Author Archives: Stephen Rodgers

All-Church Retreat 2008

by Courtney Chow

Take a deep breath and imagine you are drawing in the fresh mountain air with a touch of crisp autumn chill. It’s bright and early as you are about to have a warm breakfast before heading off to spend a refreshing hour in God’s word. It may sound too good to be true but its not. Each fall season, Lighthouse presents a unique opportunity for the church family to gather together for a full weekend called All-Church Retreat. This year it will take place on November 7-9 at Pine Valley Bible Conference Center.
All-Church Retreat is more than a tradition. It’s a precious opportunity for people across all affinity groups (children, youth, collegians, singles and families) to spend extended time together. When asked what her favorite part of All-Church camp was Cindy Chu replied: “the fact that the ENTIRE church family goes, and we’re all confined in one general area. It’s such a great time to fellowship, chit chat, and laugh hysterically with mothers, collegians, and singles.”
In addition to spending time together, “It’s a great opportunity to take a step back from the busyness in life and take time to reevaluate your spiritual walk and find new ways to challenge your spiritual growth,” said Chris Tou. A large part of that is due to the blessing of receiving teaching together. This year’s retreat will be focused on the theme of “In Christ Alone” and we will have the opportunity to learn from a guest speaker for the whole weekend. Our speaker, Kurt Gephards is the pastor overseeing the children’s ministry at Grace Community Church and shepherds the single adults’ ministry.
The festivities kick off on Friday night with a time of praise and the fun continues with messages, games, talent show on Saturday night, and corporate worship on Sunday morning. Maybe you’ve been attending Lighthouse for a few months and signed up but are a little nervous because this is your first time attending. Brian Song encourages you with some advice: “There’s always a lot of free time at our retreats and it’s prime time to get to know and encourage one another. If you’re a light sleeper, ear plugs are highly recommended. You never know what noises you’ll hear (both inside and outside the cabin) that may keep you up.”
Whether this is your first or fifth time attending, Chris Lim suggests: “Sit at different tables during the meal times to get to know new people. I think you’ll be surprised how friendly people are.” What do you talk about after you sit down at that table full of people you’ve never spoken to before? “Share what you’ve been learning at home and what you’ve been learning at the retreat. Share about random childhood stories. Share about your favorite thing to eat and make plans to go eat it together upon returning to San Diego. Just share!” said Cindy Chu. Jenna Kim echoed that sentiment, from a slightly different perspective: “I’d recommend for other youth to take advantage of the time to get to know the “old people” (i.e. above 18). It’s easy to just want to be by yourself and then feel sorry for yourself, but make it an opportunity to encourage the adults at church. In all cases I’ve tried, I’ve been very encouraged myself in getting to know the grown-ups. Grown-ups? We’d love to talk to you.”
Personally, I look forward to retreat all year long. I hope that all of you who attend will find the Lighthouse family to be a blessing as we continue to grow and praise our Lord together.

Take a deep breath and imagine you are drawing in the fresh mountain air with a touch of crisp autumn chill. It’s bright and early as you are about to have a warm breakfast before heading off to spend a refreshing hour in God’s word. It may sound too good to be true but its not. Each fall season, Lighthouse presents a unique opportunity for the church family to gather together for a full weekend called All-Church Retreat. This year it will take place on November 7-9 at Pine Valley Bible Conference Center.

All-Church Retreat is more than a tradition. It’s a precious opportunity for people across all affinity groups (children, youth, collegians, singles and families) to spend extended time together. When asked what her favorite part of All-Church camp was Cindy Chu replied: “the fact that the ENTIRE church family goes, and we’re all confined in one general area. It’s such a great time to fellowship, chit chat, and laugh hysterically with mothers, collegians, and singles.”

In addition to spending time together, “It’s a great opportunity to take a step back from the busyness in life and take time to reevaluate your spiritual walk and find new ways to challenge your spiritual growth,” said Chris Tou. A large part of that is due to the blessing of receiving teaching together. This year’s retreat will be focused on the theme of “In Christ Alone” and we will have the opportunity to learn from a guest speaker for the whole weekend. Our speaker, Kurt Gephards is the pastor overseeing the children’s ministry at Grace Community Church and shepherds the single adults’ ministry.

