Author Archives: Stephen Rodgers

Living Theology #4 – The Inerrancy of Scripture

by Garrett Glende

Having looked at the doctrine of the authority of Scripture last week, we’ll now deal with a related issue, inerrancy. Grudem defines the inerrancy of Scripture to be the fact that “Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is false.” This idea is closely tied to the reality of Scripture being fully God’s word and authoritative. Were it not for the inspiration of Scripture, then there would be no basis to say that it is inerrant, for we would not be able to point to the truthfulness of God to defend its veracity. If the Bible has been written by mere men, then its words attesting to its authority hold no weight. However, we know that God has indeed inspired men to write down His word and we can say with confidence that all of His word is true.

There is often much misunderstanding about the specifics of inerrancy. It is many times confused with the word “infallibility,” which implies a less strict standard of truthfulness. While infallibility claims that all of Scripture pertaining only to “faith and practice” is true, inerrancy goes further, saying that the Bible speaks truthfully on all matters including faith and practice along with historical accounts. Proponents of inerrancy argue that the Bible does not limit itself in the extent of its truthfulness. Grudem points out that there are places in the New Testament where the author regards the smaller details of the Old Testament to be reliable, such as in Acts 24:14 where Paul claims to “worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets.” Everything in the Old Testament was written to be meaningful to us, according to Romans 15:4 where Paul writes, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” This includes even the smallest details that may not seem to matter much to us. From this evidence, we can come to a conclusion that the Bible speaks truth on all subjects that it speaks of. Inerrancy does not mean that the Bible is a complete source of knowledge to everything one would want to know. It will not teach you calculus. However, all knowledge that is included in Scripture is fully trustworthy.

The practical applications of this doctrine are similar to that of the authority of Scripture, following the line of thought that says we should submit to the Bible because it is authoritative and true. However, while we’re on the topic of the inherent truthfulness of Scripture, it seems appropriate to comment on an unsettling trend emerging (pun not intended) in today’s culture. More than ever, the idea of truth itself is being attacked and the idea that one can discover absolute truth in the Bible is seen as arrogant and intolerant. In my own experiences evangelizing on campus at UCSD I’ve found that many in my generation admire the tenets of religious pluralism, attempting to be welcoming to all beliefs, meanwhile sacrificing intellectual integrity. However, this mindset, although it may seem pleasant and gracious on the outside, often leads to a general apathy towards ultimate truth or an inconsistency in thought. “I accept all beliefs except those which contradict my own,” is essentially the attitude. Indeed, tolerance abounds. I’ve spoken to many students who, after hearing the gospel, simply say that “what is true for you works for you and what is true for me works for me.” To assert that there is no absolute truth is indeed a propositional truth claim. This seems to me to be an incredibly lazy and irresponsible outlook to have in dealing with concepts of such magnitude. The reality of it all is that the Bible is true for all people. Christ’s Lordship is not limited to those who believe that He is Lord. He is Savior of all the nations and there will be a day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:10-11).

On a more personal level, as we’ve been studying what it means to worship God in spirit and truth on Sundays, consider that the entire Bible is the truth of God. Jesus prays to the Father in John 17:17, asking that He “sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” We must worship God in light of the truth that He has revealed to us through His word. Since all of Scripture relates to us different truths about God, then we should study every part of it in order to worship God for all that He is. There are wonderful, sanctifying truths found in the crispy section of our Bibles, but do we even turn there? In putting aside these parts of Scripture we are inhibiting our own growth in holiness and limiting the source of truth that leads to our worship. The flow is simple: we must worship God in truth (John 4:23-24); God’s word is truth (John 17:17); all Scripture is God’s word (2 Timothy 3:16); and Scripture shows God to be holy, just, omniscient, loving, and merciful, so we worship Him because of these truths. We would do well to consider the inerrancy of Scripture in light of our own personal worship, as it should lead us to desire to praise God for all that is revealed to be true about Him.

Bulletin Ministry

by Hansol An

Those bulletins come from somewhere…

Every week a dedicated team lays out, edits, prints, folds and assembles the Sunday Service Bulletins. For a long time the team was no more than four people, but as the church grew so did the need for a more extensive team. Now the team consists of Daniel Yee, Daniel Kim, Moon Choi, Courtney Chow, Yoonjee Kim, Angella An and Hansol An.

