Steve Roach – Page 2 – NorthStar Church Blog

Digging Deeper – Diversity and Unity

Steve Roach on August 9, 2024

6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

Romans 12:6-8 (NLT)

DIVERSITY AND UNITY

In Romans 12:6-8, Paul describes the church as being highly diverse in talents and gifts yet unified in purpose and Spirit. We are all different. We have different strengths. At the same time, there is unity. We all work together to bring glory to Christ and make His gospel known to others. If you aren’t good at public speaking or playing in a worship band, this just means that your gifts lie elsewhere. Your value is the same as anyone else in the body of Christ. I need your gift, and you need mine to become the person God desires. No one else in the world has your exact DNA. God uniquely created you to be unlike anyone else. He wants you to contribute out of your uniqueness and giftedness.

Think about it this way. When you stand in your kitchen, you’re surrounded by appliances. A refrigerator, an oven, a stove, a microwave, a toaster, a coffee maker, and others. The manufacturer uniquely designed all these appliances to fulfill a designated purpose. The refrigerator will not heat our food, the oven won’t wash the dishes, and the toaster can’t make the coffee in the morning. That’s not what they were made to do. And if these appliances fail to accomplish the task they were designed to accomplish, they have failed. Each of these appliances are designed with different functions but with one purpose – to help you eat. If people can do that with machines—design them to fulfill a designated purpose—God can surely craft people for unique gifts and strengths that will bring Him glory.

When studying Romans 12’s list of gifts, you might identify with one or two as your own. Prophets are often bold and articulate as they share Biblical truth. Servers are faithful and loyal. Teachers are clear thinkers. Encouragers know how to motivate others. Givers are generous and trusting. Leaders are good organizers and managers. Those who show mercy are caring people who are happy to give their time to others. This list of gifts represents what gifts are and is not meant to be a complete list. Paul’s point is that our gifts, whatever they may be, should be used and not wasted!

How do you know what your gifts are? Simply start serving in areas where you have a passion and desire. Eventually, your spiritual gift(s) will rise to the surface and become evident to those you serve. And, you will begin to see God use you to bolster the faith of other believers.

Steve Roach serves as the Pastor of Spiritual Maturity at NorthStar Church. He and his wife, Amy, live in Acworth and have three girls, Olivia, Sydney, and Hayley and one son, Colton. He enjoys watching sports and spending time with his family.

Digging Deeper – Saved to Serve

Steve Roach on August 8, 2024

“Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.”

Romans 12:4-6 (NLT)

SAVED TO SERVE

In Sunday’s message, Mike discussed how God has placed us in the body of Christ at NorthStar to serve one another. Today and tomorrow we will examine what God’s Word tells us about serving and using our Spiritual gifts.

Let’s begin by looking at Hebrews 10:24: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” What is implied here by the writer? When we spend time together with other believers, we sharpen one another. We become more loving as we interact with and serve each other. We are better together! Left to ourselves, we will tend to serve ourselves and our own interests. Even Mother Teresa couldn’t do it alone. She had her team, the Missionaries of Charity, to work alongside her. Even Jesus called twelve disciples to assist Him in serving the physical and spiritual needs of the people. If they needed others to accomplish their purpose, so do we!

Some of us think that we don’t have anything to offer or aren’t good at anything when it comes to helping at the church. Nothing could be further from the truth if you have the Holy Spirit residing in you! Once you place your faith in Jesus, you are uniquely equipped with a spiritual gift. The Holy Spirit living in you gives you a special ability to do certain tasks well within the body of Christ, the church. On a scale of 1-10, God made you a “10” at something! If you don’t serve, your contribution to the body of Christ will be missed!

Sir Michael Costa was a great orchestral Conductor of the 19th Century. One day, he was conducting a rehearsal in which a great choir joined the orchestra. Midway through the session, the piccolo player stopped playing. After all, it seemed innocent enough. Who would miss the tiny piccolo amidst the great mass of instruments blazing away? Suddenly, Sir Michael stopped the entire orchestra and choir. “Stop! Stop! Where’s the piccolo? What’s happened to the piccolo?” We may sometimes feel like that piccolo player – that we don’t have much to offer, that if we stopped our ministry, no one would notice anyway. Yet the Great Conductor notices and needs us to complete his orchestral masterpiece! If you’re not already signed up to serve as a volunteer at NorthStar, go on our website and do that right now – CLICK HERE.

Digging Deeper – Created to Know God

Steve Roach on August 7, 2024

“And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”

John 17:3 (NLT)

CREATED TO KNOW GOD

Augustine, an ancient Christian theologian, said this: “You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.” God designed us so that we would want to know Him—and then He guaranteed we wouldn’t be happy unless He Himself fills the emptiness within. This brings us face-to-face with the famous statement that a “God-shaped vacuum” exists inside each person. We can turn to God, or we can fill the vacuum with idols of our own making. Something in us drives us to seek ultimate meaning. That “something” is put there by God. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (ESV) says God “has put eternity into man’s heart.”

The key to knowing God is trusting in Jesus, the eternal Son of God. Jesus is “God incarnate,” that is, God clothed with human flesh. When Jesus walked on the earth, He was the God-man, fully God and fully man simultaneously. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life, died a sacrificial death for our sins, and was raised to life, proving that He had accomplished His mission to reconcile us to God.

John 17:3 (NLT) says, “And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.” Jeremiah 9:23–24 (NLT) says, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!’” Do you know Him, not just about Him? There’s a huge difference!

If you were a big fan of a popular music artist like Taylor Swift, and I asked you where she grew up, the names of her albums, who she is dating, and what kind of pets she has, you could probably answer those questions correctly. You would demonstrate that you know all about her. You might have even attended her concerts and sang along with her so loud that you lost your voice. But here’s a deeper question: Do you know her personally? Does she know you personally? What might happen if you showed up at one of her houses, rang the front gate buzzer, and said your name and that you were there to spend time with Taylor? Her security team would tell you that she doesn’t know you. They would escort you off the property and warn you that if you showed up again, they would have you arrested for trespassing. There’s a huge difference between knowing ABOUT Taylor Swift and KNOWING Taylor Swift.

Here’s the deal. We can know all about God, sing about God, score a 100 on a Bible quiz, attend church regularly, go on a mission trip, walk an aisle, raise a hand, get baptized, and join a church, but NONE of that means that you KNOW God personally. You were created not just to know about God but to KNOW GOD! And knowing God happens when we turn from our sinful self and turn to Jesus in faith to forgive us and make us a new creation. Have you come to know God through a personal relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ? If not, trust Him today!

Digging Deeper – Created for God

Steve Roach on August 6, 2024

“For by him (Christ) all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”

Colossians 1:16 (ESV)

CREATED FOR GOD

Look at the last two words of Colossians 1:16, “for Him.” You are created for God. God designed us for His purposes. Why were all things created for Jesus? Did he need another waterfall, an extra million stars, or a thundering herd of buffalo storming across an empty continent? No, the purpose of Creation is to point to Jesus. All of it, in its created glory, is a testimony to the power, the wonder, and the incredible beauty of our Savior.

Pastor and Theologian John Piper said, “Our salvation is for God’s sake. He created us to display his glory.” First Corinthians 10:31 (NLT) says: “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Our life purpose is not ultimately for us but for God. The problem is that we are all fundamentally bent toward seeking our glory. But here’s the problem: we should seek the glory of the One who is most glorious, in whom is the most joy and who is most worthy, and we are not Him. We are a far cry from Him. The Bible makes it clear that we should do all things to the glory of God because HE is all of these things and more. The bottom line for today is that we should live to make much of God and not ourselves.

During the 1920s, a running back for Notre Dame kept a scrapbook of newspaper clippings of his highlights and achievements on the football field. He was particularly obnoxious about how great a football player he was and his ability to get free and score. One Monday morning, after a particularly good game, he bragged about how great he was. During the first play of practice, the team lined up to run a play. When the ball was snapped, the offensive line, which typically blocked for him, stood aside and let the defense in. The defense buried him for a loss. His blockers shouted, “They can’t do that! Show them your clippings!” That self-centered player may be why Notre Dame football players don’t have names on the back of their jerseys to this day. The idea is that no player plays for himself but rather for the good and success of the team. It’s not about the player’s name on the back of the jersey but the team’s name on the front.

