Author Archives: Stephen Rodgers

There Is Corn In Egypt

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Genesis 42:2

Famine pinched all the nations, and it seemed inevitable that Jacob and his family should suffer great want; but the God of providence, who never forgets the objects of electing love, had stored a granary for His people by giving the Egyptians warning of the scarcity, and leading them to treasure up the grain of the years of plenty. Little did Jacob expect deliverance from Egypt, but there was the corn in store for him.

Believer, though all things are apparently against thee, rest assured that God has made a reservation on thy behalf; in the roll of thy griefs there is a saving clause. Somehow He will deliver thee, and somewhere He will provide for thee. The quarter from which thy rescue shall arise may be a very unexpected one, but help will assuredly come in thine extremity, and thou shalt magnify the name of the Lord. If men do not feed thee, ravens shall; and if earth yield not wheat, heaven shall drop with manna. Therefore be of good courage, and rest quietly in the Lord. God can make the sun rise in the west if He pleases, and make the source of distress the channel of delight. The corn in Egypt was all in the hands of the beloved Joseph; he opened or closed the granaries at will. And so the riches of providence are all in the absolute power of our Lord Jesus, who will dispense them liberally to His people. Joseph was abundantly ready to succour his own family; and Jesus is unceasing in His faithful care for His brethren. Our business is to go after the help which is provided for us: we must not sit still in despondency, but bestir ourselves. Prayer will bear us soon into the presence of our royal Brother: once before His throne we have only to ask and have: His stores are not exhausted; there is corn still: His heart is not hard, He will give the corn to us.

Lord, forgive our unbelief, and this evening constrain us to draw largely from Thy fulness and receive grace for grace.

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Weekly Links (5/6/2016)

by Stephen Rodgers

It’s the first Friday of the month, which means that it’s time to post a whole bunch of free stuff! I’m continuing my experiment of copy/pasting the blurbs for these resources in lieu of commenting on them, but suffice to say that this month’s panoply of materials is all-killer-no-filler.

Seriously, it’s really good stuff.

Delighting in God by A. W. Tozer

Delighting in God is the message Tozer intended to be the follow-up to The Knowledge of the Holy. He demonstrates how the attributes of God–those things God has revealed about himself–are a way to understand the Christian life of worship and service. We are here to serve and adore him, but we can only fulfill that role by acknowledging who he is, which is the essence of the Christian life and the source of all our fulfillment, joy, and comfort.

Why God Won’t Go Away by Alister McGrath

In a decade embroiled in fanaticism and fear, a renewed interest in the age-old debate over the question of God has reignited, giving rise to a new group of media-savvy contenders dubbed the “New Atheists.” As expressed in the works of best-selling authors like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, the New Atheists have found a foothold in today’s cynical society, and have ramped up their efforts to debunk the existence of God.

John 3:16

The May issue of Tabletalk examines John 3:16. This verse is among the most well-known and loved passages in the Bible. Even those who know little about Scripture recognize it as a cornerstone of Christian belief. While many are familiar with the reference, few consider its full meaning. The importance of John 3:16 is that it serves as a summary of the Bible. Every word is important. This issue considers each word and phrase of this verse as a way to understand the central truths of the gospel.

JBMW 21.1 – Spring 2016

The Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (JBMW) is a semi-annual, academic journal dedicated to facilitating a scholarly conversation on gender, marriage, singleness, personhood, family, and the many intersections that exist between these topics and biblical studies, church history, and systematic and practical theology.

Themelios 41.1

The Gospel Coalition just released the April 2016 issue of Themelios, which has 208 pages of editorials, articles, and book reviews.

The Walking Dead

by Elder Johnny Kim

Even as one who hardly watches television and rarely makes it out to the movies, even I couldn’t help but to notice the exploding fascination with zombies in pop culture as of late. From the aforementioned television shows and movies to the various zombie conventions and even theme parks, zombies have seemingly popped up everywhere. And as if all these things weren’t proof enough that zombies have gone mainstream, even various government agencies and organizations have embraced the fad by producing zombie-themed public service announcements in order to promote disaster preparedness among the general public! As ridiculous as it sounds, I have to admit that it’s actually an effective and brilliant marketing move on the government’s part. The average citizen may not have ever experienced large-scale natural disasters before and therefore might be unable to fully comprehend the dire consequences and fallout of such an event. But because zombies and the idea of zombie outbreaks and ensuing apocalypse have become so pervasive and popular in our entertainment and media, it turns out people might actually be more likely to have an appreciation of the gravity of at least that fictional scenario. By relating the level of preparedness needed for natural disasters with how people would prepare for the type of zombie apocalypse that they’ve surely seen in movies and on television time and time again, they are more likely to be better prepared for a very real large earthquake, blizzard, or hurricane. As ironic as it is, that just goes to show how popular zombies have become.

