by Pastor John Kim

After our meeting last night for the members of Lighthouse, I had a chance to read over the self-evaluations that I had asked everyone to fill out and it was both encouraging as well as a bit sad in seeing how many shared about where they stood in relation to their membership at LBC. It was tremendously encouraging to see that there are many who are growing and striving to seek after Christ, in being faithful in their spiritual disciplines and prayer life, and continually moving upward in their commitment to serve at Lighthouse. There are those who just wrote simply, “I love Lighthouse!” and in reflecting on their participation and attitude, I could heartily affirm that there are many who do indeed love Lighthouse and show it through their passion and excitement.

There were those who shared that they were challenged to really step up their participation, whether it was through prayer, giving, or serving. I know that I gave some pretty strong challenges at the meeting, as did elder Mike Chon. I know that it’s not always easy hearing words of exhortation or admonishment, but the one thing that I am really thankful for is that many of you take it to heart and know that it’s not simply to make you feel guilty or bad, but to earnestly challenge you to excel still more for the sake of Christ and His church.

So my prayer is that you would really just love Christ all the more, and out of that love strive to just love being His bride, the church. Submission to Him would be more of a joy if it was out of love than duty and I hope that your service to the Head of the church is not just something you feel obligated to do. Being the bride really is to rejoice in our high calling – can you believe that we belong to Christ? Can you believe that we have been called to be the object of His grace and love? We are so undeserving! We, in our sinfulness, have absolutely nothing to offer and yet He takes the tattered, dirty, sin-stricken souls and pulls us out of the miry clay to give us a new song that we might sing boldly to a dark world that needs to hear the light of the gospel of Christ.

So let’s relish being His bride. Let Lighthouse, through our collective membership, really shine bright and bring much glory and honor to our Savior!

by Pastor John Kim

Dating is typically a farce of two people pretending to be someone that they really aren’t to get something that they want that they don’t have with the least amount of investment and the greatest amount of return in the shortest amount of time. Even for those who say that they are Christians, it tends to be the same deal. At the heart of this farce is the self-serving agenda that sees the other person as a means to my own ends and if it doesn’t work out, then out they go.

Relationships are not about you!! If you truly know the love of God, you will then understand that the love you have been given is a love TO be given. Too many people start and end with the expectation of “What do I get out of this?” and if the other person is found to be dissatisfying in any way or form, there is the quick out.

For the Christian that truly desires to glorify God, a dating relationship is an opportunity to display the love of God in the way that God intended, a display of His glory. Does the love of God characterize your life? Read 1 Corinthians 13. Read the whole chapter. Do you love the way God defines love to be? Notice that the point isn’t about you. Love is not about you. Love is about you serving someone else. YOU are called to be patient, YOU are called to be kind, and on the list goes. But subtly, or maybe not so subtly, we twist this whole idea and place the expectation on the other person to be patient with ME, on the other person to be kind to ME, and the object of all the actions is ME! It’s no wonder so many couples are ill-prepared for marriage, because after a lifelong pursuit of self, you can’t help but transfer that self-centeredness into a relationship and all you are revealing is how much you are in love with yourself.

I would like to challenge you, especially if you are already in a dating relationship, to really ask yourself if you are preparing to love like 1 Corinthians 13 calls you to. Or if you are honest, are you just looking for your own self-interests to be served? True love is a love that is pure between two people, that is grounded in the cross of Christ and hopeful in light of the resurrection of Christ. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. This is the kind of love that will not fail you, not during the dating stage, the engagement stage, and throughout the marriage stage. But if you fail to really grasp this kind of love, you are in for a miserable journey that you probably didn’t anticipate, but didn’t prepare for either.

Love is not about you!

by Pastor John Kim

This past weekend was a rollercoaster ride! I can’t help but be affected by collisions with the Korean culture that really cause me to wonder, “Why?” Why must culture come in front of people? When did culture become god? I understand the reality of culture and that there are distinctives between each culture but when you come to know Christ, there is no longer Jew or Gentile (or Korean or American for that matter). It is Christ that we identify with, not that Christ identifies with our cultural identity. For those who know me, you will understand that after a couple of decades of frustration, I have become quite pessimistic now about any kind of redeeming value to be found in Korean churches.