The festivities kick off on Friday night with a time of praise and the fun continues with messages, games, talent show on Saturday night, and corporate worship on Sunday morning. Maybe you’ve been attending Lighthouse for a few months and signed up but are a little nervous because this is your first time attending. Brian Song encourages you with some advice: “There’s always a lot of free time at our retreats and it’s prime time to get to know and encourage one another. If you’re a light sleeper, ear plugs are highly recommended. You never know what noises you’ll hear (both inside and outside the cabin) that may keep you up.”

Whether this is your first or fifth time attending, Chris Lim suggests: “Sit at different tables during the meal times to get to know new people. I think you’ll be surprised how friendly people are.” What do you talk about after you sit down at that table full of people you’ve never spoken to before? “Share what you’ve been learning at home and what you’ve been learning at the retreat. Share about random childhood stories. Share about your favorite thing to eat and make plans to go eat it together upon returning to San Diego. Just share!” said Cindy Chu. Jenna Kim echoed that sentiment, from a slightly different perspective: “I’d recommend for other youth to take advantage of the time to get to know the “old people” (i.e. above 18). It’s easy to just want to be by yourself and then feel sorry for yourself, but make it an opportunity to encourage the adults at church. In all cases I’ve tried, I’ve been very encouraged myself in getting to know the grown-ups. Grown-ups? We’d love to talk to you.”

Personally, I look forward to retreat all year long. I hope that all of you who attend will find the Lighthouse family to be a blessing as we continue to grow and praise our Lord together.

Book Review: A Friendly Letter to Skeptics and Atheists

Myers’ book (if you believe the Amazon reviews), “bridges the gap” between Christianity (which he doesn’t define outside of some very broad strokes, but he seems to be some flavor of Protestant) and the “new atheism” of Dawkins and Dennett who have been quite vocal in their opposition to religion in general and Christianity in particular.  They’ve been throwing around words like “evil,” “worst,” “ridiculous,” and “injustice” in reference for a few years now, ever since Dawkins started garnering more mainstream attention after speaking at TED.
Apparently this is shocking to some people.  I’m not sure why, Jesus Himself said that would happen (Matthew 10:22, Mark 13:13, Luke 6:22, Luke 21:17).  But enough people got their feelings hurt that Myers wrote a book full of reasons why everyone should play nice.
Now before anyone gets the wrong idea, I’m all for civility, kindness, gentleness, truth in love, and self-control when it comes to debating issues, even so-called hot-button issues (which quite frankly, need it the most).  But on matters of irreconcilable differences, let’s call a spade a spade and explore those differences, rather than attempting to reach an unsatisfactory compromise.
Myers’ basic premise seems to be that an “enlightened atheist” and a “progressive theist” are ultimately after the same goal, which is broadly defined as that being what serves the widest social good: liberty, equality, a chicken in every pot, etc.  However, the unspoken assumption (and I must stress it is an assumption, as he doesn’t make the argument explicitly, merely uses the results of the argument liberally), is that the justification for that end is irrelevant compared to the end itself.
And that boggles my mind, both from a theological standpoint, and a philosophical standpoint.
In reverse order, the idea that one can argue from a flawed premise, arrive at a correct conclusion, and be on solid epistemological ground nonetheless is simply philosophically unacceptable.  That is not the way it works.  If your premise is flawed and your conclusion is correct, you are either in error, or have stumbled upon an exception rather than a rule.  It’s fruit of the poisoned tree either way.  For a far more eloquent explanation of this, please see the sidebar by Dr. Bahnsen.
Theologically speaking, we don’t need to go any further than the most frightening passage in the Bible to refute this: Matthew 7:21-23.  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'”
Plainly, it not a matter purely of WHAT you do, but WHO you know.  When you stand before the Lord in judgment, there is no answer you can give in reference to your works that will save you.  There is only a name.
Myers book is filled with many humorous, interesting, and thought-provoking passages, and for that may be well-worth the evening it would take to read it.  But it seems to miss the obvious and most-critical point that the unbelieving world won’t be saved by some sort of “new ecumenism” whereby both believers and unbelievers join together to combat the ills of society.  We’re called to be in the world but not of the world.  The point is not to agree with the WHAT and ignore the WHY in the name of harmony and warm fuzzy feelings.
As Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
I have a few other issues with the book.  Myers holds to some interpretations of scripture that are far more liberal and socially-oriented than what I believe, but mostly to his credit, (with a couple glaring exceptions), he differentiates his opinions from his dogma openly and candidly.  I am far more concerned with a justification for the tenants of Christianity that manages to somehow avoid basing itself on the Word of God.
Because to my mind, that is ultimately the difference between an absolute justification and a mere excuse.
Autonomy Is No Ladder to Christ’s Supreme Authority
By Dr. Greg Bahnsen
The Christian’s final standard, the inspired word of God, teaches us that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). If the apologist treats the starting point of knowledge as something other than reverence for God, then unconditional submission to the unsurpassed greatness of God’s wisdom at the end of his argumentation does not really make sense. There would always be something greater than God’s wisdom – namely, the supposed wisdom of one’s own chosen, intellectual starting point. The word of God would necessarily (logically, if not personally) remain subordinate to that autonomous, final standard.
Ludwig Wittgenstein confessed that a devastating incongruity lay at the heart of his Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. If he was correct in his eventual conclusion, then the premises used to reach that conclusion were actually meaningless: “anyone who understands me eventually recognizes [my propositions] as nonsensical, when he has used them – as steps – to climb up beyond them. (He must, so to speak, throw away the ladder after he has climbed up by it)” (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1961 [1921], section 6.54, p. 151).
In similar fashion, Evangelicals sometimes utilize an autonomous apologetic method which does not assume the authority of Christ, treating it like a ladder to climb up to acceptance of Christ’s claims, only then to “throw the ladder away” since Christ is now seen as having an ultimate authority which conflicts with that autonomous method. Their method is used to reach a conclusion which is incompatible with what their method assumed – the self-sufficient authority of man’s reasoning.
Penpoint I:1 (October, 1990) © Covenant Media Foundation, 800/553-3938

