Author Archives: Stephen Rodgers

Sports Ministry (AR09)

by Kara Kim

Whoosh! Spike! Swish! Another goal! Another point! You may think sports are just fun and games, but not in Argentina. Every game was an epic battle between two teams fighting for the win. On sports/park days there were mainly three sports for people to choose: soccer (fútbol), volleyball, or basketball. Naturally, soccer was the most commonly played sport, for both men and women, and each played at their own vicious level. It might be because Argentina has such good meat, all the people, young and old, had incredible leg strength and astonishing shooting abilities. Scores wouldn’t be 1-0 or 2-0 like in the United States but rather, they would be 4-0 or 5-1 due to the Argentines’ awesome soccer skills.

Looking back I’m really glad that I decided to pursue soccer early in life, so I could use that skill to play fútbol with people in Argentina who shared a passion to play it. Even though playing sports with them was really fun, the whole team and I got many opportunities to meet new people, make Eugene and the Tucumanos playing futbol futbol training begins young in friends, and have a great time playing sports with them. I think it’s really amazing how a simple sport could be used to unite people from different parts of the world.

Personally for me, I got to experience playing fútbol with the men AND women. I come to the conclusion that the men play super aggressively, and the women, young and old, can kick the ball really hard.

One fond memory I have was one Saturday the women, from the team and from the IBM church, were organizing a friendly game between the married ladies and the single ladies, and once the game started, Pastor Jorge’s wife, Norma, was saying to me, “No tengo miedo de ti!” (“I’m not afraid of you!”) But my team ended up winning, and after the game the married women all walked off the field breathlessly.

For me, I thought it was amazing that all the way from the older men/ladies to the younger boys/girls would go out of their comfort zone to play soccer and it was encouraging to see that even when they get tired, they would still be willing to play, even the people who don’t know how to play. It was such a blessing to spend time getting to know people while playing sports and building friendships with them in the short time that we had. I look forward to the next time I will see them, but until then, it’s keeping in touch with Facebook!

Team Fellowship (AR09)

by David Jung

Fellowship: that was definitely the defining theme of this trip. Not only did we have great fellowship with the people of the Tucumán church and the translators, but also we as a team had great fellowship with one another, having the chance to build each other up and to get to know one another. We saw each other every single day, and the only time we didn’t see each other was when we split up to go to different neighborhoods. Under this very close proximity, we were able to get to know each other’s quirks, likes, dislikes, convictions, personalities, and characters.

There were many instances where I saw my teammates willing to serve one another. One of the examples is how Grace Wu and Cesar Vigil-Ruiz were our unofficial translators. We relied on the two of them to translate for us at the hotel, the first night at the church when the translators weren’t there, and at Buenos Aires where we had our debriefing. Another example is taking care of Pastor John and Angela’s two youngest daughters, Alyssa and Olivia. Many people on the team were willing to hang out with the two Kim kids so that Pastor John and Angela would be able to focus on doing their individual ministries on the trip. It was very encouraging to see people like Kim Phan and Keziah Kim being with Olivia whenever Olivia wanted to play. Overall, the relationships between the team members were good. There were minor problems here and there, but those were quickly resolved thanks to the reminder of our Peacemaker Pledge that Lighthouse Bible Church strongly upholds.

A Letter From Pastor Jorge Ahualle (AR09)

by Pastor Jorge Ahualle

Each year welcoming the LBC group for the campaign has been a great experience and expectation, not only for me but also for my family and for IBM. But this year in particular was a great blessing and a wonderful gift from the Lord Jesus Christ for our lives because He gave us the privilege to have Pastor John with his family, having a wonderful time together that we very much enjoyed. As Pastor John says, “Mucho-Muy” and “Bonito.” Getting to know

Angela personally was very special. My wife Norma was very impacted by her testimony and Norma could see in Angela a great woman of God with a heart and disposition to do His will, something that only those who love His sovereign plan can experience.

Truly, getting to know such a beautiful family that honors God is not easy to find nowadays. Pastor John has this privilege and is the result of a dedication to form convictions in the life of his family, in obedience to the Bible.

