G Notes

What kind of church is Anthem Church? That's easy! We are a "Christian" church. We are a God-honoring, Jesus-imitating, Spirit-filled, Bible-believing, Kingdom-focused, gospel-centered, mission-minded, disciple-making, neighbor-loving, community-impacting church.  Typically, when a person asks, "What kind of church is Anthem Church?" what they are really asking is, "Is Anthem Church non-denomination or baptist?" The answer is YES. Let me explain.  When I am asked, "What type of church is Anthem Church?" I'd love to be able to offer a quick and simple answer, but the truth is that there is no quick and simple answer. The answer to the question isn't as straightforward as one may hope. It's a puzzle inside a riddle wrapped in an enigma. Okay, that may be an exaggeration, but the truth is that the question requires a little more than a single-word answer.  If you really want to know what kind of church Anthem is, then let me be...

What is it we're doing? We're planting a church! But what is it that we're really doing? We're making disciple-making disciples! But what is it that we're really doing? We're being obedient to God! But what is that we're really doing? We're loving God! But what is it that we're really doing? We're responding to God's love!  As we lean into the task of planting a church in Angier let us remember that the reason we are doing so is because we are responding to the love God has shared with us. First Corinthians 13:13 says, " But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love ." The three markers of a healthy Christian and a healthy church are faith, hope, and love; but of these love is the most important.  Why? It is because one day we will come face-to-face with Jesus, and in that moment there will be no need for faith or hope. In that moment our faith will be realized, and our hope will be fu...

What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? It means being a student of Jesus. It means being fully submitted to the Lordship of Jesus. It means being fully devoted and committed to Jesus. It means having great affection for Jesus. And it means being an imitator of Jesus. In other words, it means becoming a disciple-making disciple --- growing in holiness while helping others grow in holiness. As we plant a new church in Angier, it is paramount that we strive to grow as disciple-making disciples. This is the question before us: How do we grow as disciple-making disciples? The answer is captured by three simple words: love, faith, and hope. These three simple words offer us the litmus test by which we may evaluate our own personal spiritual life, as well as the spiritual health of our church. On Sunday we discussed Ephesians 4:1-16. In that text we learned why love, faith, and hope are so important to being disciple-making disciples. The text begins with Paul stating: ...