by John Yang and Joseph Ho

Editor’s Note: Pastor Patrick wanted to do a series here on the Beacon that encouraged the attendees of the Shepherds Conference to share their thoughts with the church. This is the third part in that series. And if you are interesting in listening to the messages, you can download them all for free.

From an overall evaluation, what was at least one thing that was encouraging to you from the Shepherds Conference?

The Shepherds’ Conference was a great encouragement to me because every attendee had a story to share. From salvation testimonies to ministry hardships, sermon reflections to serendipitous recounts of His recent goodness, the central theme in every conversation was Christ. Contrasting with a worldly climate all too often shrouded in the mundane and pointless, the fellowship at Shepherds’ was a refreshing dose of sincerity. (John Yang)

Besides all the teaching that I received, I was encouraged by the people who came to the conference from different countries. Hearing about their testimonies and God’s work in other parts of the world has stirred in me a desire to be more faithful to pray and participate in the MVP of our church. (Joseph Ho)

What was at least one thing from the messages that was particularly helpful or challenging for you?

And as can be expected from a conference for preachers, the speakers were all truly inspiring men with powerful deliveries. If I were to highlight but one, I suppose I can recount MacArthur’s last message. In essence, he examined how truth (the Gospel) ought to be preached. God, being creator, by default wields all authority (Job 38-42). He gave all authority in heaven and on earth to His Son, the Christ (Mt28:18-20). Who then entrusted that authority to the apostles (Mk 12:9; 1 Cor 2:16). That authority is then passed on to inspired Scripture, aka the Bible (1 Thes 2:13; 2 Tim 3:16). If then we exposit the inspired text faithfully, why do we preach as those without authority? We are scripturally commanded to preach God’s Word, this Gospel, with all authority (Titus 2:15)! Though we as heralds possess no authority, we proclaim a true message that is entirely authoritative. The challenge is thus two-fold: first, ground yourself so as to avoid mishandlings of Scripture, and second, speak courageously so as to not shame the divine truth you proclaim. (John Yang)

Two seminars that I found really helpful was “Transforming Truth” by Bill Shannon and “Counseling with Care” by John Street. I learned that counseling, coupled with sound theology and doctrine, transforms lives. John Street led a Bible study on 1 Thessalonians 5:14, where the apostle Paul admonishes the church of Thessalonica to encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with them all. Dr. Street emphasized that the apostle Paul used the word “brethren” to address the church, meaning that this command was given to every member of the church. Also, the ministry of mutual encouragement and care ought to be the responsibility of every church member to one another. John Street also emphasized the danger of using mainstream pop psychology and human wisdom in Christian counseling. Through His Word, God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), and besides this solid Rock, every human idea no matter how sweet it may sound, is merely sinking sand. At the end, John Street shared a personal story which happened when he was doing a seminar on Practical Theology in a church in Cologne, Germany. A senior lady approached him at the end of the session and confessed an unimaginable 70 years of life that was filled with sexual abuse, abandonment, and physical pain, and how as a teenager, in one instance, she was overcome by bitterness and anger and put her own newborn to death. Imprisoned by the memories of the past, she asked John, “Is God punishing me?” John helped her to be freed with fear and guilt by simply leading her to understand Romans 8:1, where we read, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” John Street explained to her that even the apostle Paul, a murderer of Christians, was able to receive the full forgiveness of sins through Christ’s death on the Cross, she too has been fully forgiven. This was a powerful example that illustrates what Jesus said John 8:32, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Joseph Ho)

What was at least one lesson that challenged you in regards to your service at LBC? How will you take this and apply it to ministry here in San Diego?

There is nothing mystical about the Shepherds’ Conference. Everything that is offered there (good teaching, passionate fellowship, and free food), is also available here at LBC. Though Shepherds’ was truly a precious time of fellowship and teaching, the Spirit that unites the attendees of Shepherds’ is no different than the Spirit that indwells any genuine believer. That said, if you think Shepherds’ sounds amazing, a good place to start is with the person sitting on your right on any given Sunday – just turn to them and say, “so what did you think of the message?” (John Yang)

I know one area that I can grow is to be a more biblical encouragement to the brothers in my small group. During the sharing time, I am often tempted to chime in personal opinions that are wrong and worldly. I know that in order for me to be able to encourage and care for others by more biblically, I need to be well-versed in the area of basic systematic theology. Two of the books I got from the conferences are Robert Reymond’s and Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theologies. I pray that I may continue to strive together with other faithful men at Lighthouse, “Study to show yourself approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) (Joseph Ho)