Anchor Church: Recent Episodes
Anchor Church
This is the fourth and final week of our series on the Holy Spirit called "Empowered", and this week, guest speaker Pastor Hal Chaffee explain how the Holy Spirit helps us bring the gospel to the world.
This week, we explored the powerful moment when the Holy Spirit descended on the early Church, igniting a movement that continues to shape the world today. Listen in as we reflect on the meaning of Pentecost, its biblical roots, and what it means for believers today to live Spirit-filled lives.
Remember the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are 3 distinct persons of the one true God. The Father is on His throne in heaven, the Son is God in the flesh, and the Holy Spirit is the presence of God… And right before Jesus (the Son) ascended into heaven, he encouraged His disciples: “don’t worry, my Spirit will be with you ALWAYS. My Spirit will be with you forever.” – Pastor Ryan Martinez
From the beginning, we can see that the Holy Spirit was there. In the beginning God created and the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, was hovering the deep chaotic waters. The Holy Spirit isn’t new, He’s not something some religious zealot made up, the Holy Spirit was present with God at the beginning. – Pastor Ryan Martinez
Stepping out in faith can be risky. Generally speaking, we don’t naturally like doing risky things because we want to preserve what we have. We don’t like taking risks when there’s no guarantee of a return on that risk. We like to play it safe. But life with the Lord isn’t about playing it safe… Life with the Lord is about submitting ourselves to Him, and yielding to His will above our own. Life with the Lord is about saying “Yes!” to Him before we even know what the question is. – Pastor Ryan Martinez
One of the big themes of scripture is providence. Providence is God’s orchestration of history. It’s the idea that He’s directing all events and everyone’s life to a specific end. There’s a pastor I once heard say that “God interacts in history with two hands. The first hand is visible and we see it through miracles: Sarah gives birth in her 90s; Jacob wrestles with an angel; Moses calls down plagues upon Egypt; Jesus and His apostles heal and cast out demons. The other hand is invisible. God sets things into motion behind the scenes.” Many times, in the waiting, God is working behind the scenes… He’s setting things up for the dream to succeed. – Pastor Ryan Martinez
Even Joseph faced resistance about his dream, but God still fulfilled his dream. You will face resistance too, but keep dreaming. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
If we’re going to discover the Dreams and plans God has for our life, God has for our families, I believe it’s going to start in those quiet times when you’re just pursuing the Lord because you love Him and not because you want something from Him. Pursuing His heart. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
“The resurrection of Jesus changes the face of death for all His people. Death is no longer a prison, but a passage into God’s presence. Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there. You can nail it to a cross, wrap it in winding sheets and shut it up in a tomb, but it will rise!” - Clarence W. Hall
And Jesus says “Anyone who is thirsty… may come to me…” And He’s not talking about literal thirst for a drink of water. He’s talking about your spirit. So what is Jesus actually saying here? He’s saying anyone who is desperate to know your purpose, come to me. Anyone who is struggling, come to me. Anyone who is desperate to know whether there’s something more to this life… Come to me! Anyone who feels like something is missing inside of you… come to me. – Pastor Ryan Martinez
When we don’t know the scriptures well enough, we don’t know what to do when things get difficult… When life happens and we don’t know God’s character, we don’t know how to respond and take matters into our own hands. I think we can see that with the Pharisees. They don’t fully understand what the scriptures say about the Messiah, and when Jesus shows up on the scene, they take matters into their own hands. But this is not what God wants for us. There’s much wisdom in seeking Him first. There’s much wisdom in looking to Him and His way first. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
ut who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years. - Malachi 3:2-4 - Pastor Brandon Byne
Today's message is simple - Follow Jesus, don't do anything else. - Pastor Jason Pilgrim
"Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. - Matthew 6:19-21
Pastor Jason Pilgrim
Many people think “If I can just get more money, my problems will go away.” “If I can just get some more money, things will be easier.” “If I can just get more money, I won’t have to worry anymore.” Money can buy you a bed, but it can’t buy you sleep. Money can buy you a quiet vacation, but it can’t buy you peace. Money can buy you medicine, but it can’t buy you health. Money can buy you amusements, but it can’t buy you joy. Money has limitations. My prayer is that we learn not to hold onto and grasp something which cannot save us. Money is great, it has a lot of benefits… But its limitations are so much greater. Money can’t buy you a Savior. – Pastor Ryan Martinez
Deep within every person is a longing for righteousness and justice. We want things in the world, at least our little corner of it, to be at peace. We want to eradicate human trafficking, racism, hunger, homelessness, abuse. We long for the day when all people can coexist in a world with no war, violence, murder or hatred. Where everyone is valued as an image-bearer of God and no one is marginalized. – Pastor Ryan Martinez
The principles inside the Bible are timeless and relevant for any Christ-follower at any point in history. But they were originally written to people who lived thousands of years ago across an ocean. Our instincts and understanding are completely different from the people the scriptures were written to. We can’t take a surface reading of the scriptures and then try to directly apply it because, while the scriptures are for us, they were not written TO us. – Pastor Ryan Martinez
Jesus intended His Kingdom to advance and grow through humility. Jesus intended His Kingdom to advance and grow through peace. Jesus intended His Kingdom to advance and grow through righteousness. And He determines what’s righteous and not us. There are those who see all the negative talk surrounding the idea of Christian Nationalism as persecution. “We’re suffering persecution for God and our country.” But this Christian Nationalism is not righteous, and this is not what Jesus was talking about when He spoke these words. – Pastor Ryan Martinez