I know that that is too much of a categorical statement but I have found the number of sound, God-honoring, biblical churches to be miniscule, especially when you consider the inordinate amount of churches for such a small immigrant community. Don’t get me wrong. I love my heritage. I love Korean food. I love the fact that I have some unique history in my background that I can appreciate and share with others. But these things are all superseded by the Kingdom of God. I am no longer a citizen of this world but an alien, a stranger. The family of God, the church, those who have been called to be saints, these are the ones that I now identify with in identifying with Christ.

Romans 12:13 has been lived out by a generation that many in the first generation have called “selfish, stingy, spoiled, self-serving, unappreciative, and disrespectful.” I have found those who make up Lighthouse to be selfless, generous, giving servants who have shown tremendous love and care through their kindness and mercy through prayers, notes, and food. They even offer to help drive the kids, take care of the kids, and be helpful in any way possible. I cannot help but think how ironic it is that a generation that has been accused of giving so little is now starting to respond to the call to be not only receivers but contributers to the needs of the saints.

Thank you! I just have to say thanks to the many who have brought tremendous encouragement through your thoughtfulness, your willingness to serve, your hearts of compassion, and your continued faithfulness to display the love of Christ in such visible ways. Angela and I are so blessed, as are our children, who are overwhelmingly loved by you.

I praise God that you are simply obeying Him out of a genuine love for Him. This is revealed in your love for the saints. By this the world can see that you are followers of Jesus, that you are disciples of the One who lived and died and rose again, so that we might no longer live for ourselves but for Him.

May your contributions continue to flow generously to all!!

by Pastor John Kim

I can’t help but have to vent a bit here in response to what should be seen as a time to not only grieve in the passing away of my father-in-law but an opportunity to minister to my mother-in-law, my wife and her siblings, the grandchildren, and for those who truly loved and appreciated my father-in-law. But Korean church protocol is more concerned about pleasing some hierarchical structure, having to maintain the “honor” of those who are supposedly deserving of the responsibility of presiding over the funeral ceremonies, forgetting that a funeral is not about them!! Even when someone has died, people will twist it into an opportunity for their own self-gain and it just sickens me to think that someone would take advantage of a time where there is grieving and mourning to take place and all they can think of is to promote themselves and just observe ceremonial protocol. I am all for having order and structure but this is ridiculous.

God’s glory is at stake both in life and in death and the church should always and only be about the work of bringing God’s glory to the forefront. It should be about ministering to the bereaved widow and finding ways to share the love of Christ with one who is suffered a tremendous loss. It should be about encouraging and supporting the family members who will feel the loss most keenly. Instead, there are “requests” for a restaurant reservation to be made to feed those who are going to the funeral, I suppose to “thank” them for their coming. I can’t see anywhere in Scripture where the bereaved is to be more concerned about feeding the guests – this isn’t a wedding! If anything, the church should be feeding the bereaved!! They are the ones who have suffered the loss and are busy going about the business of having to take care of funeral arrangements and covering costs related to the funeral. But I can’t help but see those who are more concerned with form and have absolutely no care for the reality of the situation.

Protocol is not what is most important – people’s genuine needs are!! Romans 12:13 calls us to be “contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.” You don’t insist other to do this – you do this!! To me, a pastor who makes a “request”, especially on the day of the actual death, to make sure that the guests are fed, is a pastor who is not fit for the work of caring for the flock. The Scriptures call the church to suffer when a member suffers, to celebrate when one has reason to celebrate. It doesn’t bilk them and take advantage of them, especially during a time of need. The pastor, of all people in the church, needs to be giving ministry, not asking for it. God help us!

I know there might not be malicious intent involved (at least I would hope not), but ignorance is not an excuse for irresponsible behavior on the part of those who say they shepherd the flock. Please pray for me, pray that I would exercise humility and wisdom and not just be angry. Pray that as we have the funeral services for my father-in-law that the greatest priority would be to point all the attention and all the glory to the Savior. Pray that I would also have the boldness to speak the truth of the gospel to those who really need to hear it. Pray that I would walk in the Spirit and honor the memory of my father-in-law, encourage my mother-in-law, and support Angela and my brothers-in-law and sister-in-law during this time of loss.

Jesus, help me.

by Pastor John Kim

When people think about dating, I believe that the majority are way too short-sighted. Most are only thinking of the immediate context, focusing on how they “feel” now and how things “match” and how “similar” they should be, not giving consideration to the fact that feelings change, what seemed to match and provide for similarities becomes that which many complain and wish they could change later in their partner.

Watching couples who have been married for a long time should be an exercise that all should consider before even thinking about dating. In reading the biography of D. Martin Lloyd-Jones, I took some time just to glance at all the photos that are in both volumes and one thing that I was really interested in was just watching how he and his wife Bethan looked like together over the years. As they both aged, the one thing that went through my mind was, “Wow! I hope that when I get all old and wrinkled that Angela would stick with me though I won’t look the same when I was younger.” It’s when you look at older couples that you realize that a relationship is not about “magic” or feeling attraction or how well you fit together. It simply comes down to a commitment to genuinely love one another. As the years go by, true love doesn’t become stale, it just deepens. It transcends the superficial and becomes a bonding of the soul. You don’t look at each other so much because you are impressed with what they can do for you or how they look so much as it is that you just really love your spouse with all your heart and you just love being with them and sharing everything in life with them. It affects all that you do – your faith in Christ is shared, your service in the church is shared, your nurturing of the marriage covenant is shared, your parenting of the children is shared, your future hopes and dreams are shared, and even the mundane things in life become a joy because they are shared – an ice cream cone, a slice of watermelon at the park at 10pm in Florence, Italy, a cup of coffee at McDonald’s (or Starbucks on a fancy date =).

When I look back at my college years and think about the stage of dating with Angela, I look back with some degree of wonder that I didn’t just blow everything with my stupidity. But there was one thing that was in the back of my mind more than anything else when I contemplated my relationship with Angela. Yes, she was physically attractive (actually, she was just plain hot!!) Yes, she had a vivacious personality and was great to hang around with. Yes, she was athletic – we played football together one time and she juked a guy with a shoulder fake while she was the tailback – boy was I impressed! Yes, she was actively involved in her church and faithfully serving the Lord. But the most important thing that I thought of when I was with her was that I just wanted to love her and serve her and take care of her the best I could by the grace of God. Someone asked me back then if I was sure that Angela was the right one. All I could reply was that I couldn’t say that I knew that, but I knew that I wanted to love her as the right one.

As a pastor-to-be, I had a very bleak future to offer. Not much money, not much comfort, a whole lot of struggles from financial to relational. A lot of dealings with people, and difficult people at that. Most likely a whole lot of heartaches and troubles, not to mention my own precarious health – my blindness, my bad back, neck, knees, ankles, allergies, proneness to injury. Coming from a very typical Korean family with a huge extended family straight out of Korean video drama series. So I can’t really say there was a whole lot going for me to make a long-term relationship very attractive.

