Monthly Archives: November 2010

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions (part 2)

by Elder Mike Chon

In the last article we saw how the culture of our day can sometimes influence our decision-making, causing us to look away from God and look to another source. One of the differences between someone that has a true biblical worldview and someone that doesn’t is how they begin to make their decisions. Someone without a biblical worldview begins with questions that start with themselves:

  • “How is this going to impact my life?”
  • “Will this decision help my family?”
  • “Will this help me grow closer to God?”

At the heart of all these questions is a very self-centered view of the world. I have to pause at this moment to make an announcement that many of us have already heard before. “Life is not about you!” If you begin to make decisions based on you, then you become the fool that the book of Proverbs writes about (see last article). Those that have a true biblical worldview will begin their decision-making process by asking questions such as:

  • “Does God’s Word have anything to say about this?”
  • “How does God’s character impact how to make this decision?”
  • “Will this decision consider others before myself?”

So how do we guard ourselves from becoming the fool that God warns about?

A fool, biblically speaking, is someone that has forsaken the true wisdom of God. Please understand, the Bible is not engaging in cheap name-calling here; rather it is describing someone who is rebellious, who refuses to use their reason in the way that God intended.  All unbelievers are considered fools because they have forsaken the wisdom of God, primarily in unbelief of the gospel and His Word. But for believers we sometimes act as a fool when we don’t consider God before we consider ourselves. For example, in Romans 12:1 it says “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” How are we to “discern what the will of God” is? By the renewal of our mind. So to have a biblical worldview we must start with God’s Word which reveals to us who God is. First of all our mind needs to be renewed with a true understanding of the character of God which comes primarily through the Scriptures. Many times our view of God is incomplete and we allow the world to define God’s character for us which appeals to our sinful mind and heart.

For instance, God’s Word tells us that God is love. But how do we define love? There are so many misconceptions of love that when we describe God’s character to be love, many thoughts may come into mind. Please take time to listen to the audio messages from the 2010 All-Church Retreat to understand what it means that God is love. It may be surprisingly offensive.

God’s Word also describes God as being good. So does that mean that if something “bad” happens in this world or to us, then it must not be from God. But who defines something to be “good” and something to be “bad?” Many of us define the origin of our circumstances based on how we perceive something to be “good” or “bad.” If it is “good,” we will happily and enthusiastically attribute it to God and His goodness. If something is “bad,” it must be from Satan or the world, since a good God would never allow something like this to happen to me. So in our decision-making we pick the path of life that seems “good,” since God would only want us to enjoy our life and not have to suffer. Therefore, the path that seems “good” must be the path that follows God’s will for my life. He wouldn’t want me to pick the path that is more difficult or a path that may bring suffering to my life. Or does He? So how does Scripture define the goodness of God?

When we think of God being good we are not talking about good as opposed to God being bad; it is not related to something He does, but rather something He is. Biblically God’s goodness is related to Him being benevolent, that God is kind. And many times His goodness is related to God being patient in wanting men to repent (Romans 2:1-4). The word “good” in the Greek conveys the idea of being generous, merciful and kind. So when we think about the goodness of God, we can think of the kindness of God. Therefore, all our circumstances can be seen in light of God’s goodness. So when we look at decisions we make, and one choice appears to be more difficult, more inconvenient, the choice will cause us to suffer, is that a “bad” choice? Can we sing worship with David in Psalm 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life?” Do we trust that God is good and that His kindness and mercy will follow us like a shepherd? Are our decisions based on the fact that God’s goodness, His mercy, His kindness leads us to repentance and to know that the greatest good in our life is to put aside sin and put on holiness? Do you consider your relationship with God in your decision-making? Do you choose the decision that will help you be transformed more into God’s image or do you choose the one that is most convenient? The one that is logical? The one that will benefit you most in this life? Therefore understanding and trusting in the character of God will help us to make decisions that will truly honor and glorify God.