We were able to work together visiting our contacts in the neighborhoods, and as I was able to see once again this year, like each year, the guidance of God in the campaign. There are people that are being visited and discipled and the Lord used them greatly for this purpose.

The time that IBM and LBC spent together has been a good method for creating a relationship of love and partnership. This has worked in encouraging and challenging many of our members to improve the quality of their Christian life. It makes me happy that you guys are continuing to keep in touch through the Internet, creating a greater friendship between the two churches.

One of the greatest suggestions was the one that Norma suggested to me: inviting the LBC group to our home for a time of sharing. I never thought that this would be such a blessing for our lives. At first it was hard for me to do this, I didn’t want to inconvenience my Lighthouse brothers and sisters, but I realized that it was a very good idea. I enjoyed it a lot.

One thing I always regret is not being able to talk and share with each team member in a dialogue. But with those I was able to talk to, and although I know it was very few, it was still special because I also learned from them seeing the love and sacrifice that they made to come to share with us and this humbles me a lot. I know that all the words I could write will never be enough to thank the amount of work you do for our lives and helping our ministry. But anyway, THANK YOU. I know that God will greatly reward all these examples of selfless love that you all have for us.

Thank you Eugene…Tucumán awaits you. IBM awaits you. You’re practically already Tucumano.

Thank you James…your testimony reminded me of my youth. Remain firm growing in the Lord.

Thank you David…for your words of encouragement that day at my home. It was very good to hear you share.

Thank you Chris…because despite the fact that Tucumán gives you allergies, you still came back. You’re brave.

Thank you Teddy…you’re a great servant. Norma says you’re very tender. I say, “Ok!”

Thank you Cesar…”take it easy, man.” You understand me, right???

Thank you Stephanie…you’re a gal with a very sensitive heart. You easily make me cry…

Thank you Naomi…in Tucumán we say, “You have batteries”…a lot of potential. Make the most out of it.

Thank you Keziah…it was your first experience with us. I hope that it was special, as it was for us.

Thank you Kim…for you too, your first time. I enjoyed sharing with you and Keziah at the park. My desire is always to be an encouragement and blessing. I hope I have done that in your life.

Thank you Grace (chinita)…for having your heart in Tucumán and for your love for us…and for the mosquitos.

Thank you Jenna…you are an example of service, love, and availability. The Lord has great things planned for you.

Thank you Kara…despite your young age, you have a heart for God and a desire to please Him and that is good for affecting and challenging others.

Thank you Alyssa…for coming to get to know us. We were eager to get to know you. I hope you liked Tucumán and I hope that you have great memories of us.

Thank you Olivia…Can I tell you a secret? I love you lotsssss. Well, now everyone already knows. You’re also a very enchanting little girl. I miss you and I hope to see you soon. Kisses, muah!!

Thank you John and Angela. You guys are a fantastic couple and you have a wonderful family. You are an example for our lives and the greatest part is that you are our “AMIGOS.” We love you lots. “Bonito.”

Thank you LBC for being able to enjoy each one of you all these years, for the fellowship in Christ that made getting to know each other possible and learning many things about your live.

A huge hug for everyone. Jorge, Norma y Josué…

Efesios 3:20-21

The Body of Christ

by Pastor Patrick Cho

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to preach about the basis behind the unity of the church as it is stated in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13. Just as the body has many different types of parts, but they all come together to make one body, so it is with the church. The various members of the church with all their different spiritual gifts, abilities, and talents come to serve together as one symbiotic whole.

I particularly appreciated that Paul writes in vs. 12, “so it is with Christ.” He does not say, “…so it is with the church,” or even “…so it is with the body of Christ.” He makes the point that the church is the physical representation of Christ on earth. When the members come together to serve in the church, they are fulfilling their role as part of Christ’s body. In other words, to be committed to the church is to show one’s commitment to Christ Himself.

Paul writes in vs. 13 that the church is made one by God’s Spirit in whom we have been baptized by Christ (cf. Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 2:33). By being baptized in the Spirit, we are made one body in Christ. It does not matter whether we are Jew or Gentile, slaves or free; if we are in Christ, we are one body. Paul is clear to indicate that all the believers at Corinth had received this baptism. It was not a second work of grace in their lives but came as a result of their salvation. When they were saved, they were baptized in the Spirit and made part of the body of Christ. This is a profound statement. In a real sense, church membership came as part of the package when they became Christian!

