NorthStar Church Blog

Digging Deeper: Christian Friends vs. Christian Friendship

Sellers Hickman on January 23, 2024

³And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. ⁴And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. ⁵And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Mark 2:3-5 (ESV)

CHRISTIAN FRIENDS VS. CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP

Years ago, a pastor said something that changed the way I view my close relationships: “There is a difference between Christian friends and Christian friendships.” His point is that we can easily surround ourselves with other believers, but Christian friendships play an active role in pushing us closer to Jesus.

In this story we see that there were four men who were not content to just hold the same values as the paralytic. I wonder how the story would have gone if these guys just went to the same church? Or if they just took a second to pray before eating? Or if they expressed the same political views as the paralytic? There is nothing wrong with these things, but I wonder if we have tricked ourselves into becoming content with just having Christian friendships. It’s easier that way, right? If they have the same beliefs as you then there are little to no disagreements. We get along. We smile at each other at church, but that is the extent of our friendship.

I wonder if God wants more out of our relationships. Christian friendships are willing to push each other, even when it is uncomfortable. Christian friendships are there to stand in the gap when life is tough. Christian friendships are willing to do Whatever It Takes to get their friends to Jesus, even tearing off a roof.

The passage we covered this past Sunday hits its focal point in verse 5 when we find out that Jesus didn’t just have compassion for the paralyzed man, but the faith of the friends is what caused this man to find his miracle. It wasn’t the paralytic’s faith, but the friends’ faith. They carried him to Jesus.

Let me ask you, who are you carrying to Jesus? It can be difficult, inconvenient, and uncomfortable, but if your friendship is truly centered on Christ, it is always worth it. I want to challenge you today. Will you commit to carrying somebody to Jesus? Take a minute and pray for a friend, co-worker, or family member who does not know Jesus. Pray that God would use your words and actions to help them find him. This story ends in salvation but even as believers we need a constant reminder of the good news of Jesus. Take time today to encourage a close friend, spouse, or child and see how you can better help them to look like Jesus.

Sellers Hickman serves as College Pastor at NorthStar Church and loves cheering on his Ole Miss Rebels. He and his wife, Hannah, live in Dallas, Ga. with their one year old, Emery. He also serves as the chaplain for the KSU Men’s Basketball team.

Digging Deeper: People Were Coming to Him

Sellers Hickman on January 22, 2024

⁴⁰And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” ⁴¹Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” ⁴²And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. ⁴³And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, ⁴⁴and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” ⁴⁵But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

2 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. ²And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.

Mark 1:40-2:2 (ESV)

PEOPLE WERE COMING TO HIM

Growing up I loved the Atlanta Braves, and I loved collecting sports memorabilia. I vividly remember my third-grade field trip to watch the Braves play the San Diego Padres. I brought my brother’s glove, a stack of trading cards I received from my Christmas list, a baseball, and a black Sharpie. That day I walked out with 17 autographs, not because the stadium was empty, but because I could squeeze my body between people to get to the front. My dad watched in amazement because of his claustrophobia. Now why did I go to all of that effort? These guys were celebrities! Jeff Francoeur, Adam Laroche, and Braves legend, Ryan Langerhans (for some reason, Chipper wasn’t entertaining 10-year-olds that day).

Before we jump into our passage for the week, we need to understand why the house was full. Why was Jesus so sought after? This is only the second chapter of Mark. Jesus has just begun his public ministry after about 30 years of obscurity. So far Mark has talked of Jesus’ baptism, him being tempted, calling his disciples, and bringing about three miracles (healing a man with an unclean spirit, healing a town from sickness and demonic possession, and cleansing a leper).

I don’t know about you, but just one of those miracles is enough for me to want to fight a crowd at Turner Field for Jesus’ autograph! This house was over the fire code because they wanted to see Jesus perform a miracle in their own lives.