Only those that have repented of their sins and have been saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ can ever make decisions to know God’s will. If you are not saved, God’s goodness is extended to you in patience so that you have the opportunity to repent and be saved (2 Peter 3:9). If you are not saved and continue in your unbelief you will never know, and will never be capable of knowing God’s will for your life. You will continue to live in this life as a fool who has rejected the true wisdom of God. For believers, we should never conform to this world by making decisions in our life that reflect the foolishness of this world and not the wisdom of God. Who do we consider first in our decisions, God or man? In the next article we will expose some of the common mistakes that we make in our decision-making process and consider that God does hold us responsible, not only to make wise decisions but also responsible in how we make those decisions.

I Will Help Thee, Saith the Lord

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Isaiah 41:14

This morning let us hear the Lord Jesus speak to each one of us: ‘I will help thee.’ ‘It is but a small thing for Me, thy God, to help thee. Consider what I have done already. What! not help thee? Why, I bought thee with My blood. What! not help thee? I have died for thee; and if I have done the greater, will I not do the less? Help thee! It is the least thing I will ever do for thee; I have done more, and will do more. Before the world began I chose thee. I made the covenant for thee. I laid aside My glory and became a man for thee; I gave up My life for thee; and if I did all this, I will surely help thee now. In helping thee, I am giving thee what I have bought for thee already. If thou hadst need of a thousand times as much help, I would give it thee; thou requirest little compared with what I am ready to give. ‘Tis much for thee to need, but it is nothing for me to bestow. ‘Help thee?’ Fear not! If there were an ant at the door of thy granary asking for help, it would not ruin thee to give him a handful of thy wheat; and thou art nothing but a tiny insect at the door of My all-sufficiency. ‘I will help thee.”

O my soul, is not this enough? Dost thou need more strength than the omnipotence of the United Trinity? Dost thou want more wisdom than exists in the Father, more love than displays itself in the Son, or more power than is manifest in the influences of the Spirit? Bring hither thine empty pitcher! Surely this well will fill it. Haste, gather up thy wants, and bring them here-thine emptiness, thy woes, thy needs. Behold, this river of God is full for thy supply; what canst thou desire beside? Go forth, my soul, in this thy might. The Eternal God is thine helper!

‘Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismay’d!
I, I am thy God, and will still give thee aid.’

1.16a

Weekly Links (11/26/2010)

by Stephen Rodgers

Well, I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and hasn’t been put into a turkey-coma or injured at a Black Friday sale.  For those of you who are awake and able to read, we present to you a new edition of the Weekly Links:

  • For those of you who are curious about such things, the folks over at 9Marks have linked to the content from our 2010 All Church Retreat. So in case we’ve picked up any new readers because of that, welcome to the Beacon! (AUDIO)  (Warning, the links that 9Marks provided in their article are a bit goofy, but you can just go here to get everything).
  • For those of you still interested in the articles we’ve posted recently regarding digital life and social media, I’ve got a couple interesting ones for you: first up is this article from John Piper on 5 Dangers of Computer Unreality…from 1994.  Kind of prophetic, actually.  And then, I have an excerpt from CS Lewis The Screwtape Letters on how we constantly crave something new. Both are insightful warnings from the past. (WEB)
  • Considering the recent articles that Elder Mike Chon has been writing regarding Biblical decision-making, I thought that this quick summary post from Choosing Hats would be very helpful for many people.  It’s entitled Should We Be Neutral? and it touches on several of the same points that he’s been making. (WEB)
  • Last week we touched on a video from John Piper warning my generation of what he sees to be the greatest weakness in our theology/theopraxis.  There has been some furor over that video, but I think these two articles actually get the greater point: The Hole In Our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung and The 3 Most Disturbing Words on TV by Mike Cosper.  (WEB) Both are definitely worth your time.

Well, that’s it.  See you Sunday!

Pro Rege

Update from Caroline (College)

by Caroline Shin

Hello! I’m Caroline, a fourth year at UCSD, and this is my last year being a part of Lighthouse’s College Life Ministry. College Life was previously led by Pastor Patrick, but now that he is our head pastor (woohoo!) and heading the Single Life ministry, Hansol An and Johnny Kim have taken charge of the college ministry with Peter Lim as our overseer. It has honestly been a huge encouragement seeing the college ministry continue to thrive, even without our old college pastor.