Not only have we been immersed in the Spirit, but Paul concludes that we have been made to drink of that Spirit as well. By this, Paul is referring to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Not only do we have the external support of the body of Christ having been baptized in the Spirit, but we also have the Spirit’s internal influence as well! Certainly this is great cause for rejoicing for the believer. We who were completely void of the Spirit before coming to know Christ now have the Spirit’s influence around us and within us. It bears witness to the fact that when God saves an individual, He does not withhold His blessing (cf. Luke 11:13).

The following passages in 1 Corinthians 12 go into the practical outworkings of this unity and are very applicable for the church, so I can’t wait to get into those passages in the coming messages.

Mission to Tucuman 2009

by Pastor John Kim

God has blessed us tremendously with the opportunities to represent Him not only here in San Diego, but to other parts of the world, namely in Ostrava, Czech Republic and Tucuman, Argentina. Our family has been to Ostrava almost every year since 2000, not counting the year we didn’t send a team in 2002 and the year Angela had Olivia (2005). So this year was quite different as we have always looked forward to spending time with our precious friends and partners in ministry, the Mellwigs and the rest of the church in Ostrava. In fact, this year was all the more difficult not to go since Meinolf, Martina, and Anika came to visit earlier this year and we were able to spend some quality time together. So it was with a measure of sadness and a sense of uncertainty in what to expect that our family planned to go to Tucuman with our team from Lighthouse.

By all accounts we have much to be thankful in the past four trips before this year. Though it has been at times challenging and even controversial due to some doctrinal and philosophical issues, this past March found Patrick and myself flying over to Tucuman to work out these issues with Pastor Jorge. Much to our joy, we were able to communicate and clarify these issues, especially since it related to the essence of the gospel and how to present it. So it was with much anticipationg that we looked forward to this summer’s trip as I felt it was important to go as a family to both experience what was taking place in Tucuman as well as to give a strong show of support to Pastor Jorge and the church.

It was definitely different from our trips to the Czech Republic. For starters, it was winter down in Argentina and it had to be the coldest winter, even by their standards. The evenings would sometimes drop below freezing and we were not prepared with any winter clothing so it was pretty cold. But what warmed us was the welcoming spirit and the overwhelming love that the church showed. From the very beginning when we drove to the “salon” (the rented meeting room that was to be our headquarters for the trip), it was a constant reminder of how great the love we share in Christ can be. From the Argentine cheek kiss to the many conversations we were able to have (assisted by some wonderful translators), the whole week was a whirlwind of activity as we would breeze in and out of the salon, meeting with the church, going door to door in the barrios, to playing soccer and volleyball at the park. It obviously would be difficult to describe it all here but suffice it to say that the whole trip was really a blessing in so many ways.

There were some challenges along the way with Kara and Alyssa getting sick, digestive issues with various team members, the famous “black boogers” from all the stuff flying around in the air. The swine flu initially caused some difficulties for us because many things were being affected, including the ability to gather in large groups as well as some of our original translators being unable to participate due to restrictions. But God worked everything out marvelously to His glory.

It was also an opportunity for me to step back and allow others to step up and serve. Angela had been to Argentina 23 years ago when she was in college on a short term trip and returning with a husband and four daughters had to be a bit surreal. But it was great to see how she was able to minister to all the women of the church, constantly being asked to meet up with many of the ladies throughout the week. Even our daughters were able to participate, especially Jenna and Kara, going out door to door, sharing testimonies and getting to know the youth of the church. Alyssa made a number of friends as the girls from the church who were her age welcomed her and wanted to play with her immediately. Olivia was quite the popular figure as she was embraced (literally) by everyone.

The team did a great job as there were times that I was unable to fully participate due to being a bit sick myself as well as in watching the kids in the mornings. I would have to say that each member of the team did a great job in not only being cooperative but in being flexible with the many schedule changes, delays, postponements, and other adventures that we all faced.