Traditionally, zombies are portrayed as mindless and soulless beings inhabiting corpses and otherwise lifeless bodies, usually on a quest to consume the brains of the living or to perpetuate their disease by infecting the living with their bite. Of course the prospect of living in an apocalyptic world and being surrounded by hordes of zombies, or the walking dead as they’re often referred, is a fictional fantasy that we’ll never encounter in reality.

Or perhaps we already have?

Before you parents fire off a concerned email to Pastor Patrick, for the record, I have not been teaching your youth about zombies. But for Lumos youth Friday night Bible studies, we have been going through Ephesians and we recently learned in chapter 2 of the epistle that Paul makes mention of those who are “walking” according to the course of this world and “living” in the lusts of the flesh, yet “dead” in their trespasses and sins. Walking and alive and yet dead; sounds familiar, right? While we might not ever find ourselves surrounded by zombies, spiritually speaking the “walking dead” are already all around us. The truth is the one who is without Christ is dead. Not only does Paul refer to this truth in Ephesians 2:1-3, but it’s a truth that he echoes in Colossians 2:13 as well. For the one who is without Christ, their cheerful disposition, happy demeanor, and other external evidences of being physically alive hide the fact that internally, they are spiritually dead. Our sinful nature and propensity to love worldly pleasures and vices make us dead to God and His goodness, His righteousness, and His holiness.

The loud sobs and wails of loved ones will never wake the one who lies dead inside the coffin. Pounding on the casket in grief and sorrow will never rouse the one inside to life. In the same way that the physically dead are completely and utterly incapable of walking, talking, or reacting in any way to anything, the spiritually dead are unable to respond to the facts of Christ and the gospel. In other words it’s all sinners who, because of their sinful nature, are unable to respond to the facts of Christ and the gospel. The most accurate knowledge of God’s character and the most passionate appeal to consider His righteousness and His holiness cannot rouse a sinner to glorify God. As sinners, we have as much capability to do that by ourselves as a corpse has to get up and walk around. We first need to be brought to life by an intervening external force. And not just by any force, but by the most powerful force there is. God is the only force sufficiently powerful for this miraculous task; power that was proven when He raised Christ from the dead (Ephesians 1:19-20). As those who were once dead but now brought to life in Him, we preach the gospel of sovereign grace to those who remain spiritually dead. While dead, there is nothing anyone can do but to acknowledge their “deadness” and to beg for God’s grace and mercy and to rely on His goodness to save them and to bring them to life in Christ. We preach this gospel to the dead who are around us, and indeed they are all around us, as in Matthew 9:37. However, not only are they spiritually dead, but they also face an inevitable eternal and permanent death.

As Paul uses the analogy of death to portray our former spiritual lives apart from Christ, the analogy also describes the certainty of eternal and permanent death that awaits all sinners after living in this present world. So inevitable is this eternal death for all sinners, that Paul points out we might as well be considered dead, though technically we are alive for whatever brief moment our lives will last here on earth (James 4:14). Apart from Christ and the salvation that is only obtained in Him, the only possible and assured outcome that awaits us all is an eternal death in hell. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. Because of our trespasses and sins, and ultimately our sinful nature, we were like “dead men walking”. But the good news is that God made us to be alive in Christ because of His rich mercy and great love (Ephesians 2:4-5). God, through Christ, not only makes us to be spiritually alive in this present life, to be able to live according to His commands and to please Him and bless Him by glorifying Him with our lives, but He also makes us to be alive in Christ forever. We have the hope of eternal life with Him beyond this life in the life to come. Those who are in Christ are truly alive in every sense of the word, now and forever.

