NorthStar Church Blog

²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, ²⁶ and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

²⁸ “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, ²⁹ but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. ³⁰ Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

³¹ “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. ³² We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

Luke 15:25-32 (NLT)

---

THE PERFECT OLDER BROTHER

 

The older brother in the gospel of Luke is far from perfect. As mentioned earlier this week, we see that he, too, is blinded by the desire for wealth and standing through commitment to extreme morality. But when we look at the whole gospel, we realize the reason our Heavenly Father is able to welcome us home is because of the Perfect Older Brother that He sent down to us. The grace God freely gives us came with a cost.

The prodigal son’s grace from his earthly father came at a cost to his older brother as well. It cost him much of the wealth he would have received had his younger brother waited, as was tradition, until the father passed. Now the older brother in the story would receive even less than the younger son had squandered upon his return and welcoming back into the family and back into the blessing of his inheritance. This older brother was unwilling to join in his father’s celebration.

Our true older brother in Christ not only shares in the celebration of our return, but is the reason we are able to be welcomed home with grace freely given. He paid the cost of this return with His life. We cannot return to the Father by ourselves. The Son of God was born into this world to die for us that we may be given this free grace.

I think it’s important to remember that both the younger brother and the older brother in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son needed this same grace. The younger brother comes home and must repent of his past. But the older brother must realize that his moral goodness does not make him righteous for his father’s blessing. We see the full picture in this parable of why a Savior is necessary. As we come into the season of Christmas where we celebrate the birth of our Savior, I challenge you to dig into which brother you might relate more to. Begin challenging your thinking as it relates to this story. May you remember not only the grace you are FREELY given, but also the price that was paid for it. Let us rejoice in this holiday season for a Heavenly Father who RUNS to us through the gift of His Son. 

---

Courtney Miller is the Special Needs ministry Director at NorthStar Church. She was born a Texas girl, but has lived in Georgia the majority of her life (Go Dawgs!). She married her husband, Chris, in 2012. They have two children with a third on the way. 

²⁰ “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. ²¹ His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’

²² “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. ²³ And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, ²⁴ for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

Luke 15:20-24 (NLT)

---

THE GOD WHO WELCOMES US HOME

 

Arguably the most powerful moment in the parable of the Prodigal Son is the moment when the father runs to his son. The younger son has not only disgraced himself, but through his actions has essentially deemed his father worthless to him (except for his money). Rich Villodas, an author and pastor posted, “In the gospel of Luke, the prodigal son doesn’t return home because of a renewed love for his father. He comes back home simply to survive because he ran out of money and is starving. And his father is perfectly fine with that! Just come home. God just wants you home.” He is longing for us to return. He is actively running after us just like the father in the parable.

              The younger son realized he had nothing left, and unless he returned home, he would not find sustenance. But we find that God’s grace is free for us no matter what we have done. Our relationship with the Lord is not transactional. I have nothing to give the Lord, but He has everything to give me. His love for us restores our position (that never disappeared) in the Home He has for us. Not only are we welcomed home, but our homecoming is celebrated.

We see in this story that even when our return home is simply to survive, before our lives are even cleaned up or our hearts are even changed, our Heavenly Father is ready for us. He wants us to find our way Home. It is where we find our purpose, our meaning, and our value. May you see the great, amazing, unbelievable love the Father has for you and rest in that today! Remember that no matter what your journey has looked like, the Father welcomes you with open arms.

---

Courtney Miller is the Special Needs ministry Director at NorthStar Church. She was born a Texas girl, but has lived in Georgia the majority of her life (Go Dawgs!). She married her husband, Chris, in 2012. They have two children with a third on the way. 

²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, ²⁶ and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

²⁸ “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, ²⁹ but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. ³⁰ Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

Luke 15:25-30 (NLT)

---

ELDER BROTHER LIVING

Have you ever thought about the older brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son? I think often we read the story and move quickly past the significance he carries in the story Jesus is telling. Timothy Keller does an excellent job of breaking down the role of the elder brother in his book The Prodigal God. 

In my early years of college, this book opened my eyes to how easy it is for me to fall into performance-based thinking. Performance-based thinking is the idea that I can do something to earn God’s love or that God’s love for me is measured by what I do. The Bible explicitly contradicts that thought. In Ephesians 2:8-9 it reads, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast.”