The church in Tucuman did an incredible job in serving out team. There was a team that prepared meals for us each day, lunch and dinner. The meals were great, including the famous empanadas a number of times as well as other dishes that I had never seen. There was plenty of beef all throughout the trip. We were able to enjoy a couple of asado bbqs, courtesy of the master asado chef Marcello Espeche. It was a joy to see him growing and rejoicing in his restored marriage and ministry in the church.

I had the opportunity to preach many times, to share the gospel, and to encourage the members of the church. Looking back it seems like it went by so quickly but it really was a full trip. I can see how God was so faithful to provide for us in every way, from the prayer and financial support to orchestrating all the details in such a way that worked out best.

Please pray for the church in Tucuman. Pray for Pastor Jorge, Norma and Josue as they are in the position to provide leadership and support for the church. Pray for leadership to develop in the church as their church planting efforts are dependent on the nurturing of more leaders to help provide shepherding and teaching. Pray for the young people of the church to grow strong in the Lord and provide hope for their future. Pray for Carlos and Sylvia Espeche as they suffered a miscarriage a few months ago and have had difficulty in being able to conceive. Marcello (Carlos’ father) was really broken over this and asked that we as a church family pray for them since he knows our prayers meant so much for him when he was struggling. Pray for little baby Mariono Gabriel who had surgery today for some medical conditions that have been difficult. Pray for the translators who have been facing much difficulties due to doctrinal differences and ministry philosophy differences in their churches. Pray also for our church to continue in reaching out to places such as Tucuman so that we can fulfill the Great Commission faithfully to God’s glory.

Report night is coming in September….

The Good News of the Gospel

by Pastor John Kim

The good news of the gospel is good because it not only brings us to salvation in proclaiming the death of Christ on our behalf but it continues to be good in providing the basis for our obedience and following Christ, both individually and corporately as a church. The past few months have been humbling and encouraging, for I have found that the neglect of the gospel has lead many down the road to legalism and a pharisaical attitude, including myself. It is easy to use a performance mentality in gauging spirituality, both in my own life as well as in others. Yet the mindset that says we need to try and earn God’s favor through our hard work and labor for the sake of the kingdom can lead to a works mentality that contradicts the foundation of living by grace through faith. We are not only saved by grace through faith in our justification, we are also continually to walk in grace through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. As Jerry Bridges notes, “Your worse days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.” This is indeed comforting news for those of us who are so performance oriented that we can go from one extreme to the other. We feel good about ourselves when we are doing well with all our spiritual disciplines and maintaining a high level of activity. We then feel bad about ourselves when we miss our quiet times and go through prolonged periods of spiritual lethargy. While Romans 6 reminds us not to abuse grace, we must remember to also consider that we forget about grace as we live out the Christian life.

The reminder to “preach the gospel to yourself” has been something that I have heard before, but it has not been so prominent as it has become now. The gospel must be central to my life’s purpose and message. I am called to live in a manner worthy of the gospel and I am to partner with fellow believers for the sake of the gospel (Philippians 1:27). If this is so, then the gospel needs to be constantly on my mind from my waking moments to the time I go to bed.

It is no surprise to see the apostle Paul so focused on the cross of Christ. One of my favorite verses since high school has been 1 Corinthians 2:2 – “For I determined to know nothing among you except Christ and him crucified.” This verse has been revived in my heart and I see how easy it is for me to then walk in the flesh when I forget to fix my eyes on Christ (Hebrews 12:2).

As we celebrate our 10th anniversary at Lighthouse, I would like to again reiterate what was preached this past Sunday. The mission of Lighthouse – to make disciples of Christ, is no less than a call to go and proclaim the gospel, making disciples who will then be baptized and taught to live in light of the gospel for the rest of their days. The vision of Lighthouse – to plant churches, gives us the goal of taking the gospel ministry, both for the purpose of evangelism and edification, to places where there is a need for the gospel to be made known. The passion of Lighthouse – to love God and people, can only be truly experienced when the gospel is driving our loving so that it really is the love of Christ that both motivates us and energizes us to love in the way God defines true love.