The pastoral staff sends out the information used to update the bulletin. Hansol and Angella format and lay it out in InDesign then send it to the rest of the team as a PDF file. On Sunday mornings the team arrives at 8am to produce the 250 copies needed for that morning’s service.

Typically there isn’t a lot of recognition but like any ministry in the church, that’s not what it’s about. The team is committed to help communicate what’s going on in the life of the church… quietly and consistently. Our hope is that this ministry assists the church body in furthering the kingdom work.

Editor’s Note: The Sunday Bulletin can now be viewed online.

Youth Ministry

by Pastor JR Cuevas

The youth ministry of Lighthouse Bible Church – also known as “Lumos” – exists to exalt God in the lives of youth adults in the San Diego community. This is specifically carried out through the church’s imparting of both the gospel as well as the lives of older godly men and women into the lives of the young adults in the church. Thus, all that takes place in Lumos flows either in the direction of equipping and building up the youth who have trusted in Christ as their Lord and Savior or in the direction of evangelizing to the youth who do not exhibit saving faith in Christ. With this in mind, the ultimate vision of Lumos is to magnify the person and work of Jesus Christ in the lives of the youth, so as to help prepare them to be future ministers of the gospel for the generations to come.

Lumos currently has a little over ten youth ranging from 6th grade to 12th grade who have consistently been a part of the group, and nine adult staff from the single-adults affinity group who help run the ministry and invest in the lives of the youth. Every Friday night, Lumos meets at 7:00 pm at church till 9:30 pm, during which the weekly Bible study takes place. The messages typically last anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour, and in which I have been preaching through the gospel of Luke since the beginning of 2008 when I started serving in this ministry. After the message, small groups – divided up by gender and age group – take place. On Sunday morning during Sunday school hour, Lumos runs a Sunday school class, in which I have been going through the various topics of Systematic Theology as well as monthly split-sessions of men’s and women’s discipleship. On Wednesdays, some of Lumos staff help run a Bible study at Torrey Pines High School during their lunch break, in which the Lumos’ most prominent form of outreach to the youth in the existing community outside of LBC. On Wednesday nights, some of the Lumos staff help run a study hall at the church for the youth, in which the youth are encouraged to diligently study for their classes to the glory of God.

As a ministry, the staff and I have certain convictions that are considered essential in ministering to the youth. First, we hold to the conviction of keeping everything gospel-centered and Scripture-based. This implies that Lumos does not minister to the kids in such a way as to fuel pride or enhance the worldly definition of self-esteem. Rather, all the messages that are taught are geared towards helping the youth have a greater realization of their sin before a holy God as well as helping them have a greater realization of what it means to place one’s faith in in the person and work of Christ alone. Second, we hold to the conviction that the youth are to be treated as adults, and not as children. Though we seek to be understanding and compassionate towards them, the youth are challenged each week to pursue the same standards of holiness in personal character as all Christians are held accountable to. Thus, the messages are not only long, but passionate and intense, in which I do not hold back in challenging the youth to make very practical changes in their lives. Thus, Lumos does not “baby” the youth who attend. Rather, they are challenged to live as good soldiers of Jesus Christ (which was our ministry theme for 2009).

Having set these standards, the youth who have consistently attended Lumos have shown much growth over the past year – from the middle-school students to the high school seniors. They have shown much growth in personal character and in applying the principles of Scripture in their own lives. Some who were not believers when they first attended have since then professed faith in Christ and have displayed their faith in their daily living. One of the recent manifestations of their growth has been an increase in ministry involvement in church. The staff has always challenged the youth not to “cluster” into small youth groups on Sunday mornings and distance themselves from the adults, but rather to take the initiative in serving in some of the adult ministries. Over the past year, we have seen some of the youth faithfully serve in the refreshments ministry, the cleaning ministry, set-up and clean-up ministry, welcoming ministry, and even in ministries geared towards international college students. It has been tremendously encouraging for me to witness them grow in their love for Christ, love for people, and love for their church. In all honesty, I consider myself to be one of the most blessed youth ministers – not because of how could I job I do, but because of how encouraging these “chulengos” (my term of endearment towards them to remind them that though they’re young, they’re capable) have been so faithful to the ministry. A number of the youth have faithfully participated in the ministry on their own initiatve (their parents do not attend LBC), and have shown the ability to be faithful to their church even at such a young age.