In the same way, God did not create us to lead self-centered lives that are all about us. That is not why He created us. He created us to make much of His name and to fulfill His purposes.

Digging Deeper – Created by God

Steve Roach on August 5, 2024

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good
things he planned for us long ago.”

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

CREATED BY GOD

Yesterday, Mike started our Playmakers series by showing us how to get into the game and use our gifts to serve one another at NorthStar. This week in our time with the Lord, we will look at some foundational truths that we all need to have settled in our minds and hearts as we consider how God wants to use us to serve in His church. Then, we will finish the week by looking at spiritual gifts and God’s design for them in the church.

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why am I here on Earth?” This is one of the most important questions you can ask. Without a purpose, life becomes motion without meaning; trivial, petty, pointless, and chasing after the latest “must have” material thing or “must do” activity. The famous author Mark Twain said the two most important days in your life are “The day you are born, and the day you find out why.”

We all want to make a difference. We want to feel like our lives matter. So, where do we begin? Understanding our purpose starts with our Creator. God determined our purpose in the world way before we were born. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” The Apostle Paul goes on to say, “For by him (Christ) all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16, ESV).

Let this truth sink into your soul: You are not here by accident but because God wanted you to be here. He didn’t create us to blend into the background of humanity and live insignificant lives. Instead, He created each of us with great purpose.

Only our Creator has the right to determine our purpose. Let’s say Aunt Matilda has just baked a cake. The nutrition scientists can tell you the number of calories and the cake’s nutritional value; the biochemists can tell you the structure of the proteins, fats, etc.; the chemists can tell you the elements involved and their bonding; the physicists can tell you the cake’s fundamental particles; the mathematicians can give you a set of elegant equations to describe the behavior of those particles. In other words, they can give you an exhaustive description of the cake. Suppose I now ask the assembled group of experts: “Why was the cake made?” The world’s nutrition scientists, biochemists, chemists, physicists, and mathematicians will not be able to answer the question. The only way we will ever get the answer is if Aunt Matilda reveals it to us. Our universe has a Maker, just like Aunt Matilda’s cake, and only the Maker can tell us why we’re here. And He has gifted us uniquely to serve within His church to serve His purposes. We’ll take a closer look at that later this week.

Digging Deeper – Sacrificing for Others

Steve Roach on May 3, 2024

He (Jesus) humbled himself …and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Philippians 2:8 (NLT)

SACRIFICING FOR OTHERS

A young woman was arrested for breaking the law. She knew she’d been caught red-handed and she couldn’t deny her guilt. Later, she stood in front of the judge’s bench and admitted what she had done. The man wearing the robe was a kind man, but he was also a just judge, and knew he couldn’t let her off the hook. She had broken the law. So he gave her the penalty prescribed by the law, which meant the girl was required to pay a steep fine – one that she couldn’t afford – or else end up in jail.

But, then the man did an amazing thing. He stood up, took off his judge’s robe, walked around to the front of the bench where the girl was standing, pulled out his wallet, and lovingly looked in her eyes as he handed her all the money she needed to pay her fine.

Why did he do this? Because the woman was his own daughter! Being a good judge, he had to honor the law and impose the penalty. But being a loving father, he was willing to leave His seat as judge and come to her side, to pay the price on her behalf. Jesus humbled Himself by leaving Heaven and coming by our side to pay the penalty for our sins that we couldn’t pay.

Are you willing to humbly give up your position, pride, or possessions to help others?

Digging Deeper – Obeying God

Steve Roach on May 2, 2024

He (Jesus) humbled himself in obedience to God…

Philippians 2:8 (NLT)

OBEYING GOD

When Christian Herter was governor of Massachusetts, he ran hard for a second term in office. One day, after a busy morning chasing votes (and no lunch), he arrived at a church barbecue. It was late afternoon, and Herter was famished. As Herter moved down the serving line, he held out his plate to the woman serving chicken. She put a piece on his plate and turned to the next person in line.

