Author Archives: Stephen Rodgers

Peacemaker Chapter 8: Speak the Truth in Love

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Editor’s Note: You can listen to the class and download the handout.

Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. (Ephesians 4:15)

Our words either build up or tear down. It demonstrates the right use or the wrong use of our speech, specifically as it reflects the character of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who knew how to speak. Being called to speak truth to each other in love requires work, and preparation to be able to do so in hostile and not-so hostile situations. In this chapter, Ken Sande helps us toward building up while speaking up in a loving manner.

Bring Hope through the Gospel

Our common tendency when we see someone make a mistake is to correct them by pointing out what they did wrong. We make them aware of the standard they fell short of, hoping they won’t do so in the future. That is the mentality of bringing the Law to them. This is completely opposed to what is modeled for us by Christ and His Gospel message. As redeemed sinners, our lives are not to focus solely on the Law, but to remember the Gospel and let that influence and color the way we are with others in approaching them and gently restoring them.

To live lives of holiness, we must not only reflect the Gospel in our actions, but also in our speech. Every thing we do, we must do to glorify God (1 Cor. 10:31), not make God accept us by our efforts. That tends to bring judgment upon others, and that is not how the Christian life is seen: as one under judgment any longer. Now we have hope in the Gospel of Christ, who not only died, but rose again, and has promised His bride to raise us as well. We can now give hope not only to unbelievers in hearing the Gospel message, but also to believers, in reminding them of the hope we now have in Christ.

This will radically change our natural approach in coming up to a person and engage with them about their wrong. You no longer come as one over and above them, but as one who comes alongside, knowing their own temptations to sin, and being honest about that with them, so that you gain a hearing. It opens up communication, and also needed correction, possibly for both sides.

By focusing on the power of the Gospel to save as well as change us, it will bring more people in to see us as channels of grace, and not hydrants of condemnation. The starting place is in your own heart first, and a continued sense of the grace of God that must be evident in your life, before you can extend that to others. If you have not received God’s grace, you cannot extend God’s grace to others, especially when confronting others in a gentle way.

Be Quick to Listen

Another way you can have effective communication is how eager you show another in listening to them. You are not known as a lecturer, but a listener, one who is not afraid to learn something from another brother or sister, and grow together as believers on the same journey towards Christlikeness. It opens up opportunities for some sharpening to take place, and that primarily comes about by listening to each other in where you need to grow. Below are some ways you can show your quickness in listening to others. By:

  1. Waiting
  2. Attending
  3. Clarifying
  4. Reflecting
  5. Agreeing

The Tongue of the Wise Brings Healing

One final way to have effective communication is “the ability to speak to others in a clear, constructive, and persuasive manner” (p.170). Proverbs 12:18 is very applicable to this: “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Here are a few skills/habits that would be good to implement in your life when communicating with another:

  1. Breathe grace
  2. Make charitable judgments
  3. Speak the truth in love
  4. Talk from beside, not from above
  5. Help others examine the desires of their hearts
  6. Choose the right time and place
  7. Talk in person whenever possible
  8. Engage rather than declare
  9. Communicate so clearly that you cannot be misunderstood
  10. Plan your words
  11. Use “I” Statements
  12. Be objective
  13. Use the Bible carefully
  14. Ask for feedback
  15. Offer solutions and preferences
  16. Recognize your limits

Most of these suggestions seem possible for anyone to adopt and use, and rightly so, but to do it the way God intended it requires a recognition that He has already done everything that could make it possible for you to do it in a way that pleases Him. He gives you new life and new desires when you come to faith in His Son Jesus Christ and leave the sum total of your sinful life. He also gives you the desire to live faithfully the new life that comes out of believing the Gospel. It’s a life of grace and humility that will seek the others’ interests above their own, and want to honor the God who made that available to them in this life. All of these suggestions find its best form in the life of a believer, and God wants us to extend that in our speech with one another. We do not focus solely on finding the right words to say, but to have the right motive behind it as well. The Gospel can change a man or woman to now live under grace, in true restored relationship with God, and also in truly growing relationships with those around us. These suggestions come from a heart filled with godly repentance and godly desire, and we should pray wholeheartedly to God that we grow in this direction. May God draw us closer to that end, and our churches be filled with people who gently restore one another not only within the body, but with our Head as well.