Jesus’ miracles were not just party tricks. They were life changing. Imagine being possessed by a demon, being sick for years, or being isolated from community due to a disease. To us these may just seem like simple Bible stories; but put yourself in their shoes. I would tell everyone I know!

Apparently, I am not alone. Jesus tried everything to remain obscure, but very soon he could not enter a town because people were coming from every quarter to see him. Jesus returned to Capernaum and immediately was surrounded by others looking for their own miracles. He was surrounded by people who were willing to do Whatever It Takes to get healed by Jesus.

For you today, are you willing to get to Jesus no matter the inconvenience? This house was not comfortable. There were a lot of people and no air conditioning. Maybe the line was out the door and Jesus was moving at the speed of the DMV. What if you had another meeting on your calendar for that day? What would be enough to send you away?

I would hate for us today to miss Jesus and the blessing he brings all because it does not fit on our calendar. Maybe today Jesus wants to speak to you. Will you allow yourself a few undistracted minutes to hear from him?

Digging Deeper: Unending Peace

Josh Neal on January 19, 2024

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:7 (NIV)

UNENDING PEACE

My wife and I love mysteries. Movies, TV shows, anything that lays out something that is puzzling or unexplained just captures our attention. Philippians 4:7 is, to me, one of the greatest mysteries in the Bible.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

I don’t understand this. Which, naturally, agrees with “transcends all understanding.” But even though I don’t understand it, I love it. I love that our Good Father in Heaven is not bound by what we can understand. I love that He is not bound by what we say is natural, or reasonable. And, I love that He promises, no matter what, that His peace can always be with us.

One of my favorite lines of a worship song says, “Every promise you’ve made, is as good as done.” Philippians 4:7 is a promise from the Lord. If we reference Philippians 4:6 and “in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God,” it is as good as done that His peace will guard our hearts and minds.

It is not to say that He will shelter us from difficult times. Far from it. The Bible promises that we as Christians WILL see tough times. But He promises in Psalm 23 to “Prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”

Praise God that He is always faithful to what He says, that He is FOR us, and that there is nothing that can ever separate us from His love!

Josh Neal and his family have been members of NorthStar Church since 2016. He is married to his lovely wife, Mallory, and has three children: Ember, Clover, and Jack. He loves being a part of the prayer ministry at NorthStar, and enjoys everything from Georgia Tech Football, to hunting, to writing.

Digging Deeper: Keep Going!

Josh Neal on January 18, 2024

Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:9 (NIV)

KEEP GOING!

One of my many quirks is that I love acronyms. Good ones, bad ones, any of them. I especially enjoy making acronyms out of nonsensical things. Something about shortening down a string of words or thoughts just entertains me on a deep level.

If I could shorten down Philippians 4:9, it would be to two simple words. “Never quit.”

Even in the mundane, and especially in the hard times, never quit.

How long can we keep going? How long can we endure? Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.” We can endure always. Because God is GOOD.

So, in the interest of making things short and sweet – I would encourage you today to take a few minutes to pray: “Father God, strengthen my heart, so that I may never quit. Jesus, help me to NEVER stop locking eyes with you daily.”

Digging Deeper: Thinking Time

Josh Neal on January 17, 2024

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

THINKING TIME

I just love the message of Philippians 4:8. Something about it always leaves me feeling so encouraged! I guess that is one of those funny little things about the Word of God; it always seems to know how to get to the heart!

There is something to be said for taking the time to discipline our minds. The Bible speaks about taking every thought captive, and intentionally dwelling on things that are true, honorable, right, etc. Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives.” We are constantly surrounded by our own thoughts, and to a large degree, our thoughts shape our reality.

Everything that we think about will form the lens by which we perceive the world. If we are constantly thinking about all the things that are going wrong, we will start to see every little thing and interaction through that lens of wrongness, instead of seeing the blessings of God. That is one of the reasons Paul instructs us to intentionally think about that which is “true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.”

Philippians 4:6 and 4:8 really tie together – that intentionally dwelling on the Good (God) things, will help us develop a spirit of thankfulness, which then will lead to us dwelling on the good things, which continues to build a cycle of renewing our minds day by day!

So, today, take a minute and try something. Instead of watching whatever catastrophe has happened in the news, or seeing who has been dragged through the mud, take a few minutes to pray, and spend time with God telling Him the things you see that are good and admirable, and ask Him to reveal more pure and praiseworthy things to you! Prayer does not always need to be laying down a spiritual to-do list; sometimes it can just be spending time with the Lord, and thinking about His Good things together!

Digging Deeper: Blessed, Never Stressed

Josh Neal on January 16, 2024

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

BLESSED, NEVER STRESSED

Sometimes life can be frustrating – can I get an Amen? And it sure seems like frustrations have been popping up like weeds in spring! And what are we supposed to do in the middle of all these worries?

Let’s look at the second part of Philippians 4:6 – “but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” In EVERY situation? I don’t know about you, but for me, it can be pretty hard to pray thankfully in EVERY situation – and yet, Paul does not leave a lot of room for interpretation.

Sometimes keeping an attitude of thankfulness is difficult for me. I think that lack of thankfulness really comes from a lack of proper perspective. I am not suggesting that you compare your situation with someone else’s; even if someone is always in a worse spot, saying “well, at least I am not going through (insert tragedy here)” isn’t really helpful.

Instead, I think it is important to ask the Lord to reveal to you an accurate perspective on your situation. That isn’t to say that what you are going through isn’t difficult; but ask Him how HE sees it. And ask Him to help remind you of how blessed you are – because no matter what is going on in your life, God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, loves you specifically, and He blesses those He loves in countless different ways. On top of that, ask The Lord to remind you of an eternal perspective – remembering that all things- ALL things – work to the good of those who love Him.

Digging Deeper: What are We Supposed to Carry?

Josh Neal on January 15, 2024

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO CARRY?

Do you ever get really excited about something in life, and then as soon as the moment arrives you think to yourself, “Oh… great…”?

Because that is exactly what happened to me when I started to write this particular Digging Deeper. I was so excited to dig in to the word and write… but did it HAVE to be that one pesky verse? When Paul tells the Philippians “Do not be anxious (or worry) about anything…” I just so dearly wish that I could overlook this verse in the Bible.

Worrying is a bit of a pastime for me. Work, family, money, politics, traffic, health – with so many things to worry about it almost feels irresponsible sometimes NOT to be wringing my hands over everything! And yet… the Lord tells us in His Word NOT to worry. Even Jesus himself says ”Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?“ in Luke 12:25. So what do we do about this? I think Mike gave us a great point on Sunday when he said Jesus wants to carry our burdens.

I don’t know about you, but it is awfully hard for me to just NOT do something, or just give away a responsibility. Fortunately, I think Jesus knew about guys like me from the day He gave us breath. Jesus says in Matthew, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

He doesn’t just leave us idle! He has a plan for us! Instead of worrying and being belabored by the world’s woes, He tells us to give those burdens to him. And in exchange, he has a light and easy burden to lay on our shoulders instead! I don’t think the light and easy means inconsequential; rather, something that is blessed and ordained by the Lord as something we can carry!

Today as you get going, take a few minutes and pray through giving Jesus your burdens, and asking Him for HIS burdens instead! If you’re anything like me, it will change your day!

Digging Deeper: Trust Carries Us Through Suffering

Lee Wilson on January 12, 2024

38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary.5 Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)

TRUST CARRIES US THROUGH SUFFERING

As we learned about Martha and Mary this week, we have seen repeatedly how differently they treated the situation of Jesus’ visiting their home. While Mary sat and soaked up his words, Martha complained that she should be helping her prepare for the guests, to which Jesus replies, “Martha, Martha, you are worried about many things (Luke 10:41).”

Worrying about the wrong stuff instead of listening to the Lord, now that sounds too close to my life. It is normal to worry, to feel anxious, but when does worry become sinful?

