Northstar Church Blacksburg

This is the last episode of our Christmas mini-series! We hope you've enjoyed these episodes and that they have caused you to reflect a bit on what you love about Christmas and the wonder of Christ coming to earth to save us. We'll wrap up this mini-series with a short reflection on the hopeful anticipation that hovers in the air on Christmas Eve. Have a very Merry Christmas!Music by Sergio Prosvirini from Pixabay.

This is the sixth episode of our special Christmas mini-series! Stephanie Cordray, our Northstar Kids Ministry Director, shares her love for Christmas traditions, and we talk about some of the specific traditions we enjoy. We also connect our love for traditions with the stories that go along with them, and how many of our Christmas traditions point us to the story of Christmas and the coming of Christ into the world to save it.Music by Sergio Prosvirini from Pixabay.

Continuing our Precious Promises series, we look at another Old Testament prophecy about the birth of Jesus, this time in Isaiah 9:2-7. One of the key themes running through the Old Testament is the need that God's People have for a king, and throughout Israel's history there are many kings who fail to meet this need. The Old Testament is spent anticipating the arrival of this Messiah, this anointed one. When will he arrive? How will he arrive? What sort of entrance would be fitting for this mighty lion king who is not just a ruler but the Messiah, God himself come to save his people from their sins and deliver them from the kingdom of darkness into the domain of light? When the long-awaited, desperately needed king comes, however, he does not arrive how we would expect. He arrives as an infant in a manger, unheralded and unguarded. Yet this was not plan B and neither was the cross that followed it. That is the kind of King that Jesus was, and it is the kind of King that Jesus still is. The manger was not plan B, the cross was not plan B, and your life is not plan B. Jesus is a king of unrivaled power, yet bends his ear to hear what is on your heart. This is the king who so often speaks in the quiet, in the stillness of our hearts.

In the fifth episode of our Christmas mini-series, Jeff Noble talks about his deep love for Christmas and his attempt each year to "slow down" Christmas through different practices and heart postures to emphasize the magic of the season and its focus on Christ our Savior. Also, you heard it here first - Jeff believes in Santa.Music by Sergio Prosvirini from Pixabay.

In the fourth episode of our special Christmas mini-series, our Youth Minister, Matt Novitsky, shares what he loves about Christmas. We talk about how the season of Christmas allows time for us to draw near to others, and how the first Christmas signifies Christ drawing near to us. And, how even in times of busyness, we can create space for both God and others.Music by Sergio Prosvirini from Pixabay.

In this third episode of our special Christmas mini-series, Don Hines shares about Christmas being a time of remembrance and nostalgia for him, and an opportunity to express his knowledge of people through giving gifts. We talk about how God's people are consistently called to remembrance of what he has done for us, including sending us the best gift of all - our Savior Jesus Christ.Music by Sergio Prosvirini from Pixabay.

In the second episode of our Christmas mini-series, Sean shares about his love for Christmas lights, and we talk about the significance of light in the story of Christmas. We're reminded that Christmas signifies the coming of the true Light, Jesus, who illuminates the darkness in the world and in our own hearts. Music by Sergio Prosvirini from Pixabay.

What do Bethlehem Ephrathah and Hope, Arkansas have in common? Continuing our Precious Promises series, we look at another Old Testament prophecy about the birth of Jesus, this time in Micah 5:2. This prophecy declares that God will raise up a ruler out of a small town, a king whose origin is from antiquity. This town had history across the Old Testament, but God promised to do something even greater with this humble place.This precious promise reminds us that God brings His greatest work out of the most unexpected places. What did God have to do with a baby in a small town? Yet Christmas is the day of the small things. These verses show us that Jesus, though sovereign and eternal, chose humility. That He would go to such great lengths to save us through such small things reminds us that to Him we are no smaller thing.

