Make the Most of Every Opportunity

Ephesians 5:8-20 (NIV)

⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord. ¹¹ Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.¹² It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. ¹³ But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. ¹⁴ This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” ¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What was your life like before Christ? Regardless of how you articulate it, you were in darkness. When the light of Jesus shined in your heart and you trusted Him to do for you what you were unable to do, you became light in the Lord. Paul teaches us in this passage to “live as children of light.” We are new creatures and we have a new life. He teaches us to be very careful how we live and make the most of every opportunity. How do we live as children of light? He has called us to be bearers of the light and to take the message of His love to all the world. Every day 151, 000 people will die, (size of a city) every hour6400 will die, (size of a town) every minute 105 will die and every second two people will die. There are thousands in our county, millions in our nation and billions in our world who will die without Christ. We must share the light of Jesus with them. This is why we exist! This is why He has put us here and this is the mission of our church. We exist so that those far from God may draw near to Him through the power of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 49:6 (NIV) “I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth." Isaiah 60:1-3 (NLT) 60 “Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you. 2 Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you. 3 All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance. Who is someone in your life that needs to hear His life changing message? Share His light today!! We have His power, we are His people, and sharing the light is His plan. It has been well said that every person on earth is either a missionary or a mission field. Have you ever thought about the last words Jesus ever said before he ascended into heaven? Did you know that the last words Jesus ever uttered while he was on this earth were these: "to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8) When Jesus left this earth He had missions on his mind. Jesus came as a missionary from heaven that he might make us missionaries for heaven. If the population of the world could be compressed into a community of 100 people, 75 of them would be uneducated, underclothed, and underfed, 37 would live under present or former communist domination, 25 would belong to the Roman or Eastern Catholic Church, 15 would be Moslems, 11 would be Hindus, 15 more would either be Confucianists or Buddhists, and only 8 would be true Christians. Our God is a God with a missionary heart who has sent us into this world as missionary servants with a missionary message that we might fulfill the mission of The Great Commission. It is my prayer you will get a missionary heart, that you will give to missionary work, and that you will go to a missionary field, whether it be home or abroad.

"Find Where God Is Moving And Join Him"

Experiencing God by Henry  Blackaby, Richard  Blackaby and Claude King (Claude is Marsha Flinn’s brother) has sold more than 4 million copies and is in more than 62 languages.  I remember reading this book and going through this study for the first time back in the early 90’s shortly after it was released.  I have seen God do some pretty incredible things over the years. It seems, however, I have seen God do more in my life in the last few years than all the years put together. Recently I have revisited and reflected on this book and I want to share some of the key points that are distinct and relevant in my life as well as in the life of our church.

 Just knowing that God is always at work around us is an awesome concept.  He is constantly drawing people to Himself and working in people’s lives so that those far from God can draw near to Him through the power of Jesus Christ.  He is actively working in us, among us, and through us. It is God that is causes the increase and changes lives. I am thankful for the way He is doing that at NorthStar. He is more concerned about who we are than what we do. He wants a love relationship with us that will continue throughout eternity. Isn’t that awesome?  God wants the world to know Him and He reaches out to them with His love.  After a person comes to trust God, it doesn’t stop. We are able to have an intimate relationship with the Creator of the universe.  He has great plans for us. It is His desire for us to join Him in this journey.  What a privilege it is for us to join God in sharing His love to the world.  This is why I am so passionate about reaching our communities, cities, and world. My prayer is for this passion to never weaken, wane, or dissipate.

As God speaks to us by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances and the church, He reveals Himself and His purpose for our lives as well as the life of our church. He invites us to join Him. This challenges us to believe Him and trust Him. In doing so we must make certain major adjustments in our lives to be a part of what He is doing. I have had to make these adjustments in my own life and continue to do so. It is through our obedience, we are able to know Him better and it is then that He accomplishes His work in and through us. Blackaby stated: "Find where God is moving and join Him." I have found where He is moving and I have joined Him!

Just A Few Thoughts For Today....

We at NorthStar are part of a movement of God He is using to significantly change individuals, families, and communities for the glory of God. The issue is not a matter of whether or not God is at work at other places. I know He is at work in churches around the globe on many different levels. He can do as he chooses and wills. I’m just glad He has chosen us to be a place and people that make such a significant difference. I am glad to be a part of this journey. I believe scripture teaches that God works and moves in proportion to the willingness, vision, amount of faith, participation, sacrifice, faithfulness and obedience of His people. We must never get the idea that we are better than others or that we have somehow arrived. We must never take for granted what is happening here. What is happening here is rare, just ask around. Even though we have an incredible staff, faithful volunteers, and loving people, there is no way we could somehow arrange for this to happen the way it is happening. It is definitely a move of God. We must stay focused on Christ and the vision, faithful to the mission, diligent in the task, guarded against the enemy, and sensitive to His Spirit. I envisioned seven years ago how He would be changing lives, healing hearts, dispelling fear, saving souls, shaking things up, sending folks out and making a huge difference not only locally but globally. I am so thankful to be a part of this journey and I stand in awe of the fact that He has chosen us to be a part of this movement. He could have chosen a different people, time and place. The reality is He chose us for this time and place. We must keep believing, trusting, following, serving, giving, reaching, sharing, going, telling, living, growing, preparing, ministering, and envisioning till He comes. Just a few thoughts as I ramble in writing….

Blessed With 30 Years Of Marriage

I joke about how I married Marla Kay Bell at a very young age. (As if that explains why I am so young but have been married so long.) Who am I fooling? ...we were pretty though. Well, I will say one thing…I am so blessed to have been married to the love of my life for thirty years today.  It seems like yesterday we tied the proverbial knot in Memphis, Tn. , went to Gatlinburg on our honeymoon, and began our lives together. It has not been perfect by any means but Marla is really trying.  I better retract that, huh?  A lot has happened since that day. We have had about one thousand five hundred and sixty dates since our wedding. We both graduated from college and received graduate degrees. We were taught by our parents to tithe, work hard, pray diligently, live in His Word, live by faith and trust God....so we did. We have not always succeeded at everything we set out to accomplish but we have continued to press forward. We have traveled on mission to 5 countries, seen thousands come to Christ, served as pastor of six great churches and with the partnership of many great people, planted an incredible church called NorthStar.  During these thirty years, I have lost both parents and all my grandparents.  Marla has lost all her grandparents and her father. During these years, we had three incredible children, gained a godly son in law, a wonderful future daughter in law, and just this past week, we gained our first precious grandbaby Emma.  We have been blessed with so many friends through these thirty years.  We have seen some incredible miracles in the lives of our kids, friends, family and churches. We are so thankful for so much and the exciting thing is that the journey continues.  With many lessons learned, we are now beginning our next thirty years together.  I can’t wait to see these years unfold as this the Lord keeps His work in us alive.

Bold Steps

Sunday was incredible as we had Pete Wilson with us from Crosspoint Church, Nashville.  He brought an awesome message as we began our miniseries “Empty Promises”. What an honor to have had one of the leading pastors in America with us here at NSC. Pete is a highly sought after speaker and we were blessed to have had him here.  If you haven’t picked up a copy of his book, I would encourage you to get one. We still have copies of both of his books in the Compass Center.   I am excited about continuing this series this Sunday.  I know God has a word for us this week that will challenge us to get rid of the idols.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that we are launching a brand new campus in the spring of 2013.  We are pumped about the potential not only at our Saltillo Campus but also at our new Tupelo Campus.  I have heard from so many people about this over the last two weeks and the enthusiasm is incredibly high. This is one of those bold steps of obedience that I have been talking about for quite some time. Every time we as a church take these bold steps, God releases His miracles. I know God is going to do great and mighty things in our future at both campuses.  As Pete and I were talking this past Sunday   he said to me concerning the new campus: “This is huge and God will honor your obedience.”  Coming from a pastor who currently has five campuses, I take this as super encouraging.  One of the core values at NSC is that we structure for where we are heading.  I guess this is just one example of how God is moving us to a whole other level.

Pete Wilson To Speak At NSC

In just two weeks, Pete Wilson, the founding and senior pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville, Tennessee will be with us. Cross Point is a committed church community that he and his wife, Brandi, planted in 2003. Cross Point is one of the fastest growing churches in America with an attendance of over 5000 each weekend with five campuses. Pete is outreach focused with a desire to help people become devoted followers of Christ, committed to each other and dedicated to reaching those far from God. Pete is a frequent speaker at national and international church conferences. He has written two bestselling books. His first book, Plan B, has been printed in five languages and is an awesome book. His second book, Empty Promises was released April, 2012. When Pete comes to NorthStar, he will be speaking about how we can discover the joy and freedom that comes from seeking after God with your whole life. He will share with us how we can learn to replace, and not just relinquish, life's empty promises by turning our focus and worship toward Him. We are blessed to have Pete come and share with us and we anticipate a great word from him on that day.

A Star Is Coming- (Repost from January 12, 2006)

It is good to see remember where we have been...The following is a repost from January 12, 2006:

I am so excited about NorthStar Church. This is certainly an exciting time as we are on a very unique Kingdom Journey of seeing the birth of a new church. Church planting has been around for quite some time. Actually for a couple of thousand years. I am intrigued by how the early church took care of business. They met, prayed, studied, fellowshiped, worshiped, ministered and went out to share together. When I began this journey, led by His Spirit, I knew God would have to guide and provide. I realized from the very beginning that this was something that I could not do in my own strength and would have to totally rely on Him. The Lord told me to trust and follow. So, that is what I am doing. The scriptures teach us that it is in our weakness that His strength is made known. He sure is being made known these days. My dream for NorthStar is that it will be incredible tool in the hand of God to reach the un-reached, lost, un-churched and a perfect fit for those who share this vision. I envision this church not only reaching the lost but discipling the saved. I envision NorthStar being a regional church drawing people to Christ from all over our region. Are we competing? Yes, we are competing with the devil. He does not like what we are doing so we must be on guard against "the wiles of the devil." He is our enemy yet the scriptures teach us that; " greater is He that is within us than he that is in the world." As we live in these days we must stand strong on God's Word, walk close to the Lord, be filled with His Spirit, live a life of holiness, minister to the body of Christ, share Christ in the dark places of the world, share with our city, county, state, learn from the Master, pray without ceasing and worship Him genuinely. As you join us in person or in prayer, journey with us as we strive to do what He created us to do.

They Were Focused

I am constantly reminded of the number of people who do not know the peace, hope, and forgiveness of Christ. Since day one of The Movement called the church, the message of Christ has been shared with those far from God. As you trace the early steps of the church in the Book of Acts, you see an evangelistic fervor that would continue for years to come. As the people shared Christ, there was a strong sense of fulfillment knowing they were offering hope. In fact they were offering what no one else could give. They lived and breathed this challenge not because of obligation or duty but of urgency and personal experience.  They woke up thinking of those they could share this message of hope.  The people were united with this purpose and so they shared. Scripture says they focused on unity, ministry, purpose, strategy and action. This Revolution grew and on a regular basis many would experience the forgiveness and hope that only God could give. God had raised them up for such a time as this. He not only chose them to be the catalyst but He empowered them to do so. He favored them in the task and they were careful not to overlook His calling. So we today have been called, empowered, and favored to be the people who share this same Good News.  The Movement Continues today and so we wake up every day thinking of with whom and how we can share this message. Who in your circle of life needs to experience His transforming power of forgiveness and hope?

Shopping at the Harley Dealership....

While traveling this past week, we dropped in at the local HD to grab a new tee shirt. Going to the Harley Davidson dealership is one of Marla's favorite things to do so naturally I stop as often as possible. (Not really…I mean, I do stop often but it is not necessarily Marla’s favorite thing to do. J) Anyway, we had just ridden the Dragon. The Tail of the Dragon is a stretch of road in the mountains with 318 curves in just 11 miles. This is a pretty well know strip of pavement for bikers. While there, someone stuck up a conversation with Marla about the subject of God and church. One of the workers there invited us to attend her church. She was really pumped and it was as if she couldn’t wait to tell Marla about where she attended and how God had used it to literally change her life.  She told her how God was growing the church and doing some incredible things there. As a pastor and follower of Christ, I thought it was pretty cool how she was so excited about her Christ, her church and the possibility of us going there too. We ended up going to that church over the weekend. It was really good, even though I missed my NSC family. How simple is that? I mean, Really...can’t we all do what this lady did at the HD? I am so thankful how so many at NSC having been doing since the very beginning. I am so thankful that God honors our efforts in extending the gospel in this way. You guys are fabulous. Let’s keep it up because it is making a difference. God puts people in our way every day that we can influence, impact and minister to for Christ. Who knows, your invitation may be exactly what it takes for someone to give God a chance in their lives. So many lives have been changed for eternity because people like you invited them to Christ. Thank you for making a difference in eternity.

...you would not believe, even if you were told....Habakkuk 1:5

Habakkuk 1:5 ⁵ “Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.

I want to write a quick note after such a busy Easter Weekend @nschurch.  God moved supernaturally in our church this past weekend. We saw over 70 people give their hearts to Christ.  We are just beginning to hear the stories of those who said yes to His Beautiful Exchange. One is a sweet 89 year old lady who attends each week with her family. When the invitation was given, she was seen standing down front with one hand on her walker and the other lifted to the Lord. Countless other stories of lives being changed are coming in daily. #thisnevergetsold.  I am so thankful for all our volunteers who work tirelessly each week filling all the areas of service. These volunteers are awesome.  God did indeed do something in our days that was beyond imagination. The best is yet to come.

More exciting news...Today marks the day of the book release of a tremendous man of God named Pete Wilson. Pete is the Pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville. His new book is entitled: Empty Promises. Be sure to pick up a copy of this book that goes on sale today.  We will have copies of his book in our Compass Center.  We are really excited to have Pete  coming to NorthStar this summer. We will be doing a two part series. Pete will bring the first message and I will be bring the second.

I never cease to stand amazed at such an Awesome God we serve. Keep on keeping on….

Oh yea...a few weeks ago in my ten year vision I mentioned The Code.  You can go to our web site and read the details of the meaning of the code.

In The Midst Of The Movement

We are so blessed at NorthStar to be a part of a Move of God that was started over two thousand years ago. It should not surprise us that the movement is continuing. Jesus said not even hell can stand against the church.  The reality is God is at work in many churches across the world.  It is exciting to know that there are people literally around the world who share the same vision and passion as NSC. While He is working in many places, I rejoice in the fact that He is working here. We are seeing people almost every week come to Christ.  Since I told the church a few weeks ago about the 594 that have come to Christ over the past six years, we have seen even more take this step of faith right here at NorthStar. In fact we baptized another six this past week.

I want to mention a few things we need to be doing in the midst of this Movement:

1.       We need to stay consistent in our walk with Christ. The church will go no farther than the level of spirituality of its leaders and members.

2.       We must continue in discipleship. Growth is a natural thing. Daily we should be digging into His Word, spending time in communion with Him and seeking to become more like Him.

3.       We should consistently attend a worship experience. Often times we get weak, dry, burned out and frustrated.  Absence from worship is one reason this happens. When we omit worship experiences from our schedule we tend to take our eyes off the vision and off of Christ.  There are so many excuses to justify our absence from worship but they are shallow and unfounded. As we come together on a regular basis for worship we are able to focus, be renewed and energized for the task He has called us to do.

4.       We must be diligent in reaching out to those far from God.  How will they hear if we do not tell them? Aren’t you glad someone took the time to tell you?

5.       We must depend on Him and not ourselves. It is on the stage of our weakness that His strength is displayed. The temptation is to just do it ourselves. This is where we mess up.

6.       We need to pray for, support and follow our leaders. They work tirelessly but joyfully to do the awesome task of leading His people.

7.       We need the power of His Spirit filling, guiding, and empowering us. Again, we are not alone. We need His power.

8.       We need to walk by faith, not by sight.  It is our tendency to figure it out and do it ourselves. A faithless Christian is a weak Christian. We must remember He is not intimidated by our long shot request. In fact, He is insulted when we do not exercise audacious faith.

9.       We need to take the risk necessary to be totally obedient to Christ. He never said it was easy.  In fact, He said: ”…take up your cross and follow me.”

10.   We need to lead our families. They need to see our commitment to Christ. This is not an easy task because we are imperfect people. However it is a needed task. Our families need to know the priority God has in our lives.

11.   We need to let other see these character traits in us. The world needs to see the real deal when looking at us. They need to be able to look at us and realize we have been with Jesus.

The Movement Continues

     This past Sunday we looked at the Message of the Movement and we saw the importance of sharing the Christ with others.  It is so simple.  We can all share this message. I mentioned one step in sharing the message is by simply inviting people to attend with you at NSC.  You invite them and we will share with them.  We have seen this unfold in such an awesome way at NSC. You guys have done an exceptional job at inviting people to attend with you.  I am so thankful for so many who have taken this so seriously.  Please keep up the good work and we will keep sharing the message of Christ with those who come. Pray for opportunities to share your faith with others as well. It is such a simple message. You can do it!
     I love Christ, His Church and specifically NSC.  This is not a perfect church because it is filled with imperfect people.  I have often said if you are looking for a perfect church you won’t find it here.  We are a hospital for sinners.  If you see yourself as imperfect and on a journey to become more like Christ, you have come to the right place.  Paul, for crying out loud, actually had killed Christians.  When they stoned Steven, it was Saul who actually oversaw and approved of this.  But something happened!  He met Christ and no longer would he be called Saul.  Christ changed not only his name but his heart.  We must never forget where we came from.   Oh yes, and Paul stopped killing Christians. I am not who I used to be but I am not who I should be.  Paul’s life changed immediately even though God did an ongoing work of maturity in his life.  Remember this life is a journey not a destination.  We need His transforming work to continue daily in our own lives as well.

The Making of a Movement

When the day of Pentecost came in the New Testament, the disciples must have been so elated at the fact God was bringing to pass just what He promised. I would like to think this came as no surprise to them. They were so poised for something remarkable to happen and they went with it. I am sure at the end of the day they were thinking; "what just happened here?" In some selfless, humble way, they were expecting this to happen. It is not that they felt they deserved it or caused it but rather they believed God was moving among them and they saw this as supernatural confirmation of Him doing what He said He would do.

This is where I want to live. This is what Living in the Movement looks like. Daily expecting God to do the unimaginable among us and through us. Often times we get so caught up in the planning, mundane and busy routines that we fail to see Him moving constantly in our midst. This move is not a twice a year thing. It is an ongoing move of God that results in live being changed and His church expanding.  It is not that they prayed hard enough, lived good enough or worked diligently enough to make these things happen. Rather it was a move of God that came from God and they were a part of it.

What I Am Thankful For Today

I want to share four of the many things I am thankful for today.

1 I am thankful to be home with my wife and family! I am so thankful for my family who not only loves God and His work but understands and supports His calling on my life. (41 trips abroad which is over a year and a half away) I always sense their prayers and love while gone. I am so blessed!

2. I am thankful for the NSC Leadership Team and my NorthStar Church Family. The LT is not only some of my closest friends but also partners in the work. (I heard Jason and Jeff rocked the house while I was gone.)  I am also so glad to be back home with my entire NSC family. You are my family and co-laborers in Christ. Some of my closest friends this side of eternity are at The Star. You guys are awesome!! There is no place like NSC.  I am thankful for all our volunteers. You guys rock!  Keep the faith, keep your eyes on the vision, and get your strength from the Lord. You are making a difference. We also had an incredible mission to the Philippines and our team did incredible. We spoke, shared, sang and ministered at 56 different meetings (11 days of work) and we saw over 14K indicate they had trusted Christ. Thank you for sending us and investing in eternity.

3. I am both thankful and pumped about the series beginning this Sunday entitled "The Movement".  We will trace both the explosive beginnings and movement of the very first church in the New Testament and NorthStar Church, Saltillo.  NOTE!!!!!!  When you come in this Sunday, you will see a brand new wall in the atrium called "The Making of a Movement". This will blow your socks off!!!!  Come early or stay a few minutes after the service to see The Making of a Movement Wall. It is truly a movement of God happening at NSC.  I am so thankful for the selfless and unwavering commitment of so many who God has used these past six years at NSC. Remember the movement and the wall is still in the making.  You can be a important part of what God is doing here. The wall will be expanding each week over the next six weeks during this series, as well as the years to come.

4. I am thankful for the next level God is taking this church. The best is yet to come! He is taking us to a HNL (whole nother level) Remember we exist so that those who are far from God can come near to Him through Jesus Christ. So, Reach Up, Reach Out and Reach In.