According to Dr. John Piper, all the time. Answering a question about it on his podcast, he said “Worry or anxiety is a sin. God wants us to trust his sovereign, all-wise, all-good, all-providing, all-protecting, ever-assisting care. This is a trust issue.”

Trust is hard when it means we must forfeit control. We all want to feel “in control” in our lives as much as possible. Yet the older we get, the more we are forced to face the fact that we control much less than we would like to admit.

God tells us repeatedly to trust Him in the face of trouble (Proverbs 3:5, Joshua 1:9, Jeremiah 17:7-8, John 14:1, etc.). Sometimes He tells us that by putting us in impossible situations, stripping us bare of any notion of control and forcing us to our knees in desperate hope and prayer.

My wife, Deanna, and I faced such a situation with our first child.

When we were 36 weeks into an up-to-that-point “normal” pregnancy, Deanna received a phone call and we had to go in for terrifying news – our daughter, Roselyn, had a Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) and faced grim odds at life following her birth.

We were crestfallen. Our first child, the first grandkid of the family, might not survive. For the next four weeks we met with specialists, sought opinions from doctors all over the country and even debated trying to make a trip out of state to have her delivered at a hospital that might be better suited for such a high-risk birth and a surgery thereafter.

I scoured the pages of scripture daily, searching for whatever hope and truth I might be able to cling to in the words of God. And one night, weighing all of these tenuous options, a verse reached out and spoke to me from Hebrews: “So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. (Hebrews 10:35-36 NLT).”

I was reminded, clearly, that I wasn’t in control. We have no choice but to trust in those moments because we are trying to seek his will, not our own. Patiently enduring until the end so that we can receive his ultimate promise – eternity in his presence.

We tearfully prayed at Roselyn’s bedside for every day of her life, and after 22 days she passed into eternity. We found a song, through a friend, called Though You Slay Me by Shane and Shane, and the song resonated deeply with us and was played at her service. Finding its roots in Job 13:15, the chorus goes like this:

Though You slay me
Yet I will praise You
Though You take from me
I will bless Your name
Though You ruin me
Still I will worship
Sing a song to the One who’s all I need

We listened to the song over and over, and in the online version there is a break and a snippet from a sermon by Piper is played where he talks about suffering. Preaching from 2 Corinthians 4:17, he insists that every second of anxiety, pain and suffering that we feel this side of Heaven is “working in eternal weight” to produce Glory for the Kingdom God. It all matters and it all counts.

It’s not easy to walk with the pain we all carry, like that of child-loss for us. We have to come to the cross for any chance at finding meaningful and lasting peace amidst this fallen and sinful world. For in this world we find trouble, but Jesus has overcome this world. (John 16:33).

Lee Wilson and his wife, Deanna, have been NorthStar Church members since 2010. They are parents to Everett, Henry and Roselyn. Lee is passionate about sports (Go Braves, Go Dawgs) and has the pleasure to serve on the worship team as a bassist.

Digging Deeper: Remember God Cares for You

Lee Wilson on January 11, 2024

Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)

REMEMBER GOD CARES FOR YOU

Being a dad is the best thing I get to do each day. Our two boys are full of energy and life and bring much to joy us. Their personalities are so different, as happens often with siblings, and as a parent the differences breed an even greater depth of adoration.

One thing they both do frequently, though, is ask for help. My older son likes playing Mario Kart, and when he gets stuck on a hard level he quickly calls for dad to help! My younger son loves Legos, but he hasn’t quite mastered the construction process, so what does he do? “Dad, help!” I am not as good at Mario as I used to be (I still haven’t lost to him, don’t worry), and I am no Lego “master-builder.” So when I help my kids, the results often produce painstaking errors before resolution.

These inconsequential problems my kids face serve as a good model for how we behave. When we get faced with tough situations as Christians, we look skyward and say “God, help!” And that is a good thing! God wants us to bring our troubles to Him. Peter says “Cast your anxieties on him, because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).”

