Author Archives: Stephen Rodgers

I Know That My Redeemer Liveth

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Job 19:25

The marrow of Job’s comfort lies in that little word ‘My’-‘My Redeemer,’ and in the fact that the Redeemer lives. Oh! to get hold of a living Christ. We must get a property in Him before we can enjoy Him. What is gold in the mine to me? Men are beggars in Peru, and beg their bread in California. It is gold in my purse which will satisfy my necessities, by purchasing the bread I need. So a Redeemer who does not redeem me, an avenger who will never stand up for my blood, of what avail were such? Rest not content until by faith you can say ‘Yes, I cast myself upon my living Lord; and He is mine.’ It may be you hold Him with a feeble hand; you half think it presumption to say, ‘He lives as my Redeemer;’ yet, remember if you have but faith as a grain of mustard seed, that little faith entitles you to say it.

But there is also another word here, expressive of Job’s strong confidence, ‘I know.’ To say, ‘I hope so, I trust so’ is comfortable; and there are thousands in the fold of Jesus who hardly ever get much further. But to reach the essence of consolation you must say, ‘I know.’ Ifs, buts, and perhapses, are sure murderers of peace and comfort. Doubts are dreary things in times of sorrow. Like wasps they sting the soul! If I have any suspicion that Christ is not mine, then there is vinegar mingled with the gall of death; but if I know that Jesus lives for me, then darkness is not dark: even the night is light about me. Surely if Job, in those ages before the coming and advent of Christ, could say, ‘I know,’ we should not speak less positively. God forbid that our positiveness should be presumption. Let us see that our evidences are right, lest we build upon an ungrounded hope; and then let us not be satisfied with the mere foundation, for it is from the upper rooms that we get the widest prospect. A living Redeemer, truly mine, is joy unspeakable.

4.21a

The Church and Your Family

by Pastor Patrick Cho

When I have the opportunity to walk through premarital counseling with an engaged couple, one of the lessons that we cover is called, “The Most Important Relationship in Your Relationship.” This title is taken from Wayne Mack’s Preparing for Marriage God’s Way, which is a great tool to help couples know what to expect in marriage. In this particular chapter, the book addresses each person’s spiritual life. How is your relationship with the Lord? How is your time in God’s Word? How is your time in prayer? Of course, most true Christians would agree that the key to a successful marriage is keeping Christ at the center of it. This chapter allows us to walk through what that looks like practically.

One issue that needs to be addressed in the context of a family’s spiritual health is the place of church in the life of the family. These two divinely ordained institutions are designed to support and strengthen each other. The stronger the church, the more beneficial for the family. Likewise, the stronger the family, the stronger the church. It is no wonder that Paul often drew upon the analogy of the family to describe the relationships of the church. He reminded the Thessalonians of his parental care towards them (1 Thess. 2:7, 11-12). He exhorted the members of the church to treat each other as family (1 Tim. 5:1-2). Perhaps he borrowed this language from Jesus (Matt. 12:48-50).

Instead, what we are seeing in the church today is a different value system. For the sake of the family, more and more couples are becoming less and less involved in the life of the church. They complain that ministry crowds out time for their families to be together. Yes, the church needs to be careful in its planning and structure not to bully the calendar and eat up the week. But families also need to recognize how vital it is (for the sake of their families!) to be regularly involved in the worship and fellowship of the church.

In consideration of this issue, consider the following questions for application:

  1. As a married couple or parent, in what ways do you seek to be a blessing to the church family? How are you serving the body and contributing to the overall health of the church?
  2. Are your children developing a high view of the church from your instruction and example?
  3. Are there activities you plan for your family (vacations, sports, shopping, etc.) that unnecessarily conflict with church events?
  4. When you say you need time for your family, do you actually spent time together as a family? Do you just use your family as an excuse not to be more involved at church so that you can focus on personal interests?

I really appreciated this article from Albert Mohler, which was written back in 2007. Read his thoughts on this very important issue.

Your Clothes Are Not Just About You

by Elder Johnny Kim

A while back, I was browsing through the Nike website and discovered that they offer a service through which one can customize shoes for purchase. Known as NikeID, anyone looking for a pair of basketball shoes for example, can customize their shoe by selecting from all sorts of materials, accents, and color combinations for various aspects of the shoe, from the laces down to glow-in-the-dark soles. Add in some customized writing on the shoe and several hundred dollars later, you end up with a shoe that uniquely represents you and your own personal style and tastes. Furthermore, I suppose you also get to avoid the embarrassment of being caught wearing the same generic factory shoes as someone else, which could happen even if you bought these $400 “non-custom” Nike shoes.

