Northstar Church Blacksburg

In this last letter to the seven churches in Revelation, Jesus has some strong words for the church of Laodicea. Their capitulation to complacency and unquestioning embrace of prosperity had produced a church on the verge of extinction. While we can learn and apply truths from each of the letters to the churches, the letter to this church may resemble to western church in the 21st century more tha...

“The letter to the church at Philadelphia - the city of “brotherly love” - is one of only two of the seven letters in Revelation that contains no rebuke. Jesus has words of encouragement, recognition and promise for these beleaguered believers that have powerful relevance for us as well. The joy of being named and known by God should lead Christians to confidence and stepping through open doors of...

n the letter to the church at Sardis, Jesus confronts them about their reputation. It wasn’t what they thought it was in His eyes. The culture and pressure of living in Sardis had led most of its Christians to be Christians in “name only.” They were no longer proclaiming their faith in Christ or living distinctive lives. Sound familiar?

This message examines the letter to the church of Thyatira in Revelation 2:18-29. It was a warm, loving and growing church in a blue-collar town. However, Jesus confronted “Jezebel.” Learn about the danger of tolerance and avoid a spirit opposed to truth-telling.

In this State of the Church message, we examine three strategic ways to be the church in 2022. Importance of 1) walk daily, 2) build up, and 3) seek first. The joy of knowing Jesus should inspire and drive us to embracing discipleship and prioritizing our lives around the kingdom of God. Jeff shared his own personal spiritual journey to help explain what it means to have a quiet time.

This week Matt talks about how we need spiritual rest. Thru our busy schedules we become exhausted not only physically but spiritually as well. We may try to medicate it with luxury, more money or power, or “positive thoughts” and self-actualization but fail to realize that only Jesus can give rest to our souls. We see in Genesis that our restlessness comes from our rebellion against God and his p...

Jeff concludes the Renewal series by sharing about the nature of love. Specifically, what does it look like for Christians to love the church well, so they are able to make an impact in a hurting world?

Continuing in our Renewal series, Jeff describes how unbelief hinders our relationship with God. Whether it is refusing to believe in Jesus, or saying we believe in him but not living like it, unbelief robs us of an abundant life in Christ.

God loves you. Even at your worst and in your sin, God calls out to you to repent and turn to him in faith. In this message, Jeff explains the compassion that God has toward our confession, and how we should not be afraid to turn to him.

In this message from the Renewal series, Jeff talks about the importance of realizing that the foundation of our relationship with God must be in love and intimacy. Understanding that despite all of our sin and struggles, God loves us, Jeff asks whether or not we have taken the time to tell God, "I love you."

Building on the importance of loving intimacy with Jesus, Jeff talks about how important it is to remain in connection with Jesus. What does it look like to live a life that is abides in Christ and experiences God's activity?

On this snow day, Jeff's Slanket Sermon is back. He teaches from 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:5 about where we should place our expectations. When we place expectations in spiritual leaders, we "filter" God through them. It's so important to elevate our expectation of God, understand that He enjoys us and learn to walk in intimacy with Him.

This message examines the strange and often painful beauty of spiritual conviction. What does it mean to "repent" and why do we avoid it so strongly? Scripture invites us to reconsider repentance as a command AND a gift from God that is for our peace and rest.

In Northstar's first message of 2022, Jeff asks, “Have you ever had a sense of expectancy about something that you hope God is getting ready to do?” The message encourages us to consider the power of hope and expectancy in our faith.

Remember one simple truth on Christmas Eve: Salvation is here. Jesus came for us. God gave His Son for you. It matters not what you’ve done or you will do. It matters what God has done for you in Christ. This Christmas Eve, we want to invite you to rejoice. God loves you so much that He sent Jesus.

In this message, we look at the angelic appearance to the shepherds. Their response to the announcement of "good news of great joy for all the people" should also shape our own response to Christmas!

The miraculous story of how Mary received the ultimate blessing from the Lord is an epic tale of grace for all of us. We can learn from Mary's confusion and fright how to respond when God interrupts our lives. Our own carefully thought-out plans may be changed in a moment. God's plans may inconvenience us, but obedience is more important than convenience.

As the month of December begins, the time of giving and joy must stay with us throughout the year. By the time of Jesus's birth, few people were actively waiting and watching for the Messiah. Jesus' birth shows defines Christmas and is a gift from God for all nations. How we respond to the birth of Christ will define not just our present but our futures.

The letter to the church of Pergamum encourages those who hold on to the name of Jesus even in the face or persecution. Pergamum is described as a place where Satan has his throne even with its vast wealth of knowledge. This is a sobering reminder that intelligence may lead towards pride and we must be aware of God's ultimate authority and power or Satan may tempt us into intellectual atheism and...

In the letter to the church of Smyrna, Jesus encourages the church by assuring them of His knowledge of their affliction, poverty and how others are slandering them. He also seeks to prepare them for future suffering that He tells them is coming. This message is an encouraging and sober reminder for followers of Jesus today to be prepared for hardship and to stand strong in our faith in Christ.

Last Week Pastor Jeff gave us background into the letter to the church of Ephesus. We see that at first the letter tells us the nine goods things about the church, but then shows they abandoned the love they had at first. One negative outweighs all the good because … love is central. You cannot claim to love God and not love His people, especially His church. And you cannot claim to love people if...

Last week, Matt shared with us the joyful declaration of biblical Christianity - “Jesus is God.” This week we dive into the letters to the seven church's specifically with the letter to the church of Ephesus. We see that it is Jesus and not the particular church that is Sovereign. There can be no room for pride but to endured hardships for the sake of Jesus Christ. This is seen by the followers of...

Because of its nature, it is so easy to misunderstand and misinterpret Revelation. Chapter one of Revelation serves to introduce some of the foundational themes and principles that we need to keep in mind as we go through the book of Revelation. What we forget is that Jesus is God and that we can think of God as being full of wrath and angry at us all the time, and Jesus is the one that actually l...

Jeff continues our series through Revelation, honing in on the beautiful Magnificence of Christ and his comfort through our trials. As we examine the different titles for Jesus in these verses, we are struck by the breath of Jesus' authority and the depth of His love for us.

Too often we get distracted - even by Jesus Himself, as we seek to control Him or get His attention. We get absorbed in our needs/problems. But Jesus was consistently turning His disciples’ attention away from themselves to the Father and to His mission. Jeff describes why why membership is biblically-based, spiritually encouraging, socially necessary, and mission-centered.