Fast forward almost 18 years later. I thought I was in love with Angela back in 1986, when I first started dating her. I thought I was in love on April 2, 1988 when I proposed to her in Oceanside at a park (a foreshadowing of San Diego??). I thought I was in love on June 10, 1989 when we walked the aisle at Grace Community Church in front of 1200+ guests (what a crazy wedding!). I thought I was in love when our first daughter was born on January 31, 1992. I thought I was in love with each succeeding child (August 13, 1995, September 27, 1999, and September 17, 2005). But tonight I look at Angela and just can’t help but say I really love her more than I have ever loved her and it’s not so much about attraction (though I still really am attracted to her) and it’s not so much about looks (more for her looking at me than anything as I have increased in girth since my slim days at UCLA) and it’s not because I offer her a lot of nice things in life (just a couple of cross-country jaunts, torture sessions through a couple of Korean church fiascos, and making her run a gauntlet of ministry roles) but it’s really just because I love being with her. I love laughing with her. I love just holding her hands and walking together as I swing her arms really high (this started back while we were dating). I love talking with her about anything (and I know she must love me because now I talk way too much, especially about crazy ideas, church problems, and my venting sessions with difficult people, not to mention my weekly sermons of an hour length or more). I love it when I see her ministering to people and sharing the love of Christ with them. I love watching her hold Olivia and watching her feed her patiently. I love watching her get excited at Jenna’s basketball games or Kara’s soccer games. I love watching her dote over our little ballerina Alyssa. I am in awe of her ability to handle the kids daily (I am about to pass out just watching them for half a day). As I look at her sleeping now after an exhausting trip to LA to help her mom and to get the funeral arrangements made, I am just happy to have her next to me as I go to bed and when I wake up, I just get to look at her face.

Dating is more than just about “falling in love” and “feeling the magic.” Dating is more than just gving way to your sexual desires. Dating is to be those first steps of a journey that you hope to see continue for decades, growing old together, growing in your love for Christ together, growing in your love for one another together, living and forgiving daily as we walk this planet. It’s not just about raising kids but it’s about loving them and showing them the love of Christ to His church through our marriage. It’s about sharing the gospel together with our children so that they can come to know the Savior and have the hope of eternal life. It’s about cheering each other on and celebrating all of life together and holding each other up in times of sorrow.

I get so sad when I hear about dating couples that just can’t seem to hold it together. They lose sight of Christ, they get emotionally carried away, and some just go way past the appropriate bounds of purity and compromise their whole future away for the sake of some momentary pleasure. This is truly settling for, as C.S. Lewis so aptly puts it, for mud pies in the slums when you can have a holiday at the beach. You are too easily satisfied with so little when God intended there to be so much more.

The whole point of this post? For those of you who are single, don’t just get caught up in the moment. Think about the one that you are dating, or hope to date. Can you see yourself with them 5 years from now? What does the picture look like? How about 10 years from now? How about 15 years from now? Can you see a true bonding of the souls? Can you see a weaving of two lives into one flesh so that life is not about “me” but “we”? Can you imagine yourself 30-40 years down the road and while everything else starts to fall apart (the joints, the hair, etc.), your love for each other won’t?

Don’t settle for mud. Go for the beach. Look to set up a dynasty together, not a one-night stand.
It isn’t worth settling for anything less than God’s best – the love of Christ for His church (Ephesians 5:22-33). If you don’t seek that, you shouldn’t date. Period.

by Pastor Patrick Cho

I read an interesting article today on Yahoo! news that I thought might interest some people. The Catholic News Service has announced that the Roman Catholic Church has published an article, “The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptised,” officially dropping the belief in Limbo. For centuries now, the RCC has taught from tradition that Limbo was a place where infants went if they died before being baptized. Though this doctrine was taught in Catholic tradition, the RCC claims it was merely a hypothesis which never became an official Catholic tenet.

At the same time, the RCC wanted to clarify that in no way should this move be interpreted as taking emphasis away from the importance of baptism. According to the RCC, baptism is still necessary to remove original sin and receive God’s saving grace. This is undoubtedly still one of the major points of discrepancy between Catholics and evangelicals today. Though there are some who call themselves “evangelicals” who wish to believe that Catholics and Christians essentially believe the same thing when it comes to soteriology, the RCC’s Catechism clearly shows how Roman Catholicism teaches a gospel that is entirely different.

Here is some information about Roman Catholic baptism and salvation according to the RCC Catechism:

1257 “The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation. He also commands his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to all nations and to baptize them. Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament. The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude; this is why she takes care not to neglect the mission she has received from the Lord to see that all who can be baptized are ‘reborn of water and the Spirit.’ God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments.”

