Author Archives: Stephen Rodgers

Do As Thou Hast Said

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From 2 Samuel 7:25

God’s promises were never meant to be thrown aside as waste paper; He intended that they should be used. God’s gold is not miser’s money, but is minted to be traded with. Nothing pleases our Lord better than to see His promises put in circulation; He loves to see His children bring them up to Him, and say, ‘Lord, do as Thou hast said.’

We glorify God when we plead His promises. Do you think that God will be any the poorer for giving you the riches He has promised? Do you dream that He will be any the less holy for giving holiness to you? Do you imagine He will be any the less pure for washing you from your sins? He has said ‘Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’ Faith lays hold upon the promise of pardon, and it does not delay, saying, ‘This is a precious promise, I wonder if it be true?’ but it goes straight to the throne with it, and pleads, ‘Lord, here is the promise, ‘Do as Thou hast said.” Our Lord replies, ‘Be it unto thee even as thou wilt.’

When a Christian grasps a promise, if he do not take it to God, he dishonours Him; but when he hastens to the throne of grace, and cries, ‘Lord, I have nothing to recommend me but this, ‘Thou hast said it;” then his desire shall be granted. Our heavenly Banker delights to cash His own notes. Never let the promise rust. Draw the word of promise out of its scabbard, and use it with holy violence. Think not that God will be troubled by your importunately reminding Him of His promises. He loves to hear the loud outcries of needy souls. It is His delight to bestow favours. He is more ready to hear than you are to ask. The sun is not weary of shining, nor the fountain of flowing. It is God’s nature to keep His promises; therefore go at once to the throne with ‘Do as Thou hast said.’

1.15a

LBC Weekly SPARK – November 12, 2010

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC Family and Friends,

I hope you are doing well and walking in the Lord. What a blessing this past weekend was with our All-Church Retreat. I’ve been hearing from many of you that you were challenged and encouraged by the messages by Jonathan Leeman. I’m so glad to hear that! Let’s be careful not to let that be merely a nice retreat experience. Now that
we are getting back into our regular weekly services, it will be important to reflect on what we learned at retreat in order to put the principles into practice.

For those of you who weren’t able to go to the retreat, the messages and Q&A time from the retreat can all be downloaded from the church website. I would encourage you to listen to them. I also would recommend all to pick up a copy of Jonathan’s book, The Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love, if you haven’t already done so. It is a tremendously helpful book, and perhaps the best book on church membership that I have read.

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are the announcements for this week:

  1. Friday Night Bible Studies. Don’t forget that our Friday night Bible studies are back this week for our Youth, College, and Singles Ministries. The youth and singles will meet at the church at 7:00pm. The collegians will also meet at 7:00pm, but on-campus at SDSU and UCSD. Information about College Life rides can be found at our website.
  2. Membership Class. We will be having our next membership class this weekend, November 13-14, at the church. The two-part class will be on Saturday from 9:00am-12:00pm, and Sunday from 1:00-4:00pm. Both sessions are required for membership. If you are interested in becoming a member, please contact Pastor Patrick for an application.
  3. Communion. Since we were at retreat this past weekend, we will be having our communion service this Sunday during our regular service. Please come having prepared your hearts to worship our Lord.
  4. Thanksgiving Potluck/Vision Quest. On Sunday, November 21, at 5:30pm, we will be having our next Vision Quest event. This will be our annual Thanksgiving Potluck dinner. Signups for the potluck will be taken this Sunday by Suzie Park. Please sign up to help ensure that all the food will get prepared. Also, as it is Thanksgiving, take some time to reflect on what you are thankful for and be prepared to share with one another. Come out to our Vision Quest event for some great food and fellowship, and to learn more about the Mission of LBC.
  5. Operation Christmas Child. Each year we participate with Samaritan’s Purse to encourage children all around the world and help spread the gospel message. Fill a shoebox with various toys, socks, toiletries, etc. and bring it to church on Sunday! More information about what can and cannot be included in the packages can be found at their website (www.samaritanspurse.org). This Sunday before service will be our only collection date for OCC, so be sure to put a package together and drop it off! Contact Mrs. Grace S. Lee if you have any questions (gracelee357@aol.com).
  6. Christmas Concert and Service. Our Christmas Concert will be on Saturday, December 11 at 6:00pm. Please invite your family and friends to join us for some good music, drama, and food. It will be a great opportunity for them to hear the message of the gospel. Our special Christmas Service will be on Sunday, December 19. This also will be a great time to reflect on the gift of Christ.
  7. Mission Bowl. If you are interested in playing on this year’s Mission Bowl flag football teams, please contact Abram Kim if you are a guy, and Randy Tsuchiyama if you are a gal. No experience is necessary! Just come with a humble, teachable heart. This is a great chance to get to know your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ better and to get some exercise as well!

