The Fair will be on August 29th, 12-1pm and 4-5pm, (between services) and we will have hotdogs, kids entertainment and more, bring the whole family!
Date: 2010-08-29

If you try to buy a used copy, Amazon may give you an error message and not let you buy it. In this case, you can go back and order it as if it were for yourself, but ship it to:

Anchor Library
521 Gallatin Ave, Suite 6
Nashville, TN, 37206

Then send an email at library@theanchorfellowship.com letting us know that you bought it so that we can manually remove it from the wish-list.

If a book is marked “ASM title,” it will go to benefit the ASM students. Buying one of these books helps defray the cost of the school.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. A bit later, he came back and created other things, like turtles and popcorn. We sometimes limit God’s creative work to the first six days, as if creating things was merely a pragmatic, industrial activity for God, and not an act of pleasure. But if you look at the universe, you can see God still creating new things or moving in new ways.  And we’re told that someday, after heaven and earth are consumed and destroyed, he will make a new heaven and a new earth. Scripture also says that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Once a creator, always a creator.

He is in the act of creating something we call The Anchor. Maybe sometimes we walk into a service and think we have walked into the finished product. It’s easy to think this because the music is beautiful, and God gives Josh things to say, and the creation gets so into worshiping the Creator that it crests into a fever pitch of praise and motion and awe. And in a way, in those moments when we stand together in the Presence and feel the echoes of Eden, we are very nearly complete. But God is still creating.

And so we have this thing called the Anchor, which God is continually shaping and crafting and molding. Now the mark of a church where the Lord is present is love. A lot of people try to define love, saying “it is this” or “it is that.” I think it is a mistake to try to define the love that marks the Presence so simply, and so I won’t attempt it. It is the sort of thing that is recognizable when you see it, yet eludes definition. But it is this love which makes humanity melt before the Creator, indescribable and overpowering.

At the Anchor, this love is most often touched in the music, and this is our defining characteristic. God shapes each church distinctly. He shaped the Anchor to be worshipers.  It is like the spiritual gifts – some are gifted to be prophets, some teachers, some evangelists, etcetera. All Christians are called to be evangelists, but not all of us are especially good at it.  But for those who are so gifted, though, it is often their defining mark. It’s how they best channel the love of God. And churches are much the same, some are gifted at one thing, others at another. And the Anchor is gifted in worship.

So as God shapes the Anchor, this remains our distinguishing feature, and as we look to our prophetic future of planting churches, it seems likely that this is what will mark us. We will be exporting enclaves of worshipers to other places. But this is not the whole of it, and the Creator is still at work.

In the present moment, we can see God has put attention on the area of knowledge. The Anchor School of Ministry has returned, and while this is important, it is a portion of what he is calling the Anchor to. We like to talk and get excited about big, broad things. We talk of revivals, of churches, of generations. But these are not entirely real concepts, for each is not its own thing, but instead is made up of individuals. They are made up of us. And so as the Lord calls the Anchor to not just be worshipers, but to be students as well, he is not speaking to the concept of a church – he is speaking to each of us as individuals. We may not be involved in the ASM, but we are still called to know God, to know what he has done, and why he has done it. We’re called to remember what he has said.

This is part of the paradox of the Creator/creation relationship: we are asked to participate in our own crafting. Just as God only shapes us into worshipers as we are willing to worship, he also only shapes us into knowledgeable people when we agree to learn. We are all called to this, but what it looks like for each of us may be different.