In the first part of our Christmas 2025 mini-series, Braeden Wallace shares what he loves about Christmas! The hope, expectation, and magic that surround Christmas point to the wonder of the fulfilled expectation of Jesus coming to earth to be the hope for all mankind, and point to the future when he will come again. This mini-series will feature some of the Northstar staff team sharing what they love about Christmas, and what spiritual significance we can find in the things that are special to all of us about this time of year. We hope you enjoy!

In the first of our December Nights series of Precious Promises, we examine the first of four primary prophecies in the Old Testament, the Immanuel prophecy in Isaiah 7. Despite feeling unworthy, Isaiah had accepted a call to be sent by God, and his first recorded assignment was to speak with King Ahaz, a ruler of Judah who did not follow the Lord and was not trusting God during a time of international crisis. Both then in Judah and later when this prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus, this proclamation was a promise in the midst of fear, a miracle in the midst of trouble, and a name in the midst of loneliness. In Christ, God is both with us and for us, offering us not just His companionship but His cross, and this grace requires a response, even when we feel unworthy like Isaiah.

Continuing our series on the book of James, we learn from James 3:13-18 that wisdom from above is proven by our conduct. True wisdom calls for application, acting in ways that align with the fruit of righteousness. While worldly wisdom is revealed by a sinful lifestyle of envy and selfish ambition, heavenly wisdom is revealed by a godly lifestyle, which is pure, peace-loving, gentle, compliant, merciful, unwavering, sincere, and full of good fruit. This process comes about by our growth in sanctification, rooted in the grace of God.

Continuing our series on the book of James, we find in James 3:1-12 the most preeminent passage in Scripture on communication and the use of the tongue through illustrations and examples. Sin in speech is shaped by the sin of lack of self-control. James discusses how, despite being such a small thing, the tongue can bring about much evil. Because of the inherent danger with the tongue, he warns against seeking a spiritual platform through teaching, as those who speak for God will answer to God. Instead, everyone in Christ should seek to be servant-hearted and to use the tongue for righteousness, looking to the words of Jesus as a source of life and hope.

Continuing our series on the book of James, in James 2:14-26 we learn that true faith works. James shared with us two examples each of what true, living faith does and does not look like. Through these examples, James teaches us dead faith not real, saving faith. Jesus brings us life, and in that life true faith works. In this life, there is a unity of faith and works, as works are the visible expression of invisible faith. This effort is not earning, because doing the right thing is not legalism, and in any of this effort we must remember that precise theology is not the proof of true faith, because even the demons believe and tremble. Good theology is not just hypothetical, good theology transforms our lives. Faith is dead on its own and works are dead on their own, because true faith works.

Continuing our series on the book of James, in James 2:8-13 James takes a shot at our self-justification by reminding us that we have have only one central thing to focus on: walking with God in loving obedience. He points us to the fact that we have all sinned and need mercy from God and mercy from one another.The royal law, which Jesus identified as one of the two greatest commandments on which all the law and prophets depend, calls us to love others as ourselves. Our first and foremost responsibility is humble love for God, and from this love comes a selfless love for our others. When we neglect to love others and even forgive them, it shows that we have not fully understood and received the love of God for us. When we love others much, we demonstrate that we understand the beauty, relief, joy and wonder of being fully forgiven.

Continuing our series on the book of James, in James 2:1-10 James shows how favoritism and faith are fundamentally incompatible as he returns to a theme touched upon in the first chapter. We may think we don't show partiality in the same striking way that James talks about with the rich and poor, but we draw lines between ourselves and others every day, even in the family of God. Favoritism is contrary to God's character and the inversion of the world that He desires His Kingdom to be. This is because when we show favoritism, we put ourselves in God's place as judges, we invert what God sees by looking at the outward rather than the inward, we ignore the sin that we don't want to see, and we forget about what God's love looks like, the very same love He has graciously shown to us and richly lavished upon us. Instead of showing favoritism, we should reflect God's character by loving others as ourselves, regardless of who they are and because of God's great love. Faith and favoritism are incompatible, but aren't you glad we serve a God who loves like he does?