Is Christianity Good? So the behaviors and moral values the bible calls a result of having the Holy Spirit in our life is a standard of ethical behavior and moral values for a completely secular entity. The bible has set a standard for human rights unlike any other belief system, entity, or organization ever. So even though there’s a lot of negative, there is so much positive. Christianity, as a religion isn’t perfect because people aren’t perfect. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
When I look back at all the times I have had to wait, I can see that God’s timing is the best timing and it’s always perfect. From waiting to get married, to when God fulfilled the promise of bringing us here. God has perfect timing; I have seen the hand of God provide the way in the middle of what often looked like a red sea, impossible to part. – Pastor Ryan Martinez
Now, am I saying it’s not a big deal when we go through difficult things? No, absolutely not. The things we go through in life matter and God is concerned for us. That’s why The apostle Peter tells us to cast our cares on Him… because He cares for us. But for true disciples, difficult things shouldn’t lead us away from God, because true disciples don’t have a “plan B”. Where else would we go? - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Jesus has been slowly revealing Himself as Messiah through performing miracles, His command of scripture, and His gift of prophecy. And then in John 5, Jesus is having a conversation with the Pharisees and He kicks it up a notch… He not only claims that He’s the Messiah, He makes the claim that He is God. And then after that we read about Jesus proving that no matter the situation, He will provide for His people. Jesus fed arguably close to 20,000 people with 7 loaves of bread and 2 fish. If there are still doubts that Jesus is who He says He is, the evidence is starting to mount. – Pastor Ryan Martinez
I dream of a church that looks like and represents the community we serve. I dream of a church filled with black worshipers, white worshipers, Asian worshipers, Latino, Haitian, Brazilian, Hindi, Native American… I dream of a multi-ethnic church because I believe in a multi-ethnic heaven. I want our church to look like Heaven. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Jesus isn’t going to send us out on mission all on our own. He is always with us. He will empower you to make disciples. He will empower you to teach and model what it means to follow Him. It's our mission to reach Milford for Jesus. This isn't replacing our current mission, Hope for all, but will be more of a local vision to help our very own community of Milford. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Finding Jesus is just the start, you have to follow Him. To do that you need to get in the Word, get into Praying, and get lost in Worship! - Pastor Jason Pilgrim
You’re not going to learn patience by academic endeavor. It’s not something you’re going to read about and learn from a book. You’re only going to be able to grow in patience when you begin to allow God to help you exercise that virtue, and you become more open to it. – Pastor Ryan Martinez
When your soul is stirred by who God is and you respond and do what He’s asking you to do, do you know what that’s called? That’s called Awakening. And my prayer as your pastor is that we would experience a great awakening in our relationships with the Lord. That we would not be apathetic to knowing what God wants for your life. That we would trust Him with the plans He has for our life. That’s my prayer for each and every one of you. – Pastor Ryan Martinez
Hope for salvation and hope for miracles are not in vain. God is still reaching and saving the lost. God is still working in miracles. - Pastor Ryan Coon
God wants you to experience His favor in your marriage. God wants you to experience His favor in your workplace. God wants you to experience His favor in traffic when everybody else is driving like an idiot. How do I please God in these areas of my life? How do I please God in my relationship with my kids? How do I please God with my interactions with people I don’t like? - Pastor Ryan Martinez
¹¹Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. ¹²I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. ¹³For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. – Philippians 4:11-13
“Don’t lie, because you are not your old self anymore. You’ve been saved from the Kingdom of darkness and God is trying to change you into the image of His son.” He wants you to be like Him and he doesn’t lie… He rejoices in the truth. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Jesus raises the standard. Just like the command not to murder, Jesus takes this command to not commit the act of adultery and He raises the standard and makes it all about??? The condition of our heart. And this is the standard all throughout the New Testament. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Audio Block Double-click here to upload or link to a .mp3. Learn more It doesn’t matter who it is or what the situation is… Hate has no place in our lives if we claim to follow Christ. God believes you can be like Him in this world… and He’s calling us to a higher standard. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Ultimately, honoring our parents reflects Christ’s love. It strengthens family bonds, it can help mend broken relationships, and it can help us grow in our faith. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
This is the only commandment I can think of that is completely disregarded by most Christians today. The idea of taking a day off of our normal work is insane in a culture where we’re taught to grind 24/7. “If you’re not producing, you’re not worth much” is how we’re conditioned to think. And God is saying “No matter how much you grind and produce, you’re not the one who makes this go… I am. I run this.” - Pastor Ryan Martinez