Gray Issues Part 2 – Defining the Line

by Elder Peter Lim

Last month we introduced the discussion regarding “gray issues.” Some may wonder why the topic of gray issues even needs to be discussed.

  • Isn’t it just an individual’s choice where to draw a line and stick to it?
  • Isn’t it called “gray” because scripture is not so clearly black and white?

It would be a mistake to think that this issue is as simple as each individual so arbitrarily defining the line between right and wrong, not-sin and sin, light and darkness. To think so would indicate a clear lack of understanding of the link between the actions that we take and the heart behind those actions.

  • So why isn’t God’s word written more clearly for us?
  • Why doesn’t it draw more well-defined lines between sin and not sin?
  • If sin is so serious, wouldn’t God want us not to venture across the line?

I believe God chose to write it this way because our sinful tendency is to go as close to the line as we can without sinning without regard to the attitude of the heart. If God had written the bible as a list of dos and don’ts, people would Pharisaically obey the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law. Just like the Pharisees, we would think that we are righteous if we stop short of crossing the line into sin. Then we would forget that the law was given to people to help us see that we are sinners in need of God’s grace. That’s what Romans 7:7 is all about:

What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.”

What this means for us is that sin happens before we cross the “sin border.” That is, we shouldn’t consider ourselves to be safely in the “white” category before we cross the line into “black” territory. This is what Jesus meant when He said that one who hates his brother is guilty of murder. Murder is the sin border but sin happens before you get there when you harbor hate and bitterness in your heart. So before we cross over, we need to examine our hearts and interrogate our minds to discover the motivation why we would want to stay in the gray area. This examination doesn’t stop at our own hearts. We need to consider at least two other issues: not causing the weaker brother to stumble, and being above reproach to avoid even the appearance of evil. Hopefully we will examine each of these issues in more detail in future articles. An example here will help to illustrate the concept. I shared this illustration recently at church:

The king wanted to hire a driver for his daughter, the princess. He wanted to hire the very best driver since his castle was located high on a hill and the road leading up to it was a wall on one side and a cliff on the other. Three coachmen appeared before him for their interview. The first driver bragged that he can get within 12” of the cliff and not fall over. The second driver boasted that he can get within 6” without falling over. The third driver humbly said that he’s not sure how close he can get to the edge but one thing that he does know is that he will stay as far as he can away from it so that he doesn’t even get close to it. Of course the king hired the third driver. Now let’s add another factor: It’s always foggy and you can’t tell exactly where the cliff edge is. Wouldn’t you want to stay as far from the edge as you can then? Sin is often like that. You can’t see it coming until it’s too late. Therefore, why wouldn’t you want to stay away from it?

To summarize, if you say “If it’s not sin, it’s okay to do,” you are not being wise. If you say “If there’s no verse saying we can’t do this,” you are being a Pharisee. Let us be careful to make decisions that would reflect a desire to stay far away from sin and glorify Christ.

SC 2011 – Reflections #5

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)

All They That Heard It Wondered at Those Things

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Luke 2:18

We must not cease to wonder at the great marvels of our God. It would be very difficult to draw a line between holy wonder and real worship; for when the soul is overwhelmed with the majesty of God’s glory, though it may not express itself in song, or even utter its voice with bowed head in humble prayer, yet it silently adores. Our incarnate God is to be worshipped as ‘the Wonderful.’ That God should consider His fallen creature, man, and instead of sweeping him away with the besom of destruction, should Himself undertake to be man’s Redeemer, and to pay his ransom price, is, indeed marvellous! But to each believer redemption is most marvellous as he views it in relation to himself.