A little over a month ago, Charlie Kirk was horrifically murdered at Utah Valley University. This tragedy rocked the nation and the world and deeply impacted so many people. In this episode of Being the Church, the pastoral staff shares their reflections on this awful event, the fallout from it, and the challenge for every Christian to be bold about their faith in Christ.

Continuing our series on the book of James, in James 1:19-21 we learn what it means to be not only hearers of the Word but also doers. The law of liberty, the implanted Good News of Jesus, calls us to hear, listen, and respond. To both hear and do the Word, we should strive to be teachable, unhurried, silent before God, readers of His Word out loud, and attentive. If we are consistent in sharing the Word with our actions, we will be truly blessed. We preach this Word to ourselves, tasting and seeing that God is good, so that we go and tell others about the Gospel, the grace we have received from the best King and Savior.

Continuing our series on the book of James, in James 1:19-21 we learn from James that if you manage your tongue and temper, you'll be happier and others will be blessed, and that, if you tend the soil of your heart well, you'll bear fruit for that is personally satisfying and will feed others.James urges us to be quick to listen, especially to God's Word; slow to speak, sharing the truth in love when we need to; and slow to anger, because God is Himself slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He warns us that worldly anger will lead us into sin and that instead of seeking human anger we should seek to serve God's righteousness. He concludes this thought by urging us to purge evil and sow the implanted Word. Born by the Word of Truth, we should be quick to listen to, receive, and share this Word so that it may produce fruit in the good soil of a faithful heart, a heart motivated not by human anger but by divine righteousness.

This year's Covenant Renewal Message reminds us who Jesus is, who we are, what our response is, and what His response is through John 12:20-33. When some Greeks come and ask to see Jesus shortly before His death and resurrection, His surprising response reveals His purpose and His heart for His church.He is our Lord, glorified by God through suffering for our sake. We are His church, called out by Him. Our response is continuing to lift Jesus up and make much of Him by following Him, serving Him, and establishing His Kingdom by sharing His Gospel, and His response is to draw all people to Himself to save them. These reminders serve to remind, reset, and renew our commitment as His church to intentional growth, humble unity, bold mission, grateful service, and joyful sharing.

Continuing our series on the book of James, in James 1:16-18 we are reminded not to be deceived and pointed to God as the source of all good gifts, including salvation through His Word. James calls us to not be deceived about ourselves or God because he knows how easily we can be misled, and he also knows how important it is that increasing, rather than decreasing, our confidence in the Bible is how we avoid being deceived. The character of God directs us toward this confident faith, because He is the Creator of all the universe who gives us every good and perfect gift, a God who never changes. The greatest gift He gives us is salvation through the word of truth, new life as the firstfruits of His creation.

Continuing our series on the book of James, in James 1:12-15 we learn about trials and tests, how these tests can become a temptation to sin, and how prone we are to blame God and others in these temptations.Our present trials have both a present and future benefit to those who love God, ultimately proving our faith and increasing our joy. In these trials, we will face the temptation to sin, but we must recognize its source and its course. Temptation never comes from God—God tests but He never tempts—but rather from our sinful desires. These sinful desires create sin in our live, and apart from Christ these sins create death. To avoid temptation, we can prepare and act by fleeing from the sin, resisting the sin, or looking to God for escape

Continuing our series on the book of James, we are called to set our sights on what really matters rather than on what is immediately in front of us.These verses prompt us to remember in both grateful humility and joyful exaltation that our status and hope are secured in Jesus, not in anything we do or do not have, anything we might misplace our trust in. We know that life is fleeting, and so we should make it count, stewarding our time and resources that fade away for the Kingdom that cannot be shaken and will last forever.

Small groups have just kicked off at Northstar, and they are such a vital part of our church ministry. So, we've devoted this week's podcast to highlighting small groups! Sean and Matt talk about why they are so important, how they "fit" into the life of our church, and also how they have impacted each of them in the past. If you haven't found a group yet, you can go to dontgo.be/groups to sign up!Music by antonio jade from Pixabay.

Continuing our series on the book of James, we are encouraged to seek wisdom in trials, knowing that this wisdom comes from God and is given generously when we ask for it. We need to recognize that there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom, as well as between earthly and godly wisdom. Wisdom is not a commodity that is available only to a few; it is something anyone can attain. Instead, biblical wisdom is being able to see and understand God's perspective on what we ask Him about. Walking in wisdom on a daily basis requires us to live in trusting faith, guided and informed by God's truth, and actively choosing paths and responding to life in ways that show we value God's Word above our own desires or fears. Remember the source from which we receive wisdom, and remember the Savior with whom we walk in wisdom!

In our second message in the book of James, we see how the reality that Jesus is Lord gives us the ability to evaluate our trials. We can respond to trials with Christ's joy as He strengths us through them.Trials test what we testify, and the joy James calls us to consider within trials is not ours to manufacture. It is the work of God to make us more like Christ. Trials test our faith, the test of faith produces a joyful perspective, this perspective forms endurance, and this endurance grows into maturity.

Recently, we've seen a cultural trend in the U.S., and even around the world, of increased curiosity about Jesus and a relationship with him. When we dig deeper into the data, we see that this trend is mostly fueled by a surprising demographic - Gen Z and Millennials. Matt and our Young Adult Minister, Braeden, talk about this trend and why it is exciting, encouraging, and challenging.To get more involved in college ministry, whether as a student or a volunteer, go to dontgo.be/college, or email Braeden at braeden@northstarfamily.orgMusic by antonio jade from Pixabay.

Starting our sermon series, Jeff introduces us to the letter of James, covering who wrote it, when was it written, who it's for, and its central message.The letter of James teaches us to be and do, to root our identity in Jesus and live faithfully, no matter where we are or what season of life you're in. The life of James teaches us to pray for our unbelieving family members and pursue humility through service to the church. Ultimately, our lives and works are the proof of faith, as we will see throughout the letter of James.

In this standalone sermon, we learn from an New Testament apostle and a 17th-century mathematician what it looks like to contend for the Jesus and for others, being all in for Him and all out for others. In Colossians 1:29-2:1, Paul writes about contending strenuously, working agonizingly hard, for fellow believers, surrendered to the strength Christ and his work through the Holy Spirit. We see the same striving in the life of Blaise Pascal, who, after he became a believer by writing his Mémorial, passionately defended his Christian faith in his Pensées, which included his famous wager. Both Paul and Pascal contended for Jesus and for others with their talents and time. For both of them, Jesus provided the example, the strength, and the inspiration to be focused on leading people to know Jesus and encouraging them to grow in faith, and he has given us the same through his spirit so that we can be all in for Him and all out for others.

This is a very special episode of the Being the Church podcast! Jeff, Sean, and Matt answer some questions from kids that were recorded during our Sunday morning kids' ministry time. They had some great questions, and it was really fun answering them! Kids, check out the episode to listen to the answer to your questions!Music by antonio jade from Pixabay.

God worked through history to bring about events that seem too good be true. Using God's words to Habbakuk as a springboard, Jeff challenges us to reflect on God's activity with a renewed sense of awe.

In the third and final BIGsmallGroup message on what the good life truly looks like, Jesus teaches us about how our relationship with him relates to goodness. Jesus taught us to do good works and modeled how to do good works.

In the final message of our Living the Good Life series, Matt Novitsky walks us through Matthew 4:18-22 to challenge us to be proactive and intentional in our evangelism.

This session explored major heresies in the early church—such as Gnosticism, Marcionism, and Arianism—which distorted the nature of Christ, Scripture, and salvation, prompting theological responses like the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) that affirmed Jesus as fully divine and of the same substance as the Father. It also examined how Constantine's legalization of Christianity transformed the church's structure and culture, leading to widespread growth, nominal conversions, clerical privilege, and eventually the rise of ascetic movements like the anchorites and stylites. These developments marked the end of the early church era and the beginning of new theological and ecclesial challenges.