Weekly Links (11/12/2010)

by Stephen Rodgers

Well, welcome back to another edition of the Weekly Links. That means we’ve made it to Friday once again. I hope you’ll enjoy and reflect on the following as you finish your week and start to get ready for Sunday.  Just to keep things interesting, I’ve broken them up thematically for you again this time.

CHURCH & GOSPEL

  • Starting everything off, here’s a short video from Joshua Harris on what our attitude and behavior should be like as we come to church. (VIDEO)
  • Over at the Resurgence, Russell Moore asks a bit of an odd question: do our church testimonies empower Satan? His exploration of our perception of testimonies is very insightful.  (WEB)
  • And since we’re on the subject of things that happen in church, the Biola blog has a good article on the nature of worship music in church today in their article “Weightier Worship.” They explore the issue of what music and singing are supposed to do and point us to, and what they’ve been reduced to instead.  (WEB)
  • A few weeks ago, the weekly links had a couple of articles on how to disagree with people. For anyone who did NOT read that and now find themselves in severe interpersonal conflict, here are 15 reminders/Biblical principles as you navigate the conflict. (WEB)
  • Jon Acuff has a helpful reminder about the target of the Gospel in his post “Getting the Bus All Wrong.” And since it’s Jon Acuff, he also talks about doughnuts. (WEB)

SOCIAL MEDIA & DIGITAL LIFE

  • Over at the Desiring God blog, they’ve begun a series on the consequences of multi-tasking. If this is something that you’re interested in, you might want to check it out. (WEB)
  • And meanwhile, over at GTY, John MacArthur has an excellent article on some of the concerns and pitfalls of the digital life. I think he raises some incredibly valid points, made all the more interesting because I’m pretty sure the GTY staff had to print out all those articles for him.  I say this without mockery since Pastor MacArthur used to be my pastor.  Some might say that invalidates his arguments, but I don’t think so; I think this is about as close to an unbiased opinion based on Biblical truth that you can get.  (WEB)

PRISON

  • Over at PyroManiacs, Dan Phillips has a post on how criminals, convicts, crime, and conversion should influence our understanding of the Gospel. (WEB)
  • Stand to Reason has a quick retelling of their experience in visiting a prison. The Resurgence tells a similar story. (WEB)
  • I thought I had already posted this, but apparently not.  Not too long ago, John Piper visited, preached, and did a Q&A at Angola Prison. The sermon where he discusses it is not available on their website, but John MacArthur did the same, and is actually personally financing a theological library for them as well.  So please remember these Christian brothers and sisters in jail who are trying to use their incarceration to further the Kingdom. (WEB/AUDIO/VIDEO)

That’s all for this week.  See you Sunday!

Pro Rege

Fall Festival

by David Ahn

It seems the holidays come sooner every year, so don’t forget to be planning your costume for next year’s Fall Festival! On Sunday, October 31st, the Children’s Ministry hosted an event, but it definitely wasn’t just for the children. It ends up being a spectacle every year, where LBC-ers of all ages gather together for a memorable night of fellowship in the form of candy, games, and costumes.