There is another area where we are collectively called: evangelism. I have some hesitancy in saying this, because I have in my past seen evangelism attempted so corruptly, as though it were a divide and conquer mission, or as though it rested entirely on us to convince people of their evil and then to prove the existence of God. Please, nobody think I am suggesting that. We are called to be peacemakers, not warlords. But there is this theme in scripture of telling other people about what our life with God is like, about what it is to stand in the Presence, and why we are even able to do that. (Hint: it has to do with Jesus.) There is a beauty in carrying the Presence out of our worship and into the outside world. There is a place for answering questions when they are asked. But more than this, there is a place for bringing the love of God to those who haven’t yet recognized him, or who have once recognized him and forgotten who he is. In Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, there is only one theme to the times when Christ gets angry: when Jesus gets mad, it is because Pharisees (and others) impede people in one way or another from coming before their Creator. To everybody else, Jesus brings love and forgiveness. Sometimes he brings heavy truths as well, but there is always that indefinable love that goes along with it. As Donald Miller pointed out, Jesus wasn’t accused of just talking to pagans and tax collectors, he was accused of being their friend. We are called to do the same. But before we can love pagans, we actually have to begin talking to them.

Even on Sundays, there are people who come to us who we never even talk to. I don’t know about everybody else, but for myself, I usually don’t do it because I’m insecure. I think about how my eyes don’t align properly, or about how I have trouble making small talk, or for some other reason. But I know as well as you do that this isn’t the product of God, that in those moments I’m just humouring my fear. We need to begin taking the love of God to those outside of the Sunday services, yes, but also to those who walk into it as well. And this isn’t something we can pawn off on the pastors – its unreasonable to expect half a dozen people to meet the needs of 300 every Sunday. This is something for me and you alike. And this is part of how God is shaping us. Already, we have a few people who are built for evangelism in our midst, but this is something that I believe God wants to make a defining characteristic of our fellowship. And like worship and learning, it requires us to be willing. The Lord set us free; he will not twist our arms to make us work for him, and  we should not view this as such. Instead, he is asking us to share the joy with our friends. He is asking us if we will look into the lives of the broken people around us and point them towards him. In a way, he is asking us to help him create.

This is our future. We are worshipers, but we are also called to know God more fully, to know who he is, what he has done, and why he has done it. And we are called not to know this just for ourselves, not just so that we can navigate our way through the rough currents of our own worlds, but so that we can share with others who he is, what he means to us, and what we mean to him. And above all, even if we screw everything else up, let us at least love the people around us.

“If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.” (Ex. 33:15)

At this point in time we are in danger of becoming a generation of believers who have let the pursuit of the presence of God fall under the shadow of personal calling and purpose. We are consumed with recognizing our sinfulness, to find healing, to find our calling, to live fruitful fulfilled service-filled lives, but are satisfied without God leading. Most, I believe, do not even recognize they have left God behind and this is the greater tragedy. The presence of God has not been forgotten entirely, but we are close to forgetting that the believer has always, scripturally and historically, found truth, healing, and calling not through the pursuit of those things themselves, but by seeking first the intimacy of His Presence: the Kingdom of God.

Now when I speak of His Presence, I am not talking about the omnipresent nature of God we believe in through our theology, but the manifest presence we see throughout scripture: God revealed to our senses and understanding as physically being in a place; the presence of God that was revealed in the burning bush, on Mount Sinai, in the tent where Moses met with God, in the person of Jesus, and at Pentecost. The presence we encounter when we meet with God and we feel our heart and soul burning in us.

The danger for us is illustrated in the Exodus, chapter 33. The nation of Israel had wandered the desert waiting for God to lead them into the Promised Land and had fallen into doubting the faithfulness of God to the point of disobedience and idolatry. Moses had once already changed the mind of God from destroying Israel to sparing them when God said to him, “Go up from here [to the Promised Land], you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt… I will send an angel before you… for I will not go up in your midst, because you are a stubborn and obstinate people and I might destroy you on the way.” How insightful! The will of God done! The grace of God given! The blessing to fulfill their destiny and calling under His protection! But without the presence of God…

I have noticed that many of us have made the assumption that if we are moving forward that this is the indicator that God is with us. After all, how else could we be walking in our calling so successfully? How else could ministry be happening everywhere we go? Or miracles even? But I believe there is a difference between God being for us, and God being with us. God being for us means that because He is faithful to us, He will send us out and will allow us to accomplish what He has called us to do. He will allow the way to be cleared for us, and provide for our needs along the way. But God being with us means Him leading us out of intimate relationship with us. Even after the promise of success in taking the land, of conquering all the people of the land, Moses makes the distinction between God simply sending them, and God being with them when he asks “Is it not by Your going with us that we may be distinguished from all the people who are upon the face of the earth? “ It is also this discernment that leads Moses to pray to God, “If I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, that I may find favor in Your sight, and consider that this nation is Your people,” to which the Lord answers, “My presence will go with you, and give you rest.” What was in this prayer of Moses that changed the heart of God? He didn’t ask directly for God to come with them instead of sending them, so why does God reply in the way He does?

You might already see where I’m going with this, but let’s go back to the middle of Exodus 33, right before we read Moses’ prayer. The narrative stops after God’s judgment on Israel to remark on Moses’ practice of putting a tent up outside of camp where people could go to meet with God. When he himself would go, the pillar of cloud that led them through the wilderness would descend to the door, where God would speak with Moses “face to face, as with a friend.” The significance of this to me is that the author feels a need to establish the intimacy between Moses and God that came from him being in the presence of God, before sharing his prayer and God’s response. It was the foundation of intimacy in Moses’ life that led him to pray for more intimacy, which moved the heart of God to change His mind. I believe the interaction we see here is only one of many throughout the Bible that shows the intimacy with God moving the heart of God and leading to His presence being and going with us. It was intimacy that moved God to change His mind and go with Moses and Israel. It was intimacy that made Moses unwilling to move forward with his life without the presence of God lead and led him to that most significant prayer, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.

So where does this leave us? We will not be able to accurately discern if we are following the presence of God or have left it behind in the pursuit and fulfillment of our calling without intimacy with God. We cannot find intimacy with God without putting ourselves in His presence: in His word, in prayer, in worship, and spending time with Him with the purpose of intimacy as our burning desire and motivation. We must, before anything, pursue being in the presence of God because it opens the way into intimacy with God. Let me be clear, I don’t mean simply going to church or every worship service or prayer meeting where you feel His presence there, then calling it a day. I mean in the secret and in public, in your thoughts and in your actions, seeking for a constantly renewed revelation and awareness of God in your life. Out of intimacy, we discern the presence of God in all we do, whether or not He is with us. Out of intimacy, the prayer of Moses is natural in everything we do, because everything we do becomes unnatural without the presence of God with us. Our calling because unfulfilled with Him, purpose is purposeless. Out of intimacy, when we follow the presence of God, we will see not only the will of God done, but the Kingdom of God come.

This Four Disk Cd Box Set is now available for your purchase.  Don’t miss this amazing seminar with Dandridge Green.  He shares his life and the lessons he has learned about the true character of Father God.  This seminar will inspire you to truly open you heart to receive the love that is available to you.  Dandridge also gives key information about overcoming issues of temptation, addiction, and issues of identity.  Buy it now, you will not regret it.  $10 SHIPPING IS $3.50.  If you pick it up at office or church I will refund the shipping to you.

IF YOU ARE A MEMBER OF OUR CHURCH, GO AHEAD AND ORDER IT ONLINE AND YOU CAN PICK IT UP ON SUNDAY!

Thanks, Joshua

Dear Parents,

I am delighted that you have decided to become a part of the Children’s Ministry Team!  Our goal in Kids on the Vine is to partner with parents to lead children to know Christ in a way that transforms their daily lives by teaching, investing, and growing in Christ.  We strive to make the Anchor Fellowship a place where children love to be!  We are about introducing kids to the Savior and helping them to lay a spiritual foundation that will last them a lifetime, but we are willing to do so in a manner that attracts kids and keeps them interested in pursuing their spiritual life.  Given the amount of time we spend with them each week, compared to the time they spend at home, we know that a partnership with parents is essential.  Let me challenge you as a parent to make every effort to connect with the kids in your family in a very relational manner.  Your primary objective is not to teach them biblical “knowledge” but to introduce them to a biblical lifestyle – to help them form heart attitudes, motives, actions, and dreams.  Kids on the Vine exist to provide a place where Children can grow.  In fulfilling this mission, our desire is to teach, grow, and invest in the lives of the families.  Matthew 19:14 says, “Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” -  2 Peter 3:18 says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” – Deut. 11:19 says, “Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”  It is the vision of our Children’s Ministry to provide a loving, safe, and Godly environment where our children can learn, grow, place their hope in Jesus Christ, and receive the gift of Salvation. We believe they are the church of today and the leaders of tomorrow.  OUR GOALS: To provide a safe, secure and loving environment for children where parents feel comfortable leaving their child; to help each child understand that God is real and that a personal relationship with Him gives meaning to life; to aid each child in accepting Jesus Christ and developing a dynamic relationship with Him; to help each child grow in relationship to other believers and with unchurched friends; to support families in their responsibility for the spiritual growth of their child; to provide life changing education for our children by utilizing quality resources and continually training and encouraging our volunteers.

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” – Matthew 9:35-38

All through the New Testament we see Jesus having compassion on people. Because it comes up so often in the gospels, I have been thinking it may be a good quality to have in my character. As cliché as that sounds, we are suppose to be strive towards being like Christ. The word compassion is defined as “to have pity; feelings of distress due to others ills.” In other words, we could say compassion is to become sick with passion for other people.

We often have an image of Jesus walking around town with his shepherd’s staff in one hand and a little lamb in the other. I don’t know about you but I do not have time to cuddle sheep all day. And I don’t think Jesus did, either. Church historians have painted images for us of Jesus to emphasize different parts of his personality and they are interesting, but not that realistic. For instance, Jesus was not vocationally a shepherd; he was a carpenter. The picture is helpful for understanding the shepherding aspect of Jesus’ ministry, which is completely accurate, but the truth is he probably never carried actual sheep around. The point is that if we aren’t careful, we can totally dehumanize Jesus altogether—and that is certainly not realistic.

Jesus was fully human. Humans are very emotional. And I believe Jesus was very emotional. The scriptures indicate that he felt every emotion we feel. Now granted, he dealt with his feelings without sin (not typically a human characteristic), but he was nonetheless fully capable of feeling.

In Matthew chapter 14 we see a story of Jesus’ childhood friend being brutally murdered. He is imprisoned and beheaded by Herod in a sick scene that could have come from a horror film. When Jesus hears the news, he feels grief. He withdraws by himself from the crowds that he was ministering to so he could grieve. But the people did not allow him to be alone. They followed him. So in verse 14 we read this: “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”

What is this? Jesus finds himself in need of compassion, and he shows compassion. He is filled with grief but fueled by love. It seems to me that the feelings of distress Jesus felt for others were greater than the distress he felt for himself. Now I understand that even on our best day we may not be able to show compassion like Jesus. But with God’s hand of grace we can show more compassion for others than we usually do. It is an issue of our hearts that must be changed.

For many years I struggled with a hard heart. For me it was a result of insecurity and disappointment. I couldn’t feel compassion for others because my heart was broken. But when Jesus healed my hard heart I could feel again. I could have compassion on other people.

In Matthew chapter 9 Jesus noticed the people were in need of a shepherd because they were lost. How many people do you know who are lost? Don’t tune the word out or think about it in the typical churchy sense of the lost or unconverted as the opposite of the saved or Christian. Think about what the word means: you were headed somewhere and for whatever reasons you got off track; you found yourself in a strange place with no clue where you were and no idea how to get back on track to where you were headed. Many of your friends have gotten lost in their faith, their relationships, their finances, their health, and their calling. They are in need of a shepherd. They need leadership. But you cannot lead them until you learn to love them.

As a pastor (a word that literally means “shepherd” in Greek), I know that it is impossible to shepherd without compassion. It is impossible to have compassion without love. And it is impossible to have love without the healing power of Jesus. So really, we don’t have a choice. We must be healed so we can lead. We must ask Jesus to help us become passionate so we can be compassionate.

Copyright © 2009 Joshua Stump