Weekend Snapshot
Hey Northgate,
I shared this as a devotional with our Administrative Team last month, and I wanted to encourage all of you in the same way.
We live in a time where people hear something, immediately think, “That sounds great, I like it,” and never stop to evaluate whether it’s actually true. Social media has only amplified this reality. A compelling voice, a viral clip, or a popular opinion can spread quickly, and many people accept ideas simply because they feel right or sound good.
Or the opposite happens: people hear something that hurts their feelings or challenges what they’ve previously believed, so they automatically dismiss it without stopping to evaluate whether it’s actually true.
But we are called to something better. The Apostle Paul warned his young protege Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:3-5 — 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
He says “The time will come…” There’s a day in the future when people won’t put up with sound doctrine. When they’ll find people who suit their own desires and what they want to hear. Where they will turn away from the truth and turn to myths.
It’s not hard to see that we are living in a time just like Paul described.
So what should we do? How can be on guard? I want to give you four recommendations from scripture.
1. Be aware
1 John 3:7-8 — 7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
This is a great place to start. John says “Do not let anyone lead you astray.” So know that there are people who will do that. Some may do it purposefully, others perhaps just might do it ignorantly. But it’s our job to be aware.
2. Take responsibility
Acts 17:11-12 — 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
When someone comes to me and says “Hey, I have a question about something that you said today.” Do you think I’m offended? These people were checking Paul’s work every day to see if it was true. This was the Apostle Paul!
But they received the word with great eagerness and then they examined it to see if what he was saying was true. They took responsibility.
The purpose of the church is not just to feed you. It’s to teach you how to feed yourself.
3. Test what you hear
1 John 4:5-6 — 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
Jesus talked about sacrifice, service, suffering, giving up some things in order to achieve other things and possess other things, it means you’re going to look different than the world.
If people are selling you rainbows and unicorns, run the other way.
If they’re telling you that following Jesus promises you health, wealth, prosperity, and an easy road for you and your loved ones, keep running.
4. Remain in Him
1 John 2:24-27 — 24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25And this is what he promised us—eternal life.26I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in Him.
How will you know if you don’t read the scriptures, discuss it with other Christians, and listen and evaluate to what people say?
But if you aren’t remaining in him, you are primed to be deceived.
So, it’s our responsibility to test and approve what we hear in order to discover the truth. Again, Paul writing to Timothy says:
2 Timothy 2:15 — Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
Do your best to present yourself as someone who is approved. Someone who is genuine, not fraud or counterfeit. Do you best to do that, as someone who is aware, who takes responsibility, who tests what they hear, and who does all of that by remaining in Christ.
Test and approve what you hear so that you don’t find out that you’ve been building your faith on a faulty or fraudulent foundation.
There are people out there who will mislead you. There are people in churches who will mislead you. Sometimes you may just be mislead by something that you wish was true. Or you may push away from something that you wish wasn’t true. But each of us have a responsibility to test and approve what we hear in order to discover the truth.
Be aware, take responsibility, test what you hear, and remain in Him.
~
Thank you to everyone who voted in last weekend’s elections, and thank you to everyone who agreed to let their name stand on the ballot for these elections. We appreciate you all!
JoAnn Hayes and Michele Keberle were elected to three-year terms on the Nominating Team.
Bob Wood and Dave Kibler were elected to the Administrative Team on three-year terms as Delegates. Bill Hayes was elected to a 3-year term as a Board Member. Nathan Varland was elected to a one-year term as a Reserve Delegate.
The future of our church is in great hands with these people helping to lead us on these teams. It is such an amazing place to be every year when I look at the ballot and think “Any of these people would serve the church so well!” We truly are blessed with amazing people and leaders at Northgate.
See you this weekend,
Pastor John
Lead Pastor
I shared this as a devotional with our Administrative Team last month, and I wanted to encourage all of you in the same way.
We live in a time where people hear something, immediately think, “That sounds great, I like it,” and never stop to evaluate whether it’s actually true. Social media has only amplified this reality. A compelling voice, a viral clip, or a popular opinion can spread quickly, and many people accept ideas simply because they feel right or sound good.
Or the opposite happens: people hear something that hurts their feelings or challenges what they’ve previously believed, so they automatically dismiss it without stopping to evaluate whether it’s actually true.
