by Elder Johnny Kim

When thinking about San Diego, most people are likely to associate “America’s Finest City” with beautiful beaches, year-round great weather, and an overall laid back lifestyle. However, beyond those leisurely aspects, the second largest city in California also happens to be home to a multi-billion dollar biotechnology industry. In fact, several pharmaceutical companies literally call San Diego home, having located their headquarters here to carry out research and development of what might be the next life-saving drug. Now imagine for a moment a scenario in which any one of these companies successfully developed such a drug and shipped it all over the world, all the while neglecting to make it available in San Diego as its residents fell ill to the very disease this drug cured. Even as a hypothetical situation, it sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?

Hopefully that would never metaphorically become the case for Lighthouse Bible Church San Diego as we strive to faithfully carry out our Vision to plant churches (Acts 1:8). After starting out as the original Lighthouse Bible Church plant, by God’s grace LBCSD has been able to plant churches and support church plants in the past couple years. However we do so while remaining just as committed to the ministries that God has given us in San Diego. For as long as there are people in San Diego who are spiritually dying, and maybe even some within the church, the call is ever present for the members of LBCSD to remain faithful to the work of the church here.

As we prepare now for the newest Lighthouse Bible Church plant in Los Angeles and anticipate members leaving, the occasion affords those of us who are staying an opportunity to evaluate our own commitment to LBCSD. There will be voids left in various ministries and the remaining members will once again need to step up and serve, not out of obligation or compulsion, but ultimately out of a love for Christ and His Church (Ephesians 1:22-23). For those of us who are not involved in the life of the church, cultivating a desire to serve in the ministries of LBCSD and invest in the members of the body starts with a commitment to LBCSD and a commitment to living out the Mission, Vision, and Passion. In the case that we are not willing to commit to LBCSD or find that it is difficult to do, we should consider if we are harboring in our hearts what I like to refer to as a “default attitude”.

Sometimes we can treat the church we attend as if it is our default church. In other words, we are simply here for lack of better options and we default to attending a church that is the closest, has the most familiar faces, or is the most comfortable. This “default attitude” hurts the church because as people choose a church based on convenience, it becomes more difficult for them to serve in any ministry or be involved in any way that might then pose an inconvenience. However, for the one who is truly committed to LBCSD, it is anything but their default choice. Rather, LBCSD is their first choice and there is no other church where they would rather be as long as God would allow. More than they want that dream job, that perfect house, that prestigious education, any of which might reside anywhere but San Diego, the committed member wants to be at LBCSD because of the people in the church and the opportunity to labor alongside them in carrying out the MVP specifically in San Diego. It is hardly ever convenient to attend all the various church events, to fellowship with fellow brothers and sisters during a busy week, or to sacrificially give of our offerings among other things, but we are called to do so because we love Christ and we love His church for which He gave His life (Ephesians 5:25).

Likewise, it is definitely not convenient to quit your job, uproot your family, and sell your home at a loss all in order to go plant a church. In fact, the prospect of church planting itself is an opportunity to consider if we indeed have a “default attitude”. After much prayer, counsel, and effort spent considering biblical principles in the Word, some members have committed to join the LBCLA church plant. Yet for those who have decided not to go to LBCLA, it can easily become just a default choice then to stay at LBCSD. If we truly desire to be committed to LBCSD in the same way, should we not also make even the decision to stay at LBCSD after much prayer, counsel, and effort spent considering biblical principles in the Word? Or could it be that we are staying at LBCSD by default simply because it is more convenient? In the same way a commitment is required by those who want to join the LBCLA church plant, a commitment is required from those who want to stay at LBCSD because ultimately, the work to be done at Lighthouse Bible Church San Jose, East Bay, or Los Angeles is no different or no more serious than the work that God is calling us to do here through the church in San Diego.

Let us not have the attitude and mindset that LBCSD is simply our default church. Rather, let us be intentional in our decisions to stay at LBCSD, to serve and worship God together with the members of LBCSD, and to reach out to the lost outside of LBCSD. Let us commit to LBCSD as if lives in San Diego depended on it, for the gospel of Christ which we have to share is the lone cure for the disease of sin in San Diego and all around the world (Romans 1:16).