by Pastor John Kim

As 2009 is our ten year anniversary, I think it is only appropriate to take a little stroll down memory lane as well as look forward with anticipation to how God will lead and direct us in the future. It was in the spring of 1998 that we started meeting as three families, praying that God would be gracious to us as we started preparations for what would become Lighthouse Bible Church. Even the name was a bit of an adventure to come up with as we started off with Morningstar Bible
Church, only to find out that “Morningstar” was the name of a pretty large Charismatic organization that we probably didn’t want to be associated with by others. We then tried Cornerstone Bible Church, only to find out that there were alreadyquite a few of them. So we decided on Lighthouse Bible Church. That summer found us starting a Bible study with about 15 people or so meeting at the home of Peter and Jinny Lim. Those were wonderful days as everybody was excited and enthusiastic about the possibilities for the future. Even though we had humble beginnings and even humbler resources, at least from a human vantage point, we had the hopes of our great God doing above and beyond what we could ask or think (Ephesians 3:20-21). If this was going to be Christ’s church, then only with Christ being the head as well as the provider would our dream of a church-plant be realized.

Ten years have now come and gone and we find ourselves in quite a different state from 1998. We have moved to a new facility, so for our newer members, the new site is their only point of reference. Out of our original 17 charter members, 11 still remain but we have almost 200 additional members at the church who have committed themselves to support what Lighthouse represents. We have a lot of babies in the nursery—around 20 with more to come. We have a large contingent of single adults who probably comprise the largest group at our church. We started a campus Bible study at UCSD and are in the process of reaching out to SDSU and other campuses. We have two ongoing international partnerships in the Czech Republic and Argentina that have brought tremendous joy as we have been able to grow a relationship with the churches in Ostrava and Tucuman. We have also gone through many difficulties and trials. The past couple of years have brought waves of grief that I had never experienced before and have reminded me of my utter dependence on God’s mercies. The conflicts and the breakdowns within various relationships have shown me that without God’s love, we are doomed to dissolution. Even with a commitment to strong doctrine, hard work, and perseverance through hardships, without a fervent and passionate love for God and people, it is all for nothing (Revelation 2:1-7, 1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

So the Passion Statement has become all the more precious to me (Matthew 22:37-40). It must be the driving force behind our Mission Statement—to make disciples of Christ. Disciple-making is hard work and it is often discouraging and frustrating because it involves people in need of change helping people in need of change, and both are going to be challenged with human frailties as well as the sin of our selfishness blinding us to our need to grow spiritually. So we must be constantly reminded of the love of God in Christ through the cross. The love of God is what needs to be the foundation as well as the empowering source to love others. The Mission can only happen with the Passion. Without the Passion, the Mission simply becomes a task that will ultimately fail because it will be devoid of a heart.

The Vision Statement is to plant churches. We have talked about it. We have prayed about it. Now it’s time to actually act upon it. As was announced this past members meeting, it is our hope to plant a church in the San Jose area by the summer of 2010. It is exciting yet sobering. The pursuit of this endeavor will reveal our church for what kind of heart we have as well as what kind of resolve we will have to be true to our Passion and Mission Statements. But there is something different this time from ten years ago. Ten years ago we had no supporting church. We had very little financial and material resources. We have very few people and a lot of opposition even within the San Diego church community. The odds were daunting and the chances of succeeding were slim. But by God’s grace and power, He has brought us to where we are now. He has indeed done above and beyond what we could ever ask or think. But He is not finished. The work of the kingdom is not going to be
finished until all is fulfilled within God’s redemptive plan. So as followers of Christ, if we are going to be the living sacrifices of Romans 12:1, if we are going to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness as Matthew 6:33 states, if we are going to have the love of Christ control us so that we no longer live for ourselves but for the One who died and rose again on our behalf as 2 Corinthians 5:15 so clearly calls for, it behooves us to no longer be passive or apathetic to what the MVP of LBC represents. I charge you as the congregation of Lighthouse Bible Church—rise up and fulfill your calling! Make the most of your time because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16) and offer up everything you do, even your eating and drinking to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). We do not have time to waste so don’t waste your life away with the pursuits of worldly gain. Take all that God has given you and be a good steward and if God has blessed you, do good works that would magnify His name (1 Timothy 6:17-19) and have an eternal perspective. Don’t lay up treasures here on earth but invest them for God’s heavenly purposes (Matthew 6:19-21).

Let’s, above all, be in prayer for our church. Please pray Ephesians 3:14-21 and Philippians 1:9-11. Read those passages and write them down somewhere so that you can be reminded to pray often. Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Pray that we be faithful to be a solid sending church. Pray that we would be hopeful as a church-planting church. We need everyone at Lighthouse to step it up and fulfill their calling as members. Love Christ with all your heart, soul, and mind and let that love manifest itself in expanding ways to the point where we share that love with places that are in need of gospel-preaching churches that will shine the love and truth of Christ brightly.

Praise God for ten years of His faithful and sovereign care. Let’s press forward by the grace of God.