Monthly Archives: October 2008

Taking Every Opportunity

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear friends and family of LBC,

I understand that many believers consider Halloween the devil’s holiday and a big celebration of evil. As a result, those believers want nothing to do with the holiday. Even when kids come by, they lock their doors and don’t hand out candy. Whatever your views towards Halloween and trick or treating, you have to admit that October 31 provides wonderful opportunities to meet your neighbors. Some of you may not even know what your neighbors look like! One way to look at the holiday is to see it as an awesome opportunity to get to know your neighbors and build relationships in order to share the gospel with them. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to participate in trick or treating, but it would be good to realize that those neighbors of yours who you wouldn’t really talk to you on any other day might spend some time talking with you while their kids go door to door.

But wait! Don’t miss out on the Fall Festival that is at the church at 6:00pm! It’s only $5/adult! And it isn’t just a big celebration of evil! =) But outside of the time for Fall Festival, try to meet the people who live around you. You never know what God might do through the relationships you build. =)

In His grace,
Pastor Patrick

Not Ashamed of the Gospel

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear friends and family of LBC,

I have had the opportunity to meet with some of our college students recently as we talked about having a biblical, God-centered understanding of the gospel. This stemmed from our conversation a few weeks ago about building a biblical philosophy of ministry (or really, “philosophy of life”). The progression went as follows: 1) We believe that the Bible is God’s inspired, and therefore inerrant, revelation to man; 2) Because the Bible has a divine author, we believe that it is authoritative and sufficient to deal with any issue pertaining to life and godliness; 3) Because the Bible is the only authoritative revelation given to men by God, all that we do and understand must be governed by and filtered through biblical principles; 4) This is because the Bible is completely trustworthy and God’s truth is unchanging, so that even if times change and culture changes, God’s Word abides forever.

Built upon these premises came our discussion of the gospel. This is a critical topic for study because the church today grossly redefines and changes the gospel message. The concern is that since the biblical message contains elements that are too offensive to people, those elements should be either dumbed down or eliminated. So you see many believers sharing the gospel with others without ever bringing up God’s righteousness, man’s sin, or God’s judgment. Some do not even mention the cross, simply saying that Jesus “came for you,” but not indicating what He did or why it was even necessary.

I hope you discern the problem with this. This is the primary reason why so many in the church hold on to a shallow profession of faith that does not save. On top of that, it neglects the fact that the gospel has been handed down to us through divine revelation. It is not something that God has left to us to redefine. Had He wanted the gospel to be man-centered, God would have revealed it to us that way. Preaching the gospel in a way that Scripture does not teach does not just indicate a faulty view towards evangelism. It also reveals a faulty view of Scripture itself. As believers, like the Apostle Paul, we must not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Rom. 1:16). It is our responsibility as God’s ambassadors and representatives to proclaim His message His way, and to trust that through that, and that alone, will He work to save souls.

In His grace,
Pastor Patrick

October Update

by Pastor John Kim

Greetings to the few, the faithful, the ones who read this blog =)

It’s nice to know that there are some people praying so I will give an update as to how things have been going. I’ll probably only do this a few times while I am officially on leave.

Healthwise, I am currently wearing an appliance in my mouth 24 hours a day to help correct my jaw alignment. I am taking two different kinds of medication for my blood pressure. I have to wait for a month before I go for the followup with the cardiologist. I have been checked for glaucoma and it looks like I’m in the clear for now (thanks Dr. Jeff Lee!) but he mentioned that my left optic nerve is bent. My skin condition has cleared up for now after getting steroids (thanks the other Dr. Lee!) – don’t worry, my muscles aren’t bulking up. My gastro-enterologist visit will take about a month to setup so it won’t be until November. I still have to start physical therapy for my assorted neck and back and jaw ailments. So pretty much that’s it for now.

I am getting a little more sleep and rest. It’s strange trying to avoid thinking about church. I realize that I have been constantly thinking about church and it is difficult to keep it out of my mind. Trying to visit other churches has also been challenging as I realize it is not easy finding a church that where I would be in alignment with doctrine and ministry philosophy. But it has been interesting observing how other churches do things. I hope to visit other churches in the San Diego area and get to know more of the pastors.

I will be visiting Austin, Texas for a couple of weeks to visit my brother-in-law as well as to have some peace and quiet away from eveything. I hope to really get some good quiet time to rest as well as have my body and spirit renewed. So please pray that it would be a profitable time.

Thank you for those who pray. I truly appreciate it. There are some who tell me they pray and I’m sure there are others who do pray that I am not aware of – your prayers are precious and without them I would definitely be at a loss. Please continue.

I hope to return at the beginning of the year in January so please pray that these next few months will be a beneficial time of recovery.