Book by David Myers

Review by Stephen Rodgers

Myers’ book (if you believe the Amazon reviews), “bridges the gap” between Christianity (which he doesn’t define outside of some very broad strokes, but he seems to be some flavor of Protestant) and the “new atheism” of Dawkins and Dennett who have been quite vocal in their opposition to religion in general and Christianity in particular.  They’ve been throwing around words like “evil,” “worst,” “ridiculous,” and “injustice” in reference for a few years now, ever since Dawkins started garnering more mainstream attention after speaking at TED.

Apparently this is shocking to some people.  I’m not sure why, Jesus Himself said that would happen (Matthew 10:22, Mark 13:13, Luke 6:22, Luke 21:17).  But enough people got their feelings hurt that Myers wrote a book full of reasons why everyone should play nice.

Now before anyone gets the wrong idea, I’m all for civility, kindness, gentleness, truth in love, and self-control when it comes to debating issues, even so-called hot-button issues (which quite frankly, need it the most).  But on matters of irreconcilable differences, let’s call a spade a spade and explore those differences, rather than attempting to reach an unsatisfactory compromise.

Myers’ basic premise seems to be that an “enlightened atheist” and a “progressive theist” are ultimately after the same goal, which is broadly defined as that being what serves the widest social good: liberty, equality, a chicken in every pot, etc.  However, the unspoken assumption (and I must stress it is an assumption, as he doesn’t make the argument explicitly, merely uses the results of the argument liberally), is that the justification for that end is irrelevant compared to the end itself.

And that boggles my mind, both from a theological standpoint, and a philosophical standpoint.

In reverse order, the idea that one can argue from a flawed premise, arrive at a correct conclusion, and be on solid epistemological ground nonetheless is simply philosophically unacceptable.  That is not the way it works.  If your premise is flawed and your conclusion is correct, you are either in error, or have stumbled upon an exception rather than a rule.  It’s fruit of the poisoned tree either way.  For a far more eloquent explanation of this, please see the sidebar by Dr. Bahnsen.

Theologically speaking, we don’t need to go any further than the most frightening passage in the Bible to refute this: Matthew 7:21-23.  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'”

Plainly, it not a matter purely of WHAT you do, but WHO you know.  When you stand before the Lord in judgment, there is no answer you can give in reference to your works that will save you.  There is only a name.

Myers book is filled with many humorous, interesting, and thought-provoking passages, and for that may be well-worth the evening it would take to read it.  But it seems to miss the obvious and most-critical point that the unbelieving world won’t be saved by some sort of “new ecumenism” whereby both believers and unbelievers join together to combat the ills of society.  We’re called to be in the world but not of the world.  The point is not to agree with the WHAT and ignore the WHY in the name of harmony and warm fuzzy feelings.

As Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

I have a few other issues with the book.  Myers holds to some interpretations of scripture that are far more liberal and socially-oriented than what I believe, but mostly to his credit, (with a couple glaring exceptions), he differentiates his opinions from his dogma openly and candidly.  I am far more concerned with a justification for the tenants of Christianity that manages to somehow avoid basing itself on the Word of God.

Because to my mind, that is ultimately the difference between an absolute justification and a mere excuse.


Editor’s Note: The article below is included to provide a contrast, and represent a more Biblically-based approach to reason and the Christian worldview.


Autonomy Is No Ladder to Christ’s Supreme Authority

By Dr. Greg Bahnsen

The Christian’s final standard, the inspired word of God, teaches us that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). If the apologist treats the starting point of knowledge as something other than reverence for God, then unconditional submission to the unsurpassed greatness of God’s wisdom at the end of his argumentation does not really make sense. There would always be something greater than God’s wisdom – namely, the supposed wisdom of one’s own chosen, intellectual starting point. The word of God would necessarily (logically, if not personally) remain subordinate to that autonomous, final standard.

Ludwig Wittgenstein confessed that a devastating incongruity lay at the heart of his Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. If he was correct in his eventual conclusion, then the premises used to reach that conclusion were actually meaningless: “anyone who understands me eventually recognizes [my propositions] as nonsensical, when he has used them – as steps – to climb up beyond them. (He must, so to speak, throw away the ladder after he has climbed up by it)” (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1961 [1921], section 6.54, p. 151).

In similar fashion, Evangelicals sometimes utilize an autonomous apologetic method which does not assume the authority of Christ, treating it like a ladder to climb up to acceptance of Christ’s claims, only then to “throw the ladder away” since Christ is now seen as having an ultimate authority which conflicts with that autonomous method. Their method is used to reach a conclusion which is incompatible with what their method assumed – the self-sufficient authority of man’s reasoning.

Penpoint I:1 (October, 1990) © Covenant Media Foundation, 800/553-3938

Be Still

by Pastor JR Cuevas

Cease striving and know that I am God.
I will be exalted above the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.
-Psalm 46:10
It was quickly turning out to be a more difficult morning than I had planned. Troubled from circumstances throughout the week, tired from the night before, and having woken up an hour later than I had planned, I found my spirit succumbing to both fatigue and frustration as I galumphed out of the house to my car for another drive up to L.A. But right as I hurriedly shut the trunk door of my car, my eyes suddenly beheld the night sky. With the stars shining brightly, underlined by a wisp of a skyline against the black sky—the most beautiful scene I had ever seen from my house—I immediately remembered Psalm 46:10: “Cease striving and know that I am God.” Frustration turned into admiration as I repented of my sin of forgetting God amidst my busy schedule.
I wouldn’t be surprised if what happened to me that morning happens as a regular occurrence in the lives of many today—not to mention many in history. There’s nothing wrong with having busy schedules; there’s nothing wrong with getting tired. As Christians, we are indeed called to labor to the point of exhaustion. We’re called to fight the good fight like a brave soldier battles in war, to run the race of faith like a marathon runner runs his race. Against the backdrop of the current obsession with comfort and convenience in circumstances, a Christian must fight for Christ-likeness in character. The problem is not busyness. The problem is that, in the midst of busyness, we often forget God. From a mentality that believes that the more we do the better we are, we can allow the burdens of ministry, work, school, relationships, and family to worry us away from God. As we do, we begin to think that we’re in charge, we’re in control, and that—if we don’t accomplish what we perceive to be important—the world would come to an end. In effect, we begin to worship ourselves instead of God.
Psalm 46:10 is simple: God tells us to cease striving in our hearts as if the affairs of the world lie on our shoulders, and to simply know that He is God. While God calls us to fight, run, agonize, and labor to the point of exhaustion, He calls us to remember that He is God. He made the heavens and the earth; we did not. He holds all things together; we do not. He controls the affairs of the nations; we do not. In other words, He is God; we are not. And as God, He reminds us that He will be exalted in the nations and in the earth. In the end, even if we do fulfill our ministries and tasks to the best of our abilities, we will not be exalted amongst people. God alone will be exalted as King before all nations; He alone will be exalted as Mighty Creator in the earth. He is passionate about His name being glorified, and will do everything He needs to do so see that it comes to fruition. Our failures and successes will not prevent Him from doing so.
What good is ministry and service if not done with a heart that marvels at the Creator? God is not simply looking for workers; He is looking for worshippers. Thus, the next time you find yourself tempted to scurry around from task to task with the mentality that your successes and failures will determine the course of history, take some time to be still and meditate on the great Creator, who became the great Savior and calls Himself your Father.
Be still, and know that He is God. And when all else is done, rejoice in knowing that He alone will be exalted.