Clothes have become the ultimate expression of personal style and individuality. More than just functional garments to cover our bodies and shield us from the elements, clothes for us in this society are instruments used to represent our personality, our interests, our mood, and even our income level. And how we decide on what to wear is itself an intimate and personal decision. On any given day, I might choose what to wear based on what makes ME comfortable, what makes ME feel good, the style that best represents ME, and what is most convenient for ME. This approach to picking out our outfit might not matter much in most contexts, but in the context of church and corporate worship, we Christians ought to think differently.

Worship is first and foremost a spiritual affair and therefore our spiritual state is what matters most. Yet the outward appearance of worship, the structure, the setting, the order of worship, still matter as well. Wayne Grudem points out in Systematic Theology that all these things still serve to facilitate the atmosphere of worship which Jesus demonstrated He still cared about as He drove out the money-changers from the temple (Matthew 21:12-13). Our outward appearance and how we dress is just one more way we can help the church and her members to cultivate a more worshipful and reverent attitude in worship. While our own hearts and minds might be in the right place regardless of what we wear (even then, I challenge you to dress up for church and see if it doesn’t affect your attitude even in the slightest way), we need to consider the hearts and minds of those around us who we are worshiping with (1 Corinthians 12:12-26). If we truly desire to offer up the most God-honoring and God-glorifying worship as one body, then we ought to strive to take advantage of every opportunity available to us to help ourselves and those around us to that end, including the way we dress.

How we dress up for church can help those around us to cultivate a more worshipful and reverent attitude in worshiping God. How we dress up for Sunday worship can serve as a very visible reminder to those around us that we are there for a special event. An event special enough so that we wouldn’t dress like we normally would. How we dress up can serve to remind others that worshiping God is of utmost importance, so much so that we should want to use every means, even down to how we dress, to help us have the most worshipful heart attitude we can possibly have. How we dress up for Sunday worship can help the unbeliever attending church for the first time understand, even before the first word of the sermon is spoken, that we are gathered before someone or something, some being, who must be set apart in some way and deserving of reverence for some reason. How we dress for church matters because what we wear is not simply only about ourselves.

While there might not be a standard dress code for our church for Sunday service, there is a question we can ask others to help guide our dress. “Is how I’m dressed today helpful, harmful, or neutral in nudging you to have a more worshipful and reverent heart attitude during Sunday worship?” I challenge you to ask this question, and furthermore, without a hint of legalism, I challenge you to care enough about your fellow brothers and sisters to desire that they would always be able to answer, “Helpful”.

LBC Weekly SPARK – January 10, 2015

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear Lighthouse family and friends,

I hope the new year is off to a great start for you! If you came out to the New Year’s Eve fellowship, you know that I am encouraging the church family to read through the New Testament (at least) four times in 2015. Reading plans can be found in the foyer at the church building. If you have been keeping up so far, you should be wrapping up the Book of Matthew today. Here are some observations from Matthew that I found helpful:

  • 1:1-16 – Five women are mentioned (not all by name) in the genealogy of Jesus: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary.
  • 3:11-12 – John the Baptist teaches that Jesus would come to baptize with fire (v. 11), and then explains that the fire is a fire of judgment (v. 12).
  • 7:5 – It is not necessarily wrong to be worried about the speck in your brother’s eye. It is hypocrisy to ignore and not deal with first the log in your own eye.
  • 8:29 – It seems the demons understand and are afraid that there will be an appointed time for their final judgment. In other words, they know they will not win in the end.
  • 8:34 – Sometimes crowds witnessed the wonderful things Jesus could do and just wanted Him to leave. Sometimes they responded with fear and worship (9:8).
  • 13:10-17 – Jesus spoke in parables to hide the meaning of His teaching. His teaching in parables was a form of judgment for the unbelief of the Jews, not a clever means of illustrating His points.
  • 13:18-23 – All of the hearts represented in the parable of the soils heard the Word of God. The seed that fell on the good soil was the one who not only heard the Word of God but also understood it.
  • 14:23 – Even Jesus needed to get away from everyone at times to pray.
  • 17:5 – We heard these words before (cf. 3:17).
  • 20:18-19 – Several times Jesus revealed to His disciples why He was going to Jerusalem (before He arrived in Jerusalem).
  • 20:24 – James and John were not the only ones who wanted to sit next to Jesus in the kingdom.
  • 22:31-32 – Jesus bases His entire argument about the resurrection on the tense of a verb (present tense).
  • 23:13-36 – Seven times Jesus says, “Woe to you,” to the Pharisees.
  • 24:13-14 – These verses are found in the context of the Tribulation and not the church age.
  • 24:40-41 – You want to be left behind and not taken away.
  • 27:37 – There is such irony in the sign that was placed over Jesus’ head on the cross.
  • 27:43 – There are some who argue that Jesus never claimed to be the Son of God in the Gospels. The Jewish leaders certainly believed He did.