The Fall Festival serves as an alternative to Halloween, selecting its best traditions, leaving out its more questionable aspects, and infusing genuine fellowship and an appreciation for the common bond that we share through the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the first highlights of the evening are the decorations, where members of the church take time throughout the days leading up to the event to transform the church to fit a theme. In past years, the church has been transformed into Candyland, a Dr. Seuss-like world, and even intergalactic space. Behind the scenes of the decorations, the great effort and teamwork required to make these themes come alive always serves as an excellent service opportunity for church members. If you haven’t participated in the planning for Fall Festival in the past, I’d highly recommend joining in the future, as I consider it one of the hidden gems of service opportunities at our church.

On the night of the event, there are multiple booths and activities taking place throughout the church building. These stations typically include carnival-like activities (eg. Balloon Popping), video games (Nintendo Wii), and crafts/activities (eg. Face Painting). Meanwhile, there is a steady flow of delicious foods and snacks, and handfuls of candy are distributed as prizes for participating in the various booths.

Later in the evening is my personal favorite: the costume contest! The format changes from year to year, but there typically are costumes handed out from judges for a wide-ranging list of categories. In the past, the categories have included Best Individual, Best Duo, Best Group, and Best Under Budget. The judges also try to segregate the prizes by age range as well, to ensure that the adults and children have equal opportunity to win. In past years, the quality of costumes have been refreshingly high, so I would highly suggest coming dressed to impress. Many a newcomer has come out to Fall Festival to feel shamefully underdressed. Some guidelines for costumes, however: please keep the costumes appropriate (no scandalous, cross-dressing, or horrifying outfits). This leads to more creative costumes, less nightmares for the children, and less embarrassing photos being posted on Facebook.

Also, don’t forget that there is a new tradition that was started at this year’s Fall Festival. There was a pumpkin-carving (and mini-pumpkin decorating) contest, so break out your carving knives and your clever ideas for next year. Knowing the creativity and joyful execution that our church members have, I look forward to being as wowed in the years to come as I was this year.

Living Theology #45 – Church Government (part 2)

by Garrett Glende

We left off last week having discussed the roles of the leaders of the church and how the government within the body is structured. However, there was not much to do about the practical application of this issue, so we will pick up with that here. Most of the following ideas come from the book The Trellis and the Vine, by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne. If you haven’t picked it up yet, I highly encourage you to do so, as the issues they bring up have been immensely beneficial for myself and for the church in San Jose.

Since we know from last week’s study that there are certain distinct leaders within the church, the next question might be: where does that leave everyone else? If the role of the pastor is to teach the word and shepherd the flock, then is everyone else less important since we don’t have a formal title? As the authors suggest in The Trellis and the Vine, there must be a ministry mind-shift that takes place among the congregation so that each member is doing what he or she should. The first step towards achieving this goal is the recognition that we are all to be ministers of the Word. This is not a job for only the pastors, elders, and evangelists. In fact, if it were left up to them only, there would not be enough time in the day for everyone in the body to be ministered to. So, every member of the church holds the responsibility to minister to one another. This is the only way that the church will truly see growth in people’s lives.

The true job of the pastor is to train up others around him so that more and more people are equipped to minister one another. As these men and women are trained, they can train others as well. Thus, the amount of people in the church that are available to effectively minister the body is increased. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:12-13 that the leaders of the church have been gifted in order “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” God has structured the church in such a way so that all of the saints might take part in “the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ.”

This attitude is in contrast to one that thinks church growth is a number to be measured. It’s very easy for us to see activities and events spring up and mistake it for true growth. This is true for the church as a whole, but it is also true for our own individual lives. We must not think that we are growing in our walks with God just because we are involved in a handful of activities going on at church. Paul’s definition of growth does not include “ministry involvement,” but he rather calls for “knowledge of the Son of God [and] mature manhood.” In order to grow spiritually, we must increase in our knowledge of Christ. This is to take place as each member of the body ministers the Word to one another.