I’ve found that the challenge of preaching these specific truths to the youth is that outwardly, they are seemingly the furthest from being “dead”. With vibrant attitudes and being full of energy, if anything, the youth are the liveliest affinity group in the church. Walk into the youth room (especially after soda, snacks, and candy) and the last word that comes to mind is “dead”. Similarly, youth being as young as they are, have that many more potential years of life here on this earth as compared to older adults. Death is often the furthest thing from their minds as it is from our minds when we think about youth. Yet all that doesn’t change the internal and spiritual reality that without Christ, they too are dead in the way that the Apostle Paul describes. They too are in desperate need of the One who can bring them to life, in this present life and in the life to come. It’s a sobering reality that I’ve come to be reminded of in youth ministry. The reality that as far off as it seems, I am surrounded by “walking dead” for every youth who has not yet been made alive in Christ.

I encourage you to consider your own lives and see that the same reality holds true for you as well. In our schools, in our workplaces, in our neighborhoods, and even in our own families, the sobering reality is that we can all find that we are surrounded by the “walking dead”. We shouldn’t let others’ worldly successes, temporal happiness, and comfortable affluence betray the fact that they are anything but alive absent Christ. If we stop to consider those around us who do not have life in Him, then we will realize that we are all constantly surrounded by those who are really dead and dying. Let us be bold and clear and constant in the way we preach the life-giving gospel of Christ to all those around us.

FOF #12: Obedience

“And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says, ‘I know Him,’ but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in Him.” (1 John 2:3-4)

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Growing up in church I remember whenever the pastor announced the morning’s sermon was going to be about evangelism, my heart would sink a little. The truth is that a message on evangelism is almost always convicting because of how much more faithful most believers could be in their witness. Sadly, there aren’t too many Christians who would say they have a problem with evangelizing too much. Most often it’s the other way around and the average Christian knows they should be telling others about the good news of Jesus more.

The Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20 is probably the most fundamental passage we could turn to in regards to Christ’s command to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. It could be said that there is a form of the Great Commission in all four of the gospels and the book of Acts (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47; John 20:21; Acts 1:8), but the Matthew passage gives the most detail. Jesus issues the command with His full authority (v. 18), so it is imperative that His followers understand and heed His words. The main command of the Great Commission is to “make disciples,” and this is supported by three participles: going, baptizing, and teaching.

Discipleship is a great word to describe the Christian life. It is about following Jesus. Being a Christian in the everyday, ordinary, normal sense means submitting to the Jesus Christ as Lord and following Him wherever He might lead. The command to make disciples essentially means that every believer should seek to reproduce themselves. As followers of Christ, our responsibility is to help others know likewise how to follow Him.

“Going” is necessary if we are going to make disciples of all nations and we are going to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth (cf. Acts 1:8). It doesn’t necessarily mean that every believer must pack up and go (though obviously some must go and surely all must be willing to go if the Lord so leads). It does necessitate, however, that no Christian is exempt from this command. The participle implies that wherever a believer goes or finds himself, he is to live in obedience to this Commission. In other words, there is no place where the Great Commission doesn’t apply. A Christian can never rightly say, “Well, I just can’t devote myself to evangelism and missions right now.” Whether you are a student or working, single or married, young or old, busy or free, you are called to make disciples of Christ.

“Baptizing” refers to the ordinance of immersing people as a picture of their new life in Christ. It is the first act of obedience that believers are called to upon being saved, but this part of the Great Commission involves more than putting people underwater. It includes everything that baptism signifies – dying to your old self and being raised in newness of life identifying with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. In other words, being committed to baptizing is being committed to helping people understand what saving faith is all about. It involves helping them understand who God is, what sin is, why salvation is necessary, and how to attain it by faith in Christ. Importantly, it also involves helping people to understand that true saving faith calls for a changed life in obedience to Christ since we are baptized according to the command of Christ. True Christians are those who have been radically transformed by the power of the gospel and the Spirit in their lives so that they turn away from sin and walk according to the truth of Christ.

The participle “teaching” helps us to understand that Great Commission work is about more than just making converts. It is about helping people come to saving faith, but then committing to helping them grow in their understanding of God’s truth. If I traveled to South America to preach the gospel to a group of Argentines and some trusted in the gospel and were saved by God’s grace, how devastating would it be for me to abandon them and return home without ensuring that they have any means of growing with respect to their salvation? The Great Commission ensures that those who are saved are able to continue to grow as believers in Christ because they are being taught all that Christ has commanded. If I am going to fulfill the Great Commission, I need to be willing not only to share the gospel with others, but also either to remain with them to help them understand the whole counsel of God or ensure that they find a local church that will continue to nurture their infantile faith to maturity.

