Extra Mile

Posted in Thank You! on March 31st, 2008 by Administrator| | 0 Comments.

“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury. ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.” Matt. 5 38-42 (NLT)

When Christ said these words, Palestine had been occupied by Rome for more than 100 hundred years. The Romans had learned from the Persians to use people to their advantage. Romans would often require the Jewish people to carry their burdens. The Jews were required by law to carry the load for one mile. The Jewish people hated this law and their heads turned when Jesus said you need to carry their weapons for not just one mile, but two miles.

Jesus was teaching his people to do more than just the minimum. I am constantly getting on my oldest son Todd to do more than just what is required. The late Pastor Adrian Rogers in his series “Digging Deeper” talks about the advantages of the extra mile.

1) It will change your attitude.

    The first mile is the slave mile. You are required to go the first mile and you hate every step along the way. The second mile is the smile mile. You are doing it out of love. The first mile you are being controlled but the second mile you are in charge. The first mile you’re doing it because you have to, but the second mile because you want to. On the second mile your attitude changes from conquered to conquering.

    2) Living out this command will make you a success.

      All successful people participate in the second mile. The reason some Christians aren’t successful in their devotions is because they are “first milers.” They only do the minimum and their hearts are not into it. The people who develop their spiritual lives go the extra mile.

      3) The extra mile is the key to better relationships.

        Imagine if you are a first-century Christian, and you are commanded by a Roman soldier to carry his spear and heavy backpack. You gladly carry the backpack and spear not for one mile but for two. The soldier is stunned, and by going the extra mile you completely alter the relationship. An opportunity to share Jesus comes because of the extra effort.

        “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Phil. 2:5

        Jesus went the extra mile for us when he paid for our sins on the cross. If we are to become like Jesus then we need to go the extra mile for others. At NorthStar we go the extra mile to serve our community. We want to change the attitude of our community by serving them and opening up opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

        We have a lot of on the community calendar in April, and it is going to take a lot of us to go the extra mile to meet all the needs. April 19-20 is the Big Shanty Festival. Over 60,000 people are expected to attend this year’s festival. We need extra milers to help with the parade, hospitality for the vendors, work in the hospitality booth, and help clean up after the festival. On April 26 we are going to help with Phase I of building the special needs playground, and at the end of the month we have Teacher Appreciation Week that is going to require extra milers to get up early and deliver over 1400 cinnamon rolls to nine elementary schools.

        My prayer is that you experience the power of going the extra mile as you help NorthStar serve this community to Jesus Christ.

        Marlon

Coming Alive

Posted in Thank You! on March 19th, 2008 by Administrator| | 0 Comments.

“Jesus included everyone in his death so everyone could be included in his life.”
2 Cor. 5:15(NLT)

There are two times a year (Christmas and Easter) that people are open to the good news of Jesus Christ. Christmas is about giving. John 3:16 says that “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.”God is a Giver. Therefore, he expects us to give. At NorthStar we take the spirit of giving at Christmas to a new level. We fully support programs such as “Adopt A Family”, “Shop With The Kids”, “Tackle Hunger” and other giving programs.

Easter is about coming alive. The question I ask here is “Do we fully embrace the coming alive season as we do the giving season?” What Easter traditions do we embrace to help us get into the spirit of coming alive? I mean, we really don’t draw names to exchange Easter baskets or go Easter caroling over at someone’s house. Easter is about coming alive. The problem is that we are short term thinkers. We act like this life is all there is. We spend our time, money, energy and effort acting like this life here on earth is all we have. We are so busy trying to keep up with the great quality of life that we have here in Cobb County that we really don’t think about eternity. Jesus came to earth to tell us that there is something better.

“Jesus included everyone in His death so everyone could be included in his life. A far better life than people lived on their own.” 2 Cor. 5:15 (MES)

At NorthStar we are doing a series based upon the most well-known verse in the Bible -John 3:16.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosover believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (KJV)

God didn’t just talk about his love; He showed us how much he loved us by coming to Earth and taking the punishment for our sins on the cross. He stretched his arms out on the cross and showed us how much He loved us. Max Lucado, in his book, 3:16, writes that Jesus, on the cross, shouted out “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me.” Jesus said those words so that we would never have to. That is why we should live in a constant state of gratitude. We should come alive this Easter season out of shear gratefulness and appreciation for what Jesus did on the cross. He earned it. Our mission statement at NorthStar starts with “We exist to show God’s love…” Like Jesus did, we are not just to talk about it but to show it. Jesus showed us just how much he loved us by dying on the cross. My prayer this Easter season is that we truly come alive this Easter season and show God’s love to so many who need it.

Marlon

Farmer’s Wanted!!

Posted in Serving on March 3rd, 2008 by Administrator| | 0 Comments.

“You will always harvest what you plant.” Galatians 6:7 (NLT)

I get excited about that promise. God’s word tells us that the seeds
are in our hands, and we get to plant whatever crop we want to harvest in life.
Every day I get to choose the plant that I will one day harvest.

From the very beginning NorthStar Church decided not to plant a church,
but to reach our mission field. Over the past 11 years we have showered
our mission field with seeds of love, compassion, and service. Until I read last week’s
community feedback post from Frey Elementary music teacher Sylvia Flannagan,
I never really stopped and looked at how our mission field was taking shape. I have
been so busy throwing seeds with all of the countless volunteer farmers at
NorthStar Church that I have never taken the time to slow down and actually look at how the crops are doing.

“It really is the small stuff that sticks with folks the most. As I was thinking back to the many cinnamon rolls, lunches, dinners, fall festivals, Labor Day activities, parades, special needs ball field, and school visits, I realized that the spirit of love and outreach has been “taught” to the general community. Your church’s demonstration of ‘how’ to show God’s love in everyday life is a gift. This gift will continue to make Acworth and the people who have been so richly blessed, better examples of how God wants us to live.”

Her words made me take a 20-second timeout and reflect back on all the
seed-sowing acts of kindness that our church has planted over the past
11 years. I remember our first seed planting event, serving hospitality
for North Cobb’s Warrior Classic basketball tournament. I told Mike Linch
to sign us up for just one session, and he went and signed up for the whole
tournament. The people of NorthStar covered the tournament and have
been sowing seeds ever since.

Despite the water shortage and state-wide water restrictions, this past month has seen our church plant a record number of seeds. NorthStar farmers have shown
up in record numbers and have covered so many community events. March, too,
will be an even bigger month to plant seeds, and we are in need of more farmers
to help throw seeds. My prayer is that you will help us continue to plant seeds
of love, compassion, and service that one day reap a major harvest in Heaven.

Marlon