1263 “By Baptism all sins are forgiven, original sin and all personal sins, as well as all punishment for sin. In those who have been reborn nothing remains that would impede their entry into the Kingdom of God, neither Adam’s sin, nor personal sin, nor the consequences of sin, the gravest of which is separation from God.”

The grace infused in a person at baptism is lost when that person commits a grave or mortal sin. Acts of penance are thus necessary to bring that person back into reconciliation with God and the Church.

1446 “Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for all sinful members of his Church: above all for those who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal grace and wounded ecclesial communion. It is to them that the sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification. The Fathers of the Church present this sacrament as ‘the second plank [of salvation] after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace.'”

From the Council of Trent: “As a means of regaining grace and justice, penance was at all times necessary for those who had defiled their souls with any mortal sin. . . . Before the coming of Christ, penance was not a sacrament, nor is it since His coming a sacrament for those who are not baptized. But the Lord then principally instituted the Sacrament of Penance, when, being raised from the dead, he breathed upon His disciples saying: ‘Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained’ (John 20:22-23). By which action so signal and words so clear the consent of all the Fathers has ever understood that the power of forgiving and retaining sins was communicated to the Apostles and to their lawful successors, for the reconciling of the faithful who have fallen after Baptism” (Sess. XIV, c. i).

by Pastor John Kim

My father-in-law passed away this afternoon. It was one of those phone calls that I have always dreaded receiving, finding out that someone precious has passed away. A lot of personal thoughts are going through my mind and heart, but those are not the ones that are appropriate to share yet. The more appropriate subject that I thought I might share is that when death takes place and it hits home that we are all mortal, I can’t help but think about the reality of God. It just really strikes you that death really does happen. A life ends and you must face the very real question as to why death happens. Without God, there really is no solid ground to stand on. There is no objective purpose for life and there is also no objective explanation for death. An existentialist might just dispassionately state that life is over, that this life is all there is. The materialist might state something similar, that there is really nothing beyond the physical realm so death is just the last stop. Those who are religious might purport some idea that death is just a step to another realm, whether it be reincarnation, the state of Nirvana, some heavenly realm, or some other esoteric state. But there is still no explanation as to WHY death occurs.

It is here that the person of God as seen in the Scriptures declares the CLEAR reason for death. It is the penalty for sin. Romans 6:23 states that the wages of sin is death. As we are all sinners, we have offended the Most Holy God and His righteousness and justice call for eternal condemnation for having defied our Creator. Some might ask why must God be so harsh? It seems unfair. But it is not an issue of fairness. It goes back to the point of reference from where you start. If you really see God for who He is, that He is the one that defines the standards of right and wrong, that He is the sovereign authority over all of creation, He has every right to exercise that authority and He does so in conjunction with all His attributes equally exercised and never compromised, including His grace, His mercy, and His love. That’s why the second half of Romans 6:23 is what gives great hope – “but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Despite the fact that we are sinners (Romans 5:8), God sent His Son to die on our behalf. In taking our place, Christ paid the penalty and satisfied the wages of sin by dying the death that we deserved. This is what we call the truth of penal substitutionary atonement. God’s justice is satisfied by His own grace being extended through the gift of His Son.

Physical death awaits us all. But spiritual death need not be our end. That is why the gospel is so powerful – it is the power of God unto salvation. Jesus Christ is our only hope. He is the One that we cling to in life and the one we cling to in death. It is not because we place our hopes in our own merits but we trust solely in the completed work of Christ, His death and resurrection, in the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to us so that we might be justified in the sight of God.

That is why as Christians we remind ourselves of the gospel daily because it is something that is not only effective in dealing with our past, it is what anchors us in the present and secures our future. So death no longer needs to be feared. It has lost its sting and while there is a certain and understandable human grief that is experienced when someone dies, we rest on the sure arms of Christ in that He has conquered sin and death and His resurrection ensures our own.