Cease striving and know that I am God.

I will be exalted above the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.

-Psalm 46:10

It was quickly turning out to be a more difficult morning than I had planned. Troubled from circumstances throughout the week, tired from the night before, and having woken up an hour later than I had planned, I found my spirit succumbing to both fatigue and frustration as I galumphed out of the house to my car for another drive up to L.A. But right as I hurriedly shut the trunk door of my car, my eyes suddenly beheld the night sky. With the stars shining brightly, underlined by a wisp of a skyline against the black sky—the most beautiful scene I had ever seen from my house—I immediately remembered Psalm 46:10: “Cease striving and know that I am God.” Frustration turned into admiration as I repented of my sin of forgetting God amidst my busy schedule.

I wouldn’t be surprised if what happened to me that morning happens as a regular occurrence in the lives of many today—not to mention many in history. There’s nothing wrong with having busy schedules; there’s nothing wrong with getting tired. As Christians, we are indeed called to labor to the point of exhaustion. We’re called to fight the good fight like a brave soldier battles in war, to run the race of faith like a marathon runner runs his race. Against the backdrop of the current obsession with comfort and convenience in circumstances, a Christian must fight for Christ-likeness in character. The problem is not busyness. The problem is that, in the midst of busyness, we often forget God. From a mentality that believes that the more we do the better we are, we can allow the burdens of ministry, work, school, relationships, and family to worry us away from God. As we do, we begin to think that we’re in charge, we’re in control, and that—if we don’t accomplish what we perceive to be important—the world would come to an end. In effect, we begin to worship ourselves instead of God.

Psalm 46:10 is simple: God tells us to cease striving in our hearts as if the affairs of the world lie on our shoulders, and to simply know that He is God. While God calls us to fight, run, agonize, and labor to the point of exhaustion, He calls us to remember that He is God. He made the heavens and the earth; we did not. He holds all things together; we do not. He controls the affairs of the nations; we do not. In other words, He is God; we are not. And as God, He reminds us that He will be exalted in the nations and in the earth. In the end, even if we do fulfill our ministries and tasks to the best of our abilities, we will not be exalted amongst people. God alone will be exalted as King before all nations; He alone will be exalted as Mighty Creator in the earth. He is passionate about His name being glorified, and will do everything He needs to do so see that it comes to fruition. Our failures and successes will not prevent Him from doing so.

What good is ministry and service if not done with a heart that marvels at the Creator? God is not simply looking for workers; He is looking for worshippers. Thus, the next time you find yourself tempted to scurry around from task to task with the mentality that your successes and failures will determine the course of history, take some time to be still and meditate on the great Creator, who became the great Savior and calls Himself your Father.

Be still, and know that He is God. And when all else is done, rejoice in knowing that He alone will be exalted.

Editor's Note: November 2008

With Election Day just around the corner (November 4), all the talk about candidates and propositions are rising to a crescendo. With so many voices and opinions flying around, how can we understand our civic duty in light of our identity in Christ? The Beacon delves into that question, and more.
And after the election, wouldn’t it be nice to escape all the political banter? Well, you’re in luck, since we have our All-Church retreat the following weekend. Be sure to check out our retreat preview article and be prepared for some sweet teaching and fellowship.

by Steven Hong

With Election Day just around the corner (November 4), all the talk about candidates and propositions are rising to a crescendo. With so many voices and opinions flying around, how can we understand our civic duty in light of our identity in Christ? The Beacon delves into that question, and more.

And after the election, wouldn’t it be nice to escape all the political banter? Well, you’re in luck, since we have our All-Church retreat the following weekend. Be sure to check out our retreat preview article and be prepared for some sweet teaching and fellowship.

Taking Every Opportunity

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear friends and family of LBC,

I understand that many believers consider Halloween the devil’s holiday and a big celebration of evil. As a result, those believers want nothing to do with the holiday. Even when kids come by, they lock their doors and don’t hand out candy. Whatever your views towards Halloween and trick or treating, you have to admit that October 31 provides wonderful opportunities to meet your neighbors. Some of you may not even know what your neighbors look like! One way to look at the holiday is to see it as an awesome opportunity to get to know your neighbors and build relationships in order to share the gospel with them. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to participate in trick or treating, but it would be good to realize that those neighbors of yours who you wouldn’t really talk to you on any other day might spend some time talking with you while their kids go door to door.