The gospel is precious – don’t let it become something that you think is so basic that you are not in need of preaching it to yourselves daily. My prayer is that the gospel would become the beacon of your heart, your mind, your mouth, and the unifying factor in all your relationships so that Christ might receive all the glory.

Nathan Kwak

by Steven Hong

Last summer, the encouragement level at Lighthouse took a dip when Nathaniel Kwak left San Diego indefinitely. Upon completing his undergraduate schooling at UC San Diego, Nathan moved up I-5 to La Palma, California to be with his family. Nathan always stood out as an encouraging brother, greeting anyone and everyone with a warm smile and a friendly word. The Beacon had a chance to catch up with Nathan, who is now a member at Good News Chapel in West Covina.

Where are you now and what are you up to these days?

I currently live in La Palma, CA. I’m working at a corporate Bank of America office, pretty much a cubicle 9am-5pm job. During nights and weekends I’ve been involved with my church, meeting up with people to get to know them better. I’m also involved with some new programs that we are starting up in the new season coming up at our church.

How was the transition in regards to moving churches? Were there any particular lessons you learned at LBC that helped the transition?

Since I was already a member of GNC prior to LBC, I had ties when I went back. However, it still was (and continues to be) a work in progress as the time away in college was long enough to lose some intimacy in relationships. I felt very much at home at LBC and losing much of the weekly (and sometimes daily) relationships made it tough in terms of accountability and the expectations I had for church. LBC has such gifted preachers and teachers up on the pulpit. But two main things that I took away from LBC were the importance of committing to a church and the importance of discipline in the individual. Being a very shy guy initially, having these two things drilled into me really aided in getting acclimated to church quicker and with much joy knowing that I am a part of the body of Christ.

What advice would you give to those who make a similar move after college ends?

Even though church is a main topic at LBC, something that I had to do upon returning home was to dive straight back into Scripture and understand the role and importance of the local church. As I studied, I, as an individual, really took a back seat as I saw how God uses His church to glorify Himself. This provided much comfort as well as rebuke time and time again, especially when selfish thoughts/motives tried to control my thinking. So understand the church and apply that knowledge. No one person is safe from falling away, especially when accountability is lacking.

How have you been growing and challenged since you’ve left LBC?

I don’t know how much space I have, so I’ll keep this short. As well as learning much about the church, God’s been continually growing in me a deeper and more intimate faith. Sometimes I used to wonder, am I serving God because it’s the thing everyone is doing? Or am I truly Christian, having died to myself and following Christ in his righteousness? A lot of strengths that I thought I had were immediately dismantled having returned home, especially having to once again live with family. They bring out the best and worst in me. And in hard financial times, I had to once again re-evaluate, is God the one and only satisfaction in my life? When Paul says to live is Christ and to die is gain, do I believe it? Do I count all as loss? No, no, and NO! I didn’t. And I’m still learning to let go of all the things that I’m holding onto. As I’ve prayed hard and received counsel of going into seminary, a deep fear of God is becoming entrenched. In the midst of growing deeper in my relationship with Him, I don’t think I’ve ever had a deeper fear of God.

Read any good books lately?

Desiring God by Piper, Reflections by C.S. Lewis are two I’ve recently finished. Man, its been so much harder to with work! Props to all you workers out there… I respect and admire all of you so much more having become a part of it.

One that I pick up a lot is the Valley of Vision, the Puritan prayers. I love and deeply recommend this one to everyone!

What are your plans moving forward and how can we keep you in our prayers?

I’m going into Talbot Seminary in the fall, God willing. Please pray for guidance from Scripture and to continue to grow in fear of God. My character is a concern of mine always, as I see the high calling of the gospel something that is frightening. Man, I’m not sure I knew the depths of what I was getting into when I became Christian. But it becomes more and more amazing as I understand the heart of God better each day. Please pray as the economy has caught our family in a deep crunch as well, especially as my parents have been delayed now in going to Vladivostok, Russia as long-term missionaries. I’ll be praying for you all as well.