I hope you are enjoying your time in God’s Word. Whether you are following this plan or not, strive to be in the Scriptures daily this year. You will not regret it!

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are some ministry opportunities and announcements:

  1. A very big CONGRATULATIONS to Johnny and Mimi Kim for the birth of their second son, Philip Isaiah! He was born on January 9, at 10:45 PM. Mom and baby are both doing well and are thankful for your prayers!
  2. Some of you may be following what has been going on with the daughter of Pastor Aaron and Tina Choi of Berean Mission Church. Their daughter’s name is Emily, and the family would greatly appreciate your prayers as Emily has been diagnosed with stage four high risk neuroblastoma. They are placing their hope and trust in the Lord but it has obviously been a very difficult time for them. Please pray for God’s grace as Emily continues to receive treatment. Pray that the Lord would strengthen Aaron, Tina, their young son Silas, and their daughter Emily through this time.
  3. Grace Life. Since Grace Life Bible study was cancelled this week, we will be meeting on Thursday, January 15. Come out as we continue to walk through Preparing for Marriage God’s Way, by Wayne Mack.
  4. Flocks. Flocks week will be on January 28-31. For more information about our regional flocks, you can check out the church website or contact Cesar Vigil-Ruiz (jn316niv@gmail.com).
  5. Members Meeting. Our next members meeting has been postponed to Sunday, February 8, at 4:45 PM. All members are highly encouraged to attend! As always, dinner will be provided.
  6. College Life Retreat. The College Life retreat is coming up on President’s Day weekend, February 13-16. This FOUR DAY retreat will focus on the theme of “True Love.” We are pleased to announce that our speaker this year is Pastor John Kim of Lighthouse Bible Church, Los Angeles! Talk to Roger Alcaraz for more information.
  7. Shepherds’ Conference. The Shepherds’ Conference this year will be on March 3-6. The focus of the conference will be on the inerrancy of Scripture. If you have registered for the conference and are planning to attend, please let Pastor Patrick know via email (pastorpatrick@gmail.com).

Fight The Lord’s Battles

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

1 Samuel 18:17

The sacramental host of God’s elect is warring still on earth, Jesus Christ being the Captain of their salvation. He has said, ‘Lo! I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.’ Hark to the shouts of war! Now let the people of God stand fast in their ranks, and let no man’s heart fail him. It is true that just now in England the battle is turned against us, and unless the Lord Jesus shall lift His sword, we know not what may become of the church of God in this land; but let us be of good courage, and play the man. There never was a day when Protestantism seemed to tremble more in the scales than now that a fierce effort is making to restore the Romish antichrist to his ancient seat. We greatly want a bold voice and a strong hand to preach and publish the old gospel for which martyrs bled and confessors died. The Saviour is, by His Spirit, still on earth; let this cheer us. He is ever in the midst of the fight, and therefore the battle is not doubtful. And as the conflict rages, what a sweet satisfaction it is to know that the Lord Jesus, in His office as our great Intercessor, is prevalently pleading for His people! O anxious gazer, look not so much at the battle below, for there thou shalt be enshrouded in smoke, and amazed with garments rolled in blood; but lift thine eyes yonder where the Saviour lives and pleads, for while He intercedes, the cause of God is safe. Let us fight as if it all depended upon us, but let us look up and know that all depends upon Him.

