Category: Pastors’ Corner

Would I ever bring this nation to the point of birth and then not deliver it?” asks the Lord. “No! I would never keep this nation from being born,” says your God. –Isaiah 66:9 NLT

What is God saying in His word; He is asking who understands the complexity of birthing and planting? Who understands the miracle of birth? He is responsible for the birth and delivery of his promise. He will always bring forth in you the promises and purposes He has planted in you. God has the power to speed up or slow down the process of His promise, but the breakthrough is guaranteed.

God says, what I have birthed in you; I will bring it to pass. That seed you are carrying—that vision, revived dream, that knowing you can’t put your finger on, that prayer you’ve been praying—is my seed inside the ground. It shall produce and you shall experience your breakthrough.

Try not to confuse your ability to endure the pain of your breakthrough with your worth as a person. God has ordained this process. When God has planted the seed of promise in you, you can’t stop it until it is complete. When you prayed for deliverance, God spoke to the seed inside of you. When you asked God to take you higher in Him, He increased the capacity of your seed. When you asked God to reveal the deeper meaning of His word to you, He multiplied the fruit of your seed. When you asked God to make your life better, your seed died to live and break through the ground. All of these processes requires pain and endurance.

Your release is in the birth canal. God says your breakthrough is imminent, just around the corner. Your breakthrough is at hand. In a moment, I will lift your burdens and release your blessings. God is not a respecter of persons when it comes to people, so is it also with His blessings. Blessings of the Holy Spirit include wisdom, knowledge, understanding, finance, career, increase of spiritual gifts and different types of healings.

God was stating he would never bring Israel to the point of receiving all that he had promised her and never allow Israel to experience it. God does not start something and leave it unfinished. For Paul stated, in Romans 4:21, that, Abraham being fully persuaded that what God had promised and started, He was also able to perform.

This is a cause for rejoicing in the midst of the pain of your patience. This pain is caused by pressure that is being exerted through the Word of God that must produce what it has spoken. I lift my hands in praise and give Him glory because nothing can hold back my promise, not even the hardest concrete.

Ben and Wanda Anderson
Pastors, September 2015

Annnually, in July and August, the National Association of Buffalo Soldiers & Troopers Motorcycle Clubs hit the road to celebrate our club history in a city across the US. During the week of July 19th we met in Albuquerque, New Mexico to honor our tradition and to provide charitable donations to some of the city’s organizations. I would like to introduce you to the history of Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club.

The history of the National Association of Buffalo Soldiers & Troopers Motorcycle Clubs (NABSTMC) began with a dream; in this case, the dream of Ken ‘Dream Maker’ Thomas. Believing that it was time to establish a modern progressive motorcycle club whose focus was to promote a positive image among Blacks that would be respected in the community and throughout the country, Thomas founded the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club of Chicago in October 1993.

The name “Buffalo Soldiers” was initially selected to pay homage to and ensure the legacy of African American military contributions in the post-Civil War era. The NABSTMC which currently consists of seventy-nine member chapters throughout the United States and internationally with additional clubs petitioning for membership. The NABSTMC is now an active participant in numerous charitable functions including supporting senior citizen homes, student scholarships and food and fund drives for charitable organizations, i.e. The March of Dimes and Toys for Tots. The NABSTMC has also taken the responsibility of mentors to area youth and educational programs, which share enlightenment of the heritage that African-Americans have played in the United States.

We are also actively involved in recognizing the accomplishments and sacrifices of the Tuskegee Airmen. NABSTMC encourage a positive image and behavior of our members and affiliates. We believe that we are role models and share a responsibility and a positive value system to our respective communities. All members ride various styles of motorcycles and all support a local charity as embodied in the purpose of the NABSTMC. The member chapters do not discriminate against race, religion, gender or ethnic origin. We are an organization majority comprised of minority members and accept those who share our values and support our cause.