But we are called to something better. The Apostle Paul warned his young protege Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:3-5 — 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
He says “The time will come…” There’s a day in the future when people won’t put up with sound doctrine. When they’ll find people who suit their own desires and what they want to hear. Where they will turn away from the truth and turn to myths.
It’s not hard to see that we are living in a time just like Paul described.
So what should we do? How can be on guard? I want to give you four recommendations from scripture.
1. Be aware
1 John 3:7-8 — 7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
This is a great place to start. John says “Do not let anyone lead you astray.” So know that there are people who will do that. Some may do it purposefully, others perhaps just might do it ignorantly. But it’s our job to be aware.
2. Take responsibility
Acts 17:11-12 — 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
When someone comes to me and says “Hey, I have a question about something that you said today.” Do you think I’m offended? These people were checking Paul’s work every day to see if it was true. This was the Apostle Paul!
But they received the word with great eagerness and then they examined it to see if what he was saying was true. They took responsibility.
The purpose of the church is not just to feed you. It’s to teach you how to feed yourself.
3. Test what you hear
1 John 4:5-6 — 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
Jesus talked about sacrifice, service, suffering, giving up some things in order to achieve other things and possess other things, it means you’re going to look different than the world.
If people are selling you rainbows and unicorns, run the other way.
If they’re telling you that following Jesus promises you health, wealth, prosperity, and an easy road for you and your loved ones, keep running.
4. Remain in Him
1 John 2:24-27 — 24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25And this is what he promised us—eternal life.26I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in Him.
How will you know if you don’t read the scriptures, discuss it with other Christians, and listen and evaluate to what people say?
But if you aren’t remaining in him, you are primed to be deceived.
So, it’s our responsibility to test and approve what we hear in order to discover the truth. Again, Paul writing to Timothy says:
2 Timothy 2:15 — Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
Do your best to present yourself as someone who is approved. Someone who is genuine, not fraud or counterfeit. Do you best to do that, as someone who is aware, who takes responsibility, who tests what they hear, and who does all of that by remaining in Christ.
Test and approve what you hear so that you don’t find out that you’ve been building your faith on a faulty or fraudulent foundation.
There are people out there who will mislead you. There are people in churches who will mislead you. Sometimes you may just be mislead by something that you wish was true. Or you may push away from something that you wish wasn’t true. But each of us have a responsibility to test and approve what we hear in order to discover the truth.
Be aware, take responsibility, test what you hear, and remain in Him.
~
Thank you to everyone who voted in last weekend’s elections, and thank you to everyone who agreed to let their name stand on the ballot for these elections. We appreciate you all!
JoAnn Hayes and Michele Keberle were elected to three-year terms on the Nominating Team.
Bob Wood and Dave Kibler were elected to the Administrative Team on three-year terms as Delegates. Bill Hayes was elected to a 3-year term as a Board Member. Nathan Varland was elected to a one-year term as a Reserve Delegate.
The future of our church is in great hands with these people helping to lead us on these teams. It is such an amazing place to be every year when I look at the ballot and think “Any of these people would serve the church so well!” We truly are blessed with amazing people and leaders at Northgate.
See you this weekend,
Pastor John
Lead Pastor
NEED TO KNOWS
- Northgate at the Ballpark —Wednesday, June 3 | 6:30 PM Northgate is heading to Dwyer Stadium to watch the Batavia Muckdogs. It’s going to be a fun night for the whole family! Get your discounted tickets ($7) by registering at NORTHGATEFMC.COM/EVENTS
- Night of Worship — Saturday, June 6 | 6:30 PM We are hosting a Night of Worship to support our Costa Rica Team. Our students will be leading the entire service, from worship to prayer to sharing testimonies.
- Northgate Tailgates — Are back for the summer! We’re kicking things off on June 11 with an outdoor worship service and ice cream! Bring a lawn chair and come early at 5:30 PM to hang out, enjoy some ice cream, and spend time together before our Thursday service outside at 7 PM.
- Father's Day Ice Cream — June 18 & 21 | We're jumping into summer and cheering on Father’s Day with an ice cream by the playground right after services!
- Kids' Camp Registration — Summer Camp will run from July 20-23, from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM each day. Then, on Thursday evening, July 23 from 5:30–7:00 PM, we’ll be throwing a big, family-friendly cookout, open to all the families who joined us for camp.
Registration at NORTHGATEFMC.COM/EVENTS