christians, some of whom had seen Jesus face to face, had witnessed his resurrection, or had seen him taken into heaven? Knowing he was coming back would be a shadow over every day they lived.

Now, 2000 years later, I think perhaps we are too patient. When was the last time you woke in the morning and thought, “Maybe Jesus is coming back today!” I think for many of us, verse 7 has lost its impact. We go about our day as if the world will last forever.

His coming is as inevitable as the rains in the Fall and the Spring. So this week, take the time to get excited about the fact that we serve a risen Savior who has promised to return. And may our response to that promise be the same as what we find in the next to last verse in our Bible, Revelation 22:20:

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!