Pastors Ben and Wanda Anderson
June, 2015

In the past month, our country has undergone an enormous amount of upheaval. From ongoing displays of murderous racism jeopardizing the safety of African Americans even in houses of worship to relentless court battles over marriage equality for those who are seeking to have their love legitimized once and for all, our individual presuppositions and our world views have come under attack. How are we to navigate through the quagmire of injustice, discrimination and inequality? How are we to conduct ourselves in the valley of the shadow of death? How are we, as God’s image bearers, to sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?

Ezekiel 33:10 (NIV) – “Son of man, say to the Israelites, ‘This is what you are saying, “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?”

We find ourselves bombarded with images of protests, riots and demonstrations. Billboards and cardboard signs reflect the growing numbers of disenfranchised people groups fighting for basic human needs: the right to love; to live and to matter. Only 152 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, we are still singing ‘freedom’ songs. We are still marching for civil rights; we are still enduring voting rights discrepancies. While technically, we are free from the bondages of institutionalized slavery and we have won the right to vote and to love who and how we want, there are still vestiges of captivity which impinge upon human rights.

The days of Jim Crow, by way of the modern-day confederate flag, have experienced a new resurgence of glory. White men and women are fighting for their right to protect ‘the symbol of the old South’ and all of its dehumanizing practices which resulted in the lynching, torture, bombing and shooting of its African American citizens.

The offenses and the sins of historical and present-day racism and discrimination are weighing us down and we, as a nation, are wasting away because of this. How then can we live?
It is only through the Spirit of God that we can rid ourselves of the ‘bitter chastening rod’ of anger and despair when we see our nation succumbing to the lure of hate crimes and domestic terrorism with increasing fervor. But God has given his reply to the question of devalued life in Ezekiel 33:11, where He says: “Say to the House of Israel (to my beloved people): ‘As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his evil way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O House of Israel?’”

Our hearts’ cry should mirror that of God’s when he begs His people to turn from evil and wickedness; turn from the murderous spirit of generational racism; turn from stone-throwing and name-calling; turn from political polarization which leads to a divided nation; turn from gender and sexual orientation discrimination; turn from bitterness and hatred; turn from embracing lies about yourselves and others; turn from only giving God lip-service but not heartfelt worship; turn, turn from your evil ways. For why should we as Christ-followers die as a result of our sins, when Jesus was the atonement for the evils of mankind? How shall we then live? Through the power of Jesus Christ, we live. And it is only by Him and through Him that we can truly demonstrate complete love for all.

Wanda G. Anderson
Pastor

It isn’t told what Christ wrote in the dust that day, but I can surmise his writings revealed the heart of the Pharisees and the teachers of religious law. Christ revealed to them the sins that they had committed. “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” he stated. After reading sins they’d tried to keep secret now revealed in the dust, none of the woman’s accusers were able to throw the first stone.

Christ then began to write in the dust a second time. This time he wrote of who he was and why he was sent. He revealed to them he was the lover of God’s people, a healer of the heart, the forgiver of all sins, the redeemer and restorer of life. He revealed to them his character.

This woman, who stood before Jesus and the crowd of her accusers, had just committed the act of adultery. The sin she’d committed was a serious crime. It is not considered serious crime in our day, but in those times it was one of many crimes that carried the death penalty. It was ranked right along with murder, kidnapping, witchcraft, and offering human sacrifice. She didn’t need to be convinced of her sinfulness; she already recognized that. What she needed was to understand that God’s love and forgiveness was stronger than her sin.

The truth of the matter is we are all guilty of sin. We all point fingers at others. We are all guilty of throwing stones. Can we really afford to throw stones? We all make mistakes. We all have the same spiritual need for Jesus.

We would never think of actually throwing stones at other people but, far too often, we throw emotional or spiritual stones at others. We throw stones with hurtful comments, we use generalizations, we gossip, judgmental statements and sometimes we are harsh with the truth.

In the house of the Lord, criticism and condemnation must be replaced with prayer, and fault-finding eliminated with a covering of love. Where there is error, we must go with a motive to restore and a gentle spirit.

“Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” Jesus asked. “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

Jesus wrote love and forgiveness in the dirt because that was his character. We should strive to be in his image.

Pastors Ben and Wanda Anderson
June, 2015

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed” (1 Corinthians 12:1). I assume that applies to us also: we ought not to be uninformed about the nature and purpose of spiritual gifts. The term “spiritual gifts” comes from the Greek words charismata (gifts) and pneumatika (spirits).

A spiritual gift is a special attribute given by the Holy Spirit to every member of the Body of Christ, according to God’s grace and our abilities for use within the context of the Body; a special divine empowerment bestowed on each believer by the Holy Spirit to accomplish a given ministry God’s way according to His grace and discernment to be used within the context of the Body of Christ.

A spiritual gift, then, is more than being a possession; it is a channel through which the Holy Spirit ministers to His church. Spiritual gifts are abilities or capabilities which God assigns to us by His power and by His direction as tools with which to serve the body of Christ, impact and create influence in the world. This is the means He has chosen to edify, build up the church and to make us more effective. Every Christian is created, called, gifted, challenged, authorized and accountable for ministry. I believe that every Christian’s life should be used by God for kingdom purposes. While a spiritual gift can be developed, it does require a supernatural ability (Holy Spirit) to exercise it.

God has sovereignly and variously equipped each member to function in his or her unique place in the body. This function is not optional but expected and essential to the body as a whole. And while no one gift is universal, all within the body are to care for the others in every way possible. This is God’s way of ministering to His church, not through a pastor only, but through all the members gifted to serve one another. This is the only way a body can function.

I believe God wants to accomplish His work supernaturally on the face of the earth. God gets this accomplished through Spiritual Gifts. He wants to take natural people and work supernaturally through them to bring about a mighty surge of His power to impact the kingdom.

At SRCC we value your gifts and talents that God has given you for the kingdom. God has given us all that we need to build His kingdom. We encourage you to come be a part of this movement for God and have an impact upon the community of Colorado Springs. I challenge you to make yourself ready for Him to use you in this wonderful moment in which we live today.

Pastors Ben and Wanda Anderson
February, 2014

All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds, you will hear it. This is what the LORD says to me: “I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.” —Isaiah 18:3-4 NIV

A Shofar is an instrument made from the horn of a ram or other kosher animal. It was used in ancient Israel to announce the New Moon (Rosh Chodesh) and call people together. It was also blown on Rosh Hashanah, marking the beginning of the New Year, signifying both need to wake up to the call to repentance.

The Shevarim Sound—three medium, wailing blasts is the sobbing cry of a Jewish heart ― yearning to connect, to grow, to achieve. When we think about the year gone by, we know deep down that we’ve failed to live up to our full potential. In the coming year, we yearn not to waste that opportunity ever again.

Every person has the ability to change and be great. This can be accomplished much faster than you ever dreamed of. The key is to pray from the bottom of your heart and ask God for the ability to become great. Don’t let yourself be constrained by the past. You know you have enormous potential.

At the moment the shofar is blown, we cry out to God from the depths of our soul. This is the moment ― when our souls stand before the Almighty without any barriers ― that we can truly let go.

The Teruah Sound ― 9 quick blasts in short succession ― resembles an alarm clock, arousing us from our spiritual slumber. The shofar brings clarity, alertness, and focus.

The Talmud says: “When there’s judgment from below, there’s no need for judgment from above.” What this means is that if we take the time to construct a sincere, realistic model of how we’ve fallen short in the past, and what we expect to change in the future, then God doesn’t need to “wake us up” to what we already know.

God wants us to make an honest effort to maximize the gifts He gave us. You aren’t expected to be anything you’re not. But you can’t hoodwink God, either.

The reason we lose touch and make mistakes is because we don’t take the time every day to reconnect with our deepest desires and essence. The solution is to spend time alone every day, asking: Am I on track? Am I focused? Am I pursuing goals which will make the greatest overall difference in my life and in the world?