Grace Yi

by Courtney Chow

God has brought an array of people to Lighthouse and to be part of the church family. Among the believers with very different backgrounds is cheery and gentle Grace Yi. She is in her second to last quarter as a UCSD undergrad. Grace is actively a part of the Collegelife ministry as well as Lighthouse Kids Club, and Cleaning Ministry.

I know you’re not a native to the San Diego area so what do you consider to be your hometown?

I’m a Navy brat, so my hometown has always been where my family was. Currently, my parents and youngest brother live in Seoul, South Korea. Most of my tours were international, each lasting 1-3 years. College is actually the first time I’ll be in one place for four consecutive years!

Wow. We don’t have many people who grew up in Navy families at Lighthouse. What is your family like?

My family of five includes my two younger brothers: Jonathan, 18, and Michael, 13. Contrary to what many may think, life with a military dad is actually quite relaxed, apart from our morning physical training sessions and marching practices. Just kidding. We’re a pretty relaxed bunch and frequently organize family trips. While there is no evidence that they are believers, I’m extremely thankful for them nevertheless. God has used them to teach me to cling to Him.

Since you did not grow up in a family of believers, how did you become a Christian?

Despite having been a faithful church attendant and participant for a good chunk of my life, God began shedding light on my heart’s true condition towards the end of 2007. I had begun attending Collegelife earlier that year, and to this day remember how moved I was to hear the series on the Foundations of the Gospel. It wasn’t until that fall that God helped me see how ugly my heart was by my hypocrisy; my words and actions were not aligned with what I was learning from God’s word. He showed me how undeserving I was and how much I needed Him. I stand before you today as one who loves Christ more than ever. We serve an amazing God.

Why did you decide to become a member at Lighthouse?

I decided to become a member because I wanted the accountability. Over time, God showed me the importance of a church family and the wonderful blessings that came with being apart of one. I wanted others to help me grow in my love and devotion for Christ, and, God willing, the opportunity to help others love Christ more; membership was that chance to make that happen. Also, I was very encouraged by how serious the leaders of LBC took the issue of membership. It was great to see how passionate they were to have the church fulfill the MVP. To this day, it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!

What aspects of the Lighthouse family are you most encouraged by?

I am so encouraged by how the LBC family strives to be disciples of Christ 24/7. Sunday mornings and Friday evenings are not just a time to charge up their religious power meter to cruise through the rest of the week. Instead, this family shows a concern and passion to honor God every minute throughout each day, week, month and year. I’m also encouraged by how members have followed the command to serve. From the guys in the sound booth to nursery staff, I appreciate seeing how people have stepped up to the plate.

How do you want to be involved at LBC in the next year?

God willing that I am in California next year, I hope to be more involved in the lives of LBC’s families. Serving in Lighthouse Kids’ Club has given me the amazing opportunity to meet the children, but I hope to build relationships and serve their families as well.

San Jose!

by Moon Choi

On January 25, 2009, Pastor John ended his sermon titled, “Make Disciples and God Plant a Church!” with a statement foreshadowing big news that would be broken at the members meeting later that evening. “It could be life altering for some,” he said before ending in prayer.

There was a lot of excitement and anticipation after the service ended. Some may have had no idea what he was talking about – others had heard things on the down low and made guesses. Whatever people’s knowledge of the situation was, they came with high energy to the members meeting, awaiting the potentially life altering announcement.

The meeting began with a very sober tone. But soon after, Pastor John made the announcement that the elders had decided during their retreat to pursue a church plant in San Jose. The announcement was met with loud cheers. A good number of members are originally from the San Jose area and some old members have moved back there but have had trouble finding a solid, Bible preaching church. “We have always considered the possibility of northern California,” Pastor John said. “But we were also considering other areas like Seattle or other major metropolitan areas.” He went on to mention that the elders felt as though it was finally time to act on our vision statement to plant churches.

There were a number of events and factors that culminated in the unanimous decision at the elders retreat. Mike Chon mentioned that while Pastor John took his leave of absence, Pastor Patrick was able to fulfill the role of senior pastor, giving him confidence in seeing him in that role indefinitely. Though you may think their discussion at the retreat was long and intense, Mike Chon said with a laugh that it was like a 20 minute discussion. Across the board, everyone had agreed that this was the proper course of action.