There must be a greater sense of urgency in sharing the gospel. Death is not something that comes conveniently. It comes unannounced and while most people assume that they might have a long life to live before death needs to be faced, recent events have made clear that this is not true. Those students and professors at Virginia Tech woke up that fateful day, not knowing it would be their last day alive. The tragedy that compounds the physical deaths is that there are still so many who are unmoved by the reality of sin that results in death. The only answer to sin and death is the gospel and we must share the hope of the gospel urgently.

So stop wasting your life, vainly pursuing the things of this world. Heed the wisdom of Solomon, who wasted years of his life chasing after the wind, only to come back to His Creator and give the exhortation of one who had much to regret, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth!!”

So there are tears to be shed and grief to be observed. But it need not be without hope. We have Christ, and to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

by Pastor Patrick Cho

The nation has been mourning this past week over the murders of the thirty-two students and teachers at Virginia Tech. It is one of those tragedies that will not be soon forgotten. The messages left by the killer stunned people because of the intense hatred communicated by his words and tone. NBC News president, Steve Capus, in an interview on NBC’s “Today,” spoke about the decision to air some of the contents of the videos left by the killer: “Ever since we heard the first reports about what happened on that campus, we all wanted to know — and I’m not sure we’ll ever fully understand — why this happened, but I do think this is as close as we’ll come to having a glimpse inside the mind of a killer.” The one question that seemed to be going through everyone’s minds was, “What could drive a person to do such a thing?”

It is horrific that someone would choose to plan an attack and open fire on a university campus. And it is definitely a tragedy that so many lost their lives in what seems like senseless killing. Whatever the killer’s intentions and motives, people seem to be taken aback by the rage and resentment through which he acted.

One thing, though, that crimes like this bring to mind is the thorough sinfulness of man. I understand that generally people strive to live in respect for one another. Kindness is taught as a virtue and love is the overarching social aspiration. But there is an issue of worldview communicated in this that is contrary to what the Scriptures teach. The overall feel of society is that people are generally good and deserve good things. So when a student decides to kill his fellow classmates, people react in horror and shock.

What eludes most people is the reality that every human being has the same propensity to hatred. Thank God it is not manifested in the same way or applied with the same intensity, but nonetheless, it remains in the human heart. Why would someone harbor so much hatred to the point they would be willing to gun down 32 people? The ultimate answer is because of the utter sinfulness of his heart. It is difficult to admit that all people share this same sinfulness in light of these tragedies, but still true.

Seeing the ugliness of sin manifested in the way it was at Virginia Tech makes me look with wonder to a perfect and holy God who would forgive men for sin. This is the condition and ugliness of every human heart and so it magnifies the grace of God shown through the cross of Christ. Of course it is not to say that all men would express that sinfulness the same way, and certainly God is just to punish sinners for heinous crimes such as this, but the delusion that most people are good and that people like Seung-Hui Cho are unfortunate exceptions is misleading.

Hopefully the shootings at Virginia Tech will not cause people to reflect on how much better they are than the killer, but that the human heart in general is really capable of tremendously horrific acts. Hopefully it will open people’s eyes to see their need for Jesus who alone can save and cleanse the human heart. I think most people would say in defense, “I’m nothing like that killer.” Of course not all people are equally guilty in the way they demonstrate their wickedness as protrayed in the shooting. But the Bible teaches that all people have in the heart the same root problem.

by Pastor John Kim

DTR2 – sounds like a movie sequel title. Just like how a lot of people look at the issue of dating. Many have a movie-based theology toward dating and it shows, with the preoccupation on “attraction” and “the magic moment” and the emphasis on physical appearance or the “magnetic” personality. In having discussions with people about dating, it almost seems like God is just a means to get them to their own ends. God’s glory is not the ultimate goal. It is self-satisfaction, thinking that if I find that “perfect” mate, I’ll be happy, secure, no longer lonely, and whatever else is on the checklist.