The Tekiah Sound is ― the long, straight shofar blast ― is the sound of the King’s coronation. The day of appreciating who God is. We then internalize that understanding so that it becomes a living, practical part of our everyday reality. God is all-powerful. God is the Creator. God is the Sustainer. God is the Supervisor. In short, God is King of the Universe.

But for many of us, the idea of a “king” conjures up images of a greedy and power-hungry despot who wants to subjugate the masses for his selfish aims.

In Jewish tradition, a king is first and foremost a servant of the people. His only concern is that the people live in happiness and harmony. His decrees and laws are only for the good of the people, not for himself.

In the Garden of Eden, Adam’s first act was to proclaim God as King. And now, the shofar proclaims to ourselves and to the world: God is our King. We set our values straight and return to the reality of God as the One Who runs the world… guiding history, moving mountains, and caring for each and every human being individually and personally.

As we begin our journey through a new year, let’s take time to wait, to reflect, and to listen.

Ben and Wanda Anderson, Pastors
January 2015

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. —Colossians 1: 15-18 NIV

This is the time of year when we think back to the baby Jesus: the baby Jesus who was born in Bethlehem. The baby’s parents, Joseph and Mary, who couldn’t find a decent birthplace for a king worthy of a four star hotel who was the creator of the universe. According to the Book of Matthew, Three Wise Men went to see the baby and, “presented unto Him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Who was this baby Jesus born in a manger?

The truth is, though we were created in God’s likeness or image, we only resemble Him. This baby— crying, kicking and sucking his mother’s milk—is God. The baby Jesus is God’s exact image. He is the Creator. He is the Creator of all things, active from the beginning in calling the universe and all creatures into existence. John 1: 1-3 says, “Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with God. He has always been alive and is himself God. He created everything there is—nothing exists that he didn’t make.”

Think about what it means to be Creator of the Universe. John McArthur wrote: The moon is a mere 211,463 miles away. You could actually walk there in 27 years if you covered 24 miles every day. Now, a ray of light travels at 186,000 miles per second (a little faster than walking). It could reach the moon in just 1.5 seconds. At the speed of light, we could reach Mercury in 4-1/2 minutes.

The baby Jesus is the Sustainer of everything – visible and invisible (He holds and keeps it together). Scientists have various theories, but have so far been unable to figure out what holds the elements of our universe together. Verse 17 says that Jesus not only created everything but that in him all things hold together. He is responsible for the order of the universe and everything operating in synchronization and harmony.

The scripture also makes clear the baby Jesus’s relationship to the Church. Paul often pictures Jesus Christ as the Head of the Body. Just as our brain sends the signals that make our physical body function, Christ sends the instructions for the functioning of His Church. Through His church, a living organism, it continues the work of impacting the kingdom.

The infinite love of God for you and for me was made known in the baby who grew to become a man who suffered and died that we might live, truly live in the knowledge of His great love and compassion for us. Jesus has come to make God known to each of us. There is no other who so fully reveals the heart of God because Jesus wasn’t a good man trying to do right, He was God simply being Himself.

From our family to yours, wishing you a blessed, safe, and very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Ben and Wanda Anderson, Pastors
December 2014

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
—1 Thess. 5:18 NIV

As we gather with family and friends this holiday season, November should cause us to be more mindful of giving God thanks because of Thanksgiving. The Israelites celebrated holidays which were a reminder of how good God had been in their lives. Often times, it is easy to forget what He has done for us and how far he has brought us. With our busy-ness and schedules it is easy to forget and over-look the many blessings of God.

Paul suffered all kinds of hardships, yet he declared, “In everything give thanks.” “No matter what happens always be thankful.” Paul tells us to, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Sometimes the circumstances of our lives are not always the best. In fact, they may be downright unpleasant, but still, we are to look for something to be thankful for. And there is ALWAYS something positive for which we can be thankful. Give thanks in all circumstances.

A positive, thankful person is a great witness in this dark world. We only shine when we are thankful. Our light shines for the Lord when we are thankful, when we live it and express it.

Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever. —Psalm 106:1 NIV

Instead of looking at the negatives in our lives and complaining, we must look at the positives and give thanks. Giving thanks is God’s will for our lives. Giving thanks to God and others is what pleases the Lord.

One of the greatest privileges of being a Christian is to have the capacity to give thanks regardless of what happens. It is easy to be thankful when things are going our way, but a child of God can rise above any situation to thank God for causing all things to work together for our good. Paul, the apostle, was a man who suffered a great deal of pain and yet he wrote, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Let every circumstance this month teach us how to be more grateful and thankful for all God has done for us. Let our energy and focus this month treat every problem as an opportunity to advance God’s kingdom and righteousness. Allow every joy and blessing be an occasion to give God praise and worship for his goodness, kindness, mercy and faithfulness.

Ben and Wanda Anderson, Pastors
November 2014

We are, this month, focusing on depression, a chronic disease that afflicts millions, including our family, neighbors and friends. We don’t talk much about depression in our churches, and many feel as if admitting to suffering depression occasionally or chronically (ongoing) is also an admission of a lack of faith in God. It isn’t. God knows and loves us. We are wonderfully and uniquely made by Him and in His image.

Like every other disease or disability, suffering—emotional and physical—is part of our human experience. But God’s grace is sufficient to help us overcome life’s challenges (2 Cor 12:7-10).

Our friend and designer, Rev. Christopher Priest, has posted a moving testimony about his own battle with depression at PraiseNet.Org.

We have posted some key symptoms of clinical depression on the back of this bulletin. You can find more information here. If you or someone you know are experiencing these life conditions, please seek help. Please talk to somebody, please call us.

Ben and Wanda Anderson
Pastors, September 2014

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”
Matthew 5:13

When Jesus said that his disciples were salt of the earth, he was implying something about the earth and his followers. The earth, that is human society, was subject to corruption and decay. God’s people are to function in the earth as elements that would halt the evil process of corruption. Salt has at least three unique qualities.

1. A little salt sets the flavor in food.
Some people place food in a brine of salt. This is called “corning;” allowing food to sit for about 15 to 30 minutes, then rinsing it off until it has lost its saltiness before cooking it. Salt draws out old dead blood and unclean parts of meats and leaves it clean. When it is rinsed and cooked, the flavor is unbelievable.

2. Salt is a preservative. Our ancestors used salt to cure food to be used later. Ham, beef, and salted fish were staples of their diets.

3. Salt has healing properties. It kills most germs on contact. It burns when it hits a raw spot, but is very effective in cleansing a wound so it can heal. “Don’t rub salt in my wounds” is a statement often heard when a PERSON is hurt from good advice.

God’s children exhibit the qualities of salt. We add a better flavor to the life around us. We preserve the good of God’s creation. We bring healing to the hurting people in our community.

Salt is a preserver, sustains the life and quality of whatever it is preserving, but it has to retain its salt-like characteristics to be effective. Salt stabilizes us; prevents us from being blown like the wind.

Salt creates thirst for knowledge, for righteousness, for justice and to see that the world is in harmony with what God has ordained according to His nature which is love.

If we lose the qualities of salt, such as mercy, reconciliation, righteousness, being a peacemaker, being pure in heart—those qualities which are true and genuine—we lose the ability to impact the forces of evil that keep the power of hatred, prejudice, evil, immorality, tensions and divisions in control.

Christ wanted his followers to be in all zones and regions of society dispelling these forces of darkness.

The important quality to note is that salt ought to maintain its basic character. If it fails to maintain its basic character, if it fails to be salty, it has lost its purpose for existence and should be discarded. Let’s be the salt of the earth and impact the kingdom to preserve God’s agenda upon the earth that all people come to know His love through His son, Jesus Christ.

Ben and Wanda Anderson
Pastors, August 2014