But wait! Don’t miss out on the Fall Festival that is at the church at 6:00pm! It’s only $5/adult! And it isn’t just a big celebration of evil! =) But outside of the time for Fall Festival, try to meet the people who live around you. You never know what God might do through the relationships you build. =)

In His grace,
Pastor Patrick

Not Ashamed of the Gospel

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear friends and family of LBC,

I have had the opportunity to meet with some of our college students recently as we talked about having a biblical, God-centered understanding of the gospel. This stemmed from our conversation a few weeks ago about building a biblical philosophy of ministry (or really, “philosophy of life”). The progression went as follows: 1) We believe that the Bible is God’s inspired, and therefore inerrant, revelation to man; 2) Because the Bible has a divine author, we believe that it is authoritative and sufficient to deal with any issue pertaining to life and godliness; 3) Because the Bible is the only authoritative revelation given to men by God, all that we do and understand must be governed by and filtered through biblical principles; 4) This is because the Bible is completely trustworthy and God’s truth is unchanging, so that even if times change and culture changes, God’s Word abides forever.

Built upon these premises came our discussion of the gospel. This is a critical topic for study because the church today grossly redefines and changes the gospel message. The concern is that since the biblical message contains elements that are too offensive to people, those elements should be either dumbed down or eliminated. So you see many believers sharing the gospel with others without ever bringing up God’s righteousness, man’s sin, or God’s judgment. Some do not even mention the cross, simply saying that Jesus “came for you,” but not indicating what He did or why it was even necessary.

I hope you discern the problem with this. This is the primary reason why so many in the church hold on to a shallow profession of faith that does not save. On top of that, it neglects the fact that the gospel has been handed down to us through divine revelation. It is not something that God has left to us to redefine. Had He wanted the gospel to be man-centered, God would have revealed it to us that way. Preaching the gospel in a way that Scripture does not teach does not just indicate a faulty view towards evangelism. It also reveals a faulty view of Scripture itself. As believers, like the Apostle Paul, we must not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Rom. 1:16). It is our responsibility as God’s ambassadors and representatives to proclaim His message His way, and to trust that through that, and that alone, will He work to save souls.

In His grace,
Pastor Patrick

October Update

by Pastor John Kim

Greetings to the few, the faithful, the ones who read this blog =)

It’s nice to know that there are some people praying so I will give an update as to how things have been going. I’ll probably only do this a few times while I am officially on leave.

Healthwise, I am currently wearing an appliance in my mouth 24 hours a day to help correct my jaw alignment. I am taking two different kinds of medication for my blood pressure. I have to wait for a month before I go for the followup with the cardiologist. I have been checked for glaucoma and it looks like I’m in the clear for now (thanks Dr. Jeff Lee!) but he mentioned that my left optic nerve is bent. My skin condition has cleared up for now after getting steroids (thanks the other Dr. Lee!) – don’t worry, my muscles aren’t bulking up. My gastro-enterologist visit will take about a month to setup so it won’t be until November. I still have to start physical therapy for my assorted neck and back and jaw ailments. So pretty much that’s it for now.

I am getting a little more sleep and rest. It’s strange trying to avoid thinking about church. I realize that I have been constantly thinking about church and it is difficult to keep it out of my mind. Trying to visit other churches has also been challenging as I realize it is not easy finding a church that where I would be in alignment with doctrine and ministry philosophy. But it has been interesting observing how other churches do things. I hope to visit other churches in the San Diego area and get to know more of the pastors.

I will be visiting Austin, Texas for a couple of weeks to visit my brother-in-law as well as to have some peace and quiet away from eveything. I hope to really get some good quiet time to rest as well as have my body and spirit renewed. So please pray that it would be a profitable time.

Thank you for those who pray. I truly appreciate it. There are some who tell me they pray and I’m sure there are others who do pray that I am not aware of – your prayers are precious and without them I would definitely be at a loss. Please continue.

I hope to return at the beginning of the year in January so please pray that these next few months will be a beneficial time of recovery.