This is a sad testimony to the sell-out of Christians to a worldly philosophy of life. When we talk about being worldly, it is more than just about being materialistic. It is about following the thinking of the world. It is about being conformed to worldly wisdom instead of heavenly wisdom.

James 3:13-18 gives a very clear description about the kind of wisdom that characterizes a Christian that really seeks to honor God:

Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

How do you detect earthly, natural, and demonic wisdom? By the fruit. Where you see bitter jealousy and selfish ambition, there is an arrogance that contradicts the truth of God. You see disorder and every evil thing. Is it no wonder that couples who apply worldly wisdom seem to have this kind of fruit as a result? There is a lot of selfishness, a lot of arrogance, a lot of jealousy, whether it be in being jealous of what others have (as in a dating relationship in general), or being jealous that someone has the person that “I claimed” and didn’t get.

Colossians 2:6-8 gives the kind of perspective that I think all who are desiring to date should consider:

Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

Take a long hard look at your life. Are you walking in such a way that shows you are in submission to the Lordship of Christ in your life? Have you been firmly rooted in the Word of God and built up in Christ so that your faith is solid and established? Do you receive biblical instruction with gratitude? Too often I see those who are so desperate to get into dating relationships compromise the basic fundamental priorities in life, namely the pursuit of holiness and the practice of godliness. Christ’s glory should be the first concern, not my own desires being met. This is a fundamental foundational truth that needs to be understood clearly. But again, too many pay lip service and as a result, the compromises start coming fast and hard. It starts in little areas like kissing and touching. I can probably say with no exaggeration (okay, a little bit) that there are THOUSANDS of people who have told me that you can’t be legalistic about kissing and touching and all that stuff. Being legalistic – I hate that just as much as anyone else. But I am not talking about a man-made standard for the sake of seeking man’s approval. I’m talking about building a biblical world-view that exercises heavenly wisdom so that you might see the end result of righteousness be clearly evident.

So the question again comes up, “Was ist das ohre weltenschauung?” What is your worldview? The framework of how you view all of life will reveal the authority source from which you base your wisdom. Is it really the Word of God? Or is it the word of Oprah? Dr. Phil? Edwards Cinemas?

Start from the ground up. Work on your worldview and make sure the foundation rests on Christ.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand.

by Pastor John Kim

I have to confess that I had very low expectations for tonight’s Wednesday Night Bible Study. Response was very low (was I too vague in asking for a response for handout copying purposes?) and I was particularly kind of just sad about the response from the married folks, for whom the WBS was particularly provided as there is no regular fellowship other than the twice a month GraceLife, which some have already missed a meeting, which means a month goes by before you spend time again =(. But several families, or representatives of families came so there was at least some representation.

But I was greatly encouraged because those that I did not expect to come, namely collegians and singles, who already have Friday night Bible studies, came out tonight and I was actually kind of surprised to see as many that came out. I was expecting no more than 15-20 people so with some measure of hope I made 30 copies just in case a few more happen to come out.

So that’s why I titled this “O Ye of Little Faith.” I have to admit, as much as I want to have vision for ministry and hope that people would respond, I guess I am a pessimist at heart, hoping for the best, expecting the worst, that way I don’t get too disappointed. But it’s not even so much about the numbers, it was really the encouragement by the attitudes of those who came. Not that I got a chance to talk to many people tonight, but several came straight from class, some straight from work, one was on the way to work right after we were done, and so it was with much encouragement that I came away from tonight, just knowing that some were willing to make the extra effort, even after a long day of work or class, even though there is another Bible study to go to the next evening, and the next. Even though there maybe wasn’t a lot of bells and whistles. Just looking forward to studying the Scriptures.

So in the spirit of Martin Lloyd-Jones, I salute those of you who came out tonight with a desire to grow. We’ll see who will persevere and actually do the hard work of studying the Scriptures with the intention to see transformation, a la Romans 12:2, but I am hopeful.

Just one more challenge to the marrieds – don’t be deadbeat members =)

1 John 5:21
Little children, guard yourselves from idols.