“Don’t Take the name of the Lord in vain” and God is saying if you’re my people, you will not do this! What does it mean? Don’t carry the name of the Lord lightly. Don’t say you follow God and then not live like it. Why did God say it? Once again, so that His people would stand out in the world and to teach us that allegiance to God is different than anything else. And how does it apply? Showing your faith and trust in the Lord by your good works. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Today, we’re examining Commandment #2. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind. Remember, the first commandment is “You shall have no other gods before me.” or “You shall have no other gods anywhere, ever.” Like I said last week, Commandment #1 is the basis for a relationship with God. He’s jealous FOR our affections and He wants us to be different from the rest of the world. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
God wants his people to reflect Him to the rest of the world. And what better way to have His people stand out than have them live in a revolutionary way. “You shall have no other gods before me.” - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Jesus never changes, is always the same, and He revealed Himself to His disciples in scripture… He wants to reveal Himself now that He is here and not to be afraid. Are we looking for the moments in our everyday life that God is using to show us who He is and that He is with us? – Pastor Ryan Martinez
Jesus took a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish and turned it into a miracle that met the needs of thousands! And all that happened was a little boy brought the little bit that He had and offered it to Jesus. And Jesus took that multiplied that in a miraculous way. And He wants to do that for us. He wants to do that for you. What do you have to offer? It does not matter how little you have to give; Jesus can use all of it and let nothing go to waste. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
God’s purpose was that we would seek him and find him because only He can satisfy. He created us to need Him, and we have Shalom when we find Him. Romans5:1-¹Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” Because of Jesus, we have peace with God, we have completeness through relationship with God, because of Jesus. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
The aspects of KNOWING are Speaking. Making yourself known. Listening. Making a conscious effort to understand what you’re hearing from God. And Doing. Physical activity to help cement your knowledge of God. – Pastor Ryan Martinez
If you are a Christ-follower, you have the breath of God in you. His Spirit is inside of you, right now. You are now a part of the New Creation. The Presence of God is with you wherever you go. When your faith and trust is in Him, there’s not a single place on earth His breath, His Spirit can’t go. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
“God's love is described as the Greek word agapao, which means unconditional love, preferential love that is chosen and acted out by the will. It is not love based on the goodness of the beloved, or upon natural affinity or emotion. Rather this is benevolent love that always seeks the good of the beloved.” - Pastor Jason Pilgrim
The crowd will easily tune out cries for help, but Jesus wants us to listen and respond with compassion. - Pastor Jay Newland
God is the Lion of Judah and He gets the glory and spoils of the work. We share in God’s work to advance the kingdom of Heaven and to glorify God. We do so with the attitude of gratitude because of what He has already done for us. He died on the cross for our sin, defeated death and sin, and reconciled our relationship with God. – Pastor Brandon Payne
When contentment is an issue for us we should double, triple, quadruple down on our gratitude and thankfulness to God. Thankfulness & Gratitude is the key to contentment and God supernatural peace. - Pastor Curtis Jones
It is one thing to say you want God to intervene and direct your life, but quite different when it requires obedience. God is always positioning to work on more than just the problem you see. - Pastor Craig Johnson
In this message, we’ll explore the theme of human fallibility by diving into the Biblical story of King David. His transgressions illustrate that even the most faithful and revered figures are not immune to sin and failure. By acknowledging our shortcomings and seeking forgiveness, we can rise again, strengthened by God’s unwavering love and mercy. Through reflection, repentance, and renewal, we find that true infallibility lies in our persistent pursuit of God’s grace - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Have you ever gotten a good look in the mirror. A real, honest assessment of where you stand when it comes to truly trusting God in your life. And don’t get me wrong… being honest with ourselves can be one of the most difficult things to do… But we must be honest with ourselves to know where we truly stand with Him. The good thing though, is we can do this by the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of you. He is the Advocate who helps us when we can’t help ourselves. Lean on Him. Rely on Him. Trust Him. And He won’t steer you wrong. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
What we’re missing is not believing in the fact that Jesus is the Son of God but delighting in that fact, embracing that fact, and making Christ the treasure and the Lord of your life by surrendering to him. In other words, "belief" is seeing him for who he really is, seeing him as infinitely valuable as the Son of God. It's not just acknowledging the fact that he is the Son but also seeing him as infinitely precious and valuable. But when the Holy Spirit begins to work in our lives we're not deceived like that anymore. We recognize that our value is nothing compared to Jesus' value. Instead, we just want to know him, be with him, enjoy him, follow him, and celebrate him. That transition—that change of heart, so that we are now looking away from ourselves to Christ and embracing all that God is for us in him—that is what faith is. That is what belief is. That is what saves. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
What does a Messiah do? How does a Messiah act? What does a Messiah care about? And that’s what I want to dive into today. There are so many characteristics of the Messiah that we have to learn and understand, but today, I want to look at 3 Characteristics of the Messiah today in order to understand Him better and to better understand what He wants for us. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Could you imagine living a life with God where you don’t have to wind yourself up to some arbitrary level of faith… That whatever faith you have right now, God can work with? And as you continue to bring what you have to the Lord, HE will grow it. Bring what you have, no matter how much or how little, and He will use it to His Glory. Your Testimony Matters. Your Level of Faith Doesn’t Matter. These are 2 principles vital to our growth as disciples of Jesus. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Growing to become more like Jesus in believing and understanding that There is no assignment greater than another assignment and God uses it all to draw people to Himself and reveal His Kingdom to those who don’t see it yet. Becoming more like Jesus. That’s what this is all about. That’s why we’re walking verse by verse through the Gospel of John - Pastor Ryan Martinez