The direct application of this idea is simple. We need to speak God’s word to one another. If you’re wondering how you can serve in the church, but don’t see any specific “ministry” to join, just talk to people. Build relationships with other members so that you’re in a position to minister to them in a real way. If the whole church is committed to this principle, then the pastor’s job becomes much easier and the body will experience true gospel growth.

The Practice of Church Discipline (part 1)

by Pastor Patrick Cho

The practice of church discipline in its specifics will probably differ some from church to church. The leadership of each church needs to determine the exact process by which a member who falls into unrepentant sin is removed from fellowship in accordance with biblical guidelines. Many object to the practice of church discipline because they see it as unloving or cruel, but the Bible offers the exact opposite description. Church discipline is a necessary practice if a church truly loves and cares for its members, and seeks to uphold the name of Christ and the purity of the church.

Jesus gives some basic instructions in Matthew 18:15-17. Before looking at the passage, it is worth noting that this is the second mention of the church in the book of Matthew. The first was in Matthew 16:18, where Jesus tells Peter that He would build His church. There He announces the coming birth of the church, and the very next mention of the church in chapter 18 has to do with the greatest threat to the church, which is sin. Jesus knew the danger of people falling into unrepentant sin. He not only proclaimed the establishment of the church, but also provided instructions for the protection of the church.

Going back to the text of Matthew 18, the first step in dealing with an erring brother is private, personal confrontation (v. 15). Jesus says that if you see your brother in sin, you go and confront him alone. The text is emphatic that you are not to bring in anyone else. If you have seen the fault, you go and make it known – between you and him alone. You do not go and talk to the pastor. You don’t consult your friends. You talk to them alone. One reason for this private confrontation is that there might have been a misunderstanding. It would be unwise to involve other people and bring undue shame upon an individual if the accusations were false. If the brother has committed some sin, you are to go and plead with him to repent and turn back to Christ.

The second step in dealing with the brother in sin is to take one or two witnesses with you (v. 16). If you have done all you can to correct an erring brother and he still refuses to repent, it is necessary to bring in others to assist you. These others help not only by serving as witnesses “that every charge may be established,” but also to aid in the pleading for repentance. This is why the next verse indicates, “if he refuses to listen to them.” The small group appeals to the sinning brother to see his wickedness before God and repent. The witnesses also serve to confirm the accusations to prove that it isn’t just a misunderstanding or a false accusation.

The third step is to take it to the church (v. 17). This comes after the previous attempts to win this brother over. If you feel like your personal confrontation is not getting anywhere, you bring in one or two witnesses to help in the appeal. If they do all they can but still have the brother refuses to repent, you then take the matter to the final authority, which is the church. The church then becomes the last line of defense for the individual, and seeks to call the brother to repentance. In all three stages, this is obviously a loving appeal, but one can see how the pressure increases with each stage as more and more are brought into the situation.

It is essential to see that the goal of this process is restoration and reconciliation. The goal is not to kick the brother out of fellowship, but to win him back and help him turn from his sin. The motivation behind it all is love! If you really care about a brother who has fallen into sin, you wouldn’t want him to continue in that sin. His sin does damage to his relationship with God and others, and you want those relationships to be good. You wouldn’t want his life to be offensive to God, but pleasing. This is why you go through this process. It isn’t just to show someone how lame they are or to get back at them for hurting you. The motivation is love.

Next time, we’ll take a look at what happens if they persist in their sin, how this process was exemplified in the early church, and how specifically we apply this at LBC.

Weekly Links pt. 2 (11/8/2010)

by Stephen Rodgers

Hey everyone.  As promised last week, here is part 2 of the weekly links.  Hopefully they’ll be an encouragement to you this week until we can get together again on Friday!