Continuing our "Living the Good Life" series, we learn from Luke 10:38-42 that living the good life means living simply but not slowly, because not only is hurry unhelpful; it's also harmful to every part of our lives. While Mary sits and learns at the feet of Jesus, her sister Martha becomes overly occupied in providing for Jesus and his disciples. Though her work is good and noble, her disordered and hurried heart is worried and upset about many things, and it is harming her.Hurry is not an external condition; it is an internal condition of the heart. As an outflowing condition of the heart, hurry hurts us, it hurts others, and it hurts our relationships with God. We should not allow our disoriented and disordered hearts full of hurry distract us from what is most important: being with Jesus. Reordering our hearts with simplicity rather than hurry through the spiritual discipline of silence and solitude allows us to love others and love God more deeply. Both contemplative learning before Jesus and intentional action for Jesus, all with an unhurried simplicity, are essential elements in living the good life, and we should challenge ourselves to consistently take time to be in silence and solitude, alone with Jesus and focused on him. Embracing simplicity instead of hurry, aided at times by the discipline of silence and solitude, reorders our hearts to what is truly important: being with Jesus.

Session 2 surveys the persecution faced by early Christians from both Jewish and Roman authorities, highlighting key moments such as Nero's brutality after the Great Fire of Rome, and later empire-wide persecutions under Decius, Valerian, and Diocletian. It recounts powerful martyrdom stories, such as those of Perpetua and the 40 Martyrs of Sebaste, and explores common accusations against Christians, revealing both the cruelty and misunderstandings that fueled opposition to the gospel. Despite periods of intense suffering, the church's steadfast faith and refusal to compromise bore powerful witness to the hope found in Christ.

Continuing our "Living the Good Life" series, we learn from Matthew 14:22-32 that living the good life means we walk by faith, living trusting. When his disciples encounter an unexpected storm, Jesus walks to them on the water, and Peter at once expresses a desire for trust and has enough faith to join Jesus out even in the storm. Jesus encourages this faith by inviting him deeper into this trust, but as soon as Peter's focus drifts from Jesus to the danger, he starts to sink. Eyes on Jesus, he walks, but eyes off Jesus he stumbles. The same is true for us. Fear and doubt are the enemies of faith, while walking by faith mean trusting Jesus at all times. Having little faith prevents us from experiencing the joy God invites us into through trust, and the amount of our faith will determine our experience of God's power at work in our lives. The good life is not a life of little faith; it is a life of living trusting.

Spiritual disciplines: what are they and how do they work? There are a lot of things that Christians know they "should" do, like Scripture reading, prayer, giving, etc. But, how do we see these efforts as "disciplines" designed to produce life change, and not legalism trying to earn favor from God? In this episode, Matt and Sean talk a bit about the definition of spiritual disciplines, and how they work in the life of a believer.Music by antonio jade from Pixabay.

Continuing our "Living the Good" sermon series, we learn from Hebrews 10:19-25 that we are meant to live the good life in the context of community. As created in the image of a God who loves relationship, we are made for fellowship with God and others, and only in Jesus do we have both, saved for God and to a body of believers. This passage exhorts us to embrace intimacy, encourage humility, and empower obedience and influence.We are called to reject isolation and insulation and cultivate intimacy. We are called to humbly invite others to know us deeply so that we might encourage and spur on one another. Finally, we are called to pursue obedience together, empowering us to know and share the love of Jesus with each other and with the world. If we commit to loving Jesus and loving one another above all else, we will experience “the good life,” and others will have that opportunity to as well.

In this first session of Early Church, 2025, Kevin Seaton introduces the study of the early Christian church, highlighting its growth from Jerusalem to a diverse, global movement. He explores how the gospel spread through both prominent figures like Paul and ordinary believers, and how worship practices, baptism customs, and church gatherings evolved over time.

This week, we have a special bonus episode! Matt sits down with Kevin Seaton, a long-time Northstar member and leader, to discuss the upcoming Summer Seminary elective on the early church. Kevin shares some of his takeaways and observations from his study, as well as his own story of coming to know the Lord.You can sign up for the class at dontgo.be/seminary!

Continuing our series Living the Good Life, we learn from across the New Testament that patience is important to living the good life. From these passages, we learn that Biblical patience is an outworking of the Spirit of God in the life of someone following Jesus. The Bible teaches to live patiently with people, patiently with problems, and patiently with promises. We need to be graciously patient in our relationships, patient to let God shape us in the most painful of problems, and faithfully patient in the promises of Jesus. We can be patience because God has been and is exceedingly patient with us, in his infinite mercy holding back the judgment we deserve to freely extend salvation to us.

Episode 2 is here! This week, we dive into what we mean when we say "don't just go to church, be the church." It's not just a pithy, catchy phrase, but a guiding statement for our ministry philosophy that is rooted in Scripture. We talk through the origin of this phrase, how we have seen it play out in the life of our church, and how we have seen our members embrace the vision. We hope this is an encouraging conversation and that it causes you to consider how you can "be the church!"

In the second BIGsmallGroup messages on what the good life truly looks like, we see that across the Old Testament that God has always expected his people to do good. He commands his people to care for their communities, those outside of their communities, and even their enemies.Goodness not a status we can claim without action, it is an inward transformation that changes the way we live, because true righteousness works itself out as a practice. God give us freedom from condemnation so that we can do good, which God cares about deeply because goodness is rooted in who He is.

Continuing our series Living the Good Life, we learn from Matthew 26:36-46 and John 14:12-26 about Jesus's model of and teaching about obedience. Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane that He could be obedient to the Father's no matter what the cost, and before this struggle He taught His disciples that they would obey Him out of a love for Him. He taught an obedience not out of compulsion but out of the freedom that He gives His followers. As we strive to live obediently, the example and instruction of Jesus shows us several important things about the place of obedience in living the good life. First, the litmus test for obedience is not whether we feel like it or not, as we cannot define obedience for ourselves. In addition, obedience and belief cannot be mutually exclusive. Lastly, changed affections will lead to changed behaviors, because true love will always result in faithful action. We were made to live from relationship from empowered obedience, with God giving us grace when we disobey and grace to empower us to obey, as living with a joyful obedience is what we were made for. These passages prompt the question: how is God calling you to obey?

Continuing our series Living the Good Life, we learn from 1 Samuel 3 that living listening to God is essential to good life. When God spoke to Samuel, he couldn't recognize Him because he was unfamiliar with God's voice; he knew ABOUT Him, but he didn't truly KNOW Him. A lack of relationship with God means that we will not be able to understand when and how He is speaking. Living listening to God is paced, spaced, and graced--steady, intentional, and blessed--rather than crazed, mazed, and lazed--hectic, uncertain, and apathetic. It prepares us to live in this world, impact it, advance the Kingdom, and do good. Living listening to God's leading, and acting on God's leading, is what we were made to do. It's how we were made to live. Living listening begins with esteeming the Bible daily, responding faithfully, and allowing God's voice in our lives to be a frequent discussion among believers.

In the first episode of our new podcast series, Jeff, Sean, and Matt dig deeper into Northstar's sermon series, "Generous God, Generous People." We talk more about generosity, giving financially, and how our response to God's call to be generous reveals what is going on in our hearts and will change our hearts if we respond in obedience. If you missed the Generous God, Generous People series, those messages are also on the podcast feed, where you can get caught up!

Opening our Living the Good Life series, we learn that loving God is the delight of devotion, both the greatest command and the greatest privilege, and that this delight characterizes the good life as we walk with God. Throughout Scripture, we see this good life modeled intentionally through the spiritual disciplines, especially in the life of Jesus.The best and most important daily spiritual discipline is to start your day purposefully and devotionally with God. It is essential whether we consider this discipline a duty or a delight, because seeing it as a duty results in a distorted view of God, and a wrong view of God will obscure our perspective about everything. Ultimately, engaging in this time of devotion with our Father as a delight is the first step to living the truly good life, the life that Jesus modeled for us.