

At Northstar, we will do whatever it takes, short of sin, to find people far from God and lead them to life in Jesus. That’s one of our core values. and it’s the one that probably creates the most tension for Christians. It’s a value that is drawn straight from Scripture: “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” – 1 Corinthians 9:22-23. The idea that we will do “whatever it takes, short of sin to win the lost” requires some explanation or better still, some clarification. 

Anything short of sin means we will communicate in a manner that people can understand, especially those without a religious background. We will produce the type of music that people listen to. We will remove the myth of stuffiness and holier than thou that many people who have not been to church have. We don’t expect people to look or act like us. We will remove the awkwardness and uncertainty of meeting strangers. We will listen and we will address the questions they are asking, and the issues they are wrestling with. We will spend time with people who have a past and are dealing with serious issues, regardless of how much time it requires. We will love and serve people around us whether or not they ever become a part of our church. We will devote resources to missions locally and internationally to find the lost. We will always make room for someone else. We will go all-out when it comes to kids ministry to serve and help parents. We will find the lost rather than them finding us.

All that is quite an undertaking, but it is not an all inclusive list. Any option that is not against the law or against biblical teachings are on the table. We will do whatever it takes.

Having a passion for His people means that whatever you do in the body of Christ will be done in a way that Jesus would have done, and so you will be more effective in the kingdom of God.

Millions are looking for this and we have the answer, Jesus says clearly “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” So what we need to do is to find people who are looking for some answers in their lives and we can show them the answers by pointing them toward Jesus.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How do you define a passion for the lost? 
  2. How do we complement what God is doing? What is the human role in helping people come to God?
  3. Identify a particular person in a situation who has real needs that you can serve.