Pastor John

Ordinary Weeks

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear friends and family of LBC,

I hope you are well and walking in the Lord. If I were to ask you how your week was going, what would be your response? I’m sure many of you would respond by saying that it has been like any other week; that you’re just going through the daily grind of classes or work. But why is it that we respond that way? Is it simply because nothing extraordinary has taken place? Certainly this week would be interesting if you were in a car accident or your house got broken into. But are these out of the ordinary events the only things that set one week apart from any other?

One way to make this week stand out would be to deliberately make opportunities to live for the Lord (yes, I said “make,” because if you simply wait for these things to “happen” you may end up waiting a long time). I really believe that one reason life carries on as usual is because we fail to see the many opportunities to glorify God in our everyday decisions. I like what Paul Tripp says, that how we live for the Lord is not seen in isolated, extraordinary events as much as it is in everyday, small decisions. Do you go to work simply to earn the paycheck and pay next month’s bills? Or do you seek to do your best in all things for the glory of God because God is your ultimate employer? Do you go to school simply to make the grade and climb up the ladder of success? Or is your motivation to be available to be used by God regardless of what direction He would take you or what He would have you do with your life?

When you seek to live each day this way, there is no such thing as an ordinary week. First of all, this is the kind of life that maximizes your potential to please the Lord and live for Him. When you are constantly thinking about how your life fits into His plan instead of how God fits into your plan, you will have the life that brings Him the most glory. Second, living this way opens opportunities to represent Christ each day. When you are aware of the reasons and motives of what you do, and those reasons and motives are governed by biblical principles, you will stand out in the workplace and classroom.

Finally, by living this way, you open the door to suffering. This isn’t to say we are just masochistic and seek out pain. But we need to realize that it comes with living for the Lord. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Certainly the persecution in Paul’s day may have been more intense, but the world we live in today is no different. We live in a society that is open and honest about its hatred of the things of God. This culture is marked by its toleration of sin. When we stand for the things of God, by necessity, we place ourselves against the flow of the current of our culture. We will be the unpopular ones because we go against the grain of contemporary thought. We will be seen as the exclusivists because we teach that Christ is the only way to be right with God. We will be branded as dated, hateful, ultra-conservative, and bigots, for instance, because we teach that homosexuality is a sin and not a lifestyle, and that we are governed by biblical principles instead of what society deems as right and just.

This is what it means to live for the Lord. Try to live this way this week and see if you can say at the end of the week that it was mundane and carried out as usual. May we all seek to live for the Lord better with each passing day instead of falling into the spiritual coma of complacency.

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

P.S. Don’t forget to read through the announcements so that you know what’s going on at LBC!

Hope in Our King First

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear friends and family of LBC,

I hope you are doing well and walking in the Lord! I’m sure you are all aware that we are in a very significant point of time in our nation’s history. The upcoming presidential election is going to be monumental regardless of who wins because we’ll either have our first African-American president or first female vice president. And what a job they will have to take on! Our economy is seeing its scariest low point in years and the war in Iraq rages on. Just walking on campus today at SDSU, there were representatives of both parties trying to get students to register to “Rock the Vote.”

Of course I feel like every American should exercise his/her right to vote this November. Especially since it looks to be another close election, every vote counts. But it would be good for us as believers to remember that God’s plan was never for our ultimate hope to be established through government or politics. It is not to say that these things are unimportant (quite the contrary!), but it is vital to remember that the greatest problem in this nation is not the economy, or the war, or gas prices, or the housing market. The greatest problem in this nation (and the world!) is sin and the greatest hope (the only hope!) is found in the gospel. The only way any kind of lasting change for good can occur in America is if people respond to the call of the gospel.

I only write this because I know that it can be really easy to get excited about the issues surrounding the upcoming election. It can be really easy to think that the next political leader is going to solve all the problems of this nation. Let’s be thankful that while government is always changing, our God is constant. It isn’t necessarily wrong to get worked up about politics, but what does it say when you are more angry about the economy than about sin in people’s lives? What does it say when you show more enthusiasm for a political leader than for Christ?

Our government has been established and sustained by the grace of God. Please remember that God calls us to pray for our governing authorities (cf. 1 Tim. 2:1-3). Although our nation grants us the right to free speech, God tempers us with the call to submit to our governing authorities (cf. Rom. 13:1-7). But at the same time, let’s guard our hearts against an imbalanced attitude towards government lest we forget that our greatest war is spiritual, our greatest problem is sin, and this world is not our home.

In His grace,
Pastor Patrick