NorthStar Church Blog

Digging Deeper – Fellowship

Courtney Miller on August 13, 2024

They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity

Acts 2:46 (NLT)

FELLOWSHIP

Fellowship is defined as a friendly association, especially with people who share one’s interests. In other definitions, it is described as an association with those who share one’s activities, feelings, or experiences. The early church gathered in fellowship often, eating together in their homes—one of the most meaningful ways of getting to know someone.

This idea of being together in our homes is very significant. Conversation and friendship outside of quality time together can only maintain a surface level. We can never truly know each other from quick ten-minute conversations once a week. When we get together regularly for longer periods with focused conversation, we get to know each other on a deeper level. We learn how to encourage each other, challenge each other, pray for each other, and hold each other accountable.

Fellowship, in the context of small groups, builds stronger connections with each other as well as deeper connections with God.

In college, I went on a summer-long mission to Miami with other college students from around the Southeast. I did not know anyone there. One of the first things the leaders did was assign us to small groups that would meet weekly to study Scripture, discuss a book we were all reading, and debrief our week. In the beginning, everyone was a little timid about speaking up and truly opening up with each other, but that quickly changed. As we continued to meet as a group, we were able to dig deeply into each other’s lives. We shared very personal stories and experiences, growing together in our understanding of the Gospel. By the end of the trip, while I had made friendships and connections with everyone there, it was my small group of girls with whom I remained in touch. We had formed a deeper connection and bond, creating fellowship with each other through our shared faith in a small group.

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.

Digging Deeper – Circles and Rows

Courtney Miller on August 12, 2024

One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, ²and he began to teach them.

Matthew 5:1-2 (NLT)

CIRCLES AND ROWS

As Sunday morning rolls around each week, we wake up, head to church, greet our friends, and sit in a row to receive the Word of God from our pastor. Being part of a church family is an important aspect of our lives as believers. We hear the Word of God every Sunday, enabling us to start the week with “cups” full to overflowing as we go out and live as sent people in the world around us. Rows are important. Our pastor has spent time in prayer and study to deliver a message that the Lord has laid on his heart for our congregation to hear.

Circles are important too. As we see in Matthew 5 and throughout the Gospels, Jesus had a circle around him wherever he went. While Jesus preached to many crowds, he always had his circle of disciples with him. Why are circles so important? They allow us to encourage each other, challenge each other, learn from each other, and even correct each other—all for God’s glory.

In circles, we encounter other people’s perspectives and life experiences. We can gain new insights and truths from the Scriptures and faith that God reveals in different ways to each of us. We can hold each other accountable and encourage one another. We are not meant to learn the Word of God alone; we are meant to grow in our knowledge of Christ together. Is our alone time in communion with the Lord important? Yes! But we must also spend time growing in Christ together, just as Jesus modeled for us.

Reflection: This morning, reflect on who has impacted your life for Christ by coming alongside you and living with you in a circle—someone who truly knows you, not just sits next to you in a row. What would your life look like without them? If you can’t think of anyone, I highly encourage you to consider joining a small group. Being a believer in life alone is not easy; we need like-minded others to walk beside us through our ups and downs so that we may learn and grow together.

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.

How are You Planning Your Life?

Kevin Burrell on August 7, 2024

“I have brought You glory here on earth by completing the work that You gave me to do.”

John 17:4

HOW ARE YOU PLANNING YOUR LIFE?

People plan for everything in life. They plan for weddings, funerals, vacations, trips, retirement, game opponents, exams, etc. However, one area that most people do not plan for is how they want to live their life. They do not live their life with the end in mind. Throughout the years, I’ve observed that talking about death makes people very uncomfortable.

Case in point: many years ago, I was officiating a funeral. I watched many in attendance squirm during the funeral service while I was sharing about the brevity of life. We “pay our respects” and “offer our condolences,” but rarely do we take personal inventory of our spiritual life and where we’ll spend eternity when we die. For the Christian, the “End” is not death but only the beginning. The “End” is the culmination of a lifetime pursuit of intimacy with God. Death simply becomes the conduit into the presence of Almighty God. Living with that “End” in mind, the Christian should daily exercise faith in an unseen, almighty, all-powerful, awesome God.

In my case, I asked myself decades ago, “What do I want my life to look like when I take my final breath on this earth?” “What ripple effect do I want my life to leave on this earth?” Not just as a husband, father, friend, or MLB baseball scout, but what do I want to be true of me as a disciple-making follower of Jesus Christ? To accomplish this, I must have a focused, detailed plan. As a disciple of Christ, I want to know at the end of my life that I demonstrated more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. I want to know that I have belonged, magnified, served, grown, managed, shared, and multiplied my life. I want to know that my life will make an eternal impact that will far outlive me.

Listen closely: If you want to “live your life with the end in mind,” you must develop a plan to help you become the person God wants you to be. It helps you identify what you want to be true of your life—and then work the action steps in your plan to ensure you grow and develop each area of your life. Truthfully, very few people make it a priority to live their life this way. Instead of developing a life plan to hit their target, most people “wing it” or get distracted by the cares of the world that come their way.

Don’t miss the following truth: “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” I suggest that you plan your life—and then live out your plan. Never forget, if you fail to plan, then plan to fail. If you need help to formulate a plan, I can help you; simply ask. After all, if you are a Christian, your life belongs to Christ, and He should be the One you’re living for every day.

As you go about your everyday life, be thankful that God has revealed in Scripture that the day is coming when Jesus Christ will return as King of kings and Lord of lords.

There is an appointed time when you will die. Therefore, live your life with the end in mind.

Love God. Love People. Live Sent.

Be Worth Being,

Kevin

Kevin Burrell has worked in professional baseball as both a player and MLB scout for the past 43 years, and currently serves as an area scouting supervisor. Kevin was drafted in the 1st round of the 1981 free agent amateur draft (25th selection overall), and played ten years of professional baseball with four different organizations. He and his wife, Valerie, live in Sharpsburg, Ga.

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 – A Question for the Ages

C.A. Phillips on August 2, 2024

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” ⁶And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Luke 17:5-6 (ESV)

A QUESTION FOR THE AGES

As I read the scripture above, I sit in silence, wrestling with this exchange. The Twelve have been with Jesus for a couple of years. They’ve witnessed more miracles than can be recorded; they’ve had a front-row seat in a Master Class in Ministry 101 from the greatest Instructor ever to walk the earth. A few even saw Jesus in His purest form as He was transfigured before them on the mountain. And yet, it seems true faith eludes them.

So, I ask myself, “If the guys who spent three years with Jesus are imploring Him to increase their faith, what hope is there for me?”

At the same time, another thought occurs to me: if these guys were that close to Jesus and “didn’t get it,” there may be hope for me yet!

All believers struggle with faith. ALL of us. And I truly believe that we all want to increase our faith! We want to believe – just like Abraham did! So, the question is this: How Can I Increase My Faith?

There’s no easy answer, but here is some food for thought:

It Begins with the Gospel
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17 (ESV)
We first gain faith through hearing the Good News about Jesus, and that message is most clearly found in the Word of God.
Faith (Belief) Alone is Incomplete – It Must Involve Action
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” James 2:14-17 (ESV)
Adversity is a Blessing – Our Faith Must Be Tested
“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:2-4 (NLT)
Faith’s Greatest Partner is Prayer
“Never stop praying.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT)
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.” Philippians 4:6 (NLT)
First, prayer is critical because Jesus modeled it. He often withdrew to pray and got up very early in the morning to spend time alone with the Father. We can only grow in our relationship with the Lord by spending time with Him.
Faith Grows in Community with Others
“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.” Hebrews 10:25 (NLT)
We are not designed to live in isolation. Your faith grows when you dig into God’s word with other believers. Remember, as Rick Warren opens The Purpose-Driven Life: It’s not about you! Your faith can build others up, and vice versa.

C.A. Phillips serves as Communications Pastor and Director of Men’s Groups at NorthStar Church. He is a graduate of the Henry W. Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia, and he loves the Dawgs and the Atlanta Braves. He has two (grown) boys and lives in Kennesaw with his wife, Amy, and their German Shepherd, Abby.

Digging Deeper – Leading a Legacy of Faith

C.A. Phillips on August 1, 2024

²The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt, but do as I tell you. ³Live here as a foreigner in this land, and I will be with you and bless you. I hereby confirm that I will give all these lands to you and your descendants, just as I solemnly promised Abraham, your father. ⁴I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. ⁵I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, decrees, and instructions.”

Genesis 26:2-5 (NLT)

LEADING A LEGACY OF FAITH

We have explored much of Abraham’s life these past several weeks, and we can agree that his absolute confidence in the Lord’s sovereignty is what separated him as the man whose faith God credited as righteousness. He very well could have been the inspiration for Journey’s hit, “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

Abraham’s faith – great as it was – could have ended when he perished at the ripe old age of 175. However, it lived on (and on and on and on… a la Steve Perry). How so? Because he lived – and believed – in such a way that it profoundly influenced his son, Isaac. He passed his faith baton, and Isaac continued to run with it in hand.

Isaac had seen God come through plenty on his own, no doubt. After all, he was at least a teenager when God spared him from death by his father’s hand on the mountain, providing the ram for the sacrifice. He also received God’s blessing through his father’s efforts in securing a bride for him – Rebekah, who was not only beautiful but would bear him two sons of his own after being barren for the first 20 years of their marriage.

Incredibly – by God’s providence – Abraham’s legacy lives on even today. Obviously, Abraham could not have seen thousands of years into the future. But, as we discussed earlier this week, he had absolute confidence in the covenant God had made with him – that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. And it’s the same promise God gave Isaac – because “Abraham listened… and obeyed.”

Let’s personalize this for a moment. If you are a parent, how are you doing in this area? Are you living your life with purpose and intentionality in a way that is attractive to your kids? Ask yourself two questions: (1) If I was to leave this earth today, what would my legacy be? (2) What legacy do I hope to leave?

If there’s a gap between those two responses, you have some work ahead of you. The good news is that you still have time while you are breathing to change the course of history.

As Stephen Covey shared in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, begin with the end in mind. It’s often by looking ahead to our preferred future – or our kids’ futures – that we glean wisdom and live our best life.