As believers, we are not to be ashamed of the gospel (Rom. 1:16). Rather than fearing men and others’ opinion of us, we are called to boldly proclaim the truth of Christ in love. Didn’t Jesus teach that if we are ashamed of Him before men in this sinful generation, He would likewise be ashamed of us in the end at His return (Mark 8:38)? Yes, the message of the gospel will be rejected by most. People may mock or scorn you for your proclamation of what comes across as a narrow, exclusive, judgmental, and offensive message. But we must also remember and trust that God works through the message preached to transform hearts and lives and to reconcile sinners to Himself.

Faithful evangelism also involves living a holy life as a testimony to the life changing power of the gospel. Those who do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior should notice the difference in genuine believers, that they live for something different and hope in something different. John Piper once wisely said that if non-Christians don’t ask you about the hope in your life, perhaps it is because you are hoping in the same things they are. Unbelievers should see a marked difference in the way a Christian lives in desiring to be set apart from this world and to live ultimately for the glory of God.

Helping others understand the gospel goes beyond lifestyle evangelism, though. The gospel is a message that must be proclaimed. Unless people hear the gospel, they cannot become followers of Christ (cf. Rom. 10:17). Too often believers are committed only to “lifestyle evangelism” without ever telling others about the salvation God offers in Christ and calling people to turn from their sins. We need to remember that unless they hear about what Christ accomplished on the cross and through His resurrection, they cannot be saved. They might be impressed with the way you live your life. They might tell you they respect you for the faith you possess as your own. But they need to be told that apart from Christ they have no true and lasting hope. All men will stand before God one day and give an account for their lives, and the only question that will matter on that day is, “What did you do with the gospel?” Those who turned away from the truth of God will suffer an eternal judgment, but by the grace of God, those who trust in Christ for salvation will enjoy eternal life. Since we possess the message of life and the remedy for sin, let’s strive to be faithful in our proclamation God’s truth in love.

Signs of Spiritual Maturity – Hub Post

by Stephen Rodgers

This is the hub post for Elder Peter Lim’s 18-part series examining the signs of spiritual maturity. From this page, you can easily find and refer to all posts in this series.

All posts in the Spiritual Maturity series:

If So Be Ye Have Tasted That The Lord Is Gracious

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

1 Peter 2:3

If:-then, this is not a matter to be taken for granted concerning every one of the human race. ‘If:’-then there is a possibility and a probability that some may not have tasted that the Lord is gracious. ‘If:’-then this is not a general but a special mercy; and it is needful to enquire whether we know the grace of God by inward experience. There is no spiritual favour which may not be a matter for heart-searching.

But while this should be a matter of earnest and prayerful inquiry, no one ought to be content whilst there is any such thing as an ‘if’ about his having tasted that the Lord is gracious. A jealous and holy distrust of self may give rise to the question even in the believer’s heart, but the continuance of such a doubt would be an evil indeed. We must not rest without a desperate struggle to clasp the Saviour in the arms of faith, and say, ‘I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him.’ Do not rest, O believer, till thou hast a full assurance of thine interest in Jesus. Let nothing satisfy thee till, by the infallible witness of the Holy Spirit bearing witness with thy spirit, thou art certified that thou art a child of God. Oh, trifle not here; let no ‘perhaps’ and ‘peradventure’ and ‘if’ and ‘maybe’ satisfy thy soul. Build on eternal verities, and verily build upon them. Get the sure mercies of David, and surely get them. Let thine anchor be cast into that which is within the veil, and see to it that thy soul be linked to the anchor by a cable that will not break. Advance beyond these dreary ‘ifs;’ abide no more in the wilderness of doubts and fears; cross the Jordan of distrust, and enter the Canaan of peace, where the Canaanite still lingers, but where the land ceaseth not to flow with milk and honey.