Pastor John

Ordinary Weeks

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear friends and family of LBC,

I hope you are well and walking in the Lord. If I were to ask you how your week was going, what would be your response? I’m sure many of you would respond by saying that it has been like any other week; that you’re just going through the daily grind of classes or work. But why is it that we respond that way? Is it simply because nothing extraordinary has taken place? Certainly this week would be interesting if you were in a car accident or your house got broken into. But are these out of the ordinary events the only things that set one week apart from any other?

One way to make this week stand out would be to deliberately make opportunities to live for the Lord (yes, I said “make,” because if you simply wait for these things to “happen” you may end up waiting a long time). I really believe that one reason life carries on as usual is because we fail to see the many opportunities to glorify God in our everyday decisions. I like what Paul Tripp says, that how we live for the Lord is not seen in isolated, extraordinary events as much as it is in everyday, small decisions. Do you go to work simply to earn the paycheck and pay next month’s bills? Or do you seek to do your best in all things for the glory of God because God is your ultimate employer? Do you go to school simply to make the grade and climb up the ladder of success? Or is your motivation to be available to be used by God regardless of what direction He would take you or what He would have you do with your life?

When you seek to live each day this way, there is no such thing as an ordinary week. First of all, this is the kind of life that maximizes your potential to please the Lord and live for Him. When you are constantly thinking about how your life fits into His plan instead of how God fits into your plan, you will have the life that brings Him the most glory. Second, living this way opens opportunities to represent Christ each day. When you are aware of the reasons and motives of what you do, and those reasons and motives are governed by biblical principles, you will stand out in the workplace and classroom.

Finally, by living this way, you open the door to suffering. This isn’t to say we are just masochistic and seek out pain. But we need to realize that it comes with living for the Lord. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Certainly the persecution in Paul’s day may have been more intense, but the world we live in today is no different. We live in a society that is open and honest about its hatred of the things of God. This culture is marked by its toleration of sin. When we stand for the things of God, by necessity, we place ourselves against the flow of the current of our culture. We will be the unpopular ones because we go against the grain of contemporary thought. We will be seen as the exclusivists because we teach that Christ is the only way to be right with God. We will be branded as dated, hateful, ultra-conservative, and bigots, for instance, because we teach that homosexuality is a sin and not a lifestyle, and that we are governed by biblical principles instead of what society deems as right and just.

This is what it means to live for the Lord. Try to live this way this week and see if you can say at the end of the week that it was mundane and carried out as usual. May we all seek to live for the Lord better with each passing day instead of falling into the spiritual coma of complacency.

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

P.S. Don’t forget to read through the announcements so that you know what’s going on at LBC!

Hope in Our King First

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear friends and family of LBC,

I hope you are doing well and walking in the Lord! I’m sure you are all aware that we are in a very significant point of time in our nation’s history. The upcoming presidential election is going to be monumental regardless of who wins because we’ll either have our first African-American president or first female vice president. And what a job they will have to take on! Our economy is seeing its scariest low point in years and the war in Iraq rages on. Just walking on campus today at SDSU, there were representatives of both parties trying to get students to register to “Rock the Vote.”

Of course I feel like every American should exercise his/her right to vote this November. Especially since it looks to be another close election, every vote counts. But it would be good for us as believers to remember that God’s plan was never for our ultimate hope to be established through government or politics. It is not to say that these things are unimportant (quite the contrary!), but it is vital to remember that the greatest problem in this nation is not the economy, or the war, or gas prices, or the housing market. The greatest problem in this nation (and the world!) is sin and the greatest hope (the only hope!) is found in the gospel. The only way any kind of lasting change for good can occur in America is if people respond to the call of the gospel.

I only write this because I know that it can be really easy to get excited about the issues surrounding the upcoming election. It can be really easy to think that the next political leader is going to solve all the problems of this nation. Let’s be thankful that while government is always changing, our God is constant. It isn’t necessarily wrong to get worked up about politics, but what does it say when you are more angry about the economy than about sin in people’s lives? What does it say when you show more enthusiasm for a political leader than for Christ?

Our government has been established and sustained by the grace of God. Please remember that God calls us to pray for our governing authorities (cf. 1 Tim. 2:1-3). Although our nation grants us the right to free speech, God tempers us with the call to submit to our governing authorities (cf. Rom. 13:1-7). But at the same time, let’s guard our hearts against an imbalanced attitude towards government lest we forget that our greatest war is spiritual, our greatest problem is sin, and this world is not our home.

In His grace,
Pastor Patrick

Tia Han

by Jen Shin

What have you been doing since you moved back to San Jose?

I’ve been involved at my church up here. I work with the college and single girls Bible study and the church praise team. Home-wise – hanging out with my family a lot, especially my younger cousins. School-wise – Got a teaching credential and now I’m at business school at Santa Clara University. I’m still cracking corny jokes and bringing people to the dark side…of corny jokes.

Have you brought anyone to the dark side?

I have – two of my cousins, two more to go.

Anything else you’ve been up to?

Making excuses to go to San Diego.

What church are you involved at and how has it been there?

East Valley Church. I went back to the church I’ve been going to until I left for college. When I first got back, it was hard, because the church was going through a lot of changes and a difficult period. It’s better this second year around. It has more to do with my own heart rather than the church changing itself. I came in with the attitude of missing Lighthouse. But then, it’s been really good. This past year we’ve had a lot of personal difficulties that people went through. I think it really brought the church together.

What have you been studying with the college and singles girls during Bible study?

We’ve been going through Romans. We’re onto the last passage next week. A lot of the hermeneutics I’ve learned at LBC – I relayed that information to them. So we’ve been going through it like how flocks did Bible studies.

What has God been teaching you lately?

Always lessons on humility. That’s the foundation to everything. But branching from that, I’ve seen how wrong I’ve been viewing my sin. I didn’t see it as something that divided me from God and that it was against Him. There was a lot of self-righteousness. Also not returning evil for evil. It doesn’t have to be huge things – no one is coming after my life or trying to kill me. But in the little things, especially with family. Returning small grievances with grievances. Not to think those are my rights, but be loving in return. It’s a lot harder than it sounds in my head. Since coming home, God is a lot bigger than I thought He was. He’s not only in certain places or people. What I need in order to grow, He’s here too.

What are some of the challenges of being back at home?

Now that I’ve been home for awhile, it’s about not getting so comfortable. When I first moved home, I knew I was coming here as a servant, not as a normal family member where I think I have obligations. But now it takes more effort to stay alert, be awake, and not just grow comfortable. Another challenge is really applying the things that I know that are true, even when I don’t see it happening all the time, whether it’s me continually pursuing holiness or trusting God to transform me or other people. I think living in a family with a lot of unbelievers, they’re quick to say, “Oh that’s naive. Things aren’t that simple.” Just a lot of worldly wisdom that is true in the world but not true in the sense of what God is able to do in working in other people. Trusting that God can provide or change people.

What about the joys?

Seeing my grandpa come to know the Lord before he passed away. Seeing how God really did bring me home at an opportune time. My cousins are all at a certain age – all at different ages. Seeing how they have so many questions and are thinking more about God, even the youngest one. Seeing their hearts soften because of the gospel. Seeing prayers answered through my immediate family. The girls at church are growing and are hungry to know the Word and God and love and obey Him. Seeing God prove faithful to what He says in His Word. How God is sovereign in salvation, even with people who we thought would never be softened or have an interest or come to faith. He does what He says. That makes being up here more than worthwhile, even though I miss friends and church family down there. Seeing these things is so heartening.

Any prayer requests?

Always humility – a humble heart that deeply, truly loves Christ more than anything else. That I will obey, remember, and delight in Him in everything. For the salvation of my mom, brother, cousins, a lot of aunts and uncles. I’m praying for their salvation, that they would come to know Christ. That they wouldn’t just say they know God, but really love God. For the church up here – that we would continue to be firm in the truth and have love for each other and for those who would come into the church. For strong men and leaders in the church, especially for the college/singles ministry. There isn’t a whole lot of guys. Lastly, for uncertainty in where I’ll be, and what I’ll be doing in the next year and the year after. It’s always unsettling in some ways but trust God with it.

David Jung

by Garrett Glende

Hi David, tell me a bit about yourself.

I’m a junior at UCSD, from Cerritos and I’m currently a psychology major.

Can you tell me a little about how you first came to LBC?

It was through a parachurch ministry called CCM, specifically two brothers, Bach Ngyuen and Randy Tsuchiyama, who encouraged me to go out to Lighthouse.

What were your first impressions?

The people were friendly. They were very welcoming and encouraging. Pastor John’s made a big impact and he was very passionate. It was a place where I saw myself being a part of. I could really see myself being a part of this church.

What were some things that made you stay here?

For one thing, it was definitely the gospel centered teaching, the gospel centered perspective that the leaders had. I knew that if I stayed here I would really grow and I really wanted that.

How would you describe college so far?

It’s so liberating that if I don’t put some limiters, I’m afraid that I’ll go too crazy and I’m thankful that there are brothers and sisters who put these limits on me so that I don’t get too crazy.

What thing are you most thankful for in college?

If there was one thing that I am thankful for it would be that God has led me to Lighthouse when He could have chosen to have me fall away or join a church that has horrible doctrine, but He chose to put me at a great church like Lighthouse.

How are you currently serving at church?

The first would be the Sonlight ministry. That was the first ministry that I joined. Also LKC or Lighthouse Kids Club, cleaning ministry, web team for college life, and although it’s not an official ministry I try to minister to people by using my skills in videography.

What are your goals for this upcoming year in the context of college life?

I think definitely one thing would be to minister to the new freshmen and help them, even if they don’t choose lighthouse, to truly see what the gospel is and that it should not be taken lightly. Also just to keep up with my disciplines, not just because I’m an upperclassman now, but just to be excellent in everything.

Describe an encouraging story from church.

Besides just the encouragement notes themselves, if I had to choose just one, there was one time during children’s ministry after I finished a lesson, one of the kids, David Chung, came up to me and told me “thank you for that message. It was really helpful.” And that just touched me. It was really touching.

What is it like to work with the children at church?

It’s really fun. They’re a refreshing bunch of kids. It’s hard sometimes to be patient, but at the same time I’m really thankful for that because I feel like I’m learning to be more patient. Whenever I interact with them or teach them, I genuinely feel like I’m learning a lot.

What is one thing you would like to do before college ends?

Haha find a girlfriend…no no seriously. Hmm that’s tough. I’ve never really thought about it. I think one thing would be to memorize a certain book in the Bible. Not just memorize it, but really grasp it and understand it, making sure that I can apply it. Please don’t put find a girlfriend, I don’t really mean that. I’m just being silly.

Ok, thanks David.

Thanks for the interview. It was fun…I wish I provided better answers.

You did great.

Caroline Shin

by Courtney Chow

Caroline Shin, a second year at UCSD, had become a familiar face to the Lighthouse Family before she moved to La Jolla in the fall of 2007. If you haven’t already, now is the time to meet Caroline and learn how the Lord brought her to a saving faith.

When and how did you become a Christian?

Sometime around the summer of 2006, right before my senior year in high school. I was brought up from a Christian home, but I took my sins so lightly all throughout my life. When my sister (Jen Shin) saw the rebellious life I was living, she told me that I was in need of repentance. After feeling so convicted over my sins, my sister shared the gospel w/me, and for the first time, I asked God for forgiveness & wanted to follow & submit under Christ’s lordship.

Many people might be familiar with your older sister, Jen, but who are the other members of your family?

I have a big family. I have loving parents, and an older brother (with his own family now), older sister (Jen), and younger sister (Aileen). I have to admit, we’re a pretty musical family. We go from the violins to the drums to vocals. Oh and I can’t forget my dad’s saxophone playing to wake me up in the mornings. =)

You finished your first year at UCSD in June. How would you sum it up?

Humbling. I know I’ve made a lot of mistakes this past year, and repenting from those mistakes have shown me that the focus needed to be taken away from myself and to do everything in Christ alone. The more and more my sins were revealed to me, the more I realized my need to be completely dependent on God.

What was your first impression of Lighthouse?

BIG, at least compared to my home church (we had 7 youth group members altogether). Also, how it reminded me so much of a family. I could see the genuine love people have for one another & the unity of the church body.

Why did you decide to become a member?

I wanted to be a part of this “family” and to start serving at a local church. Ever since becoming a member, I’ve been able to build relationships with other sisters at the church who’ve been a HUGE encouragement to me & have held me accountable in my walk.

How are you involved at LBC?

I’m a part of the music ministry (choir & orchestra), and I’m in the college life skit team.

What are you looking forward to for this next school year?

Continuing to build up my relationships with my sisters and brothers, and to be an encouragement to the new freshmen! I’m also excited about moving into an apartment (mainly because I get to cook and be surrounded by the other lighthouse classmates)!

Do you have any advice for the incoming freshmen?

You don’t have to experience everything in order to know what it’s like. Just trust what the Bible has to say when it is good or when it is wrong!

Editor's Note: October 2008

by Steven Hong

Put away those surfboards and the sunblock and dust off those notebooks—it’s time for school! This is one of the most exciting seasons of the year for our church family. We  see old faces returning and new ones checking out our ministry from the surrounding schools. With that in mind, our newsletter staff has put together a few articles  spotlighting our college ministry and some of its members.
If you are new to our church, we welcome you and thank you for joining us. Our prayer is that you would see our love for Christ in every aspect of our church life—from the praise and preaching to the fellowship and fun. Stick around and see what God’s doing here at Lighthouse!

Put away those surfboards and the sunblock and dust off those notebooks—it’s time for school! This is one of the most exciting seasons of the year for our church family. We  see old faces returning and new ones checking out our ministry from the surrounding schools. With that in mind, our newsletter staff has put together a few articles  spotlighting our college ministry and some of its members.

If you are new to our church, we welcome you and thank you for joining us. Our prayer is that you would see our love for Christ in every aspect of our church life—from the praise and preaching to the fellowship and fun. Stick around and see what God’s doing here at Lighthouse!