The fact that God cares about us is quite humbling. That feeling alone provides spiritual sustenance when I remember it. The problem is that when I am facing anxious and troublesome moments, it is difficult to remember!

When we examine the story of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42) this week, we see Martha asking for help, much the way my kids do. As she feverishly works, she demands Jesus to send Mary in to help her (with an audacity I can only hope to attain). As Jesus tenderly rebukes her, we are reminded that Mary’s eagerness to find the words of Jesus are a great example for us.

When we face moments of trouble, we want the quick fix, just like Martha. However, in many instances the Lord chooses to teach us through patience or suffering. In these moments, we must remember the many promises of the Lord and trust that He’s got us, even if it’s not in the timeline we would like.

The Psalmist reminds us to “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved (Psalm 55:22).”

There might be pain, there might be anxiety, there might be misshapen Lego projects, but the Lord promises to sustain us if we will turn to Him. For “God is ever true to his promises (1 Cor 1:9),” so if He promises to sustain us, then He will.

Just trust him.

Digging Deeper: Is Comparison Robbing You?

Lee Wilson on January 10, 2024

Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)

IS COMPARISON ROBBING YOU?

As someone who enjoys presidential history, I relish the chance to read biographies and anecdotes about our leaders of the past. Probably my favorite President is Theodore Roosevelt. Raised in a Christian home, Teddy was devout in his faith his whole life.

Teddy understood the importance of biblical study, saying “I ask that the Bible be studied for the sake of the breadth it must give to every man who studies it.” He is easily one of the most quotable Presidents our nation has had, producing countless refrains in our common lexicon today.

Here is one often attributed to him that you may not know: “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

As we studied in Luke this past week, we found the disparity between sisters Martha and Mary as Jesus taught in their home. Their reactions produce a clear picture of two distinctly different kinds of behavior. Mary sat and soaked in Jesus’ words, while Martha hurriedly tried to prepare food and clean for the guests. In Martha’s annoyance, she got so busy comparing herself to Mary, suggesting that it was “unfair” (Luke 10:40) that she was doing all the work while Mary sat and listened.

Our lives place us in constant situations of comparison. Especially in America, a country where resources abound, we can easily get wrapped up in trying to keep up with the Joneses, until (as Mike Linch likes to say) you realize your neighbor is Chipper.

This is exactly what Teddy was hinting at – when we compare ourselves to others, just as Martha did, we allow that disparity to steal our joy. We can muster up feelings of inferiority or superiority quite quickly, and lose site of the blessings we have right in front of us.

Sometimes the comparisons run far deeper, as we see others blessed in ways that we are not, manifesting in good health, or perhaps financially. This discontentment is indeed a thief of joy and can seep into our spirits and fester into bitterness. This is ripe ground for the enemy to plant his seeds of doubt and despair within us. The antidote, for us, is the belief in our savior Jesus Christ.

We must always remember that our joy is not linked to things like finances or health, but in the hope of eternity in the presence of God.

In Lamentations, Jeremiah speaks greatly of the afflictions facing Jerusalem after its fall at the hands of the Babylonians. Chapter 3 quite literally opens with “I am the man who has seen affliction…” (Lamentations 3:1, ESV).

Yet Jeremiah comes back to the Lord and his goodness: “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him. (Lamentations 3:24, ESV).”

We face the temptation to compare ourselves and our situations to others, and we can get lost in despair when lying in those pits. It is a natural part of the human condition.

In those moments we must remember, as Jeremiah did, that the Lord is our portion and cling tightly to the joy found in Christ. For the contentment we find in him transcends the doubts and troubles we face in this world. The author of Hebrews reminds us to be content with what we have because “he will never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5, ESV).”

Don’t get caught up comparing yourself to others, for it is a fruitless endeavor. Instead, focus on the joy and contentment you find in the love of Jesus. Only in him can you find true joy.