When it comes to loving people, there is no competition. We have to understand who we are in relation to Jesus. We need to recognize Jesus’ authority in our lives. These are the attitudes towards the things of God we can learn from John the Baptist. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
If you want to enter the Kingdom of God, you must be born again AND Condemnation has no place in the Kingdom of God. These are two important truths from our passage today that we have grasp and we have to live them out. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Freedom has already been purchased but needs the message of good news to be delivered and declare that hopelessness doesn’t win. Hopelessness is not the end of the story but is overpowered by the hope and trust we have in God - Pastor Brian Mosley
In the midst of an addiction, you may become fearful at times, you may doubt your effectiveness, you may want to run, hide and throw in the towel. But know this, God does not waste anything. Lean into Him and leave room for God to have the last say. The word of God shows us that if we would just press and persist in trusting in the Lord, even during our darkest days, God will intervene in our circumstances and turn them around for our good. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
The bitterness, spiritual devastation, mental anguish… unforgiveness. God wants to free us from it all. And here’s the good news: Every single believer in Christ can be free from bitterness. We don’t have to be bitter and resentful and unforgiving and mentally anguished and spiritually devastated anymore. Can you imagine that? Imagine a life free from resentment, a life where you don’t have to be disgruntled… What if you could actually let go of that grudge and live in the freedom God always intended for you? This is God’s will for you and me… Freedom from Bitterness. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Guilt and shame change the way we see ourselves. Guilt and shame can lead to an identity crisis. Remember, guilt says “I did a really bad thing” and enough guilt can lead to shame, which says “I am a bad person.” When we’re living with shame and constantly believing “I am a bad person” we eventually stop believing that we are the image of God. We stop believing that we are who He says we are. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Fear is a crazy thing. It can cause us to think and behave in ways we normally wouldn’t. But God never intended for us to live in fear, and when He’s with us, when we’re with Him, there’s nothing to fear. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
How many of us are truly aware of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross that faithful day over 2000 years ago. So many were and are oblivious to the sacrifice that had just been made on their behalf. So many of us do the same thing to God. We wave as we pass Him by, never give a second thought to the sacrifice He made on our behalf. God allowed the jaws of death to close in on His Son. And millions pass by oblivious and indifferent. God sending Jesus to die on our behalf was not a panic move; it wasn’t a spontaneous decision. It was planned. Jesus’ death was not the result of jealous Jews or hard-hearted Romans. It was the result of a loving God, who in His wisdom, said there was no other way. Jesus chose the nails, to demonstrate just how far he was willing to go to win your heart. He chose the cross to prove just how much He loves each and every one of us. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
¹⁸But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.”¹⁹“All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”²⁰“What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” ²¹But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. ²²After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.
- John 2:18-22
Our question is not, “how much of what is mine do I give to others?” The question is, “how much of what is God's do I reserve for myself?” Our answer reveals our commitment to Christ. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Mad Money Series: Being God’s Temple is serious business… It’s not all fun and games. The way we act matters, the way we conduct ourselves matters. God is going to root out all corruption from His Temple, The Body… The Church. The way we deal with anything, including our money, - Pastor Ryan Martinez
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers (and sisters), you did it to me. - Matthew 25:35, 40
One of the early sign’s that Jesus did was to turn water into wine. So, what exactly does this sign mean? Well, God can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary and that is very important to know and understand for our daily life. - Pastor Jason Pilgrim
Jesus believes you can be like Him. So do you believe you can be like Him? Do you believe you have what it takes? What’s your giant that Jesus wants to equip you to reach for Him? Is it a family member? Is it a workplace? Is it a school campus? Whatever your Hierapolis is, Jesus believes you can do what He does! - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Who are you? If you call yourself a Christ-follower, then like John, we must know our position in relation to God and yield to His will. If you’re the captain of your own soul, you and you alone are responsible for figuring out who you are. But if your life is submitted to Jesus, then He wants to tell you who He’s created you to be. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Who are you? If you call yourself a Christ-follower, then like John, we must know our position in relation to God and yield to His will. If you’re the captain of your own soul, you and you alone are responsible for figuring out who you are. But if your life is submitted to Jesus, then He wants to tell you who He’s created you to be. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
