Monthly Archives: September 2011

Without the Shedding of Blood is No Remission

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Hebrews 9:22

This is the voice of unalterable truth. In none of the Jewish ceremonies were sins, even typically, removed without blood-shedding. In no case, by no means can sin be pardoned without atonement. It is clear, then, that there is no hope for me out of Christ; for there is no other blood-shedding which is worth a thought as an atonement for sin. Am I, then, believing in Him? Is the blood of His atonement truly applied to my soul? All men are on a level as to their need of Him. If we be never so moral, generous, amiable, or patriotic, the rule will not be altered to make an exception for us. Sin will yield to nothing less potent than the blood of Him whom God hath set forth as a propitiation. What a blessing that there is the one way of pardon! Why should we seek another?

Persons of merely formal religion cannot understand how we can rejoice that all our sins are forgiven us for Christ’s sake. Their works, and prayers, and ceremonies, give them very poor comfort; and well may they be uneasy, for they are neglecting the one great salvation, and endeavouring to get remission without blood. My soul, sit down, and behold the justice of God as bound to punish sin; see that punishment all executed upon thy Lord Jesus, and fall down in humble joy, and kiss the dear feet of Him whose blood has made atonement for thee. It is in vain when conscience is aroused to fly to feelings and evidences for comfort: this is a habit which we learned in the Egypt of our legal bondage. The only restorative for a guilty conscience is a sight of Jesus suffering on the cross. ‘The blood is the life thereof,’ says the Levitical law, and let us rest assured that it is the life of faith and joy and every other holy grace.

‘Oh! how sweet to view the flowing
Of my Saviour’s precious blood;
With divine assurance knowing
He has made my peace with God.’

2.2a

Weekly Links (9/2/2011)

Christianity asserts that every individual human being is going to live for ever, and this must be either true or false. Now there are a good many things which would not be worth bothering about if I were going to live only seventy years, but which I had better bother about very seriously if I am going to live for ever. (CS Lewis, Mere Christianity)

by Stephen Rodgers

Welcome back!  It’s Friday, and that means I’ve got a collection of links and quotes (technically just “quote) for you.  So sit back, relax, and let’s catch up on what happened this week on the internet…

Well, that’s all I’ve got for you today.  Don’t forget we’ve got the time of fellowship with the Lippas/Mellwigs tonight at 6:30pm.  Bring “California food” and we’ll see you there!

Pro Rege

College Life Update

by Hansol An

Why We Do It

As a ministry of LBC, College Life inherently has the same Mission as the rest of the church: to make disciples of Christ. No matter what other goals or objectives a campus ministry has, nothing else should take precedence over that. Fellowship with other collegians, having fun, and even accumulating Biblical knowledge fall short of the most important thing a campus ministry does: foster the true spiritual growth of each member. Even small groups are offered primarily to provide accountability and guidance which aid spiritual maturity, not as an exclusive club for good times. Does that mean we can’t have fun? Of course not. I think College Life has the most fun of all the affinity groups! But when it gets down to it, what it really needs to accomplish over a fast-paced school year, is spiritual growth.

All the reports (from the small group leaders) would seem to indicate that the ministry seems to have been successful. Of course this is not to say that every individual that came in contact with College Life became the next Jonathan Edwards. But the majority of the students have shown growth, evident through their lives. AW Pink once said that “Growth is silent and at the time imperceptible to our senses, though later it is evident.” Basically, it’s difficult to quantify, but the way a person talk, acts, and makes decisions over time is the fruit that gives evidence of a person’s growth and faith. Even through casual interaction I could see that many of the College Lifers were showing maturity in May that they didn’t have in September.

This is why we do it. This is why the staff works tirelessly to invest our time, energy and resources into those we have been called to lead. Not to deter any potential staffers in the future, but Peter Lim described it well – it’s a sprint for nine months! But at the end of the year, when it’s time to take an account of what was accomplished, we look to growth as our unperceivable measuring stick; not attendance or fun activities or anything else.

We can’t see it but we can see it. And when we see it, it’s all worth it. Quote me on that.

Changes This Year

For those of you who actually read this, you get a sneak peek at some changes for this year. First, we will be meeting at church on Fridays nights at 7pm. This will allow us to have more flexibility, activities, food and a full praise band. If we want to hangout after bible study, play ping pong and eat, we can. Also we got us a shuttle! Well it’s not just for College Life but still…