  • Here’s an easy one to get you started…Al Mohler talks about reading. (VIDEO)  It’s comforting to know that childhood-Mohler and childhood-me have something in common; unfortunately it’s the fact that we both prioritized reading over obeying our parents.
  • I don’t agree with everything that Peter Kreeft writes, but this quote about the Christian’s view of Heaven is spot on. (WEB)  And before you ask…no.  That is not a picture of Peter Kreeft.
  • You didn’t think that I would let the week go by without giving you a dose of Paul Tripp did you?  It’s not really Halloween-themed, but the timing is appropriate.  So without further ado, here is his article on Christian living entitled The Costume Kingdom. (WEB)
  • And on a related theme, over at the CCEF blog, Ed Welch has a great article on the issue of Living Publicly. (WEB)
  • So…Kevin DeYoung writes a book about the Heidelberg Catechism.  CJ Mahaney reads said book and appreciates it (I haven’t read it yet, but from having read four Pastor DeYoung’s other books, I imagine it’s fantastic).  So he challenges his friend Curtis Allen…aka Voice…to write a rap song about it.  So, may I present to you, the first ever rap song about the Heidelberg Catechism. (AUDIO)
  • I have long maintained that two of the best things that Dan Phillips (of TeamPyro fame) ever wrote were a couple articles on prayer (What?  You haven’t read them yet? Go…go!)  Well, now I have to add a third article to the list since he’s Biblically dissected the idea of “trust.” (WEB)

Alright, that’s all I have for you.  My quiver of articles is once again empty, and Google Reader has brought me hundreds more.  I’ll be back with a few of them on Friday.  Between now and then…well, you did read that article by Ed Welch right?

Pro Rege

We Will Be Glad and Rejoice In Thee

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Song of Solomon 1:4

We will be glad and rejoice in Thee. We will not open the gates of the year to the dolorous notes of the sackbut, but to the sweet strains of the harp of joy, and the high sounding cymbals of gladness. ‘O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise unto the rock of our salvation.’ We, the called and faithful and chosen, we will drive away our griefs, and set up our banners of confidence in the name of God. Let others lament over their troubles, we who have the sweetening tree to cast into Marah’s bitter pool, with joy will magnify the Lord. Eternal Spirit, our effectual Comforter, we who are the temples in which Thou dwellest, will never cease from adoring and blessing the name of Jesus.

We WILL, we are resolved about it, Jesus must have the crown of our heart’s delight; we will not dishonour our Bridegroom by mourning in His presence. We are ordained to be the minstrels of the skies, let us rehearse our everlasting anthem before we sing it in the halls of the New Jerusalem.

We will BE GLAD AND REJOICE: two words with one sense, double joy, blessedness upon blessedness. Need there be any limit to our rejoicing in the Lord even now? Do not men of grace find their Lord to be camphire and spikenard, calamus and cinnamon even now, and what better fragrance have they in heaven itself?

We will be glad and rejoice IN THEE. That last word is the meat in the dish, the kernel of the nut, the soul of the text. What heavens are laid up in Jesus! What rivers of infinite bliss have their source, ay, and every drop of their fulness in Him! Since, O sweet Lord Jesus, Thou art the present portion of Thy people, favour us this year with such a sense of Thy preciousness, that from its first to its last day we may be glad and rejoice in Thee. Let January open with joy in the Lord, and December close with gladness in Jesus.

1.1p

Editor’s Note: This was accidentally a repost of Morning and Evening 1.1p.  That was a mistake on my part, and 1.15a will follow next week.  In the meantime, considering that this was the same time as the church retreat, it’s a timely reminder.  And even if I make mistakes, God doesn’t. *wink*

Weekly Links pt. 1 (11/5/2010)

by Stephen Rodgers

Well hello there…(ok, that came out a little too much like the Old Spice Guy commerical). In any event, welcome back to this weeks edition of the Weekly Links, where I bundle up a whole passel of articles, videos, and whatnot for you. This week was actually problematic…unlike last week where I focused entirely on one article, this week I find myself with an embarrassment of riches and a head full of cold medicine. So rather than swamp you in a ton of links, I’m going to split them up and give you part deux on Monday. So that’s something to look forward to. Or dread. Up to you really.