              In his book, Keller points out that the elder son is just as alienated from the father as is the prodigal, younger son. It is his self-righteousness (just like that of the pharisees Jesus is telling the parable to) that is keeping him from sharing in the feast. The elder brother, too, was more concerned with the father’s wealth than the father himself, and he didn’t even realize it! He was totally blind to his own sin. He was too focused on following the moral path.

              Sometimes we fall into the thinking that it’s only when I “do my daily quiet time,” “go to church,” “fill in the blank” that the Lord is delighted in me. This thinking lends me to the deeper thought that there is actually something I can do to earn the Lord’s delight in me. His delight in me has already been freely given! In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus invites us into true rest by simply walking with Him. Our obedience does not get us anything. As Keller points out, our obedience is simply to love Him, resemble Him, know Him, and delight in Him.

              Remember, before knowing Christ, we were once sinners. After receiving and trusting in Him, we are now His righteous children. His Spirit is within us. We can rest in knowing that it is not up to us. We are forever His! May you remember to find your satisfaction in God alone and know that you are welcomed into His family by His grace alone.

---

Courtney Miller is the Special Needs ministry Director at NorthStar Church. She was born a Texas girl, but has lived in Georgia the majority of her life (Go Dawgs!). She married her husband, Chris, in 2012. They have two children with a third on the way. 

¹² T

¹² When the younger told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die!’ his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

¹³ “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there wasted all his money on parties and prostitutes. ¹⁴ About the time his money was gone a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. ¹⁵ He persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed his pigs. ¹⁶ The boy became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the swine looked good to him. And no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired men have food enough and to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger! ¹⁸ I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, ¹⁹ and am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired man.”’

Luke 15:12-19 (NLT)

---

THE PRODIGAL SON

 

In a world filled with temptation and sin, the prodigal son is a character Christians can relate to. The devil can grab a foothold in our lives quite easily. It may be in a significant and visible way, as in this parable, or it may be in ways that we can hide more easily like pride or greed. Either way, we have all left home at some point in our journeys. Your temptations may cost you everything – your “stuff”-  like it did for the prodigal son – or it may cost you your joy and satisfaction.

Sometimes temptation can come when we get bored – even in the good things. The prodigal son had a good life before he left his father’s house. He had permanence and provision and a father who clearly loved him. But temptation can lead us to wonder what else is out there. We become willing to step away from the goodness the Father has given us to test the waters of what the world tells us is waiting to bring us a “better life.” But all the world offers us is emptiness and shallow relationships. The easiness the world offers is deceitful. 

How can you combat this temptation? Do you have a heart of gratitude? Are you thankful for what the Lord has given you? Are you giving Him daily thanks? The things of this world will fade. 1 John 2:17 says, “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” When you find yourself wondering about what the world has to offer, you aren’t celebrating the goodness of the Lord. You begin to find your satisfaction in the things of this world instead. When you can find gratitude in the Lord, you can begin to let go of the temptations more easily.

God provides us deep and meaningful relationship. One of my Fellowship of Christian Athletes coaches in high school used to always ask, “How’s your heart?” He wasn’t looking for the typical teenage response of “good.” I’ve never forgotten that question and the depth of thought it provoked. This is the type of relationship we find in the Lord. One that fully satisfies. It will not betray us.

The parable of the prodigal son begs the question, “When life falls apart, what is left?” The prodigal son found that it was the freely given grace and love of his father. We were made by God for relationship with Him. The stuff of this world will never satisfy. In Acts 17, Paul states that in God we find our life and our breath and everything else. Paul reminds us that the Lord is not far from any of us. In fact, he is always with us and always seeking us. Let us find satisfaction in Him and gratitude in what He has given us.

---

Courtney Miller is the Special Needs ministry Director at NorthStar Church. She was born a Texas girl, but has lived in Georgia the majority of her life (Go Dawgs!). She married her husband, Chris, in 2012. They have two children with a third on the way. 

¹² The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

¹³ “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living.

Luke 15:12-13 (NLT)

---

THE NEED TO ESCAPE

 

Have you ever felt the need to escape? Maybe coming up on the holidays you’re feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or overworked. You’re just ready to get out of the office, out of the house or just out of the current rhythm of your everyday life. I think we all have these seasons, but I encourage you to dig deeper into the reason you’re feeling this way.