We are currently going through the parable of the four soils (Matthew 13; Mark 4; Luke 8). So far, we’ve gone over the path soil, the rocky soil, and the thorny soil, which have been taught by our male, senior staffers. It’s been awesome so far getting teaching from a different staffer each week. To sum up the past three messages, there are dangers to being a path soil, a rocky soil, and a thorny soil. Each soil represents the condition of a person’s heart. If you’re one of these three soils, it is due to the fact that you have a shallow view of your sins and do not desire to live in light of the gospel.

Aside from the messages, after every bible study, the collegians enjoy eating out and playing games together. Our after bible study hangouts have always been a highlight for College Life. These are the times when collegians and staffers get to deepen their relationships with one another. I’ve personally seen the benefit of fellowshipping during our trips to hole-in-the-walls and game time at the collegians’ apartments. Many of the collegians, who are members, have been intentional in furthering their conversations with newcomers by meeting with them outside of bible study and church. It’s neat to see collegians take on the discipler-disciplee attitude.

One blessing that I’ve seen from College Life this year is the number of freshmen who have decided to stay at Lighthouse. I’ve been really encouraged by their eagerness to learn, grow, and serve the church body. Although I’m notoriously known for being the grandma of the collegians, being surrounded by the freshmen’s presence really helps me to feed off their energy and make me feel younger. I’m truly excited to see how God will prove His faithfulness to the college ministry this year!

Eschatology is Personal

by Stephen Rodgers

Editor’s Note: In cased you didn’t know, I’ll be filling in for Garrett until he is able to return to his Living Theology series.

Well, in case you missed it, my post last week was a bit…longwinded. I’ll aim to be a good deal wittier this time, assuming that you agree that brevity is its soul and all that. So moving right along…

My claim this week is that there are basically two categories of unfortunate events: the personal (which we call a “tragedy”) and the impersonal (which we call a “statistic”…or if we’re being more sensitive, a “current event”). In other words, the relative tragedy of any given event is often directly related to our personal attachments, or lack thereof. I’ll give you two brief examples, and I’ll even use bullet points to ensure their brevity:

  • Columbine, 1999. There’s no denying that the horrible events at Columbine high school captured national attention. However, while I also watched the news and read the papers, I had a more personal connection. A childhood friend of mine was attending Columbine at the time, and in those days prior to Gmail and Facebook, SMS and Twitter, being unaware of how someone else was doing was a given, not the exception. It wasn’t until several days later that I heard from him and knew that he and his brother were alive.
  • Moravia, 2010. I read and/or skim a great many articles every day, and so like most days, I slid my eyes across the front page of the international version of CNN. This time however, they caught on a headline informing me of “massive flooding in Moravia” along with a number of pictures that demonstrated in no uncertain terms that water laughs in the face of modern engineering. Normally, the relative moistness of Central/Eastern Europe has no bearing on my life, except that this time it came with the realization that my fiancée was potentially treading water. She has since corrected my view (“We live on hill, so water is not a problem; we fear fire.”), but at the time it was alarming to say the least.

So this brings us to eschatology.

Now a number of you might be scratching your heads at that one. After all, your familiarity with eschatology might bring to mind a number of prefixes: pre-, post-, and a- right? And something in there about “tribs?” Particularly savvy students might be trundling out their commentaries on Daniel and Matthew along with Revelation, but in this case, they’ve jumped the gun (whether they’ve jumped the shark as well is grist for another mill). You see, I don’t mean that kind of eschatology, I mean that kind of eschatology.

For those who cannot see my indicative hand-waving and chin-thrusting, I am referring not to eschatology of the a-/pre-/post- variety (what theologians often call “specific eschatology”) but of the Heaven/Hell variety (what theologians often call “general eschatology”).

You see, I recently heard a comment that started me down this line of reasoning. When asked to comment on his post-millennial views, Douglas Wilson made the observation that while he personally doesn’t believe that Jesus Christ could return tomorrow, there is absolutely nothing whatsoever preventing Him from demanding that Pastor Wilson make the trip to Him. In other words, whatever your view on when the sovereign Lord intends to return to judge the quick and dead, we all agree that like the rich fool that Christ so aptly illustrated for us, our life could be demanded of us this very night. (Luke 12:16-21)

However, before we all wax poetic and oh-so-sanctified about how wonderful Heaven will be (my aforementioned fire-fearing fiancée is an excellent example of this, as she famously has announced that she does not fear interstate highways and crazed American drivers because “Heaven is better”), let us pause briefly to consider that this applies to unbelievers as well as believers.  Which is to say, “Yes!  True!  But…”  In other words, as I once pointed out in my Apologetics class, the issue is not whether we live forever or don’t. Everyone, by their God-given nature, is functionally immortal. The question, rather, is where you will eternally reside?

So my challenge to you is this: what priority do you place on the souls of the lost? What time do you spend in evangelism? How near and dear…how personal…is your eschatology? You see, like Columbine, like Moravia, and like so many other tragedies, Hell is personal for me. I have friends there. I have family there. And it is something that is starting to keep me up at night. Because while they are forever beyond my reach, there are others who are not. I commented earlier that 1999 was a lousy year in terms of digital media and a robust social-networking scene. News flash: 2010 is quite the opposite. There are over 500 names in my Gmail contacts. There are almost 400 souls calling themselves my Facebook “friends.” This newsletter alone garners nearly 3,000 unique visitors per month.  That’s a lot of people that God has brought within the reach of my voice, phone, and keyboard.

How many of those people need to hear the Gospel? How many have yet to bend the knee to Christ?

And do we take it personally?

“If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms around their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.” (C.H. Spurgeon)

The Practice of Church Discipline (part 2)

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Last time, we looked at how church discipline is a step-by-step process. First, it begins with one believer privately confronting another. If that fails, then the process is repeated and one or two additional witnesses are included in the attempt. If that still fails to resolve the issue, then the third step requires taking the situation to the church. And at all points of this process, the goal is restoration and reconciliation, not petty vindictiveness.

Even still, after all these loving attempts, he still might refuse to turn from his sin. In that case, Jesus says you must treat him as an unbeliever (v. 17). Notice that there is not a higher authority to turn to. Jesus doesn’t say, “Take it to the denominational heads” or even “Take it to God.” If a person refuses to listen even to the church, he is to be disregarded as a believer. The church represents God in the matter (vv. 18-20). Jesus even goes so far as to say, “I’ll be there” to confirm the process (v. 20). This isn’t to say that this person is necessarily an unbeliever. That is between him and God. What Jesus is advocating is that in the church’s eyes, if a brother is refusing to act like a believer, then the church should not treat him as one. This final step may confirm that he was never a believer in the first place, or that he is a believer whose heart has been hardened by sin so that he doesn’t want to act like a genuine believer.

Not only do you see the instructions for this process from Christ in Matthew 18, you also see the practice of church discipline in the early church. Paul chided the Corinthians for not removing a brother who had fallen into gross immorality (1 Cor. 5). He tells them that should not associate with anyone who bears the name “brother” and does not want to repent. Paul himself exercised apostolic authority to remove Alexander and Hymenaeus from fellowship since they rejected the gospel and made shipwreck of their faith (1 Tim. 1:19-20). It isn’t just the “big” sins that are worthy of church discipline, but even comparatively innocuous ones as well. For instance, in 1 Thessalonians, Paul confronts the church to deal with those who are lazy and unwilling to work with their hands. By 2 Thessalonians, he tells the church to disassociate with them because of their refusal to repent.

At Lighthouse, we seek to emphasize that this is a ministry of love to our members. This is why it is part of our Member Care process. If we didn’t care, we would let you continue on in your sin. If we didn’t care, we would not seek to help you grow in your faith and point out areas of concern. Because we care, we provide this ministry to our members. The church is a family, and that is why we make these issues known to the church. If one of our brothers or sisters falls into unrepentant sin, as a loving family, we should rally around that person and help restore them to fellowship.

Paul writes that when he practices church discipline his hope is that the erring individual would one day come to their senses. By “delivering a person to Satan” and treating them as “a Gentile or a tax collector,” his desire is that the erring brother would see the emptiness of life apart from Christ and the fellowship of the church. Hopefully he would see the threat that comes from turning away from God and be restored again. It has been sad that we at Lighthouse have had to practice church discipline in the past, but this is our hope as well. If these individuals would see their sin, repent, and turn back to God, we would joyfully and eagerly restore them to fellowship. But may the Lord work in our hearts so that we would never require going past the first step of the Matthew 18 process. May the Lord bring us to speedy repentance and reconciliation, all to His glory.

Book Review: Upon This Slippery Slope

Book Review by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Book by Eric Svendsen

Growing up and living out my life as a professing Christian, I was always asked by my classmates if I was Catholic. I always answered no, but it didn’t dawn on me that it had more to do with my race than my own personal convictions. Unbeknown to me, it was simply assumed that any Latin-American in this country was Catholic of some sort. Although my mom and her family came out of a Catholic background, I was never exposed to the Catholic faith as a viable option. Until college, I never really understood why that was, and why I was not a Catholic.

Upon encountering the concept of defending the faith and beginning to study apologetics, it was only a matter of time until I would begin engaging some friends about Roman Catholicism, and whether it was a legitimate form of Christianity. My answers were surface level, and not completely satisfactory even to me. However, upon becoming a Christian, I was made aware of a reformed view of apologetics and the issues between Rome and Scripture became much more clear.

One book that was helpful in my understanding was a small work by Eric Svendsen, Upon This Slippery Rock. Back in the days when he maintained a website called New Testament Research Ministries (the now-defunct ntrmin.org, which James White comments on here), he had a number of articles that dealt with Roman Catholic apologetics. Many addressed the claims of papal infallibility, the immaculate conception, the Marian dogmas, purgatory, and a host of other issues Rome calls all Catholics to believe. However, with this book, New Testament scholar Svendsen deals with one of the most common objections to the Protestant faith, one that deals with sola Scriptura.

As Christians attending a church that preaches, teaches, and lives by the Bible, our belief in the Holy Scriptures as the undiluted Word of God draws us to look to it for faith and guidance, even in how we worship together corporately. Sola Scriptura means “Scripture alone” as being the sole, infallible rule of faith for the church in terms of belief and practice. What Rome challenges is our ability to use our private judgments in interpreting the Bible without the authority of the Roman magisterium. The basic issue deals with our epistemology, the area of philosophy that addresses how we know what we know. If you’ve ever had a discussion with a Roman Catholic, you’re bound to have been asked, “How do you know, apart from your own fallible private judgment, that what you believe is the truth?” or “How do you know which books should and should not have been included in the canon of Scripture?” The point in asking these questions is to get us to see that where we appeal to our source of truth as a decision we made, which is not from an infallible source (unless you think you’re personally infallible, which is another problem). After all, who are we to decide that we can interpret the Bible on our own?

Of course, we recognize the importance of authority: first God’s, and then our leaders in our church, which is a delegated authority given by God Himself. But is that enough? Or are we in need of an infallible interpreter, like Roman Catholicism suggests? Is this the only way we can get unity? Many a Roman Catholic will appeal to its 2,000 year tradition and its long-standing history of believing in the same truth, building true unity, and not the “25,000 different denominations” that have arisen due to belief in sola Scriptura. At least, that’s what is claimed.

What Svendsen helps us to see is how baseless and flawed this argument really is. He draws out the view that Scripture takes, and points out that what Rome claims is against Scripture itself. He also points to the self-destructive nature of the argument put forward by anyone who considers this a worthy objection to evangelical faith in the essentials of Gospel truth.

While his website was still active, Svendsen posed three challenges to the Roman Catholic that he believed could not be surmounted. Just to give you a flavor of the irrationality of the argument, here’s his first challenge:

Tell us how you came to decide that Rome was the “true” church without engaging in the very private judgment that you have already dismissed as illegitimate. (p.32)

What Eric Svendsen points out throughout his book, through stories and examples, is how this roots out the inconsistent standard many in Rome hold to when it comes to knowing what the Bible says and how they accuse Protestant evangelicals of using their fallible reasoning to get to a position they claim certainty in. Roman Catholics happen to do the same thing, yet are blindly unaware of it. The other two challenges attacks the argument from other angles that puts this issue at rest and gives confidence to the Christian who puts complete trust in Christ and looks to His Word for an infallible look at who God is and what Christ did while here on earth.

The book is only 68 pages long, and is very much worth the read. Svendsen is very aware of what the common objections are from a Roman Catholic, and is more than qualified to write a book like this. In two appendices he gives real life responses to real life questions, as well as the position Rome holds in terms of private judgment in the Council of Trent, Vatican I and II. Knowing how often I meet Catholics in the San Diego area, I have seen how conversations could easily lead to a direction where the Gospel is shared more clearly in using the content of this book. It helps clear one of the most common objections Rome gives, and gives us another hearing with those who see us in error. I would commend this little book to you and hope that God would open up opportunities for us to point Catholics to Christ and His infallible Word that He gave for us to understand, cherish, proclaim and judge on its basis, and not anywhere else.

Editor’s Note: Cesar previously reviewed Douglas Wilson’s book Persuasions, which contains an excellent sample conversation between Evangelist and a Roman Catholic.  That conversation would also be an excellent starting point for gaining an understanding of the issues that would lead to a constructive and charitable dialogue.

But I Give Myself Unto Prayer

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Psalm 109:4

Lying tongues were busy against the reputation of David, but he did not defend himself; he moved the case into a higher court, and pleaded before the great King Himself. Prayer is the safest method of replying to words of hatred. The Psalmist prayed in no cold-hearted manner, he gave himself to the exercise-threw his whole soul and heart into it-straining every sinew and muscle, as Jacob did when wrestling with the angel. Thus, and thus only, shall any of us speed at the throne of grace. As a shadow has no power because there is no substance in it, even so that supplication, in which a man’s proper self is not thoroughly present in agonizing earnestness and vehement desire, is utterly ineffectual, for it lacks that which would give it force. ‘Fervent prayer,’ says an old divine, ‘like a cannon planted at the gates of heaven, makes them fly open.’ The common fault with the most of us is our readiness to yield to distractions. Our thoughts go roving hither and thither, and we make little progress towards our desired end. Like quicksilver our mind will not hold together, but rolls off this way and that. How great an evil this is! It injures us, and what is worse, it insults our God. What should we think of a petitioner, if, while having an audience with a prince, he should be playing with a feather or catching a fly?

Continuance and perseverance are intended in the expression of our text. David did not cry once, and then relapse into silence; his holy clamour was continued till it brought down the blessing. Prayer must not be our chance work, but our daily business, our habit and vocation. As artists give themselves to their models, and poets to their classical pursuits, so must we addict ourselves to prayer. We must be immersed in prayer as in our element, and so pray without ceasing. Lord, teach us so to pray that we may be more and more prevalent in supplication.

1.15p

Weekly Links (11/19/2010)

by Stephen Rodgers

Welcome back everyone…once again, we’ve gone a little farther around the sun and we’re back at Friday.  So, to keep that time interesting and profitable, here’s another set of links for your enjoyment and edification.

  • In our last edition, we had a couple of article on digital life and social media. This week, we’ve got a couple more for you as well.  Michael Johnson continues his series on remaining faithful in a world that increasingly demands divided attention, and over at Justin Taylor’s blog he posts a great excerpt from David Powlison on the subject of giving grace in interaction. (WEB)
  • And speaking of online interaction, Dane Ortlund has a great post on 1 Timothy 6:4 and blogging. He makes a rather surprising connection between online obnoxiousness and addiction to pornography…and before you dismiss that out of hand, I’d recommend giving his article some thought. In a similar vein, I thought this might be a great time to repost this insightful commentary from JC Ryle on 5 Dangers for Young Men. (WEB)
  • John Piper also brings us this great observation on the greatest potential weakness of my generation of believers. (VIDEO)
  • Speaking of John Piper, did you know that if you read books via some sort of e-reader, almost ALL of his books are available for free online? I knew that some were there, but I hadn’t realized how extensive the offerings were.  If you’re in the habit of doing much reading your phone/e-reader/tablet/computer, might I suggest that this is probably a better use of time than what you might normally be reading?  I know that it certainly would be for me… (WEB)
  • And also in the “resources” category, 9Marks recently launched (or re-launched, I’m not entirely sure) their “Answers for Pastors” and “Answers for Church Members” websites.  I haven’t looked at either exhaustively, but I did give several topics a quick scan and there are some great, clear answers in there. (WEB)
  • A few of you know that the I’ve personally been studying the very topic that Al Mohler addressed this week on his blog.  If you have any interest in the glory of God and the life of the mind, then I commend his article to you as a great introduction to the topic. (WEB)
  • And last but not least, Matt Perman is rapidly becoming one of my favorite writers on the topics of vocation and productivity, and so I hope you enjoy his article on “Why Sound Doctrine Leads to Effective Action for God.” (WEB)

Alright, that’s all I have for you this week.  I have to finish the week strong for my employer, who is still laughing over a mistake I made earlier in the week.  Be honest, am I the only one who has accidentally slipped into “family mode” while on a business call and unthinkingly said “I love you too” just before ending an important conversation?

I hope not.  Oh well.

Pro Rege

http://www.lighthousebc.com/beacon/?p=2364

Interview with Kristen (Youth)

by Grace Wu

Editor’s Note: This week, the Youth affinity group brings us an interview with one of their members: Kristen.

1. How has youth group changed since you came in as an 8th grader and now as a senior in high school?

I officially became a part of the youth group in the summer of 2006, about to enter the 8th grade. At that time there were 3 middle school students, and 3 high school students. Now there are 5 middle school and 5 high school students. It’s still a relatively small group, but I’ve come to appreciate the intimacy that we have and how we all know each other pretty well.

I’m so thankful that throughout my years in youth group, amidst various changes, the staff have remained consistently the best staff ever! They are so patient and willing to do anything to serve us and point us to Christ. The only thing that has changed about the staff is the staff to youth ratio. There was a time when the ratio was 1:1! Even though there was a surplus of staff, the fact that they still wanted to remain in youth group and help us grow in our understanding of the Gospel spoke volumes to me. All the current youth staffers have been so encouraging and its been my joy to learn from their wisdom.

We used to have Wednesday night Bible study called WWF (not to be confused with the wresting group) which stood for Wednesday Workout Fellowship. During these times we went through the book of Proverbs, and learned about the way of the wise and the fool. Later on we switched our Bible studies to Friday night, and then began studying the book of Luke. I’m so glad that we are studying the life of Christ and seeing for ourselves who He claimed to be and how He deserves our worship.

All in all, youth group has not changed much in terms of the staff’s commitment to teach us the word of God and how our lives should change as a result of true salvation. And for that I’m thankful.

2. How have YOU changed since you came in as an 8th grader and now as a senior in high school?

When I first came to LBC I was not a Christian. That is the biggest difference between me back then and me now. Through the ministry of the youth staff as well as older Christians who showed me the love of Christ, I saw the Gospel being lived out. I had the head knowledge that I was a sinner, but I truly didn’t see my hopelessness in my depraved state until early high school. This was a miracle in itself and definitely the work of God, because I had grown up so prideful and judgmental towards others, looking down on everyone. Also during this time my dad wasn’t doing too well physically, so I was put in a position where I had the choice to give my life to Christ and depend on His strength or continue in my self-dependent ways. By the grace of God, I believed that I could only be saved through Christ’s sacrifice, and He gave me the desire to live for His glory.

Something that God has really changed in my heart is to fear Him more than I fear people. This is something that is still an on-going process, but I definitely see His work in this area. When the youth group studied the attributes of God during Sunday school, my eyes were opened to see how majestic and big God really is and that He is so much more mightier than any force or human being. I have the privilege of calling the God of the universe my Father, and I have the promise that nothing can separate me from the love of God. What am I to fear? Every week my heart is consistently saturated with the Gospel and the glory of Jesus Christ, and this fills my mind leaving very little space for my worries and anxieties to expand.