Now, by the lilies of Christian purity, and by the roses of the Saviour’s atonement, by the roes and by the hinds of the field, we charge you who are lovers of Jesus, to do valiantly in the Holy War, for truth and righteousness, for the kingdom and crown jewels of your Master. Onward! ‘for the battle is not yours but God’s.’

4.20p

Weekly Links (1/9/2015)

“Truth is so obscured nowadays and lies so well established that unless we love the truth w shall never recognize it.” (Blaise Pascal, Pensees, #739/864)

“Weaklings are those who know the truth, but maintain it only as far as it is in their interest to do so, and apart from that forsake it.” (Blaise Pascal, Pensees, #740/583)

by Stephen Rodgers

Happy Friday everyone! Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. So even though it is 2015 and we are officially living in the future, here’s another batch of free resources for you this month.

Ok, that’s our usual list of recurring resources…now on to a few of the other ones that have popped up recently:

And…that’s a wrap. Enjoy everyone, and hopefully see you Sunday!

Pro Rege

Recap and Application

by Jonathan Eng

What do the Los Angeles Lakers of 2014-2015 and the body of believers at LBCSD have in common? Both are going to experience conflict at some point, big and small. (I had to, being the Clipper fan that I am).

In Single Life, we have been going over The Peacemaker by Ken Sande. Thus far, we have completed the first section of the book which details the first of the four G’s, which is to glorify God. The foundation to which we have in glorifying God is found in 1 Corinthians 10:31 which says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Having this mindset is crucial especially when in conflict because God’s reputation is at stake as well as our own witness. Having such a mindset is crucial when entering a conflict. Upon accomplishing this and remembering to glorify God amidst conflict, we are able to proceed with biblical conflict resolution and reconciliation, which leads into the second G: getting the log out of our own eyes.

One week, Single Life got to hear one of our esteemed elders, Johnny Kim, preach on the fourth chapter of The Peacemaker, entitled “Is This Really Worth Fighting Over?” The main point of this chapter focuses on overlooking minor offenses and picking out battles, especially when trying to get the log out of our own eyes. Matthew 7:3-5 says:

“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye, when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.’”

Whenever we get in conflicts, our natural, sinful tendency is to focus on the wrongs committed against us. It is a “me versus them” mentality. Our pride is hurt because we have been wronged. By having this mentality, we remove God from his rightful place in our lives and elevate ourselves. We fool ourselves into thinking that we have committed no wrong when we, in our anger, sin and contribute to the conflict. Because of that, we need to get the log out of our own eyes in order to progress in biblically resolving our conflicts. In getting the log out of own eye, we as believers need to focus first on how we contribute to the conflicts we are engaged in. When we are able to do that, peacemaking truly begins.

We have to ask ourselves if something is worth fighting over and if it is an unnecessary conflict that can be avoided. No matter how small it is, it can always get bigger and worse. Proverbs 17:9 says, “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.” When we do not overlook an offense, a minor issue could easily snowball into a big problem and negatively affects not only the relationship between the parties involved, but the body as well. The apostle Paul in Colossians 3:12-13 calls for believes to wear the clothing of “kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another…” As such, we are to forgive others when we are in conflict because we ourselves are always in spiritual conflict with God when we sin. God, in his perfect grace and mercy, has overlooked our sin because he sent Christ to die on our behalf and take the punishment for our sins. When we can overlook an offense and check our ego at the door, we in turn imitate God’s mercy and hold up the reputation of the church to non-believers.

Having recapped the message from Wednesday, the hardest part for myself is checking my ego at the door whenever I am involved in conflicts. I personally tend to hold grudges and dwell on things. Resolving conflicts is usually not a problem when it is amongst believers. Where the rubber meets the road for me in this is in the work place when I am a sheep amongst wolves. I struggle with how to resolve conflicts in the work environment, which is especially hard when my coworkers and I do not share the same beliefs. As a Christian, I cannot hold non-believers to the same standard I would have for a fellow brother or sister at church. Because of that, I am still trying to navigate my way through conflict and would much rather avoid it altogether and sweep it under the rug. As I write this, I left my old job with relationships with coworkers whom I personally did not care to deal with because of my reaction to how I was treated as well as how other coworkers were treated by them. As I enter into my new job, I take with me a refreshed approach and attitude toward resolving conflicts in the work place and to know that I need to first and foremost project Christ and recognize his reputation is at stake when I do not resolve conflict in a biblical manner. If I am the source of committing a wrong against a coworker, I need to seek forgiveness from them and check my ego at the door. Even if I get persecuted for trying to pursue reconciliation, as long as I know that I am glorifying God, nothing else will matter. Ultimately, I need to take care of my own part and trust God with everything else in order to be a good witness at work and to love my unbelieving coworkers.