It is a miracle of grace indeed, that Jesus should forsake the thrones and royalties above, to suffer ignominiously below for you. Let your soul lose itself in wonder, for wonder is in this way a very practical emotion. Holy wonder will lead you to grateful worship and heartfelt thanksgiving. It will cause within you godly watchfulness; you will be afraid to sin against such a love as this. Feeling the presence of the mighty God in the gift of His dear Son, you will put off your shoes from off your feet, because the place whereon you stand is holy ground. You will be moved at the same time to glorious hope. If Jesus has done such marvellous things on your behalf, you will feel that heaven itself is not too great for your expectation.

Who can be astonished at anything, when he has once been astonished at the manger and the cross? What is there wonderful left after one has seen the Saviour? Dear reader, it may be that from the quietness and solitariness of your life, you are scarcely able to imitate the shepherds of Bethlehem, who told what they had seen and heard, but you can, at least, fill up the circle of the worshippers before the throne, by wondering at what God has done.

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LBC Weekly SPARK – May 6, 2011

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC Family and Friends,

I hope you are doing well and walking in the Lord. As most of you know, this past Sunday we celebrated our 12th anniversary at Lighthouse. Looking back on over a decade of ministry, God truly has been faithful to carry us through the years. Some of our experiences as a church brought us great joy. Many testified of having been saved during these years and were baptized at Lighthouse. Most of our children were born during these years. Many couples were married during these years. Some of our experiences were also very trying and difficult, but God has shown us tremendous kindness to allow us to minister in San Diego (and now San Jose!). By His grace, we have worked to reach the lost, equip the saints, and fellowship together in Him. As we heard many years ago, most church plants do not survive the first couple of years. Certainly we recognize that the longevity and growth of this ministry has less to do with our efforts and more to do with God’s. It really has been very exciting to worship together each week. I am incredibly thankful for all the relationships that have been built over the years. As God has shown us tremendous faithfulness, let us continue to be faithful to shine the light as a bright beacon of His truth and love.

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are the announcements for this week:

  1. FRIDAY BIBLE STUDIES. Our regularly scheduled Friday night Bible studies will be meeting tonight at 7:00pm. The youth and singles meet at the church, and the collegians meet on-campus at UCSD. More information about our affinity groups and Bible studies can be found at the church website.
  2. MEN’S BREAKFAST. Calling all men! We will be meeting once again this Saturday, May 7 from 7:00-9:00am for breakfast, fellowship, and prayer. All men are invited to attend in order to further study what the Bible says about manliness. Please bring a breakfast item to share. Juice will be provided. =)
  3. TMS GRADUATION. Pastor J. R. Cuevas of LBCSJ will be graduating from The Master’s Seminary on Sunday, May 15, at 6:00pm, at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley. We are planning on having a small reception with refreshments afterwards. If you are interested in driving up to support Pastor J. R., please let Pastor Patrick know as soon as possible since we want to make sure we have enough food.
  4. LBC BANQUET AND VISION QUEST. On Sunday, May 22, we will be having our annual all-church banquet at 4:45pm, at the church. Signups are now being taken by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz on Sundays in the foyer. The cost for the banquet is only $35/adult ($100 max/family). Children 0-12 eat free! Don’t miss this annual tradition as we look back on the Lord’s faithfulness to the church this past year. We will also use this evening to recognize our high school and college graduates, so you won’t want to miss it!
  5. MEMBERSHIP CLASS. Our next membership class will be on Saturday, June 4, from 9:00am-12:00pm, and Sunday, June 5, from 1:00-4:00pm. Attendance at both classes is required. Please talk to Pastor Patrick for a membership application or for more information.
  6. VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL. VBS will be from June 20-24, from 9:00am-5:00pm each day. The theme for this year is “God Always Wins!” and every year it is a very special time for our kids. Registration is currently open. Talk to Josh Liu for more information (liu.joshuac@gmail.com).
  7. SUMMER MISSIONS. Please be in prayer for our summer missions teams as we prepare to go to the Czech Republic and Argentina this summer. The dates for the Czech trip are June 26-July 16, and the dates for the Argentina trip are July 6-21. There is a lot of work that needs to be done, so please keep the teams in prayer. Missions support letters are also available on Sundays in the foyer. Be sure to pick one up for each team! Also, please keep in mind that this year LBCSJ is doing the planning for the CZ Missions team. If you are planning on supporting both teams, please write separate checks. Argentina support can be made out to “LBCSD.” Czech support can be made out to “LBCSJ” and mailed up to San Jose. Thank you for prayerfully considering supporting our teams this year!

Weekly Links (5/6/2011)

The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one’s ‘own’, or ‘real’ life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life – the life God is sending one day by day: what one calls one’s ‘real life’ is a phantom of one’s own imagination. (CS Lewis, Yours, Jack: Spiritual Direction from CS Lewis. HT: Trevin Wax)

by Stephen Rodgers

Alright…it was a rather hectic week (hence the quote), but here are a number of resources you won’t want to miss:

  • Themelios 36.1 is out.  Among other great articles, there are a couple of interesting ones on the Trinity, if that’s interesting to you. (WEB/PDF)
  • The latest edition of the 9Marks eJournal is out as well, and it’s on the subject of Church Membership. If you’re looking for a particular issue/topic, please note that I have updated our own topical index of the journal to be current as well. (WEB)
  • For those of you who follow John Piper’s tweets, this is the website that he was so enamored with this week. (WEB)
  • It’s a new month, and that means that christianaudio.com has a new free audio book!  This month, they’re giving away Tim Challies new book, The Next Story. There’s been quite a bit of buzz about this title, and this is your chance to get the audio version at no cost. (MP3)
  • This sermon jam from Ravi Zacharias has been particularly encouraging to me this week.  I commend it to you. (VIDEO)

That’s it for now folks.  Have a great week!

Pro Rege

Grace Life Update

by Thomas and Karen Fong

We’ve been married since January and are enjoying married life and all that comes with it. In our short time being married, Grace Life has been a great help to us. In second hour, we are currently going through Peacemaking for Families by Ken Sande and Tom Raabe. As we intertwine our lives, we are finding areas where we differ in how we handle and approach things.

Since marriage is the joining of two sinners, there are bound to be conflicts and disagreements. Ours is no different. As single adults, decisions were a bit easier and less complicated because we didn’t have the other half to consider or consult. There are times when we differ in point of views, how we react, the approach we take, and struggle with selfishness. It has been hard dealing with disagreements and conflicts when both of us are escapists. It has been very helpful to be reminded that conflicts tear apart our relationship with each other, but most importantly with God. As escapists, it’s easy to think about ourselves and forget about the other party and see that the conflict can affect their worship to God. One thing we’ve been reminding each other as we encounter conflicts is that it’s a great opportunity for us to glorify God, serve each other and grow in Christ-likeness when we seek reconciliation to restore our relationship with God and each other. It’s been helpful reminding each other that it is also a time to be challenged and to grow together.

It’s also been humbling to constantly see how sinful our hearts are and how unforgiving we can be. We’ve been convicted of what forgiveness truly is, not only in our marriage relationship, but with family and friends as well. It’s so easy to just say “I forgive you,” but allow our actions, thoughts, and heart to dwell on the offenses. Sande and Raabe describes it very well,

“Forgiveness is not a feeling, not forgetting, not excusing. It is an act of the will, a decision not to think or talk about what someone has done. It is an active process involving a conscious choice and a deliberate course of action. It is the canceling of a debt that your spouse has incurred because of improper behavior or words. It brings us back together after an offense has separated us from each other.“ (p.85)

We’ve been challenged and convicted to actively decide to not dwell or talk about the other’s offenses, but to dwell on the positive. Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.” This is the Replacement Principle and it’s a great reminder for us when struggling with an inability to forgive.