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Reflections of the Fireflies’ Ministry Over the Years

by Brenda Hom

God has given me the wonderful privilege of serving on the Fireflies Nursery Ministry since 2007. When I first joined the ministry, the church was located in the Scripps Ranch area, and the “nursery” was a small classroom filled with computers, electrical cords, and other potential choking hazards for young babies and toddlers. We had about five nursery-aged children at the time, and I enjoyed spending quality time with those children and watching them grow up in the church. As the years went by, God continued to be faithful, and grew our church both spiritually and in numbers. It is truly an honor to grow alongside the church body, and witness firsthand how God has brought up the Fireflies Ministry to what it is today.

When we moved to our current location in Sorrento Valley, the Fireflies Ministry was given the main large room, which we currently use today for the toddlers. By that time, the ministry had grown to be about 10 toddlers and five babies. The main room was divided into two sections, with one side for the infants, and the other side for the toddlers. These were exciting times, especially with our newly adopted curriculum that included Bible lessons and memory verses. Creative and musically talented church members set the memory verses to a tune, and the Fireflies memory verse song CD was made! Within the next few years, the nursery continued to grow, as new families joined the church, and singles became married families with children. With 15 toddlers and 10 babies, Fireflies had outgrown the main large room. Once the LBC San Jose church plant started, the Sparklers ministry moved into Pastor John Kim’s old office, and Nursery 1 (infants) moved next door into the old Sparklers room. Currently, the Fireflies ministry now has 15 babies in N1, and 20 toddlers in N2.

As I reflect upon how much the Fireflies ministry has physically changed over the years, I am grateful for God’s constant faithfulness, unchanging character, and unfailing love towards His church. God has given us His Word to teach the youngest members of our church about who He is, His character and attributes, and who His Son Jesus Christ is. Our hope is that some day, these little ones would grow up to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and become disciples of Christ.

Maximizing Our Time & Joy Because the Days Are Evil (Part 1)

by Pastor James Lee

Ever since I was 17, I’m grateful to have always had some type of job. During undergrad and graduate school, a few seasons I had up to 3 part-time jobs to make ends meet. But in hindsight, it gets amped up exponentially when you have people depending on you, and it’s not just you, that you have to take care of. It’s a totally different ball game. As a UCLA student, it didn’t seem to affect others if I played basketball all night till 5am or foolishly ran up my credit card debt. But when I became a Christian, my outlook on what I thought was mine began to change. When I became a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the sobering weight of that responsibility changed the practical course of my life forever. When I became a husband and father, those very gifts altered my choices even more, so that I was forced in a good way to be confronted with my selfishness and embrace those new joys in ways I was not used to. Brushing your teeth on a daily basis matters, studying diligently at school makes a difference, loving the church as an active member is loving Christ and not doing so is not loving Him. God is sovereign. That’s a comfort; that’s an assurance. But we’re responsible for all that we’ve been given. We don’t control who the next President will be; God does. But we do have a responsibility to discern the need of the times and to vote with an informed Christian conscience. We don’t control the size of our underground aquifers, but we can better control our own water consumption and not run up our utility bills so that the Lord’s money is better managed. We don’t control whether others will be saved or not, but we are commanded to preach the gospel to all.

J. Oswald Sanders in his book on leadership wrote,

“The way we employ our time will determine if we develop into mediocre or powerful people. Leisure is a glorious opportunity and a subtle danger. Each moment of the day is a gift from God that deserves care, for by any measure, our time is short and the work is great… William James affirmed that the best use of one’s life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. Life’s value is not its duration but its donation – not how long we live, but how fully and how well. Time is precious, but we squander it thoughtlessly… ‘I don’t have the time.’ Such an excuse is usually the refuge of a small-minded and inefficient person. We do not have time to do all we want, but each of us has all the time we need to do the whole will of God for our lives… Our problem is not little time, but making better use of the time we have. Be it the President of the United States, you, or me. Each of us has the same 24 hours as anyone else. Others may surpass our abilities, influence, or money, but no one has more time.”

I want us to consider two common ways we mock God in neglecting our stewardship of our short time here on the earth, two principles in which we need forgiveness as much as we find so much grace and fresh opportunity.

1. Complaining About Time is Complaining About God

We must, as Paul wrote in Ephesians, “Redeem the time.” We must maximize our life direction, ponder and prioritize a prayerful manner of life priorities. We must be intentional, because if we are not intentional with our use of time, someone else will do so for us. If you don’t attack life, it will attack you. Jesus said that no one can serve two masters, that one will either serve one or the other. As believers, we are not to be mastered by anyone except the Lord – not circumstances, not peer pressure, not career pursuits, not our children. Therefore, we don’t find time to pray; we make time to pray. We don’t find time to fellowship with other Christians; we prioritize it. It is a commitment to make first things first without compromise, deciding well beforehand what boundary will not be crossed, and what treasure will not be forfeited.
So rightly understood, there are no valid excuses for not praying, not reading the Bible daily, not serving others in church ministry consistently and sacrificially, so that it hurts our wallets significantly, sometimes our health, infringes on our leisure time and vacation destinations, as much as we embrace godly rest and gospel freedom. Even our rest and vacations aren’t always utilized to the glory of God, and sometimes I’m more tired than refreshed from my vacations. Not saying that it’s always a bad thing at all when we want to see all the sights and have a schedule to maximize our vacation trip, so that’s not the issue. But do we prayerfully and intentionally steward that time for God’s glory? As I get older and more beat down, I realize that sometimes, not always, the best use of my vacation, is not to see new things, but to go to one place and spend extended quality time with my wife and children… and really get some rest, get some sleep, have my physical body get a healthy dose of restoration and joy for life and ministry. Is godly wisdom directing those things, or are we simply trying to escape and be entertained? There is no excuse for not caring for our families, not growing in our knowledge of His Word and His character – God simply makes no allowance for neglecting them on the basis of allotment of time or circumstances. He expects us to do those things in the time that He gives us or to strip away the stuff that is peripheral and idolatrous and distracting – it is not a matter of getting a magical 36 hour day that would only add to many people’s wastefulness; it is a matter of wisely using the 24 hours and gifts we already have. Ephesians 5:15-17 urges, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Our time is precious and irretrievable. Once it is gone, it is lost forever. It cannot be hoarded or stored up, only spent frivolously or invested well. One pastor wrote, “If we progress in the economy of time, we are learning to live. If we fail here, we fail everywhere.” The investment or waste of our time is crucial to our worship of God and to our discipleship, a manifestation of our hearts. What kind of legacy will you leave for God’s glory? What will the epitaph on your life say one day? What impact have you made thus far?

I’ve always been inspired and challenged by former Angels pitcher Jim Abbot who, despite not having a right hand and learning to pitch and catch the ball with only his left, enjoyed a long successful major league baseball career. He said, “I’ve learned that it’s not the disability that defines you, it’s how you deal with the challenges the disability presents you with. And I’ve learned that we have an obligation to the abilities we DO have, not the disability… The Bible tells us to be grateful in every situation. I am grateful for mine.”

How about you and I? Do you remember that spiritually, we were all born in a far worse situation? Born separated from God, we were born foolish, ungrateful, rebellious, facing His wrath. 1 Cor 2:14 says the natural man is spiritually appraised. The natural man has the most important things in life exactly reversed: he thinks foolishness is wisdom and wisdom is foolishness. And the way of the fool is that he is right in his own eyes (Prov 12:15). The ultimate destiny of fools, 2 Tim 3:7 says is that they are “always learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” But it is not to be so with God’s people! At salvation every believer has been made wise by God’s Word and Spirit. By God’s grace, Christ Jesus became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Cor 1:30). The Scriptures make us wise unto salvation (2 Tim 3:15). In Christ, the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him and therefore also in us (Col 2:3). The Holy Spirit is our resident truth teacher. We are born again with all provision for wisdom to live for our Lord, yet we must grow in wisdom, and pray for it (James 1:5).

Paul writes, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise.” The word “careful” in Greek has the basic meaning of “accurate” and “exact with alertness.” We are to walk wisely as those living in the light. We are to avoid Satan’s traps, and not revert to the practices of our old lives. As Christians, we are not immune from reverting back to foolishness. One way, you and I, sometimes are guilty of that, is by not believing God completely. Jesus said to the men on the Emmaus road, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken.” (Luke 24:25). To the extent that we do not accept any part of God’s Word, we are foolish. When we place our hope and priorities in making money, keeping up with the Joneses, instead of healthy communion with the Lord and obeying His will by faith – then we are reverting to foolishness, rather than feasting on the riches of eternal kingdom living. What genuine Christian in his or her right mind would ever give up their salvation for all the riches of this world? Not one. And yet in our practical lives, we forfeit our true treasures for things that rust and moths destroy.

In verse 16, Paul writes, “making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” For many people, life is a series of unfinished symphonies, delayed constructions, and half-baked resolutions. No one can turn dream into reality unless he makes the most of his time. Paul here did not use the Greek word chronos, the term for clock time, the continuous time that is measured in hours, minutes, and seconds, but rather kairos which denotes a measured, allocated, fixed season. The word time is also preceded by the definite article, “the” time. God already predetermines the length of our lives. We can achieve our potential in His Service only as we maximize the time He’s set for us. Making the most in Greek is the idea of buying back or buying out. It implies redemption, to redeem the time, buy it all up, and devote it to the Lord. One pastor wrote, “The most foolish thing a Christian can do is to waste time and opportunity, to fritter away his life in trivia and half-hearted service of the Lord.” We must take full advantage of every opportunity to follow God, redeeming our time. Recall the people who hadn’t heeded Noah’s warnings as the Ark door was closed, or the five foolish virgins who let their oil run out before the bridegroom arrived and were then shut out of the wedding feast. Jesus lamented over Jerusalem who He longed to gather like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and instead, Jerusalem rebelled and killed the prophets. Judas Iscariot, a tragic example of wasted opportunity, spent 3 years with Jesus, loved by Him, only to betray Him for 30 pieces of silver.

Instead let us, by His grace and enablement, strive to fight the good fight and finish our course, keeping the faith. Not only because our days are numbered, but because the days are evil. As we make the most of our opportunities for God, the world will continually and increasingly oppose us. Things will get worse and not better, but God will work to His glory. John MacArthur wrote,

When we have opportunity to do something for His name’s sake and for His glory, we should do so with all that we have. How God’s heart must be broken to see His children ignore or half-heartedly take up opportunity after opportunity that He sends to them. Every moment of every day should be filled with things good, things righteous, things glorifying to God… When our priorities are God’s priorities, He is free to work in us and through us to accomplish great things; but when our priorities are not His priorities, He can do little with us because He has little of us.

I Drew Them…With Bands Of Love

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Hosea 11:4

Our heavenly Father often draws us with the cords of love; but ah! how backward we are to run towards Him! How slowly do we respond to His gentle impulses!

He draws us to exercise a more simple faith in Him; but we have not yet attained to Abraham’s confidence; we do not leave our worldly cares with God, but, like Martha, we cumber ourselves with much serving. Our meagre faith brings leanness into our souls; we do not open our mouths wide, though God has promised to fill them. Does He not this evening draw us to trust Him? Can we not hear Him say, ‘Come, My child, and trust Me. The veil is rent; enter into My presence, and approach boldly to the throne of My grace. I am worthy of thy fullest confidence, cast thy cares on Me. Shake thyself from the dust of thy cares, and put on thy beautiful garments of joy.’ But, alas! though called with tones of love to the blessed exercise of this comforting grace, we will not come.

At another time He draws us to closer communion with Himself. We have been sitting on the doorstep of God’s house, and He bids us advance into the banqueting hall and sup with Him, but we decline the honour. There are secret rooms not yet opened to us; Jesus invites us to enter them, but we hold back. Shame on our cold hearts! We are but poor lovers of our sweet Lord Jesus, not fit to be His servants, much less to be His brides, and yet He hath exalted us to be bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh, married to Him by a glorious marriage-covenant. Herein is love! But it is love which takes no denial. If we obey not the gentle drawings of His love, He will send affliction to drive us into closer intimacy with Himself. Have us nearer He will.

What foolish children we are to refuse those bands of love, and so bring upon our backs that scourge of small cords, which Jesus knows how to use!