Because I have grown up going to church, many biblical ordinances were just habits to me. But now that I’m a Christian I’ve learned over the years the reasons why I should do the things that I do, like something as simple as serving at church. So to an outsider I may look the same in terms of the external lifestyle that I lived back then, but my life is completely different because now I’ve been washed by the blood of Christ and God gives me the ability to serve Him in a God-honoring way.

Also a big difference from the 2006 me and the 2010 me is that I see life with an eternal perspective. This past summer youth retreat the theme was Heaven. I was challenged to always set my mind on the things above (Col 3:23) and to look forward to the day when I will worship the Lord with no encumbrances. It is still a temptation to worry about the things of this world (such as grades and choosing a college), but ultimately I know that everything will work out for the good to those who love God.

3. What is one thing you want the people at LBC who don’t know the youth group well to know about Lumos?

The youth group desires to get to know the rest of the church body! I think it is somewhat easier for the upperclassmen of high school to converse with the older people at church, but I remember being in middle school and how intimidated I was to approach someone who was a lot older than me. The youth staff tells us to not be shy in getting to know people of other affinity groups, but I think it is still a little scary to do so, especially for the younger youth. I have been personally blessed by the kindness of older LBC members who graciously gave their time and energy to spend time with me, and I would love for the other youth members to be blessed by this as well. I’m definitely not saying that this isn’t taking place already, but I’m merely affirming your efforts in doing so. Thank you for your serving hearts and desire to pass down the greatness of God to us!

4. How are college applications coming along?

They’re going well. I’m only applying to a few colleges so its not too strenuous. The UC and CSU apps are due November 30, but my goal is to turn it in before Thanksgiving. As a Christian, the process of applying is not as stressful because I know that ultimately God is sovereign over where I get accepted or rejected. But that should not be a reason for me to be lazy in writing those essays, since God calls me to work heartily and be good stewards of the blessing of education.

5. How have you been able to shine the light at your high school?

I’ve been so humbled by how God has used me as well as the Christians at my school. For me personally, I’ve always been afraid of talking to my peers about God because I didn’t want them to dislike me. But its been so neat to see how God has been filling my heart with the fear of Him and placing various opportunities to share the Gospel with classmates. Earlier this year my English teacher gave us an assignment called a Self-Discovery project where we had to share with the class who we are (to help us brainstorm ideas of what to write in college essays). Another Christian in my class and I shared the Gospel through our testimonies. I was so nervous and fearful of how it would all turn out, but God gave me peace and the words to speak. I trusted that no matter how eloquent or inarticulate the presentation was, God was the one to change my classmates’ hearts, so all glory goes to Him. As I said before, I’m so humbled by how God would choose to save me and use me to do something that I would NEVER have done before prior to salvation.

Also LBC sponsors an on campus Bible study at Torrey Pines High School called TP Bible Study. Every Wednesday during lunch, either Cesar or Roger comes to teach us God’s word. In the past years Pastor JR has come and spoken, as well as other men from LBC. This semester Cesar is going through 1 John, which has going great! The book talks about what true salvation is and how to discern if you are truly a Believer or not. Praise God for His Gospel being preached at my high school!

6. What was your most memorable youth activity?

Hm, that’s a hard question. We’ve had so many fun and interesting activities! To name a few, we’ve had Christmas parties, a mini-golf night, a photo scavenger hunt, ping-pong & Foosball tournament, FWiiS night (which stands for Friends, Wii, and Snacks), ice skating, youth retreats, a bring-your-own-utensil dinner, movie nights, bowling outings, an attempted bowling activity that turned into a game night at the arcade (Jenna, if your reading this, you know =D ), joint college-youth and singles-youth activities, and many many more!

But my most memorable “youth activity” isn’t really an activity, but more of a memory. I will always remember when Roger proposed to Grace during the “Sunday school lesson.” None of us were expecting for that to happen, even though Josh Liu was there videotaping the “sermon” as part of an “assignment” for a class at seminary. That day is unforgettable!

7. What is your favorite subject at school? Least favorite?

My favorite subject is Math! I love how there is only one answer to a problem! My least favorite subject would have to be the class that I spend the most time in: English.