Grace Life has been a great source of encouragement for us as it has confirmed things we have been doing well in our communication and conflict resolution as well as teaching us other ways to help us effectively resolve our conflicts, negotiate, and come to creative and adequate options. We look forward to the upcoming chapters of the book and are excited for the challenges it brings.

Be Bold, Not Proud!

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Editor’s Note: This post was originally posted on April 13, 2006 on the Shine the Light! blog.  We have since incorporated all that content into the Beacon, and you can even find the original version of this post here.  Pastor Patrick has kindly agreed to help take you on a bit of a tour of some of those articles, in the hope that you will be encouraged to explore that content yourself.  Enjoy!

One issue that I have been intending to address on this blog is something that has caused some unfortunate confusion and misunderstanding in the church. Being a graduate of The Master’s Seminary, I understand that there is a perception (and sadly sometimes warranted) that “Master’s guys” have a knack for preaching cold, rigid theology in a domineering, blunt, and even arrogant way. John alluded to this in his previous entry that there is a certain unavoidable stigma that comes with being a TMS alumnus. I am, therefore, thankful that John elaborated on Lighthouse’s commitment to preach the truth of God in love. Paul refers to speaking truth in love in 1 Timothy 1:5 where he writes, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” The relationship of love and truth is also the theme of much of the epistles of John. John writes, “Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love” (2 John 3).

Truth taught without the temperance of love is cold, impersonal, and oftentimes unnecessarily offensive. Love without the standard and foundation of truth is misguided, shallow, and oftentimes misleading. In order to love in a godly way, one must know and be committed to the truth about love as it is revealed in the Word of God. In order to preach the truth in a godly way, one must also understand and sincerely work to apply God’s heart of love.

I suppose the issue that arises from this discussion is where conviction plays a role in our communication of beliefs. Unfortunately, when one speaks out of conviction it is frequently misunderstood as bold arrogance. However, in 1 Thessalonians 2:2, Paul states, “…we had the boldness in our God to speak to you…” While Paul characterizes his instruction as boldness, his life was at the same time indisputably characterized by humility (cf. 2 Cor 12:11). If we take a closer look at what is intended in 1 Thessalonians 2, it helps to provide a greater understanding of how one can be bold in proclamation and yet remain humble. While it is unfortunate that conviction and boldness are misinterpreted as arrogance, it is equally or even more unfortunate that some with good reason to have conviction cannot communicate their convictions with “humble boldness.”

How can Paul say that he and his partners in ministry had boldness to speak? First, he understood that the authority behind what he communicated was not found in himself but in God. I have often thought that one of the keys to true humility is giving credit to the right people and not undeservedly taking credit for oneself. Notice that Paul qualifies his boldness by saying that it is “in our God.” Outside of the revealed truth of God, Paul had no grounds for speaking with boldness. Isn’t it true that when we speak with boldness without first being quick to hear the Word and fully contemplating what the Bible says about a matter we discover that our bold assertions are actually foolishness? Paul’s only claim to boldness came in God (cf. 2 Cor 10:17). Only by thinking God’s thoughts after Him and speaking God’s words could he speak with boldness. This actually says less about the character of Paul than it does the character of Paul’s God. He understood that without God he was reduced to nothing.

Second, and this is certainly related, Paul understood that the source of the message itself was from God. The instruction that Paul bore was “the gospel of God” (1 Thess 2:2). It is God’s gospel. This is the reason Paul states, “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Cor 4:5). To be committed to anything else than preaching the true gospel of Christ is futility and focusing on peripherals at best. This is the same instruction that Paul gave to Timothy, “Preach the Word!” (2 Tim 4:2). Don’t preach useless words (2 Tim 2:14)! Don’t preach worldly and empty chatter (2 Tim 2:16)! Don’t preach useless speculation (2 Tim 2:23)! Don’t preach deceptive messages (2 Tim 3:13)! Don’t preach ear tickling stories (2 Tim 4:3)! Don’t preach according to the desires of men (2 Tim 4:3)! Don’t preach myths (2 Tim 4:4)! Preach the unadulterated gospel of God!

It is possible to speak conviction with boldness and yet to maintain a spirit of humility. Of course much of this is dependent upon whether the one who speaks backs his words with a lifestyle of humility. In any case, one must not be too quick to judge someone as arrogant because he speaks with confidence or boldness. Of course even when something is spoken properly from proper motives and with proper means, one’s message still may not be received the way it was truly intended. This places even more responsibility upon the one who speaks with conviction to make sure that truth is indeed spoken and colored with godly love.

SC 2011 – Reflections #4

by Ryan Short and Randy Tsuchiyama

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?

This was my second time at the conference, and something that I looked forward to a lot this time was the time I would have to spend with some of the older men at church. Specifically this time I was able to meet and get to know Steve Lim and Breck Yoo a lot better. It is such a blessing to hear from older men and learn from their wisdom. (Ryan Short)

One thing that was particularly encouraging from the Shepherds’ Conference, was the hospitality that was shown from the host families. Not only did the host families provide us a place to stay, they went out of their way to make sure any needs that we had were met. One family hosted all of the people from both LBCSD and LBCSJ for a time of food and fellowship. The care that was shown was amazing seeing that a lot of the families had kids and still had to worry about sending their kids to school and taking care of them as well. Throughout the entire time, it never felt like that we were a burden to the families that we were staying with. (Randy Tsuchiyama)

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

Something that was specifically helpful for me from the messages was from session 7 with Nathan Busenitz. He preached from Philippians 4:11 about Paul’s example of contentment. Nathan challenged us to put off the sin of discontentment. Nathan showed that three ways in which Paul demonstrated his contentment in three ways. Firstly, Paul’s contentment was characterized by patience, secondly, contentment was something that Paul learned, it was not automatic, and thirdly, Paul’s contentment was not dependent on circumstance. This message helped me by reminding me that my circumstances should not determine how content I am, but that I should find my hope in Christ through all struggles and trials. (Ryan Short)

In a sermon given by Steve Lawson, he talked about the famine described in Amos 8. In the sermon, the famine was shown to not be a famine of food and ultimately a famine of the word of God. I was challenged by the fact that this famine occurs in the church and that this is something that you can see in the world today. Understanding that the Truth of God must be brought to everyone was something that was very sobering. Even though our church is committed to the preaching of the Word of God, we still need to be aware of the importance of the preaching of the Word and the lack of the Word being preached everywhere else. There is a sense of importance that is instilled by knowing this. (Randy Tsuchiyama)

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?

One lesson that I learned that will affect my ministry at LBC is from Bill Shannon’s seminar on Transforming Truth. Specifically what was helpful from this seminar was the reminder that my goal in ministry must be the salvation and sanctification of people’s souls for the worship of Christ. If I just teach doctrine but do not challenge people’s hearts to repent from sin and to love Christ with all their heart then I have failed in my ministry. Specifically as I serve in College Life, I want to do a better job of helping my small group grow in their love for Christ and not just learn for the sake of learning. (Ryan Short)

One lesson that I learned from the conference was from one of the breakout sessions. It was concerning counseling the faint-hearted. From that time, I was able to understand how to counsel people a lot better. I feel that the session really challenged me to really consider who I am counseling and the need to thoroughly understand the circumstances that they are going through. I was challenged to think through not just the circumstances but the need to have an understanding of the person that I am counseling as well. It can get easy to treat everyone exactly the same though they may have completely different experiences. Though it may seem obvious, this is a challenge for me. This breakout session helped me to change the way that I handle counseling situations. (Randy Tsuchiyama)