5.20p

Reflections from (Less than) One Year of Marriage

by Sam Chung

Stephanie and I have been married a little under a year upon writing this article. There are days where we still feel like we are in our honeymoon days and there are also days where life together has become the norm. During this past year, there have been many changes and transitions for us, both individually and as a couple. Some of these changes were expected, while others were not. Through it all, we are both thankful to the Lord in sustaining us and sanctifying us. Although it has only been a year, we have already learned so much and grown as a couple in the Lord. The following are a few points in which we would like to share with you:

  1. God is The Provider (Exodus 16:31-35; Matthew 6:25-34; Romans 8:31-34; Philippians 4:4-7) – Despite its varying contexts, we see that God always provides for His people, from material, physical needs to our greatest need of salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord. In the same way, there have been many things that we were anxious about that we needed to offer up to God. We were not sure about many things: wedding planning, our housing arrangements, job security for the following year, wedding planning (yes, wedding planning had to be repeated), and the list goes on even still (more housing questions, future children, what I should do for our first anniversary). For example, we had to think about the proper timing of our wedding. I had just finished graduate school and Steph was teaching part time. I had to consider whether or not I was willing to trust in God despite not having a job lined up, or even money saved up for a wedding. What were my reasons for pursuing marriage at that moment, or waiting until a later time? In the end, we were able to remind ourselves, and one another, of our need to continually trust in a loving Father who provides. This is not to say that everything went as we had wanted or as we had planned, but God knew what was best for us, allowing what was necessary to occur. In hindsight, we see that God had always provided throughout our times of anxiety. We are still fighting to trust in God with all things. We remind ourselves that our greatest need has already been provided through Christ: His life, death, and resurrection. We have God’s Word and memorable reminders of God’s provisions already, which we use to redirect our hearts to humble ourselves in times of uncertainty. With these things in mind, we look forward to adding to our memories of how our God continues to provide for us.
  2. Marriage Takes Work (Ephesians 5:25-33; Colossians 3:19; 1 Peter 3:7) – This point is one that we were aware of prior to our wedding day. We had gone through the dating and engagement process. We had talked to married couples and gone through premarital counseling. Regardless, this fact brought a whole new meaning when it became even more personal. We quickly displayed to one another our sinfulness and imperfections even more than what we had before. We were really put to the test when we were unable to return to our respective apartments to think through conflicts and return at a later time to resolve them. We had to work things out at that instance, sifting through the emotions and sometimes at the heat of the moment, feet away from each other, to get to the heart issue. We had to put into the practice the commands to love one another, regardless of how we were feeling at that moment. Were we really willing to lay down our own desires and expectations, humbling ourselves, for the service of the other? Even despite seeing how our stance is the (perceived) better one? The reality of two sinners coming together, creating friction became very real, very fast. Although we have had our tough times together already, the commitment to peacemaking and loving one another “til death do us part” brought sweet resolution. We were able to see practical examples of God’s grace that was shown to us. We were able to learn about one another even more in order to serve the other better. We were reminded that God even provided these tough moments to refine us and prune us (John 15:1-17). The hard part is the fact that this is only regarding the two of us! We are still called to love others and serve the church on top of this. We are still working on loving one another better (and will until we die) as well as loving you, the church, better. We trust that it comes with the understanding and willingness to put aside our own desires for our call to love God and people.
  3. Marriage is Fun (Genesis 2:18; Proverbs 31:10-31; Ecclesiastes 9:9) – Just as we were aware of the work that is involved with being married, we were also aware that marriage brings a lot of fun. And just as we did not experience the full extent of the work prior to our wedding, we did not experience the full fun that we have been able to share together until we were married. Going back to our first point of reflection, God provided for us with one another. There are many things we enjoy together now. The companionship that we have found in each other is unparalleled to any other relationship on this earth. To name a few, we love eating, watching TV, eating, laughing, eating, serving and talking together. There are also areas in which we can serve one another because we are better at it. Steph is much cleaner and more organized than I am. I have the physical capabilities of killing spiders. She cooks well. I eat well. She laughs at virtually anything remotely funny. I say things that are remotely funny. Apart from my salvation in Christ, my marriage has been one of the highlights of my life. God provided for me with a spouse, a friend, a partner in ministry, and so much more packaged into 1 person. Marriage is fun and we are excited to see what God has in store for us as we continue on this walk of life together.

These three points are not all comprehensive of our reflections of marriage thus far, but they have been huge themes for us in the past year. God has provided (and will provide) for us, marriage takes work, and marriage is fun. We praise and thank God for our marriage because He is the one who sustains us. We hope that you were encouraged by our reflections from our one-year of marriage and continue to love and serve the Lord together with us.