Author Archives: Stephen Rodgers

Match Day Interview – Ted Su

by Moon Choi

Ted Su was in complete shock when he found out that he got admitted to Scripps Chula Vista. From a human perspective, it did not seem likely that he would get into such a competitive program but ended up giving all praise to God, saying, “… but I guess that’s why as Christians we are called to walk by faith, and not simply by our severely limited sight and reason.” He was the first to open his envelope in front of the other med school guys, Pastor John and Angela, and friends as they stood in a circle. Though he admitted to feeling pressured as the first one to reveal the location of his residency, he had gone into match day with a peace that came with the understanding that that the result was “simply a revealing of God’s sovereign will.” He pointed to applying for residency as yet another opportunity that God took to teach Ted more about Himself, as He had done when Ted was applying for college and to medical school. With having to endure more application processes than the average person would encounter, he said that he had been “growing in confidence in His sovereignty and learning to be content with whatever the result.” Ted referenced Philippians 4:6-7 when saying that he was at peace throughout the process by God’s grace.

What was initially shock soon gave way to praise and thanksgiving to God. Relief soon followed, with Ted knowing that he could finally make concrete plans and with the knowledge that he can continue to grow and serve at Lighthouse.

Ted ended with saying, “Thank you everyone at Lighthouse for your continued support and prayers. I look forward to continuing to labor with you for His kingdom here in San Diego, and wherever He might lead us.”

Match Day Interview – Kevin Tse

by Jen Shin

How were you feeling leading up to it?

I think once I decided to rank San Diego first, second, and third, I didn’t think about it too much, I wasn’t that worried, until about a week before and then Mabel reminded me that it was coming up in a week. I think that’s when I was thinking, “Ok, it’s important.” It dawned on me that we might be praying on our own but we haven’t been praying together. So the week leading up to it we prayed together. We tried to pray specifically and boldly. We prayed specifically for San Diego, being open to wherever God would take us to. I felt a conviction to be specific, knowing that God can do anything and so why not pray for the miraculous. So we prayed for the miraculous. And if it wasn’t going to happen that’s ok – we were ready to go. That put me at ease for that week. Right when we were about to open the envelopes, though, we were all a little hesitant. Because the longer we didn’t know, the longer we go to stay here. But eventually we opened it. Ted got all of them and gave it to each of us, we were sitting in a big circle. No one would go – no one would open it. We were one of the last to open it. I was last. That was a little scary. Pastor John was there, and we prayed before we opened [the envelopes].

What was your reaction when you found out you were staying?

Mabel and I were really happy, for a lot of reasons, mostly to stay near church. Also, her family’s here, her job’s here, our comfort zone is here. Again, we were ready to go somewhere else, if God wanted us to go somewhere else, not clinging onto our comfort zone, just knowing this is a place where we can be safe and learn and grow. Plus if I was a first year resident trying to get plugged into a church, it would be hard, attendance would be hard for me. It was good to stay in a place where we were already plugged in.

So, which hospital are you placed at?

Scripps Mercy, the one in Hillcrest across from the UCSD Hospital.

And you’re going into internal medicine?

It’s adult medicine – not pediatrics, not family medicine. Subspecialties are like cardiology, pulmonary, and GI. I’d like to thank the church, they were praying for us. Various ministries were praying for us. It’s a blessing to be with our church.

Match Day Interview – Jeff Lee

by Jen Shin

Soon after coming to Lighthouse Bible Church in 2006, Jeff plunged into the heart of the church family. Jocelyn came not too long after Jeff and they both started serving in various capacities and getting married during that time. You might remember seeing Jeff’s cheerful face waving you into the parking lot or both Jeff and Jocelyn serving as a part of the single staff as small group leaders. After having taken a year off of medical school to invest in the church body and in their new marriage, this year Jeff and Jocelyn had to face the big event that all med students eventually have to face: Match Day!

The Beacon was able to catch up to Jeff and Jocelyn while they were on their vacation in Paris before their baby arrives! They were kind enough to give their brief thoughts on Match Day while relaxing in Europe.

How did you feel throughout the process?

Actually, Jocelyn and I were at peace with wherever we would end up, because we trusted in God’s sovereignty throughout the entire process. We knew that if we matched somewhere other than San Diego that it was for a good purpose.

Where will you be next year?

UCSD Internal Medicine

What was your reaction?

We were really happy that we matched in San Diego, because we definitely didn’t expect it.

What are some things you learned throughout the process?

I learned that worrying about where I would end up was wasting my time, because God knew and had a perfect place for Jocelyn and I. I also learned to be more thankful for God’s provision and LBC.

What were some challenges/blessings that you faced?

On the day that I was supposed to submit my rank list, I procrastinated to the very last second and realized that my rank list was not submitted in time. I tried calling the company to explain that I accidentally missed the deadline but they were closed that night. However, the next morning I was able to reach someone who graciously said they would process my rank list.

How were things different because you are married from the other med students?

I had to consider the interests of my wife as well as places where we could raise a family. We also applied to places where we knew of good churches like LBC, but of course, nothing beats Lighthouse!

Any prayer requests?

That we would remain thankful for allowing us to stay in San Diego and that we would continue to trust in Him during these challenging years of residency.

Book Review: The Reason for God

Book by Tim Keller

Review by Tim Sohn

I first heard Tim Keller speak three years ago expounding on the Gospel to an audience of both believers and non-believers. Never had I heard someone masterfully preach about Jesus in a way that drew the non-believer in to see the beauty of God’s redemptive story, while at the same time challenging the believer to relinquish idols that are at the root of every sin. He repeatedly pointed his audience to the Gospel, drawing them out of themselves to sit in worship of Jesus’ work on the cross. Yet, he did this in an amazingly respectful way that was applicable to both skeptics and believers alike.

Keller’s recent book The Reason for God carries many of the same characteristics as his sermons; eloquent, respectful, thoughtful, and humble. This book comes at an appropriate time in response to some of the recent writings of new atheist authors such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris. Keller starts by addressing seven of the most common objections to Christianity:

  • There Can’t Be Just One True Religion
  • How Could a Good God Allow Suffering?
  • Christianity Is a Straitjacket
  • The Church Is Responsible for So Much Injustice
  • How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?
  • Science Has Disproved Christianity
  • You Can’t Take the Bible Literally

In the second half of the book, Keller takes an in depth look at seven reasons for Christianity. The uniqueness of The Reason for God is that many of the arguments made are applicable to our culture today. They are the same questions and objections that we hear at work over lunch, or in the classroom by our professors. The believer will be encouraged by this book as they will find that their faith is not blind, but is on that begs cerebral discourse.

New Building Dedication Service

Written by Grace Wu

April 6, 2008 went down in Lighthouse history as we had the Building Dedication Service to thank God for His provision in moving into our new building, as well as reunite with members, new and old for a celebration of where God has directed Lighthouse in the past 9 years.

During the morning service, the Snider family joined Lighthouse for worship. It began with Pam Snider playing the piano, followed by Dr. Andy Snider and two of his daughters singing together. Dr. Andy Snider then preached a message called, “The Key Ingredients of the Gospel.”

That evening during the actual Building Dedication Service there were even more visitors. Pastor Chris Mueller, who spoke at Lighthouse’s inaugural service in 1999, was the special guest again to help Lighthouse usher in a new beginning. Pastor Mueller’s message was titled, “How to Pick a Church,” which explained how one can know that Christ and Christ alone is the head of a church. The evening was an encouragement to Lighthouse as it was an affirmation of our ministry, but also a reminder to not lose our focus as the church grows larger.

Substitutionary Atonement

by Stephen Rodgers

Considering Dr. Snider’s recent sermon on the centrality of the doctrine of substitutionary atonement within the Bible, I thought it might be valuable to examine a number of the objections currently being raised against this central tenant of Christianity. As he mentioned, originally the character of God was under attack (with the rise of open theism/free will theology in the early 90’s), then the doctrine of eternity came under fire (pun intended) with the marginalization of Hell within evangelical circles, and finally now the heretical chicken has come home to roost with substitutionary atonement.

Hostile critics of substitutionary atonement (as opposed to “friendly critics” such as John Stott and J.I. Packer who simply and correctly argue for a complete understanding of the doctrine) generally formulate their objections around one of several major categories. I’d like to take a brief look at the three most common objections in order to better understand how to answer their objections.

Many argue against penal substitution by claiming it is contrary to the position of the Early Church. While it is true that the early church emphasized the idea of Christus Victor, (the death of Christ as a means of overcoming sin, death, and the devil), it would be theologically simplistic to the point of error to say that was the only consequence of Christ’s death on the cross. Yes Christus Victor is a part of it, but so is propitiation and expiation of sins, reconciliation of man to God, the revelation of God…the list goes on. And yes, substitutionary atonement is definitely on that list (see Isaiah 53:6, 12; Romans 3:25; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; Hebrews 10:1-4; etc.).

Many more argue that the whole idea of penal substitution is inherently unjust. The most famous quote in this category likens the death of Christ to “cosmic child abuse.” What this metaphor utterly fails takes into account is the fact that child abuse is only possible in an inequitable relationship; in other words, what makes the crime of child abuse so heinous is that it occurs between an individual who has relatively ultimate power, and an individual who is relatively impotent. But before we start characterizing Christ as a victim, we should go read His words in John 10:17-18: “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” That doesn’t sound like a powerless victim to me!

Some argue that the doctrine of substitutionary atonement is based on Natural Theology. This argument can be addressed in a similar fashion to the first argument based on the position of the early church. First though, a quick definition of Natural Theology: essentially this is a label to categorize the establishment of an understanding of God based on worldly examples and experience rather than an understanding of God based on the revelation of Scripture. And while it could be argued that a strictly limited view of penal substitution was originally drawn from a worldly concept of judicial retribution, such was not the Reformers intention. They fought against such theological reductionism, and so should we. In fact, we will face this all the more precisely because we live in a sound byte culture that judges the validity of an argument simply by how good of a headline it makes! While it may be convenient for us to summarize, abridge and simplify, such actions and attitudes only display our utter disregard for God’s word. Don’t do it!

However, possibly the most commonly encountered and widespread threat to the doctrine of penal substitution is not the threat of theological revision and/or reductionism, but rather that of doctrinal marginalization. It is a rare church these days that declines to water down their theology in order to be more socially acceptable, less offensive, and more culturally relevant. One of the largest churches in America makes it their practice to avoid sermons dealing principially with the topics of “sin, blood, death, hell, or the cross.” And by logical extension, if these topics are not open for discussion, then substitutionary atonement is off the table as well.

Unfortunately, by extension, so is Jesus. And that my friends, to turn the list of objections back on itself, is “unacceptable, utterly offensive, and absolutely irrelevant.”

Francis Schaeffer

Written by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Francis Schaeffer has been known throughout the end of his life and afterwards as an apologist who stood out from the more academic defenders of the faith, such as Cornelius Van Til, Greg Bahnsen, and others. His trilogy of books (The God Who Is There, Escape from Reason, and He Is There and He Is Not Silent) catapulted him to fame within the evangelical world as one who was able to explain Christianity in terms that were understandable to the lay Christian. His home in Switzerland was opened to many who were in the drug culture in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the hopes that their questions about the meaning of life could truly be answered by what the Scriptures taught.

Schaeffer, however, considered himself first an evangelist who was saved by grace from the God who was truly there and who expresses True Truth in the Word of God written. Born in 1912, Schaeffer grew up in Pennsylvania, where at the age of 18, he was awakened to see that the Bible, and not philosophy, had the real answers to life’s ultimate questions, confessing faith in Christ and offering up the “empty hands of faith” as he would often say, trusting solely in Him.

Within five years, he met Edith Seville, his future wife, literally in the frontlines of battle for the truth at a church event that had a Unification pastor give his reasoning for why he didn’t believe in the deity of Christ and the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. At different times, Francis and Edith spoke in defense of Christ and the true Gospel, thus bringing together a new friendship that eventually led to a nearly 50 year marriage.

He went to Westminster Theological Seminary and had pastored three different churches before moving to Switzerland to do international missions, starting a children’s ministry, which required both him and Edith to write the material themselves. Ministry seemed to be going well, until three or four years into his new life there that Francis Schaeffer began to have grave spiritual doubts about whether he was a Christian, since many around him were also in the fight for doctrinal purity, but not for a pure life. Zeal for what many of his co-laborers were not had distressed Schaeffer very much, wondering what any of them were actually for. Yet, through his study of the Scriptures, he had a renewed trust in God’s Word to answer the most important questions of life that would lead to his future ministry at L’Abri (French for “shelter”).

The opening of L’Abri brought many young men and women to the home of two evangelists on fire for the God of Scripture, who have been in awe and transformed by this sovereign God who has opened their lives to be a blessing to so many people who have come and gone through this special work (including Jerram Barrs, Os Guiness, Nancy Pearcey and Douglas Groothuis). Many of his talks led to the formation of his infamous trilogy (mentioned above), and also True Spirituality, which is concerned with the Lordship of Christ in all areas of life to be both true and spiritual.

His love for others was both driven by a kindled desire to see God’s Word vindicated in actual daily life and also for a heart warmth to those made in the image of God who must be given the Gospel that they may believe. He had a continual passion for people, in how he would engage with non-believers by being very fervent to listen to their concerns and then lovingly show them the folly of their choices, that Christ would be displayed as beautiful and glorious not just in his patience for them, but also for his love for other believers as well. He was engaged with cultural ideas not to be cultured, but to show he desired to understand where many were coming from that he would, through his own life as a redeemed sinner, as one who hopes to be more like Christ in sacrificially loving others who he might not see as important to him. Francis Schaeffer gave us an example to follow, that love was to be seen as the final apologetic in the life of the Christian, and that in our day of rejection of biblical truth, lives changed and flourishing Spirit-filled people would extend an act of love that would put all other forms of “love” to shame, and that Christ would be made great among those around us, wherever we’re at. Is that our desire today?

Passing on the Greatness of What?

Written by Pastor John Kim

One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4

The greatness of the glory of God is the most valuable treasure that we have been given and if there is anything that must be passed on, it must be that God’s greatness is the highest priority to pass on to the next generation. As parents, it is incumbent upon us to share this priceless legacy with our children so that they would have every advantage to have been presented the glory of God to be seen as our chief end in life.

Yet this is the most fundamental problem, whether at an individual family level to whole congregations. The things of this world are proclaimed with much greatness, whether it be to get a higher education or to strive after a more prestigious vocation. What is most disheartening is that “God” is often used to present these pursuits as justifiable. I can distinctly remember going to churches where the last thing parents were concerned about was the spiritual destiny of their children, but they sure were going to make sure that they studied every possible moment to get that coveted 4.0 grade point average and a 1600 on the SAT. So you had kids in elementary school starting to get tutored for the SAT, attending academic enrichment classes above and beyond their regular school load. On top of that there was often the additional weight of taking on a musical instrument, the pressure to become the first chair of the orchestra. There was the constant comparing to other children and the all too often criticism of having fallen short. All for what end? When I was a youth pastor, kids were punished for getting a B on their report card so they were forbidden to attend Bible study until they got their grades up. When junior year rolled around, life then revolved around getting ready for college applications and finding every way to get an advantage to get into the highest ranked school possible. But it didn’t stop there. The major invariable revolved around something that would move toward a high end white collar profession. God forbid that you mentioned something about auto mechanics or becoming an elementary school teacher. A college degree was not enough either. A graduate degree was considered minimum in order to be acceptable. Some parents don’t even let their children consider marriage until they have finished a graduate degree. All for what end? It doesn’t end. It simply comes down to the greatness of this life on earth is being passed on as the highest priority for your life. And this is just one way of many that reflect the misappropriation of parental responsibility toward their children.

The one message I hear when I observe this kind of situation is that the parents have committed themselves to passing on the greatness of man. It is not about the greatness of God. It is about trying to attain to the greatest heights possible for the purpose of self-glory. It provides the kind of fodder for boasting to other parents. The highest value in life is placed on something that will not even last for eternity. On top of this, God is often invoked upon to help people attain to these earthly ends. This is a tragedy. And we are going lose yet another generation until this cycle is broken.

Now I’m not saying that education in itself is evil. But education was never to be used as a means to my own ends. If I call myself a true Christian, then the chief end of my life is the glory of God and to enjoy Him forever. All that I do in life is to be dedicated to this end. But how can this be if everything in life is focused on the glory of man and to enjoy this life now? Have not parents then forfeited their highest responsibility, that is, to pass on the greatness of God?

Parents are called in Scripture to raise up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Parents are called to give their children a model of what it means to fear the Lord and keep His commandments. It is not enough to just take them to church once in awhile. It is not enough to pray that God will one day turn your children around. Your child will die one day and as a parent, your responsibility is to have prepared them to the best of your ability to face God, not man.

We must learn from the example of the Israelites. Read the book of Judges and see how long it took for them to forget the greatness of God and start pursuing the idols of the countries around them. God had already warned them of the follow of worshipping false gods and yet they went ahead and would face the consequences.

We must strive to pursue the greatness of God not only for the sake of our own generation but we must be ready to pass it on to the next. We cannot blame the world or the culture around us if we ourselves have not done our utmost to present a high view of God and His Word in our own lives. We cannot afford to be hypocritical about this. If we have given ourselves over to the lusts of this world, then the pursuit of the world will exactly what the next generation will value. We cannot lose any more time because the lives of the next generation are at stake. We must break the cycle of sinful worldliness and pursue righteousness and holiness in being citizens of God’s kingdom (Matthew 6:33).

Remember Romans 12:1-2 and meditate on it day and night. Live it and pass it on to the next generation. God’s glory is at stake so don’t treat it as inconsequential. You WILL give an account for it before God.

Editor's Note: May 2008

by Steven Hong

At the end of last month, we concluded our Sunday Evening Defining the Relationship (DTR) Series. It was profitable time. Married and engaged couples shared their lives as they were interviewed, and the very talented Single Life skit team gave us quite an emotional performance. The highlight of the series, of course, was the time of teaching, as Pastor John and Pastor Patrick gave us biblical insight into subjects like God-centered friendships, qualities to look for in a companion, and even when and how to break-up in a God-honoring way.

If you missed the series, be sure to get the sermons online or from the sound team.

Lighthouse Kids Club (LKC)

Written by Steven Hong

In November 2007, the Lighthouse Children’s program launched the Wednesday night Kids Club program. Coordinated by Chris Chung, and lead by a handful of members-servants, children enjoy a time of singing, teaching, small group, memory verses and crafts, followed by snacks and games. The children are split into three groups: Clubhouse (elementary), Treehouse (preschool), and Playhouse (nursery).

It was an opportunity for children to come to church to worship and learn during the week, offering a good change of pace from the fairly limited time during Sunday Second Hour. “One thing that we haven’t had during our Sunday programs is small group time,” Chris explains. “LKC has given us the opportunity to get to know the kids much better through our small groups.” Small group settings help the staff gauge better how the children are doing spiritually, which can be far more difficult in larger groups. Chris believes this “has better enabled us to impact their lives for Christ by gaining a better understanding of how much they do and don’t understand about God, His Word, and true faith.”

The ministry, six months running, is still in a formative stage. This summer, they plan to evaluate the ministry and areas of improvement. Their primary aim is to set strong gospel-centered foundations for these children. In addition, Chris describes the opportunity the ministry has in reaching out to the larger community: “LKC has already been a great way for parents and children to invite their friends and get them involved in the life of the church. We already have had a number of new kids come out!”

If you are interested in helping out with the Kids Club, please talk to Chris Chung.