“Excuse me,” Governor Herter said, “do you mind if I have another piece of chicken?”

“Sorry,” the woman told him. “I’m supposed to give one piece of chicken to each person.”

“But I’m starved,” the governor said.

“Sorry,” the woman said again. “Only one to a customer.”

Governor Herter was a modest and unassuming man, but he decided that he would throw a little weight around this time. “Do you know who I am?” he said. “I am the governor of this state.”

“Do you know who I am?” the woman said. “I’m the lady in charge of the chicken. Move along, mister.”

Obeying God when we want our way requires humility. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus searched for another way to accomplish our redemption than Him going on the cross. But, after anguish and prayer, in humility, He obeyed God and went to the cross to secure our salvation.

In what area of your life do you need to humble yourself and obey God today?

Digging Deeper – Refusing Privileges

Steve Roach on May 1, 2024

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form…

Philippians 2:6-7 (NLT)

REFUSING PRIVILEGES

Bible commentator and theologian Warren Wiersbe explains that Jesus did not consider His equality with God as “something selfishly to be held on to.” Jesus did not think of Himself; He thought of others. His outlook (or attitude) was that of unselfish concern for others. This is “the mind of Christ,” an attitude that says, “I cannot keep my privileges for myself, I must use them for others; and to do this, I will gladly lay them aside and pay whatever price is necessary.”

A reporter was interviewing a successful job counselor who had placed hundreds of workers in their vocations quite happily. When asked the secret of his success, the man replied, “If you want to find out what a worker is really like, don’t give him responsibilities—give him privileges. Most people can handle responsibilities if you pay them enough, but it takes a real leader to handle privileges. A leader will use his privileges to help others and build the organization; a lesser man will use privileges to promote himself.”

Jesus used His heavenly privileges for the sake of others—for our sake. Are you willing to humbly lay down your privileges, rights, and comfort for the sake of others? That is the attitude that Jesus had. That is the attitude that He wants His followers to have.

Digging Deeper – Helping Others Win

Steve Roach on April 30, 2024

Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

Philippians 2:4 (NLT)

HELPING OTHERS WIN

On December 2, 2012, Spanish athlete Iván Fernández Anaya was competing in a cross-country race in Burlada, Navarre. He was running second, some distance behind race leader, Abel Mutai – bronze medalist in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the London Olympics. As they entered the finishing straight, he saw the Kenyan runner – the certain winner of the race – mistakenly pull up about 10 meters before the finish, thinking he had already crossed the line. Fernández Anaya quickly caught up with him, but instead of exploiting Mutai’s mistake to speed past and claim an unlikely victory, he stayed behind and, using gestures, guided the Kenyan to the line and let him cross first.

“I didn’t deserve to win it,” says 24-year-old Fernández Anaya. “I did what I had to do. He was the rightful winner. He created a gap that I couldn’t have closed if he hadn’t made a mistake. As soon as I saw he was stopping, I knew I wasn’t going to pass him.”

This is a great picture of what it looks like to look out for the interests of others! Humility is resisting the urge to always finish first. Rather, it is helping others win their race even when they make mistakes. Who can you help win their race today?

Digging Deeper – Lifting Others Up

Steve Roach on April 29, 2024

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

Philippians 2:3 (NLT)

LIFTING OTHERS UP

What is humility? Is humility thinking less of ourselves than we actually are? Is it thinking that we are worthless, invaluable, and untalented? Not at all. The well-known preacher and theologian Jonathan Edwards observed,

“True humility is not putting ourselves down but rather lifting up others. If we concentrate on lifting up others, putting down ourselves will take care of itself. As we go through life exalting Christ and others, then genuine humility will be inevitable.”

You may want to read that quote again and let it soak into your heart. True humility is seeking to honor others and to make much of them. To maintain humility, instead of saying, “Woe is me,” make a habit of lifting others up. Jesus is the best example of humility there ever was. Jesus demonstrated humility, not by wrongly assessing His worth, but rather by thinking of our needs more than His own. In humility, will you seek to serve the needs of others? Who can you lift up today?