Even Peter Lim, the “voice of reason” among the elders, agreed. “As our church was approaching our 10 year anniversary, the elders were evaluating how well we had been doing on our MVP statement,” he said. They thought that the strongest area was the mission – making disciples with many people coming to know Christ in the past 10 years. The passion, to love God and people, was a weaker area within the church, resulting in 2009’s theme of “For the Love of Christ.” As for the vision, it had been carried out through short term missions to the Czech Republic and to Argentina which Peter said was “understandable for a church in its infancy” but said that they wanted to take a major step forward and actually plant.

Several different locations were in consideration. Pastor Patrick said that previously, they had tossed around the idea of Los Angeles, Seattle, even overseas to the Czech Republic or Argentina but that “these were just thoughts.” He had a feeling that once Pastor John came back from his leave of absence that he would want to plant a church. “By this time, I had figured it was a real possibility so I had already thought through it and prayed about it quite a bit,” he said. Then when Pastor John brought it up, they were able to talk about it. Though Pastor Patrick and Christine were willing to go, after talking to Pastor John, it just made more sense for Pastor John to go, as he was the visionary who kept moving forward and Pastor Patrick was fit to keep a programming running once it got started. “I know this is an overgeneralization, but it’s all to say that it made sense,” he said.

When Pastor John went to San Jose recently to speak at a college/singles conference, an arrangement that had been set up a year in advance, he realized that there weren’t many like-minded churches there, making it difficult for former Lighthouse members to receive the same teaching that they did in San Diego. There was a New Years potluck party with former and present Lighthouse members and people kept on asking whether they were going to plant a church in San Jose. “I could only reply that we needed to pray about it and that we were very hopefully in considering the possibility soon. I had also talked with my wife Angela as well as the kids to see if they would be supportive of the move.” This was a difficult decision, as their extended family was in San Diego, but regardless Pastor John’s family was excited.

As for the announcement of the church plant, Pastor John gave his perspective:

“I remember I was actually quite nervous as there were some other issues to address that were kind of a serious nature. But when it came time to actually share that we would plant a church, it almost became kind of like a movie scene and it felt really strange, almost a surreal kind of feeling that something very monumental was going to take place. So I gave the announcement and there were cheers from our congregation, probably the NorCal members being the most excited. But since I had kind of given a little preview in the morning service, there was actually quite a bit of anticipation and so it was really an exciting moment in our church’s history.”

Plans are moving forward. There have already been two interest meetings with more people than Pastor John had expected. Things are still in the preliminary planning stages as Pastor John has yet to become familiar with San Jose geography. During the second interest meeting on February 19, Pastor John asked a series of questions geared to get the minds focused on the purpose of the church plant. He emphasized that this church plant wasn’t an end to itself—rather, he looked to San Jose as a launching point for another church plant. He said that he didn’t want the next church plant to take 10 years. He called this a reproducing model, with a church being planted, growing as a baby would, then maturing, then reproducing. “Church planting is future-oriented with a multi-generational mindset,” he said. He pointed to Paul’s example and how missions was primarily planting churches. It’s a New Testament pattern, he said. Those who question church planting are questioning the New Testament. Before launching into his series of questions, Pastor John laid this principle down: “We’re going because we want to establish God’s redemptive plan.”

Among Pastor John’s series of questions, he asked for the number of the unsaved in San Jose. There was a silence before someone responded, “A big number.” He acknowledged that before asking if San Jose could use another church, though there were already churches there. He made it clear that it wasn’t about stealing sheep from other churches or even asking why we should plant a church if there were already churches there, he explained. As long as there are non-believers, we need to go because “there are people dying today who need to know the gospel.”

There were other questions but he prevalent theme of all of the questions and answers was trusting in God and praying desperately. Pastor John mentioned the early days of Lighthouse and said that there was a lot more prayer because everyone was desperate. There was even a fasting and prayer chain so that someone would be fasting and praying 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There was a desparate need to trust in God. Then he pointed that out that we still need to be desperate, all the time, because we are always completely dependent on God.