The Gospel of John Series: What if we actually decided to live in the Blessing of His Grace and decided that you trusted the Grace of God to cover over all your shortcomings? No more guilt, no more shame, no more moral gymnastics. Just living in the overflowing, endless supply of God’s grace. Imagine that for yourself. Imagine that for your kids. Imagine that for your mom, your dad, your brothers, your sisters, your co-workers, your classmates… - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Today, we’re talking about the importance of the Word of God to the life of a believer. The title of my message today is “I’ve Hidden Your Word in My Heart…”. What’s going to happen if we don’t take this seriously? What’s going to happen if we don’t work hard to know God’s word and hide it in our heart? Today I want to talk about what happens to us when we don’t read and know the Holy Scriptures. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
True worship is offering yourself to God as a sacrifice and saying “Do what you will”. You can honor and show reverence through song. We do it all the time. But the best way, in my opinion, and according to Romans 12, is living your life in a way that reflects Christ to everyone around you. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
What does this look like for us? What does this look like for me?” It looks like having an honest conversation with the Lord. It looks like opening yourself up to Him and letting him know what’s going on in your life. Psalm 142:1-3 "I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord’s mercy. I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles. When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn." - Pastor Ryan Martinez
It doesn’t matter where you’ve been, where you’re from, what you’ve done, what you’ve said… You are loved and God has a plan for you… And that plan involves making you new. You don’t have to make yourself new. You don’t have to fix everything yourself. You just have to trust Him… bring it to Him. Let Him do what He will. A New Year, A New You… And all you have to do is receive it from the Lord. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Life is rarely silent. Life rarely slows down enough for us to experience peace. Life is rarely settled. But God… But Jesus… The birth of Jesus changed all of that for the people of the bible. The birth of Jesus changed all of that for us here and now. If you have your bible, turn to Luke 2 and we’re going to read together how the birth of Jesus brought hope to everyone past, present, and future. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
The Carols of Christmas Series: God said all the way back in the Old Testament that His people weren’t going to see it. He said “Fine. If you don’t want to see what I’m doing and embrace what I’m doing, I’ll use someone else. I use other people who don’t even know me.” What is “We Three Kings” truly about? It’s about recognizing the coming Savior of the World. It’s about recognizing the birth of the Lord of all Creation. It’s about being ready for what God wants to do. Are you ready? - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Joy to the World is a wonderful Christmas song celebrating, of course, joy. But what if you are not in the mood to be joyful? We need to remember that joy does not come from us but it comes from the Father and He is who we need to look to. - Pastor Jason Pilgrim
The Carols of Christmas Series: This hymn helps root us in the Old Testament in a way that is richly biblical and centered on Jesus. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is, by design, full of references to the Messiah in the Old Testament. It is sometimes hard for Christians, to make sense of the Old Testament. But this old Christmas hymn was meant to help us understand. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
What if you didn’t have to try to be good enough for God? What if you didn’t have to earn his love? What if God actually accepts you as you are right now? Well, He does accept you... right now... exactly as you are. You can’t ever make yourself good enough for God, so you don’t have to try. It isn’t possible to earn his love, so you don’t have to put in the effort. The only thing you can do… … ...is accept that you are accepted. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Joins us while Pastor Saint Clare with Delmarva Teen Challenge talks about giving with a grateful heart. - Pastor Saint Clare
Jesus is exactly what God had in mind when he created Humans in his image. Jesus is our example. So, let me connect some dots really quickly: If we were created in God’s image to be like him, and Jesus is the example we’re supposed to look at to see what it means to be the image of God… then we are supposed to look more and more like Jesus. And if we’re supposed to look like Jesus, and our only job is to reveal the Kingdom of God to those who can’t see it yet, it’s logical to conclude that the way Jesus lives reveals the Kingdom of God. Pastor Ryan Martinez
If a tree is good, If it’s beneficent, if it’s worthwhile, if it’s useful, its fruit will be good Its fruit will be worth while. If a tree is bad, rotten, putrid, corrupt, worthless, useless, its fruit will be bad, its fruit will be the same. What if our only task was to reveal the Kingdom to those who don’t see it yet, and gather as many people as we can. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
If we’re not actively looking for the Kingdom, it will escape our notice. Because it’s here, now… We just must open our eyes and our hearts to it. And when we find it, anything short selling out and giving yourself completely to the cause of the Kingdom keeps the Kingdom of God hidden. Remember, it’s our job to reveal the Kingdom to those who haven’t seen it yet, and when we’re not all in for the Kingdom, it remains hidden. But when we go all-in, and relentlessly search for and pursue the Kingdom, we WILL find it and enjoy all the benefits that come with it. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Jesus is trying to drive home a point. I think we all have noticed from examining 5 parables of the Kingdom of God to this point that the Point Jesus is trying to make is that God’s Kingdom is here, now. There’s no waiting. It’s here. It’s always been here. It’s all around you. The Kingdom is inside of you. There’s nothing, there’s no one who can stop it. It doesn’t matter what you do or say… It doesn’t matter what I do or say… The Kingdom of God will advance! - Pastor Ryan Martinez
If you are trusting in Jesus, then you have been sown into God’s all-powerful, unassailable, eternal, left-handed Kingdom. If you are not trusting in Jesus, could it be possible that you are a weed? Notice I didn’t say If you’re attending church. I didn’t say if you are serving. Notice, I didn’t say if you give financially to the church you are sown into the Kingdom of God. If you TRUST is in Jesus, you are sewn into his Kingdom. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Are we going to be the type of people that bear the fruit of the Kingdom? Or are we going to be the kind of people who oppose the Kingdom? Are we going to put the lamp on the lamp stand to show people who Jesus really is? Or are we going to hide him under the bed? - Pastor Ryan Martinez
The parable of the Sower sets a goal for us. But it’s not about amassing good deeds… It’s about experiencing the fullness of life as the Word bestows it upon us… which is fitting because this parable is told to us by the Word himself. His ultimate concern is that you and I be reconciled to the Father that we might one day be brought home to His Father’s house. He wants us to be whole… and the parable of the Sower says he will make us whole… If we don’t get in His way. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Parables are a crucial part of the teachings of Jesus, but they were often very difficult to understand. Regularly, Jesus would teach crowds and people would walk away wildly confused, and perhaps frustrated and discouraged. = Pastor Ryan Martinez
What if you really could rescue people from the Kingdom of Darkness by showing them the Heavenly Father through your acts of service? You and I are called to servanthood. It’s in our DNA, it’s who we are. You want to see your family thrive? Serve. Become the least. You want to see the church grow? Serve. Become the last. You want to see lost people come to find hope in Jesus? Serve. Make yourself the lowest; because serving reveals the Father to the Orphan. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
What does it look like to be equipped to do the works of the ministry of the Church? Love is the most effective way to spread the Gospel. Loving people shows the Good News and meets the need first. Knowing what the Word of God means we can clearly communicate the Gospel; Know God – Make Him Known. We can all love and serve, we all have a role to perform. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Think about what it would be like if we took this calling to serve our family seriously. What could God do in our families if we made the choice to make our families our first ministry? If we start taking the call to serve our family seriously I believe it will knit your family closer together. Instead of struggling just to hold the family together, you could actually thrive and grow as a family. Instead of each member of the family looking out for themselves each of you is looking to the interest of everyone else in the family. And when that happens, when each member is trying to serve everyone else, everyone’s needs are met and no one is being selfish about it.
We all experience difficult times, but you need to realize just how much you can accomplish when you faithfully and prayerfully align yourself with God’s will and plan. Be encouraged as God uses all manner of people to do a multitude of work to build His Kingdom.
What are the greatest commandments in the law? “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” as well as “…Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” How do you think Church history would have played out if New Testament believers had taken those two commandments to heart? What about you?
Biblical forgiveness is defined as the process of forgiving and letting go of the sin done to you. Forgiveness includes, forgiving everyone, every time, of everything, as an act of obedience and gratefulness to God. It acknowledges the sacrifice God made through His Son Jesus Christ who died to restore the relationship between God and man.
What if your gratefulness to the Lord really could manifest itself in service to Him for advancing His Kingdom? What if you could truly express gratitude without using words but instead by serving others? Then, every chance to serve wouldn’t be an occasion for you to sacrifice or do manual labor, but it would be an opportunity to say “Thank You” to the living God who made you part of His family.
Have you lost your way or lost your focus? Perhaps you've been distracted or are finding the life you are living doesn't have meaning. The good news is God still loves you and the best way to find yourself is to come home to God.
You can kick and scream and shake your fist at God and refuse the process that He might be taking you through – or you can understand that trials will come, you can count it all joy, and you can trust that God has a plan and is a good God.
A lot of times our lives, in our Christian walk, we begin to get so ahead that when it comes to thinking we are in His kingdom, that we are not going back to pull others to join us. - Pastor Miguel Alban
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” - Mark 1:15
Hacksaw Ridge is a 2016 biographical war film that focuses on the World War II experiences of Desmond Doss, an American pacifist combat medic who, as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian, refused to carry or use a firearm or weapon of any kind. Doss became the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor, for service above and beyond the call of duty during the Battle of Okinawa.In short, it’s the story of a man who loves God first, and wants to honor him with his life in one of the most unforgiving circumstances. War.Have you ever been in a situation like that? Maybe not war, but something so difficult you didn’t know how you could possibly get through it and honor God at the same time?
Paul warned the Romans, he warned Timothy, he warned another one of his protégés Titus to watch out for these kinds of people. There always have been these kinds of people, and there always will be these kinds of people. This is why it’s so important that you and I become students of the Word of God. This is another reason we must know what it says.
God said this to his people who were in exile in a country far away from their own. And the prosperity He’s talking about isn’t physical. It’s not material, it’s not financial… It’s completely spiritual prosperity in which no matter the circumstances, God remains their rock, their king, their guide. That’s the kind of prosperity Paul is talking about.
God has uniquely gifted you to minister in your own sphere of influence. You’re an introvert? Great! God is still calling you and gifting you to minister. You’re a super extrovert? Awesome! God is calling you and gifting you to minister. Do you really like praying? God has gifted you to minister. You like hosting people and making them feel like they’re family? Amazing! God has gifted you to minister. Understanding the spiritual gifts God has given you will help you understand the calling He’s placed on you
Could you imagine how different everything would be if we made the decision to not just serve, but to live a life of servant-hood? Everything would be completely different. We would quickly begin to look more and more like Jesus. There are many who believe that they could never be like Jesus… Start living a life of servant-hood and you’ll see how much like Jesus you can actually be. Pastor Ryan Martinez
If there’s anything in my life that can cause you to stumble and fall away from the Lord, I shouldn’t do it. If there’s anything in your life that can cause someone else to stumble in their faith and fall away from the Lord, you shouldn’t do it. And this is what I want to talk about today. The Stumbling Block Principle. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
If you want to know what Jesus meant when Jesus said “Love one another” watch how Jesus loved. There it is. Grace and Truth and that’s messy. It’s inconsistent. It’s unfair. It’s confusing. But it’s life-giving and it points to our Heavenly Father. This is difficult and we just don’t know what to do with the tension sometimes but we dare not let go of either. Because the church is to be the dispenser of both. So let’s be a church of Grace, let’s be a church of truth, and let’s pray that God will continue to help us manage the tension of this so that every person from every walk of life will know the Glory of God. Remember God says “You have sinned! And I have paid for it. And I don’t condemn you… and I love you. And if you can’t see this by reading words on a page, you’ll be able to see it when you look at my bride… The Church.” - Pastor Ryan Martinez
God didn’t strategically move me here… My job moved me here. If it wasn’t for the Air Force, I would be somewhere else completely.” If my company hadn’t of relocated me because I got a promotion, I would have never thought to come to Delaware. Or you could possibly come at it from the other angle… “Pastor Ryan, I was born here. My Parents were born here… My grandparents lived here there entire lives. God didn’t strategically place me here, We just never moved!” And Jesus is saying no. It may seem random to you, but you are a strategically placed light. You are exactly where I want you to be. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
The difference between “Christian” and “Disciple” is that being a Christian is all about what a person believes but being a disciple is about what a person does. If you’re a church person, and you consider yourself to be a follower of Jesus, it’s crucial to understand that non-church people, non-faith people look at us and expect more of us than we expect of ourselves. And while many people hide behind the label “I’m a Christian! I’m a Christian! I’m a Christian!” people on the outside are looking at us and saying “Yeah, but you don’t look like Jesus! You don’t look like Jesus! You don’t look like Jesus!” And so there’s a tension. There’s a conflict. It’s why so many people aren’t involved in a local church. The attitude is like “Forget ‘Christian’. Why don’t you look more like Jesus?” - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Can you imagine if suddenly we decided to quit being christians for 6 months, what would happen? People would get around us and they would say “I don’t feel coerced… I feel drawn”. And living like this would make non-Jesus followers question the way they live their own lives because they’ve never seen such honesty. See, this is how most of us came to faith. We saw people like this and we were drawn in. This isn’t rocket science. “Oh Pastor Ryan, I’ve never heard this before”. It's been in there for 2,000 years. Our problem is that we’ve settled for being Christians and we’ve settled for the brand “Christianity” and we gave up something good. – Pastor Ryan Martinez
Jesus wants you to love each other in such a way that people on the outside peer in and are drawn to me because they look at you and say “Wow! Look at how they love.” And I want you to create a community that’s defined and characterized by that kind of amazingly generous, unconditional, compassionate, ridiculous, “WHO WOULD DO THAT”-kind of love. Can you imagine if we got this one thing right? If we got this one thing right in our homes, if we got this one thing right in our church, if we got this one thing right in our workplaces, if we got this one thing right in our schools? If we got this one thing right in our neighborhood? Could you imagine?
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. - Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Today is Easter Sunday 2023 and today is about celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus; the perfect sacrifice made on our behalf, good forever. This is the foundation of our faith. This is the basis of everything we believe to be true about God. And it started 2,000 years ago today! We should celebrate! We should take time to dwell on this and praise God for such an incredible gift. But what does it all actually mean for us?