Maybe it’s just a healthy need for more work/ life balance.  This is important! God wants us to have rest. He literally shows us what that looks like in Genesis! Sabbath is good, important, and necessary.  Spending time away from everyday life can be healthy for gaining fresh perspective, renewed energy, and God-given inspiration.

But we need to be careful when we find ourselves looking to escape because a lack of reliance on God. Have we failed to trust His plan? Have we avoided spending time with Him, finding rest each day in His presence? Are we leaving Home because we are choosing to follow our own path instead of God’s for our life?

When the Prodigal Son left home, he was wanting his father’s things (his inheritance), but not his father. The relationship between the son and his father was just a means to an end of the son getting what he wanted at that moment (instant gratification). And now he was ready to stray far from home.

The parable of the Prodigal Son could be a more extreme example of escape than what you have experienced in your life, but we all have choices in our lives where we must decide: are we going to follow God’s path, or is the path we can create for ourselves better? Choosing our own path is a tougher, more tiresome road. We will find exhaustion and that “need to escape” much more often.

When we choose to follow the path God has set for us, we can find rest and fulfillment in Him and in knowing that our satisfaction is found in Him alone. We will never find satisfaction apart from God. In fact, the more time we spend with the Lord reading His Word, praying, and digging deeper, the more satisfaction we will find and we’ll see the path before us more clearly.

Our ultimate escape will one day be the plan that God has perfected, the return of Christ– when the world is restored to how God created it to be. Our longing for escape will be satisfied completely. May you find a great desire to be present, find rest, and follow the path God has set forth for you. And may your time that you spend escaping everyday life be filled with healthy rest in the Lord!

---

Courtney Miller is the Special Needs ministry Director at NorthStar Church. She was born a Texas girl, but has lived in Georgia the majority of her life (Go Dawgs!). She married her husband, Chris, in 2012. They have two children with a third on the way. 

19 My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, 20 you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.

James 5:20 (NLT)

---

WANDERING AWAY

 

Have you ever strayed from the path you were on and suddenly found yourself off course? Of course! This happens to many of us in causal activity – like shopping or sight-seeing. But James cautions those that wander “away from the truth” (v.19) – a sort of spiritual drift.

 

Most physical wandering is the result of one of two things: 1) a deviation from the proper route or 2) aimlessness. The Psalmist states that the Word of God is “a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105, KJV). It lays out the proper route for the Christian life. The Westminster Confession of 1646 puts it like this:

The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture.

 

That is to say, the Bible is a sufficient guide for faith and life. Those who have fallen into error started out by neglecting the Word of God. In theology, the term for a deviation from right teaching is “heresy.” Not coincidentally, this term derives from a Greek word meaning “choice.” When we consistently choose our way instead of The Way (the historic name for early Christianity), we are at risk of falling into error. God has given us His Word and the Holy Spirit to help guide us along.

 

We can also help others that are prone to drifting. Ecclesiastes 4:10 states, “If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” To this sentiment James would agree, for he stresses the restorative ability of Christian community.

 

Heed these final words of James. Choose today to stay the course of our Savior and to encourage others that walk alongside you.

 

---

Ryan Hoffer serves as NextGen Production Director at NorthStar. He holds an M.Div in Church History and enjoys playing the harp. He and his wife, Tiffany, live in Acworth and have three children.

16 The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

James 5:16b (NLT)

---

UNANSWERED PRAYER

 

James states that “the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” Yet, why is it that some prayers seem to go unanswered or, even worse, unheard? This arises from our misunderstanding of God’s will. It has been stated that God only answers prayer in three ways: yes, no, and not now.

 

How sweet the affirmative answer of God. When our Lord was passing near Jericho, a blind beggar pleaded with him to restore his sight (Lk 18:35-53). This request the Lord granted stating, “Recover your sight, your faith has made you well” (v.42). As a result, he “followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God” (v.43).

 

God sometimes answers our requests with a “no.” Consider that even our Lord Jesus received this response from the Father. On the night that he was betrayed Jesus prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me” (Mt. 26:39).  When our Father answers us in this way, we ought to imitate the submission of the Son stating, “I want your will to be done, not mine” (Mt. 26:39).

 

Sometimes a “no” turns out to be “not now”, although we don’t always understand it in the moment. Zechariah and Elizabeth prayed for a son, but she was barren. When they were “both very old” (Lk 1:7) the angel Gabriel came to tell them “God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John” (Lk 1:13). How long had this God-fearing couple considered their request denied when in fact it was delayed?

 

---

Ryan Hoffer serves as NextGen Production Director at NorthStar. He holds an M.Div in Church History and enjoys playing the harp. He and his wife, Tiffany, live in Acworth and have three children.

Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. 16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed…

James 5:14-16 (NLT)

---

INTERCESSION AND CONFESSION

 

Intercession – the act of saying a prayer on behalf of another person – is an important part of prayer. James touches upon the role of intercession in verses 14-16. Firstly, those that are sick benefit from the healing prayers of others in the church. This ought to be a common grace among a body of believers as such prayers “offered in faith” have the power to heal (v.15).

Paul instructs his companion in ministry, Timothy, to pray for others. In 1 Timothy 2:1 he states, “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.” Many prayers for healing have been answered in the lives of people at NorthStar. I cannot count the times that I have called on people for whom we were praying and miraculous progress had been made. Or the times I have prayed for those in the throes of addiction who were restored to their former sanity. On interceding for others the Bible says, “this is good and pleases God our Savior” (1 Timothy 2:4).

Confession, likewise, ought to be a frequent practice among faithful Christians – specifically, confession amongst one another. In the years since the Protestant Reformation took place, confession has diminished into something of a relic of Roman Catholicism. This has resulted in an overemphasis on confession taking place internally between God and oneself. It is true that “if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:9). However, James makes clear that confession of one’s sin to another believer has the power to result in healing. This is clear for two reasons: 1) it creates an opportunity for intercession 2) there is a humility involved in confession that is fatal to pride.

 

---

Ryan Hoffer serves as NextGen Production Director at NorthStar. He holds an M.Div in Church History and enjoys playing the harp. He and his wife, Tiffany, live in Acworth and have three children.

…Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.

James 5:13b (NLT)

---

ARE YOU HAPPY? PRAISE GOD!

 

One of the ways we go about expressing our thankfulness is through singing! Did you know that the Bible contains over 180 songs? The Jews celebrated through music; the early church did likewise. The Roman Governor Pliny, writing to the emperor Trajan in 112 A.D., noted that the first Christians “had become accustomed to meeting before daybreak, and to recite a hymn among themselves to Christ…” Thus, the corporate singing of praises has been a vital mode of worship since the inception of the church. James encourages the continuation of that practice as proper for the happy Christian.

It is fitting that this appeal to the cheerful believer follows the previous address to the afflicted, for we are to communicate to our Lord in all seasons – feast and famine. Yet often we forget to give him due praise for seasons of peace. The apostle Paul reminds us “always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances…” (Thessalonians 5:16-18). Are you happy? Praise God! Thanksgiving is as much a part of prayer as our desperate petitions.

Have you given thanks for answered prayers? A good rule of thumb is “if its small enough to pray about its small enough to give thanks about.” Those times that we casually prayed for sunny weather or a favorable outcome ought to be followed up with an expression of gratitude. This will not only cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving, but it will reinforce the precious sovereignty of God in every aspect of our life – big and small.

---

Ryan Hoffer serves as NextGen Production Director at NorthStar. He holds an M.Div in Church History and enjoys playing the harp. He and his wife, Tiffany, live in Acworth and have three children.

Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray…

James 5:13a (NLT)

---

THE POWER OF PRAYER

 

Have you prayed about it? Likely you have heard that remark from a well-intentioned friend after laying your heart bare. The straight-forwardness of it almost offends the sensibilities, although the answer is almost always a resounding “no.”  And yet James – speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit – boldly entreats us to consider this most basic principle: pray about it.

The truth of the matter is that we often get so distracted by the pain of affliction that we forget where our strength comes from. But worrying about it is just a form of praying to ourselves. We were not meant to become resigned to the hardships of living the Christian life. In Psalm 50:15, the Lord tells us; “call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” Calling upon him is, in essence, the business of prayer. Therefore, if you are suffering hardships, you should pray. He is able to deliver you and in doing so you will bring glory to His name.

Take a moment today to reflect these words of James 5:13. Consider the hardships that you are facing and ask yourself whether you have submitted them to the Lord in prayer, who hears and cares. The apostle Peter, who walked with Jesus, would put it like this: “Cast all of your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” The question is: have you prayed about it?

---

Ryan Hoffer serves as NextGen Production Director at NorthStar. He holds an M.Div in Church History and enjoys playing the harp. He and his wife, Tiffany, live in Acworth and have three children.