Toward the end of the meeting, Pastor John talked about how we can prepare for the plant. He asked the group how they could personally prepare. Response included continually growing, praying fervently, practicing evangelism, and loving the people here at Lighthouse. However, these weren’t just things for the goers to prepare for – Pastor John mentioned that the maintainers, the people who will remain at LBCSD, will also have to step it up. Peter Lim expressed this concern, “The more important question centered around the people who might be involved in actually leaving San Diego for this church plant and whether our church in San Diego would be strong enough to send out some people who were majorly involved in San Diego.” This was a point that Pastor John touched upon many times and even said that some of those who may be considering going may actually be called to be a maintainer.

We as Christians should all be striving to grow, to step it up in the local church, to be practicing a lifestyle of evangelism and simply loving others as Christ loves us. Pastor Patrick said, “Chris Mueller and I were talking at the recent college retreat about how much we would miss John. But it’s not like with other church situations where this is a bad break up. It would be wrong to even call it a split. This church planting effort would be the church working together to fulfill the Great Commission God’s way, through the vehicle of church planting. I’m excited to be a part of this and hope God will grant us success as He did when we first planted Lighthouse in San Diego.” This plant will require a high level of commitment. Pastor John firmly said at the end of the interest meeting that people will have to commit sooner or later and that the elders were looking for a group of people fully committed by this summer.

As for the actual plant itself, Pastor John is looking to early summer of 2010. He joked, saying that perhaps they will have a U-Haul at Jenna’s graduation with a banner on it that read, “Congratulations!”

PRAYER REQUESTS

It’ll only be by God’s grace that this church plant is successful. As Pastor John mentioned, we should always be in desperate prayer. This church plant is no different. Please pray for the following:

  • Spiritual growth and maturity for those who go
  • A willingness to be sacrificial, work to the point of exhaustion, and love God and people fervently from the heart.
  • That we would establish firm convictions regarding what a church looks like according to Scripture.
  • That we would all be prayerful.
  • For the San Diego home base to be supportive and willing to sacrificially invest in the San Jose plant.
  • That we would continue to be devoted to taking a stand on God’s word and to actively share the love of Christ.
  • That we find a good site that would be centrally located in San Jose between universities and neighborhoods that would create a true sense of community.

Book Review: Love or Die

Book by Alexander Strauch

Review by Garrett Glende

The first time I saw Alexander Strauch’s book, Love or Die, I was immediately intrigued by the title and went on to read about it on a few blogs. Its reviewers praised it tremendously and I quickly added it to the list of books I wanted to read. After Pastor John’s recent sermon bearing the same title, I was convinced that this was a mustread and after reading it now, I can whole-heartedly say that it lived up to my expectations.

In Love or Die, Strauch exposits Revelation 2:1-7, where Jesus speaks of the Ephesian church. While the church had many strong points, there was one aspect that it severely lacked in. Christ commends the Ephesians, saying, “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.” He also extols them for their perseverance and endurance for His sake. Strauch writes that “He praises this church because it had no tolerance for those who profess the Christian faith but justify an immoral lifestyle.” They were a church that sought to uphold sound doctrine and persevere through trials.

However, Christ’s heavy rebuke to the church resounds: “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” Their love for Christ and for one another was not the same as it was at the beginning. Strauch puts it this way:

Their love for Christ and for one another had once motivated all they did. It brought joy, creativity, freshness, spontaneity, and energy to their life and work. But now their energy source was depleted. Their work had become mundane, mechanical, and routine, and their lives the picture of self-satisfaction.

In light of this rebuke, Strauch writes six ways that the church can cultivate love. This section composes part two of the book. Each chapter is devoted to a separate topic on the development of love. He encourages the church to study, pray for, teach, model, guard, and practice true love. I found these chapters to be very practical and helpful, specifically the ones on praying for love and practicing love. Strauch’s words are insightful, yet not overly complicated, and concise, yet not lacking in depth. He gets to the heart of the issues and does not waste time with periphery issues.

The importance of Love or Die’s message cannot be overstated. In this short book, Alexander Strauch has reminded us of the supremacy of love in our lives. It is a message that should never drift far from our hearts and minds. Love or die!