Jesus makes what many people call his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. Greeted by people shouting praises and recognizing his Kingship. This Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on a young colt was a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9 His triumphal entry into Jerusalem riding a donkey was also foreshadowing his death 5 days later. See, in Genesis the story of Abraham being asked by God to sacrifice his son Isaac, as they are making their journey up the mountain for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac,(the sacrifice) was riding a… donkey
“Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” - 2 Corinthians 9:6
God's not after your money, God is after your heart. I’m not interested in you giving more and more, I’m interested in you being obedient to the one you call “Lord”. Again, this is not about what I want from you… This is 100% about what I want for you. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
So the Apostle Paul spent the first 11 chapters of Romans laying out the doctrinal foundation of our faith. Righteousness comes by faith and faith alone from start to finish, humanity is trapped in a downward spiral of sin and wickedness, Justification, sanctification, we are loved by God beyond measure, the law is good, Mercy,
- Pastor Ryan Martinez
If we’re going to follow Jesus, it’s about learning how to make peace with others and surrender to Gods will our first response. What if we knew more about peace than politics? What if we prayed before we posted? - Pastor Adam Erwin
Paul makes it clear that a life that has been offered to God as a living sacrifice should be a life that serves other people. Not just through your job… My job is serving people… Nope, that’s not what he’s talking about. Not just Sundays at church… Don’t get me wrong, when you serve here, it’s valuable… but not just here. No, but every moment of every day should be viewed through the lens of service. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Through prayer, God’s Word, and the Holy Spirit living inside of us, each day brings fresh new mercy. This is another reason Spiritual Disciplines are so very important. Every morning, God is faithful, even though every day, we fall short. Mercy is God’s gift to the repentant heart and what we do in response to God’s mercy sends an important message to the people in our lives. The book of James is very clear that though deeds are not required to earn God’s favor, or to be a Christ-follower, a repentant heart that loves God will surely be evident by the lives we live. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
How can we be successful in this life if we’re not growing in our faith? And how can we grow in our faith if we aren’t keeping his decrees and commands? And how can we keep his decrees and commands if we don’t know His Word? Knowing the Word of God is vital to our success as Christ-followers. And I’m not talking about knowing other people’s thoughts and interpretations of His Word. We have to engage it for ourselves.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42 NIV - Pastor Jason Pilgrim
Jesus said, on His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the colt, “rocks will cry out in worship” if we don’t. A primary purpose of Worship is to keep us in the Father’s presence, or you could say, to keep us aware/sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit. To gain greater access and intimacy and to connect with Him, I’m going to talk Him from my heart! - Pastor Dan Stauffer
What if prayer wasn’t just something we suffered through? What if prayer could be something we looked forward to because we understand we’re not checking off a task on a spiritual to-do list, but we’re meeting with the creator God of the Universe and we’re developing relationship with him. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
2023 is here! And with a new year comes a new emphasis! We are kicking off 2023 with our “Heart for the House” series. Heart for the House is a two week series examining our focus, as a church, for the next year. This year, we’re focusing in on and diving deeper into our mission at Anchor: to “Know God and Make Him Known”. Here at Anchor, we believe the mission to “Know God and Make Him Known” lead us into our vision of “Hope for All”. During week 2 we’ll talk about what it takes to “Make Him Known” so join us as we break down and unpack Anchor Church’s “mission at hand”. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Everything is worthless when compared to the infinite value of knowing Jesus… He’s after your heart, and He wants to give you His. It doesn’t matter what you have to offer Him if you haven’t given him your heart first. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Have you ever made a New Year’s Resolution? I think we all have in some form or fashion because with the beginning of a new year, we would like to have a fresh start with most everything else, as well. Unfortunately, most New Year’s Resolutions fade fast and we’re right back where we started and frustrated by it. The same thing can happen with our faith, but it doesn’t have too. Join us this New Year’s Day to hear about New Beginnings in Christ. - Pastor Ryan Martinez
Advent is a time of preparation for the birth of Christ. Join us as we light each of the Advent candles one week at a time and dive into their meaning to help prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ. Because Jesus, the light of the world, was born to free us from the Kingdom of Darkness, and he adopted us as his children into his Kingdom, we now get to join the family business. Bringing hope to everyone we can. Loving people unconditionally. Being gracious and compassionate. We get the divine privilege of being the light of the World. Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 5. Pastor Ryan Martinez
The truth about Joy that we find in the Word of God are that Joy is an Invaluable Gift from God that radiates to others, Trusting God brings Undeniable Joy and Peace, and Lasting Joy is possible when we follow God’s truths.
Even non-christians understand this at this time of year, right? What’s the catchphrase that’s always thrown out at this time of year? “It’s better to give than to receive”. As we saw in John 3:16 a few minutes ago, the way God expressed His love was by giving. One of the ways we express love at Christmas is by giving. And when we’re all giving, and giving, and giving… Love spreads across the world.
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27 (NLT)
Advent is a time of preparation for the birth of Christ. We begin with the Hope that Jesus' birth brought to us.
A cautionary tale is defined as a tale told in folklore to warn its listener of a danger. Basically, it's a story of something going wrong, a story of what not to do as a warning. The Good News is that salvation comes by faith and faith alone, from start to finish. But just because we put our faith and trust in God at some point, doesn’t mean we are eternally secure. We have to put our faith and trust in God daily because, according to this passage, salvation is conditional. Our trust has to remain in him.
God puts people in our lives based on our abilities and our trustworthiness. If we want to reach more and more people, we need to take care of what we God has already put right in front of us. When we’re doing that, and God knows he can trust us, he’ll give us more influence with more and more people.
The plan, from the beginning, has been for God’s people to reveal Him to the world. We are God’s plan for salvation. Not that we save anybody, but we are the instruments through which He does His work. And just to be clear, God doesn’t need us, he chose us and chose to use us to complete His mission.
No matter what happens in life, God is sovereign. We should trust that God is who He says He is and He will do everything He has promised. Submitting to His authority gives our lives to His authority and control, completing our response to faithfully live as a child of God.
Learn three lessons from Israel in Romans. First, that they had a heart for the lost. Secondly, that God's children are richly blessed. And third, that God is ultimately sovereign. Remembering these principles will keep us from suffering the same fate as the Israelites
How would your life change, how would your life be different, how would it be transformed if you began to be aware of God’s unconditional, continuous, and never ending love for you?