G Notes

In war, all things being equal, the army that is able to secure its supply lines is going to win. The army that is able to cut-off the other side from its supply lines is going to win. In war, armies have to be able to re-arm and re-fuel. If they can't do so, they'll lose.  For followers of Jesus, the war is won. Jesus has definitively won the war on our behalf. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus defeated sin, death, darkness, and the devil. However, despite the war having been won, we still face lingering battles this side of heaven. Each day we face spiritual battles. On the battlefield of our heart two armies have filed into ranks. One army is safeguarding our enjoyment of the freedom we have in Christ and the other is trying to disrupt our enjoyment of that freedom. And in these daily battles we have a large say in which army advances. We get to choose which army we're going to supply and which one we're going to cut-off. When we spend time in God's...

This past Sunday during the sermon I made reference to my concerns about how we present the gospel. I saw eye brows being raised and smoke coming out of people's ears as their mental gears started grinding. I'd like to take a little time to further articulate my thoughts for three reasons. First of all, I don't want there to be any confusion or misunderstanding about what was said. Secondly, I am concerned that we may not be communicating the gospel very well. Our choice of words do matter. Thus, I think it's a good idea from time to time to challenge our choice of words. We need to make sure that what we're saying is in fact what we mean; and we need to make sure that those we're talking to understand what we mean. Our mission is to make disciples and that requires using language that explains God's truth properly, adequately, and fully. And thirdly, it's a matter of worship. As followers of Jesus, our ambition is to please the Lord, and included i...

The mission of Anthem Church is to fill Angier and the world with love-filled, faith-filled, hope-filled followers of Jesus. In other words, our desire is for people to daily display love of God, faith in Jesus, and hope of the gospel. That is what spiritual freedom looks like. Freedom in Christ is a life of love, faith, and hope.  It is a life characterized by LOVE - gratitude to God and generosity toward others. It is a life characterized by FAITH - integrity and wisdom in our daily decisions. And it is a life characterized by hope - joy in the gospel and boldness for the gospel. That's freedom! But we live in a world that is anti-freedom. Our world is chaos. It's a mad scramble for power and identity. It's a frantic pursuit for security, luxury, and comfort. It's a rat-race. The degree of busyness this world demands is dizzying. This world isn't happy unless we're living like chickens with our heads cut off.  So many times over the past se...