Northstar Church Blacksburg

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...

Continuing our series on the book of James, in James 1:5-8 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 atta...

In our second message in the book of James, in James 1:2-4 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 f...

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...

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 t...

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 th...

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.

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 disordere...

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...

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,...

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 Christia...

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 the...

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 e...

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 ! Music by antonio jade from Pixabay.

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 pati...

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...

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...

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 bu...

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 Go...

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, thos...

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 d...

Continuing our Generous God, Generous People series, this week’s message discusses the parable of the talents from Matthew 25:14-30. In this parable, Jesus reminds not to bury our blessings. In the parable, there are two servants who understand and know their Master well, effectively stewarding what he has entrusted them with, and there is a third servant who succumbs to a scarcity mindset because...