That said, the ministry is constantly in need of prayer support from the rest of the church body. Pray that our youth would grow in their fear of the Lord, that they may love Him more and grow in their intimacy with Him. Pray that they would mature in their faith, and that the Spirit would continually guide them to Christ-likeness as they age. Pray for the staff, that we would continue to faithfully invest in the lives of the youth. Finally, pray that in all that we do, Christ would receive the glory, honor, and praise.

Weekly Links (12/04/09)

by Stephen Rodgers

Well hello again! We’re back with a collection of links from around the internet this week. I hope that you’ve found these articles as interesting and thought-provoking as I have.

And for folks who think they don’t have time to read a series of articles, here’s a few that stand by themselves:

See you next week!

Pro Rege

Living Theology #3 – The Authority of Scripture

by Garrett Glende

Two weeks ago we looked at what it means for us that the words written in the Bible are the very words of God. This reminded us that there should be no time spent in His word without it eliciting a response on our behalf. Considering that we have God’s own words written down for us, there should be a deep longing to know and understand relationally who God is. This week’s topic, the authority of Scripture, flows directly from this doctrine in that because the Bible is the word of God it is authoritative.

It isn’t difficult to come to this conclusion. After all, if God has spoken, is not what He says true (Numbers 23:19)? As creator of the universe, His stance on any given subject should be authoritative on this basis alone. So the answer to the question, “Why should I listen to what the Bible has to say?” is simple: because God says so. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16 that “all Scripture is breathed out by God…” As discussed in last week’s article on the canon, the Greek word used here is graphé. This term is always used to describe Old Testament writings, but there are also places where New Testament material is placed in the same category as graphé (2 Peter 3:16, 1 Timothy 5:18). Thus, we can confidently say that all of the New Testament is inspired by God as well.

The most direct implication that this has is that any time we disobey Scripture we are disobeying God. We must not see the Bible as simply a gathering of good spiritual morals to live by. Instead, it is to be looked upon and treated as the authoritative, true, and final word of God. Obedience is not optional, it is commanded.

One specific pitfall that I think is easy to fall into is defending a belief based not on what the Bible has said, but what man has said. So often we claim to understand complicated issues because our favorite theologian takes a stand on them. “I know that the Bible teaches predestination because MacArthur says so.” It’s easy to do because we know that they already have put in the hard study. If such godly men seem to be so decided on this issue, then why should I have to do much looking into it myself, is our common refrain. But this attitude displays that we care more about studying what Piper or Sproul says than what God says. If we truly believe that Scripture alone is authoritative, then we would look to it to find out answers instead of running to a pastor or friend. It isn’t necessarily wrong to ask other’s opinions, but when their opinion is placed above what the Bible says we are in sin. This is common in dealing with controversial issues or Christian liberties. Yes, the charismatic sign gifts may have indeed ceased, but surely not because Pastor John says so. And yes, it is wise to build boundaries while dating, but these things are not so on man’s authority alone.

Alternatively, because the Bible is authoritative, we should know for ourselves what it says. So when a friend asks us about a difficult subject, we can answer with “because the Bible says so” and not “because Pastor John said so.” The weight behind our words is far greater when we can point to Scripture to illustrate our beliefs instead of pointing to man. This will also strengthen our own faith and convictions because we will have thought deeply about the issues and put the necessary study in to come to a conclusion, a process which in and of itself is invaluable. May we all seek to come to know God more by reading, studying, and meditating on the glorious truths revealed through His authoritative word.

Editor's Note: December 2009

by Stephen Rodgers

It’s hard to believe that December is here already. The Beacon has only been up and running in it’s new form for about a month, but I’d like to share some numbers with you:

  • We’re updating about four times a week, usually Tuesday through Friday, with an occasional bonus article.
  • Overall traffic is up significantly from where it used to be.
  • There are currently 244 articles for you to read on this blog. That’s three years of Beacon!

That being said there are still some areas that we need help and prayer. Please consider the following:

  • This blog/newsletter is a free ministry of LBC. It’s completely run and staffed by volunteers. No one gets paid for this. Every single member of staff does this because they see this as a way to serve the body of Christ to the glory of God. So please, make our work meaningful: enjoy it! Read the Beacon. Share it. Tell us if you think something could be improved. Talk to a writer about their article. Everyone is encouraged when they know their work is used and appreciated.
  • Pray for the Beacon ministry. Seriously, this is a great support for us. The importance of prayer is hard to over-emphasize.
  • Last but not least, if you feel so inclined, share with the church via the Beacon. We’re happy to receive submissions from non-staff writers, and we’ll work with you to get an article edited, polished, and published if that’s something you’re interested in.