  • Ok, this is truly awesome news.  The free audiobook this month from christianaudio.com is John Piper’s Don’t Waste Your Life.  We all know the expression that “you can’t have it all,” but in this case you can have the audiobook, the study guide, and the sermon for free…and that’s a LOT! (AUDIO/PDF/AUDIO)
  • Also, it’s November!  And that means that the new edition of Tabletalk is out…this one deals with the subject of College and the Christian. (WEB)
  • We’ve had quite a few articles about the church lately, so I thought that you might benefit from this article from the Mars Hill Blog on the Invisible and Visible Church. (WEB)  And just in case you’re not familiar with those terms, the “invisible church” is not where the Invisible Woman goes to worship when she’s not hanging out with the rest of the Fantastic Four.  (Ok, only Pastor John will get that joke, but he will love it, and he needs to laugh).
  • Not too long ago we highlighted specific ways that you can serve the church.  Those are important, and if you’re a member and aren’t currently serving in some capacity, I would challenge you to really think about why that is.  However, the 9Marks blog recently ran a great article on how everyone can serve the church. (WEB)  There’s 15 ways there…I’d personally challenge you to pick three and just go for it on Sunday.  I dare you.
  • I don’t know Rosie Martinez personally (fun fact: I think my mom does), but this makes me really wish I did. (WEB/VIDEO) If you know a missionary, this might be a great time to drop them a line of encouragement, pray for them, and thank God for them.
  • One year after he was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor, Matt Chandler has an interview up over at Justin Taylor’s blog about theology and suffering.  (WEB)
  • And last but not least, RC Sproul reflects on the horrendous train wreck that could have killed him, and the sovereign hand of God that prevented it from doing so.  (WEB)

Alright everyone.  Hopefully I’ll see you at the church retreat this weekend.  Spurgeon will be filling in for me tomorrow, and I’ll be back with part 2 on Monday.

Pro Rege

Grace Life 2nd Hour Ministry

by Pastor Patrick Cho

GraceLife, the marrieds/family ministry of LBC, is currently conducting a study in the book of Mark during the Sunday School hour. So far, it has been a good series examining Jesus’ earthly ministry. Since we moved the general meeting to the Sunday School hour, the participation has increased and is more consistent. It certainly helps that all the Children’s Ministries run simultaneously to free up parents to participate in the general sessions. During each meeting, we begin with a small memory verse quiz. We then discuss the previous week’s homework. When we eventually get to the current week’s passage, we start by breaking up into smaller discussion groups to work through general observations. The meeting ends with a short time of instruction to prepare the group for the week’s homework.

One of the biggest changes to GraceLife structurally is that we are taking a break from organized small groups. After meeting up with several men in the church, it became clear that one area of growth that was needed was to promote more spiritual conversations in the home. The homework for GraceLife addresses this need by providing daily discussion questions from the week’s study. Each individual is supposed to work through the questions on their own and then come together to discuss their answers as a couple. The hope behind the assignments is that having spiritual conversations would become more the norm in our homes rather than the exception.

So far the study has been very beneficial. The feedback being received is that the assignments are stimulating greater spiritual health in the home. The instruction from the general sessions are recorded and placed on the church’s website, as well as the weekly homework worksheets.

Once a month, we take a break from our regular Mark study to focus solely on improving our relationships. The questions for those weeks are geared towards providing accountability for our spiritual walks and marriages. All in all, the goal is to strengthen the church body by building up our married couples and families. As more and more interaction takes place between members, we are confident that the whole church will benefit from a stronger GraceLife ministry.