LBC Weekly SPARK – January 3, 2015

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear Lighthouse family and friends,

I hope you all had a safe and fun time ringing in the New Year! We had a great time at the church on New Year’s Eve, though no one made it to midnight! Maybe we’re all just getting too old? Hehe. The new year calls for adjustments to life. For example, I’m sure it will take some getting used to, but we need to remember to write “2015” instead of “2014.” This is the time of year when people are setting their minds on resolutions and goals for the upcoming year – reading their Bible, losing weight, saving money.

Whatever your resolutions, have you taken time to consider how the Lord wants you to move forward with your various enterprises? Are your resolutions in line with God’s will for your spiritual growth and well being? It’s easy to fall into the thinking of wanting to simply be a better you. But God’s will is not just self-improvement through self-projects. God’s desire is that everything we do would also have an upward focus, to do all things for His glory and honor (cf. 1 Cor. 10:31). As you set your resolutions for 2015, remember to ask prayerfully, “God, is this what You desire of me?” Consider also, “Am I going about this in the way the Lord would want?” And, “Are my motives right before God?” Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.”

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are some upcoming ministry opportunities!

  1. Communion Sunday. We will be taking communion together on Sunday so please come with prepared hearts. Because of the proximity to the New Year holiday, Sunday school hour will be cancelled this weekend.
  2. Members Meeting. Our next members meeting will be on Sunday, January 25, at 4:45 PM. All members are highly encouraged to attend. If you are a ministry coordinator and would like to give a ministry update, please notify Pastor Patrick.
  3. Anniversary Yearbook. Remember that we are still taking signups for our anniversary yearbook. The cost for a printed copy is $18. Please sign up with Wen Zou or online at http://bit.ly/1tFeTE7. There is also a web version available at http://lighthousebc.com/blog/2014/09/20/anniversary-book/.
  4. Grace Life. Since Pastor Patrick will be out of town this week, Grace Life will NOT be meeting on Thursday evening. Have fun with the night off! LKC will still be meeting, but we will NOT have nursery care at the church.
  5. Affinity Groups. Lumos Youth, College Life, and Single Life will all be meeting up this week. Single Life meets on Wednesday at 6:30 PM. Lumos and College Life meet on Friday at 7:00 PM. More information about our affinity groups can be found on the church website.
  6. Mommy and Me. Mommy and Me, a ministry for mothers and their children 0-4 years of age, meets on Fridays from 9:45-11:30 AM at church in Room 108. If you are a mom of a 0-4 year old and are interested in participating, please contact Jane Kim (janeminkim@gmail.com).
  7. Lumos Youth. Please pray for the youth ministry as they wrap up their retreat this weekend. Pray that it would be a great time of fellowship and growth together in Christ.

Reading Your Bible in 2015

by Stephen Rodgers

First of all, let me begin by saying that there really is nothing new under the sun, and we’ve covered this topic quite a bit in the past. I’d suggest that you briefly familiarize yourself with the following posts:

From briefly surveying my RSS feed of the fraction of the Christian blogosphere that I refer to, you might also find the following posts on Bible reading plans interesting:

(You can find all of those and more in our Recommended Resources section, linked above).

I’ve said it before,  but I’ll say it again. Bible reading plans are a lot like exercise plans: people love to talk endlessly about which one is “best.” However, the best one (in both cases) is the one you’ll actually do. So to that end, pick one and stick to it!

LBC New Year’s Eve Service!

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC family and friends!

It’s hard to believe we are wrapping up another year together as a church family! The Lord has once again shown us tremendous grace and kindness to walk with us faithfully and help us grow together as a church. Come celebrate this Wednesday, December 31 as we ring in the New Year! We will be having a special New Year’s Eve service beginning at 6:00 PM. We’ll start with dinner, so please bring $5/person for food (children 0-12 eat free!). At 9:00 PM, we’ll have an East Coast countdown to 2015 so that you can take the kids home for bed if necessary. After that, you are welcome to hang out at the church building until midnight! Please bring snacks to share as well as board games (be sure to label your games!).

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick