Author Archives: Stephen Rodgers

This Article is Not Worth Reading

by Pastor Patrick Cho

In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul speaks of how God had given the apostle a “thorn in the flesh” to torment him. There have been many various theories about what this “thorn” was. (The translation “thorn” is actually unfortunate; “stake” would probably be a better understanding of the Greek word.) Some commentators believe it was a physical ailment of some sort like a hunchback, blindness, or epilepsy. John MacArthur, however, gives this insight: “It is best to understand Paul’s thorn as a demonic messenger of Satan sent to torment him by using deceivers to seduce the Corinthians into a rebellion against him.” MacArthur comes to this conclusion because Paul also calls this thorn a “messenger of Satan.” The word “messenger” is from the Greek angelos and is the same word from which we get “angel.” In every New Testament context, this word is used to describe a literal angel and in this case it probably is no different. The thorn in Paul’s flesh, the messenger of Satan, was probably a particular person (or persons) in the church who was causing him trouble through demonic influence. More likely than not, it was a person that was the source of his torment, not something else.
One particular way that people in the church caused Paul problems was through criticism. In 2 Corinthians 10:10, Paul writes of those who said, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.”
It seems to have become a given in life that if you endeavor to accomplish anything significant, there will always be someone to oppose you. This is probably why Elbert Hubbard once quipped, “To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.” Ralph Waldo Emerson also stated, “Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you are wrong.” Unfortunately, the same rings true in ministry. Charles Spurgeon wrote of those who criticized his messages for being too long, “What terrible blankets some professors are! Their remarks after a sermon are enough to stagger you. . . . You have been pleading as for life or death and they have been calculating how many seconds the sermon occupied, and grudging you the odd five minutes beyond the usual hour!” Spurgeon’s wife actually kept a journal of the criticisms that people made about her husband!
Not only are pastors the targets of intense criticism, so are their families. Pastor’s wives are expected to lead women’s ministries, play the piano, counsel the female half of the church, etc. Oftentimes they are criticized for the way they look, the way they dress, or the way they speak. Their children are expected to be the best-behaved in Sunday School. Certainly life as a minister of God’s Word has often been described as being in the proverbial fishbowl.
The people in the church should not be delineated as critical and yet there are some who do not have much else that characterizes them. Of course, these people probably mean well. They are trying to help hold their leaders accountable. And it would be helpful if these criticisms were balanced with encouragement. Paul’s ministry style was to affirm the flock before giving instruction. Notice in 1 Thessalonians 4:1, “Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.” He can’t exhort them to excel still more without first affirming that they have been doing well. This is one of the reasons why he begins almost every letter with a word of thanksgiving for the churches.
Proverbs 16:24 teaches us, “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” Sometimes the best way to minister to someone is to share an encouraging word. There may perhaps be an individual who comes to church on Sunday having been beaten up and discouraged the whole previous week. Perhaps they look outwardly downcast. How healing would it be for them to hear an encouraging word? On the flipside, how demoralizing it would be to hear a rebuke for looking sad! This is the wisdom in Proverbs 12:18, “There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Unfortunately, pastors aren’t the only objects of criticism. A critical heart is something all believers should guard against because it damages the body of Christ. Criticism, especially when shared with others, is divisive. You can look at Titus 3:10 and 1 Corinthians 1 to see what God thinks of those who are divisive in the church. Are you someone who is typically critical of people? Do you often have feelings that you know better than others? It is a sad pattern, but oftentimes the people who criticize most are those who encourage least. Ephesians 4:29 offers good instruction to every believer, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul speaks of how God had given the apostle a “thorn in the flesh” to torment him. There have been many various theories about what this “thorn” was. (The translation “thorn” is actually unfortunate; “stake” would probably be a better understanding of the Greek word.) Some commentators believe it was a physical ailment of some sort like a hunchback, blindness, or epilepsy. John MacArthur, however, gives this insight: “It is best to understand Paul’s thorn as a demonic messenger of Satan sent to torment him by using deceivers to seduce the Corinthians into a rebellion against him.” MacArthur comes to this conclusion because Paul also calls this thorn a “messenger of Satan.” The word “messenger” is from the Greek angelos and is the same word from which we get “angel.” In every New Testament context, this word is used to describe a literal angel and in this case it probably is no different. The thorn in Paul’s flesh, the messenger of Satan, was probably a particular person (or persons) in the church who was causing him trouble through demonic influence. More likely than not, it was a person that was the source of his torment, not something else.

One particular way that people in the church caused Paul problems was through criticism. In 2 Corinthians 10:10, Paul writes of those who said, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.”

It seems to have become a given in life that if you endeavor to accomplish anything significant, there will always be someone to oppose you. This is probably why Elbert Hubbard once quipped, “To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.” Ralph Waldo Emerson also stated, “Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you are wrong.” Unfortunately, the same rings true in ministry. Charles Spurgeon wrote of those who criticized his messages for being too long, “What terrible blankets some professors are! Their remarks after a sermon are enough to stagger you. . . . You have been pleading as for life or death and they have been calculating how many seconds the sermon occupied, and grudging you the odd five minutes beyond the usual hour!” Spurgeon’s wife actually kept a journal of the criticisms that people made about her husband!

Not only are pastors the targets of intense criticism, so are their families. Pastor’s wives are expected to lead women’s ministries, play the piano, counsel the female half of the church, etc. Oftentimes they are criticized for the way they look, the way they dress, or the way they speak. Their children are expected to be the best-behaved in Sunday School. Certainly life as a minister of God’s Word has often been described as being in the proverbial fishbowl.

The people in the church should not be delineated as critical and yet there are some who do not have much else that characterizes them. Of course, these people probably mean well. They are trying to help hold their leaders accountable. And it would be helpful if these criticisms were balanced with encouragement. Paul’s ministry style was to affirm the flock before giving instruction. Notice in 1 Thessalonians 4:1, “Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.” He can’t exhort them to excel still more without first affirming that they have been doing well. This is one of the reasons why he begins almost every letter with a word of thanksgiving for the churches.

Proverbs 16:24 teaches us, “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” Sometimes the best way to minister to someone is to share an encouraging word. There may perhaps be an individual who comes to church on Sunday having been beaten up and discouraged the whole previous week. Perhaps they look outwardly downcast. How healing would it be for them to hear an encouraging word? On the flipside, how demoralizing it would be to hear a rebuke for looking sad! This is the wisdom in Proverbs 12:18, “There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

Unfortunately, pastors aren’t the only objects of criticism. A critical heart is something all believers should guard against because it damages the body of Christ. Criticism, especially when shared with others, is divisive. You can look at Titus 3:10 and 1 Corinthians 1 to see what God thinks of those who are divisive in the church. Are you someone who is typically critical of people? Do you often have feelings that you know better than others? It is a sad pattern, but oftentimes the people who criticize most are those who encourage least. Ephesians 4:29 offers good instruction to every believer, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

Editor's Note: February 2007

by Steven Hong

Happy Care Month! If you haven’t been clued in by the videos, it’s officially Care Month. Please take advantage of the many opportunities that the various ministries are offering you to get involved. Whether signing up to help with the various ministry teams, offering to deliver a meal through meal ministry, decorating and planning for baby showers or writing encouragement notes, don’t pass on these great opportunities. Remember the words of the Apostle John: “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Dudes, too.

The Winds of Change

by Pastor Patrick Cho

It is exciting to be a part of the church particularly during times of transition. With the change at LBC from regional flocks to affinity groups, it will be good to see how the members adjust to the changes and participate in the life of the body. This isn’t a first time of major transition for the church. In the past, I may have been wary about how the church would respond to change, but now I can simply look to the pattern that has already been set. One thing that really stands out about this little congregation is their commitment to ministry and each other regardless of the structure and their trust in the leadership’s guidance during the church’s growing years.

There is some room for concern, though, that as the years have progressed the excitement for ministry has diminished. We no longer have that first year church plant feel and sometimes the ministry can feel like a week to week grind. It’s in light of this that I really appreciate Pastor Steve’s New Year’s Eve message about the one resolution to not forget our first love (cf. Rev. 2:4), as well as Pastor John’s exhortations for us to consider our love for Christ in the midst of service. Do you love Jesus? Is He the true reason why you come to church? Why you serve? Why you fellowship?

We must be careful not to allow a spirit of laziness or apathy to pervade the church. There are many Christians who feel as though church is peripheral. It is not as important as family, work, or school. There are many who feel as though commitment to the church is too burdensome, or that ministry should only be done when it is convenient. There are many who would stay up late nights to study for school. There are many who would put in overtime at work. There are many who would drive long hours to visit family. But the same are reluctant to give the same way to Christ’s church.

Remember that ministry is not always easy, though at times it is. Sometimes it really will challenge us to remember why we serve in the first place. If we do these things according to our own strength, we are guaranteed to fail (cf. John 15:5). If we trust in the Lord finding strength in Him, we are promised not to grow weary or faint (cf. Isa. 40:31).

Perhaps this time of transition for LBC is a good time for all the members to examine your hearts. Do you love Jesus? Do you find joy in living for Him and being a part of His body? Where do you find your strength? In whom do you rely? How will you continue to love one another and serve one another, and do this with willing and joyful hearts?

The Call to Prayer

by Pastor Patrick Cho

This Thursday, I had the privilege of speaking to Crossroads Campus Ministry at UCSD on the topic of prayer. This is one of those issues that all believers understand is something they need to apply in their lives, and yet almost all of the Christians I know would say that their prayer lives are not where they would like them to be. I really believe that one of the reasons we fail in prayer the way we do is because Christ does not remain central in our prayer lives. All true believers would hold that salvation comes not as a result of our work or merit but completely by the grace of God (cf. Eph. 2:8-9). There is thus a willingness on our parts to glorify Christ for our salvation and to keep him central in the doctrine of justification.

A shift in centrality tends to take place, however, when it comes to how we pray. It seems as though in prayer we remove Christ as the central focus and place ourselves in that place of centrality instead. We pray for our felt needs, our desires, our will, and we fail not only to acknowledge God’s will, but also to desire it at all.

It is no surprise that God desires our prayers. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 teaches us to pray without ceasing. Colossians 4:2 tells us to devote ourselves to prayer. And Jesus assumes prayer in His instruction in Matthew 6 (“When you pray…”). This is more than a call to discipline, though prayer definitely is a discipline we need to maintain and develop. We must remember that we have access to the Creator of the universe and He desires to hear from us! Do we have a desire to speak with Him?

For more on prayer, John Piper offers helpful insight into God’s purpose in prayer in his book, Let the Nations Be Glad.

Reaching Souls in Argentina and the Czech Republic

by Pastor Patrick Cho

It has been a while since our last post since Pastor John is enjoying his sabbatical and I have been away in Argentina for the past couple of weeks. Hopefully I will be able to get back on track soon and put up new posts. It is good to be back in San Diego but it was definitely difficult to leave Argentina. What a wonderful experience it was! In the city of Tucuman we were able to focus on two neighborhoods in a five day door-to-door ministry sharing the gospel for almost six hours a day. I don’t think anyone on our team had ever had such concentrated evangelistic ministry before in their lives.

It was awesome being able to work with the members from Missionary Bible Church and the interpreters from Word of Life in Buenos Aires. By God’s plan, we also were able to work with some local unbelieving interpreters. We had the opportunity to share the gospel with them throughout the week and they also were able to translate it for us over and over during the evangelistic campaign. It was great that they were able to have so much exposure to the gospel message. Praise God also that He allowed us to see some of the fruit of our efforts as we witnessed a good handful of people from the neighborhoods and possibly even some of the interpreters respond in faith to the message of the gospel.

There is a lot of talk lately about what kinds of strategies the church should adopt to engage the culture around us. But in all the debate about cultural relevance, we must be careful not to miss the point that the Bible has given us exactly the strategy that we need: Preach the whole counsel of God and the true gospel and God will work through the message preached to save sinners. This is a principle that extends to all cultures and peoples. If we dumb down the gospel or start redefining it, we play with the God-given message of salvation. This is what is so great about the trips to the Czech Republic and Argentina (one a highly atheistic nation and the other a predominantly Roman Catholic nation). We have witnessed the trustworthiness of this principle to preach the Word in season and out of season (2 Tim. 4:2) and we have seen people saved as a result of the message preached.

I am very excited to hear of how this year’s Czech Republic summer mission went. The Czech team arrived the day before the Argentina team departed so there was not much opportunity to hear stories from them. I am definitely looking forward to the two missions report nights on September 10 (Czech Team) and 24 (Argentina Team). I cannot express how blessed we are to be able to work alongside like-minded churches in other countries reaching souls for Christ.

Recommended Books

by Pastor Patrick Cho

A question was brought up at church during a Question/Answer session that I thought would be good to post a blog about. Someone asked Pastor John which books had he read (besides the Bible) that were most influential to him. I suppose John will want to post his own list of books at some later date when he returns from his sabbatical, but I thought I would post a list of books that were particularly influential to me. It is probably important to note first that I am not as well-read as Pastor John, so his list of books come from a greater pool of knowledge. Also, this list is not my attempt at the best books ever written (I’m sure others will have suggestions of books that were left off the list), only the books that have made the strongest impact on my life. With that said, here is my list of books (not in any particular order):

1. Disciplines of a Godly Man, R. Kent Hughes
This book was particularly influential during college in helping me understand biblically what it means to be a strong, godly man. It became even more important to me after I was able to sit under Kent Hughes’ teaching during a class in seminary and to see that he not only wrote it, but lives it as well. I remember thinking after reading this book that there are a great many aspects about my life that need to change.

2. The Gospel according to the Apostles, John MacArthur (a.k.a. Faith Works)
This book was a bit less technical than its prequel (The Gospel according to Jesus). It was the book that really helped me get my arms around the whole “Lordship Salvation” issue. MacArthur does a great job proving from Scripture that a changed life is indicative of true saving faith.

3. Today’s Gospel: Authentic or Synthetic, Walter Chantry
One of the greatest finds you can make is small books with huge impact. Today’s Gospel is one such book. Using the story of the rich young ruler from the book of Mark, Chantry walks through a biblical presentation of the whole gospel. A great book to read along with this one is Will Metzger’s, Tell the Truth.

4. Let the Nations Be Glad, John Piper
After reading this book, it’s hard not to want to travel to the ends of the earth preaching the gospel of Christ. Piper’s missiology is refreshingly God-centered. The book begins by hammering down this thought, “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t.”

5. Light from Old Times, J. C. Ryle
Ryle’s account of the English Reformers who were burned at the stake by “Bloody Mary” is incredibly moving and inspiring. As you read through the lives of men like Hugh Latimer, John Hooper, Nicholas Ridley, and Thomas Cranmer, your heart will be set on fire because you will know the sacrifices men have made for the sake of the gospel.

6. Holiness, J. C. Ryle
Each chapter in this book cut like a knife into my heart. I felt like Isaiah when he saw the holiness of God in Isaiah 6, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” Ryle helped me attain a glimpse of God’s holiness and a greater awareness of the necessity of holy living for the believer.

7. When People Are Big and God Is Small, Ed Welch
I did not think I had a big problem with the fear of man before I read this book. After I read this book I realized how much of my life was governed by the way others viewed me. Welch confronted my pride like few other books have ever done and helped me see a problem in myself that I previously had not seen.

8. Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, John Piper
This book has been helpful in understanding the importance of biblical pastoral ministry. Since I have not finished it yet, I can’t give a complete review. But Pastor John, Raymond Kim, and I have been going through it together and so far it has been a tremendous blessing. It is not only for pastors. Any believer would be helped by reading this book. The chapter on a biblical view towards baptism is especially good.

9. Lectures to My Students, Charles Spurgeon
If you are considering full-time ministry as a pastor or missionary, this book is required reading. Spurgeon deals with a number of issues regarding the heart of the man who is called by God for pastoral ministry. He will help you think through the decision-making process of going into ministry.

10. Can Man Live without God? Ravi Zacharias
This is a great book that takes on some of the philosophies of the world . . . and beats them to a pulp. It was a particularly great book for me since I minored in philosophy in college. It helped answer many questions I had about answers to critics of the Bible and it helps to show the utter meaninglessness of life without Creator God.

Honorable Mentions:
The Cross-Centered Life, C. J. Mahaney
Spiritual Leadership, J. Oswald Sanders
Fundamentals of the Faith, Grace Community Church
Desiring God, John Piper
The Minister as Shepherd, Charles Jefferson
Repentance and 20th Century Man, C. John Miller
The Gospel according to Jesus, John MacArthur
The Master’s Plan for the Church, John MacArthur
Tell the Truth, Will Metzger
Not Even a Hint, Joshua Harris
Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, Mark Dever
The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges

I’m sure there are more, but this is what I can think of off the top of my head. I’ll have to peruse my shelves to see if I’ve forgotten any.

EV in the Community

by Pastor Patrick Cho

The Argentina Mission team had an opportunity this past Sunday to go door to door in order to share the gospel with our neighbors in the local community. This was an important part of our missions training since this is what we will mostly be doing in Tucuman. Aside from the 100 degree weather, things were really amazing. The team came back with really encouraging testimonies as well as lessons learned and even funny experiences. All in all, it was a profitable time to practice much of what we have been covering in our team meetings – understanding the whole gospel and preaching it to others.

One reflection I had as I was knocking on doors was how sad it was that people refused to even listen to the gospel. Some simply said they weren’t interested and closed their doors. Others gave a look of scorn as they informed me that they were of another faith. Others were polite but refused to listen nonetheless. I couldn’t help but remember Jesus’ lesson in Matthew 19:23. It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. In affluent San Diego, where the people are comfortably living their plush lives, it will be hard for people to respond to the gospel message. Who will recognize their desperate need for a Savior if they are enjoying everything their heart desires? Who needs Jesus when you have a home, a car (or two or three), cable TV, wireless internet, multiple bank accounts, and an IRA?

The hope that I carried with me as I talked to those in the neighborhood was that God is sovereign in evangelism! Without this truth, I might have given up and simply conceded that no one would listen. But the promise that kept resonating in my mind was that God might have other sheep in the community (John 10:16). Though house after house might close their doors to the message of the gospel, there might be one household who would be ready to hear the Word of truth, to trust in Christ as their Lord and Savior, and to live new lives as new creations for His glory.

I was so encouraged to find the team enthusiastic about the experience. We went out into the community tired and hot. We returned with our hearts strengthened and much more prepared to handle the barrios of Tucuman. Praise the Lord!

Prayer for Missions

by Pastor Patrick Cho

It’s June 28, which means that the LBC Argentina mission team departs in just thirty-four days! And the Czech Republic team leaves in less than two weeks! Time is quickly winding down as both teams make their final preparations and raise their final support. It is an exciting time for sure, but it has also been easy to become anxious. Even though we are returning to the Czech Republic for the sixth time it is still impossible to foresee every contingency and there is still a great deal to plan. For the Argentina team, last year’s trip was our first and we are very much looking forward to building upon the relationships that were begun. However, with that trip we do not have the advantage of years of experience in that country.

It becomes very tempting in light of the circumstances and our inability to foresee all the challenges to simply plan more and more. Plan for hardship. Plan for unforeseen hindrances. Plan for financial setbacks. Of course planning is good but everything gets turned upside down if we plan to the point that we neglect the Lord’s plan. “The mind of a man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps,” Proverbs 16:9. One of the most encouraging aspects about this year’s missions preparations is the commitment that the teams have had to prayer.

Please pray during these last few weeks. The teams have been praying but hopefully our senders are also praying (as they indicated on their support cards!). We trust that the church has been praying. Hopefully our families and friends have been praying. With so much planning, it is easy to start trusting in our own preparedness and to neglect the crucial lessons that God might be trying to teach us along the way. Think of the number of missed opportunities, missed life-lessons, missed blessings all because of our failure to seek the Lord in prayer. We recognize that God is the one who has orchestrated everything thus far in our preparations, and He is the one who will see the work to completion. Praise God for His sovereignty in all things!

The Da Vinci Code – Muddling Fact and Fiction

by Pastor Patrick Cho

After all the press releases and online interactions with and criticisms and praises of The Da Vinci Code, I finally caved in and read the book last week. I have to admit that it was a thrilling read and was at times very difficult to put down. The first half of the book was especially good. At times the dialogue was tedious and read much like a textbook or documentary and Brown did not do much with character development, but the plot is what drives this book. The twists, shockers, and surprises at the end of each chapter made the novel read much like one of these television mini-series. As much as many people are hooked on “24” or “LOST,” I have to admit that I was pretty hooked on The Da Vinci Code. If you’re looking for a spectacular, knock-you-out-of-your-seat ending, you’ll be disappointed, but it’s still an entertaining read.

That having been said, as entertaining as it was, the book caused me great concern and much of its contents were quite disturbing. As many have read in the press releases, Dan Brown is not shy about making claims about the historical accuracy of much of the book. Although it is written in the genre of fiction, the book still instructs its readers about various facts and interesting conjectures of history. There is much written concerning art history, European history, and even church history. The problem with this is that Brown does not care to make any distinction between what is true history and what is mere speculation. Most of the claims are presented by characters who are supposed experts of symbology and history who have spent their lifetimes studying such “facts.” And most of the claims ooze believability in the way they are presented.

One of the areas of greatest concern is that when it comes to church history in particular, Brown’s research is less than extraordinary and at times very misleading. Coupled with the fact that many of his claims about church history are made in the immediate context of other interesting facts about art history and symbology, the book essentially deceives readers into believing that the historical claims are all equally true (and this doesn’t take into account that not all of Brown’s claims about art history and European history are very good either).

One example of Brown’s mishandling of art history is with Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” This mural depicts the scene in the gospels when Jesus reveals to His disciples in the Upper Room that one of them would betray Him. In The Da Vinci Code, one of the characters points to the fact that at Christ’s right hand, the seat of honor, is not the Apostle John as the vast majority of art historians claim, but actually Mary Magdalene – Jesus’ alleged wife. Woven through the entire plot of the novel is a contrived conspiracy about the Roman Catholic Church and a clandestine group called The Priority of Sion seeking to squelch the truth that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were actually married and bore children. The Holy Grail, then, is not the cup from which Christ drank, but the “holy bloodline” of Christ. This, of course, does not take into account that even Da Vinci’s own notes explain that it is indeed John the Baptist seated at Christ’s right hand – not Mary Magdalene!

One of the biggest heresies in the book is the claim that Jesus was not considered to be divine by His followers until A.D. 325 at the Council of Nicea. Here’s an excerpt from the book:

“My dear,” Teabing declared, “until that moment in history [the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325], Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet. . . a great and powerful man, but a man nevertheless. A mortal.”
“Not the Son of God?”
“Right,” Teabing said. “Jesus’ establishment as the Son of God was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea.”
“Hold on. You’re saying Jesus divinity was the result of a vote?”
“A relatively close vote at that,” Teabing added (pg. 233).

Of course, anyone who has read the New Testament or studied church history even in a cursory way knows that Jesus’ divinity was not invented in the early 4th century. The Council of Nicea was made necessary because a man named Arius and his followers refused to believe that Christ was of the same substance as God. They claimed that Christ was a created being and not God in the flesh. Contrary to The Da Vinci Code, Jesus’ divinity was believed and confessed by all of His true followers up to the Council of Nicea and even to today. Not only this, but the result of the vote at Nicea was a 300 to 2 landslide in favor of the orthodox belief that Jesus was indeed God, “true God from true God” – hardly a close vote!

There are many more unfortunate historical discrepancies in The Da Vinci Code, but the purpose of this post is to alert the reader to its dangers. If anything, it is probably better to read the historical claims in the novel with a degree of doubt rather than to take everything written at face value. Unfortunately, not all of the book’s readers have done so. One poll suggested that up to 60% of the people who have read the novel believe Jesus was actually married. This is just one indicator of the book’s tremendous influence.

For more on The Da Vinci Code, visit the website created by the staff at Westminster Theological Seminary: www.thetruthaboutdavinci.com.

Importance of the Local Church

by Pastor John Kim

As I wrote the previous entry, I realized that there are a number of things that should have been defined clearly as I don’t want to assume that people automatically understand what I am talking about. So I will attempt to provide some foundational points in continuing on the topic of parachurch ministries. What is a local church? Essentially, it would refer to a body of believers that are the visible representation of the invisible, universal church, which is comprised of the body of Christ worldwide. The local church is to be governed by qualified leaders (1 Timothy 3; Titus 1) who are called to shepherd the flock according to the standards and parameters set by the Scriptures. The local church is the body in which all the one anothers are to be fleshed out in obedience to Christ. 1 Corinthians 12 gives a great analogy of the physical body as an illustration of how the body of Christ is to work. The local church is where the ordinances of baptism and communion are to be practiced. While a local church is by no means perfect in its representation of the body of Christ, it is the primary vehicle through which God is carrying out the New Testament plan of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). The local church does include unbelievers in attendance, though their attendance does not make them a part of the universal body of Christ. But in the end, the local church is the institution through which God has and will continue to fulfill His plans.

What is a para-church? My simple definition is this – a particular ministry with a particular purpose for a particular group of people for a particular period of time. Examples of para-church ministries would be college campus ministries such as Campus Crusade for Christ, Navigators, Inter-Varsity. Other examples would be seminaries, missions organizations, Christian publishing houses, specialized ministries for the homeless, counseling ministries, and the list goes on. The basic premise of a para-church ministry is that it would come alongside (“para”) and assist the church in areas where churches might be deficient in their ability to minister. Many of the mega-churches today have the capacity and ability to provide and oversee a multitude of ministries, which result in less of a dependence on para-church ministries to cover particular needs. On the other hand, small churches are often very short-handed in their ability to minister to and reach out to people of various backgrounds. Some churches end up becoming very dependent on various para-church ministries to provide ministry for collegians, for overseas missions, etc.

The reason why I felt compelled to share about this issue is because there is a very REAL problem with the understanding of the role of the local church by many who have, whether intentionally or not, diminished, demeaned, and even boldly claimed the demise of the local church in favor of what recently has been advocated by George Barna in his book, “Revolution” – the idea of just independent gatherings of believers outside the context of the local church since so many local churches have failed in fulfilling their calling. This kind of mentality is dangerous in that it breeds the kind of entrepreneurial mentality towards the church that pushes for a very man-centered and man-driven organization versus a God-centered and God-driven obedience to the Word of God. While I can sympathize and identify with many of the criticisms that people have about the local church (just ask me to share about my 10 year experience in the Korean church scene), I still have hope and confidence that because it is God’s church and since Jesus Christ is the head of the church, we can forge ahead and pursue the ministry of the local church with vigor and enthusiasm because we can see God do the work that He promised to do, that is, that He will build the church and the gates of Hades will not stand against it.

One verse that really has been a tremendous blessing as well as a reminder to keep my focus in the right place is Ephesians 3:20-21, “Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” This is the passage where we first set our hopes back in March 1998 when we started praying for the planting of Lighthouse Bible Church. I can say with confidence that God has truly fulfilled this passage in so many ways as we have absolutely seen God do exceeding abundantly beyond what we asked for or thought. We have seen His power at work and because it is His power that is the source behind all that has taken place, we give Him all the praise and glory in this church!!

As I shared this past Sunday about my own struggles and my shortcomings, it is a clear reminder of my inability and frailty to do anything on my own. But with God’s power, we are given abundant grace to be used by our Lord to fulfill our roles in the body of Christ and what we see now at LBC is the fruit of obedience and commitment to God’s design and plan rather than following our own or what the latest fad advocates. So consider the high calling of being a part of a local church that seeks God’s glory and run with it!!