by Pastor Patrick Cho
Dear LBC family and friends!
I hope you are doing well and walking in the Lord! This week, I have been reading through Leviticus and examining the theme of holiness. Obviously, there are countless reminders of the holiness of God as you read through Leviticus. But because of the relationship established between God and His people made possible through the sacrifices of atonement, there is also an expectation of holiness for God’s people. Consider this passage:
1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘I am the LORD your God. 3 You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes. 4 You are to perform My judgments and keep My statutes, to live in accord with them; I am the LORD your God. 5 ‘So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the LORD.'”
God has taken Israel and made them a people for His own possession. They are no longer part of Egypt where they have come from. They are also not part of Canaan where they are headed. They are His. As such, He calls them to live distinctly. They were not to blend into their surrounding culture but were instead to be living and walking illustrations of God’s holiness.
As Christians, we have likewise been called by God to be a people of His own possession (1 Pet. 2:9), and this applies to us in the same way as it did to the Israelites in the Old Testament. We are not called to blend into our surrounding culture, but are called to be holy as He is holy (1 Pet. 1:14-16). But the big difference on this side of the cross is that the gospel transforms us and frees us from our enslavement to sin and God’s Spirit now indwells us and empowers us to give us everything we need to walk in holiness in obedience to His commands. We have all that we need because Christ has made it possible through His death and resurrection.
In His grace,
Pastor Patrick
Here are some ministry opportunities for you!
- Sunday Service. This Sunday, we’ll be introducing the theme for 2016! We’ll also be taking communion as a church body, so please come with hearts prepared. Perhaps take some time to read and think through 1 Corinthians 11:16-34.
- Midweek Bible Studies. Things are a little different this week for our midweek Bible studies because of Mission Bowl. The Friday night College and Youth Bible studies are cancelled this week due to our Mission Bowl Pep Rally.
- Mission Bowl. This Friday night (2/5), come cheer on our flag football teams at our Mission Bowl Pep Rally! The pep rally will be at 6:30 PM at the church building. Then on Saturday (2/6), the men will be having their football tournament at Hourglass Park by Miramar College. All the action begins at around noon. The gals will have their tournament on Saturday, February 20. Wear your blue and gold!
- Super Bowl. We’ll be playing the big game on Sunday at 3:30 PM. Stick around to watch the game, enjoy the commercials, or just be with other church people! Bring a snack to share! Drinks will be provided. Go Chargers! (Hehe.)
- Baptism Class. Our next baptism class is on Tuesday, February 9, at 7:00 PM, in Room 108. If you are a Christian and have not yet been obedient to the Lord by being baptized or if you simply would like to learn more about Christian baptism, please come out to the class!
- College Life Retreat. Please pray for our collegians as they go off on their retreat on February 12-14. The retreat speaker is Pastor Scott Ardavanis from Grace Church of the Valley. It should be an awesome time of worship together!
- Elders Q&A. On Sunday, February 14, we will be having a special Q&A with our elders during the Sunday School hour. This is a great way to get to know the leadership at Lighthouse a bit better. Mark your calendars!
- Parent/Child Dedication. We will be having a Parent/Child Dedication service on Sunday, February 21 during our morning worship service. If you would like to participate, please let Pastor Patrick know by Sunday, February 14.
- First Aid and CPR. If you would like to be trained up in Adult/Child/Infant CPR/First Aid/AED, Randy Sarmiento will be providing instruction on Saturday, February 27, at 1:30 PM. There is a cost to participate ($75/person) but the church will cover the costs for our children’s ministry coordinators.
- Single Life Retreat. Sign ups are now being taken for the upcoming Single Life retreat on March 4-6! Our speaker is Pastor Kurt Gebhards, who used to be on staff at Grace Community Church and is now in Chicago. This is a combined retreat together with some of the other Lighthouse churches so it should be a particularly special time of worship and fellowship. Sign up at Single Life Bible study!