Thank you again for all your support. We all feel truly blessed to have this opportunity to serve.

Pro Rege

Glorying in the Cross

by Elder Mike Chon

Do you glory in the cross of Jesus Christ? In churches today, there are so many opinions or thoughts regarding the cross of Christ. Some would say that the cross is the instrument that was used to crucify Jesus, a place where where the greatest tragedy occurred, a place where the greatest sin was displayed, a time when the Romans or Jews murdered an innocent man, a symbol of Christianity, or an ornament or jewelry. For many believers when we remember the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross, especially during communion or Good Friday, we usually grieve over the physical suffering and death of our Lord. It is equivalent to attending a funeral where there is great sadness and sorrow over the death of a loved one. We mourn as though Jesus died a senseless death or that it was a tragedy. Is this the way that Christ desired for us to remember Him when He instituted communion during the last supper?

I believe that many today who would confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior have never considered the true reality of the cross of Christ. Paul writes in Galatians 6:14 “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” The word “boast” can also be translated “glory” as it is in the King James Bible, which means to praise or even to brag about something in a positive sense. Was this just hyperbole by Paul? Did he really mean to boast about the cross? Should we boast about the Son of God crucified on a cross? Many of us consider the sufferings of Christ and grieve over the pain that He had to endure. We only consider the physical sufferings of Jesus that He was mocked, spit upon, beaten multiple times, then scourged, and finally crucified. If we only remember the physical sufferings of Christ, we have a very superficial view of the cross and we miss out on the reason why Paul would write that we should only boast in the cross alone.

With so many things that occur in our lives, there is a spiritual aspect that needs to be considered. Life is not about avoiding hardships or trying to resolve difficult situations in our lives. If we only consider our circumstances and what we see, we may miss on what God is trying to teach us and His blessing for our lives. Such is the cross. It is not just another event in history which we read about in books. Moreover, the physical suffering that Christ endured and the crucifixion itself was not how He saved us. It was only the means to the end. So when we remember the cross, we need to remember what actually occurred on the cross that was hidden from the eyewitnesses that were present. For instance, one aspect of the cross was during the last three hours of the crucifixion, when great darkness came over the land. It was supernatural darkness, not caused by clouds, a storm, or a solar eclipse. It was complete darkness that made it impossible to see. A darkness that was felt such as the darkness during the ten plagues in Exodus. This darkness was God’s presence coming to the cross and during those three hours pouring His wrath upon Jesus for every sin that every believer has ever committed and will ever commit. To think of the wrath of God being poured out upon Jesus for three hours is incomprehensible. And after three hours, Jesus absorbed God’s wrath to the point that He satisfied God’s wrath for each one of our sins. To help us better understand the magnitude of what Christ accomplished, consider someone condemned in hell, after spending one thousand years in hell he would not have satisfied God’s wrath for one of his sins let alone for all of them. But Jesus was able to absorb infinite wrath for three hours to completely satisfy God’s wrath for all our sins. The cross did not just give an opportunity for people in the future to be saved, but it actually saved people two thousand years ago by satisfying God’s wrath.

I don’t know about you, but if this isn’t something to boast about, there is nothing in this world to boast in. Nothing is greater than what Jesus accomplished on the cross. The cross and the message of the cross must be the most important message in your life. It must be more important than even the teachings of Jesus, more important than the Sermon on the Mount, and even more important than living a righteous life. We boast about so many things in our lives, our work, our achievements, our children. How about boasting in the one thing that is really worth boasting about? Jesus satisfied God’s wrath on the cross which we deserved to pay for. If understood correctly, the cross humbles us to know that we did not contribute anything to our salvation, and will not contribute anything in our sanctification, since it is completely by God and His grace alone that saves and preserves us until we are finally with God for all eternity. What else is there to boast about?

If we understand the fullness of the cross, then we would come to communion and Good Friday with a sense of joy and celebration as we glory in the cross of Christ. Put away the gloomy faces, the sorrow and sadness, because Good Friday is truly good. It is the most wonderful, amazing and awesome day of all of history, so why should we come with sorrow as we remember the day of the cross of Christ? Moreover, if we truly understand the cross of Christ, I believe that more of us would be boasting about the cross to others. Our desire for others to know what Christ truly accomplished would be on the tip of our tongues ready to share the most glorious moment of all of history. How easily we forget the magnitude and the greatness of the cross of Christ as we boast about everything else except the only thing that deserves boasting about. Therefore, let us come together and see the cross of Christ as truly good, and that we would consider the cross as the only message that we would boast about in our lives to God’s glory alone.

