Highlights of the Month

I have just returned from a mission trip to the Philippines.  We took 15 people, spoke 84 times in 11 days and saw over 20K people indicate that for the first time they received Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Our group is exhausted and some are still recovering from the minor travel sickness, sleepless nights, rigorous schedule, jet lag and emotional rollercoaster. It was all worth it to see so many lives far from God come near to God through the power of Jesus Christ. 

The progress on the construction of the Tupelo campus is going well. In fact, though there is much to do, the work has gone tremendously.  So many people have worked diligently and things are progressing well.  The core group continues to grow and the countdown for launch is on!

We are experiencing some pretty incredible services each weekend at NorthStar and we continue to see what only God can do in our midst. Just this past Sunday we saw numerous people come near to God through the power of Jesus Christ.

The best is yet to come. We continue to believe God for the impossible and we watch Him work among us.

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….