Happy Thanksgiving!

by Pastor Patrick Cho

I know it’s a little bit late, but I still thought it would be good to reflect on some things I am thankful for:

1. Salvation. I know this is the default #1 item on almost every believer’s list, but it still shouldn’t be overlooked or trivialized. Every time I think about the kind of sinner I am and the kind of God He is, it amazes me that He would desire to know me and for me to know Him. I bring nothing to the table. I have nothing to offer. He gives it all and accomplishes everything for me to be counted righteous before Him. All this was done by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Amazing love!

2. Family. Christine and I have been married over four years now and have seen Eden grow through her first year of life. I’m thankful that I still have vivid memories of the day Christine and I were married (especially after hearing from so many who don’t remember their wedding day at all because of how busy it was). I remember the day Eden was born and how weird it was to think I was a dad. I’m extremely thankful for it all.

3. Church. Lighthouse is the best church I have ever attended! I’m thankful for the relationships we have in our pastoral team and elders. I’m thankful for loving members who encourage and support their leadership and are eager to grow in their relationships with Christ. I’m also thankful that we have a congregation that believes in the MVP and is excited to see the Vision put to action! (Go San Jose!)

4. Friends. I’m thankful for God-centered friendships that I have been able to cultivate over the years. For many of these relationships, we don’t have to stay in touch often. We just pick up where we left off even if it has been months since our last conversation. Good friends are oftentimes hard to find. I’m so thankful for the ones I have. I’m especially thankful that they are believers and we have the hope of spending time together for eternity in the pursuit of knowing God more. I’m also thankful that I have friends who are not afraid to say the hard word and are comfortable enough with me lovingly to tell me when I am wrong.

5. God’s Kind Patience. Even though I know that God has saved me, I still continue to do the things that God needed to save me from. I know that I will be a lifelong project, but sometimes I wonder if God is thinking I’m taking much longer to grow than I should. Praise God for His steadfast love and patience toward me. If my salvation was not secure in Him, I would have no hope.

There’s so much more I am thankful for, but these are the first five things that came to mind. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends! Remember that the good things we enjoy come from the hand of our loving God. Give praise continuously to Him!

Pray for Matt Chandler

by Stephen Rodgers

I debated on whether or not I should post anything about this. After all, it felt rather biased. Matt Chandler is one of my favorite preachers outside of LBC, and to draw attention to him in this way seemed…unfair?…unbalanced?…arbitrary? After all, this isn’t my newsletter, it’s the official newsletter of Lighthouse Bible Church. Right?

Wrong.

Ultimately, this is the official newsletter of Lighthouse Bible Church…which in turn is a church of Jesus Christ. And as anyone who remembers high school algebra or college logic will tell you, if LBC owns the Beacon, and Jesus owns LBC, then by the transitive property, Jesus owns the Beacon as well. And it is His glory, and His name, and His will that this blog is ultimately concerned with, not LBC’s.

Which brings us to Matt Chandler. I don’t know the man personally. I’m sure he doesn’t know me. As far as I can tell, no one from Texas even reads this blog. But none of that matters in light of the fact that Matt Chandler is a fellow brother in Christ, a fellow servant of our Lord, and a man currently in need of prayer.

Matt had a seizure last week, fell, struck his head, and was rushed to the hospital. While there, the doctor’s discovered a mass in his brain and, to use Matt’s words, “scheduled him for a date with the neurosurgeon.”

Pray for Matt Chandler. Pray for his family, his wife Lauren, and his children. Pray for his church. And in all of that, remember that you are praying to God. A God so awesome that He knew you, me, and Matt Chandler before there was an earth. A God so loving that He sent His only Son to die on our behalf. A God so merciful that He saved us all, dragging us kicking and screaming away from damnation to eternal life. And a God so wise that no matter what happens to you, me, or Matt Chandler, His perfect will will move inexorably onward, unable to be thwarted by the confusion and tragedies of this world.

More information can be found here.

Weekly Links (11/27/09)

by Stephen Rodgers

There are fewer links this week, (mostly because I spent Thursday with my family instead of tracking down articles), but the ones that I have for you are all quite good. I’d almost be willing to ofter you a money-back guarantee. So without further ado: