Author Archives: Stephen Rodgers

I Called Him, But He Gave Me No Answer

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Song of Solomon 5:6

Prayer sometimes tarrieth, like a petitioner at the gate, until the King cometh forth to fill her bosom with the blessings which she seeketh. The Lord, when He hath given great faith, has been known to try it by long delayings. He has suffered His servants’ voices to echo in their ears as from a brazen sky. They have knocked at the golden gate, but it has remained immovable, as though it were rusted upon its hinges. Like Jeremiah, they have cried, ‘Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.’

Thus have true saints continued long in patient waiting without reply, not because their prayers were not vehement, nor because they were unaccepted, but because it so pleased Him who is a Sovereign, and who gives according to His own pleasure. If it pleases Him to bid our patience exercise itself, shall He not do as He wills with His own! Beggars must not be choosers either as to time, place, or form. But we must be careful not to take delays in prayer for denials: God’s long-dated bills will be punctually honoured; we must not suffer Satan to shake our confidence in the God of truth by pointing to our unanswered prayers. Unanswered petitions are not unheard. God keeps a file for our prayers-they are not blown away by the wind, they are treasured in the King’s archives. This is a registry in the court of heaven wherein every prayer is recorded.

Tried believer, thy Lord hath a tear-bottle in which the costly drops of sacred grief are put away, and a book in which thy holy groanings are numbered. By-and-by, thy suit shall prevail. Canst thou not be content to wait a little? Will not thy Lord’s time be better than thy time? By-and-by He will comfortably appear, to thy soul’s joy, and make thee put away the sackcloth and ashes of long waiting, and put on the scarlet and fine linen of full fruition.

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The Institution of Marriage

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Since we are at the start of a new year, I know that many people in the church have begun a Bible reading plan for 2014. This probably means that most are reading somewhere in the opening chapters of Genesis. Genesis is a book of beginnings. The opening chapters give the account about the foundation of the world and how God created all there is in six days. Chapter 3 focuses on the fall of man and the entrance of sin into the world. In Abraham, we see the beginnings of God’s people, set apart to Himself to accomplish His grand purpose in this world.

But also significantly implanted in the opening pages of Scripture is the establishment of marriage. Marriage was given according to God’s plan and purpose for His creation. It was designed under His divine prerogative guided by His infallible wisdom. Regardless of whether people are Christian or not, the foundation of their marriages is found in their Creator. The reason we get married and give one another in marriage is because this was in accordance with God’s design from the very creation of man and a gift of grace.

The specific record of the creation of man and the establishment of marriage is given in Genesis 1:26-28. By God’s will, He created man in His own image and after His likeness. He made them male and female so that each equally bears His image, and upon creating them male and female He immediately commanded them to “be fruitful and multiply.” This is the same command God gave to the “swimming things” in the sea and the “flying things” in the air (v. 22). It is implied that this same command was applied to the living creatures of the earth – the livestock, creeping things, and beasts of the earth. This command was specifically given because each animal was to procreate according to its kind in the established order God set for His creation. Fish would produce greater numbers of fish, birds would produce more birds, and beasts would produce more beasts.

It is in this context that the first man and woman were commanded to be fruitful and multiply, which is the general statement of God’s institution of marriage. Chapter 2 goes on to explain more specifically what God meant by this and why Eve was such a suitable counterpart for Adam. Indeed no other “helper” could be found for Adam from any other created thing. God created Eve especially for Adam to serve as his partner and companion. By God’s own admission, it was not good for man to be alone. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24).

There is no being fruitful and multiplying with man outside of marriage. God designed marriage to be monogamous between a man and a woman. This was so they could enjoy each other and love one another in the bond of their relationship, and it was also for the purpose of fulfilling His command to fill the earth. Genesis 2:24 helps define what it means to have a family, to leave father and mother and cleave to your spouse.

Any attempt to change the definition of marriage is a perversion of God’s established order. The fact that marriage has become so twisted in contemporary society and cheapened is a testament to the sinful rebellion in the hearts of men. The fact remains that the true definition of marriage is not the result of the latest poll or election. It isn’t left to human opinion regardless of how well-intentioned people try to be. It doesn’t matter if people stand up for what they believe is right under the banner of “love.” Frankly, God never asked our opinion about the way marriage should be. He doesn’t need fallible minds and darkened hearts to correct His infallible and perfect norm. He designed marriage His way because He made us. And that Creator/creature distinction will exist for all of eternity.

Signs of Spiritual Maturity #15: Contentment and Appreciation of the Mundane

by Elder Peter Lim

When I was a boy, I remember first wanting to be a professional baseball player playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers. My heroes included Steve Garvey and Bill Buckner. When it became apparent that I didn’t have the skills for it, I wanted to be a fighter pilot for either the Navy or the Air Force. The recruiter told me that because of my poor eyesight and tall height, I wouldn’t be allowed to fly a fighter plane but I may be eligible to fly cargo planes or helicopters. I wasn’t interested in those things so I decided to pursue computer science instead since I loved to play video games.

When we are young, we are told that we can be anything, that if we pursue our dreams, there’s nothing out of reach. As we grow older, we realize that’s less and less true. First of all, we are limited by our talents and opportunities that may or may not come our way. But in addition to that, we are limited by the values that we form. As Christians we understand rather early on in our spiritual journey that our lives are now about serving Christ and living in accordance with Biblical values. Of course we do this voluntarily and with gladness because we understand that our joy is found in serving the One who died for our sins. We’d like to think that we can be satisfied with that but truth be told, we may find ourselves being dissatisfied with our lot in life. We begin to wonder whether there is something more that we can be or do. We may see our friends, whether Christian or not, become more “successful” and seemingly enjoy lives that are better than our own. We may experience discontentment.

I’ve noticed in older, more mature Christians that they have a quality of contentment in whatever circumstances they are in. They understand that God has sovereignly directed their lives and that each situation is an opportunity to glorify God. Sometimes this happens during difficult circumstances and sometimes it’s during easier times. Their satisfaction is found in Christ alone. This is different than being satisfied by the status quo which implies that they are lazy and/or uncaring about what happens. The mature believer appreciates the mundane things of life and embraces every opportunity. The immature tend to become discontent with different aspects of life.

Discontentment with Your Church

After attending the same church for a while, even those who were once excited to grow can become so used to it that they start taking it for granted that their church actually preaches the gospel. The immature also take it for granted that fellow brothers and sisters actually care for each other. This is a dangerous time as they can turn into a bible “junkie” meaning that their intake of biblical facts only serve to fill their ammunition belts so that they can win arguments or only apply the message to others. The mature believer can take the same message and understand that they must first apply it to themselves and be convicted all over again over their sinfulness and the glory of the gospel before even considering how they can use that knowledge to help or correct others.

Discontentment with Your Pastor

Like church, an immature person can become so familiar with their pastor that they may start taking him for granted. Especially in today’s connected world, good teaching is available on various media including our phone. It’s easy to compare their local pastor with John MacArthur, Albert Mohler or John Piper. We are spoiled in this day and age. But they won’t do your wedding. They won’t do your funeral. They don’t even know your name. The mature believer can appreciate good teaching from world-class preachers but they realize that God has placed their local pastor to care for and pray for and shepherd them. The mature believer takes special care to show their appreciation for their pastor who may often feel inadequate. After all, we don’t get to see the details of the more famous pastors’ personal lives like we do our own pastor’s life.

Discontentment with Your Job

The immature is often led astray as they pursue exciting careers that pay as much as they can get. Little thought is given to how this job is just a means to funding God’s will of spreading the gospel. They live as if they need to enjoy life to the fullest and that they are entitled to every luxury as a blessing from God. The mature understand that their life in this world is temporary and that an inflated concern over building bigger barns (Luke 12:18) is not only foolish but can lead to all sorts of sins (1 Tim. 6:9-10).

Discontentment with Your Life

With the rise of social media, many share the best of their lives with the rest of the world by posting pictures and fun activities, great food, beautiful circumstances, and so on. They often don’t mean to boast about such things but some see those kind of postings and start wishing that their lives were as wonderful as other people’s lives. This can lead to discontentment. The mature believer is satisfied because their happiness is found in Christ alone and understand that living a Godly life will often include the mundane things in life, such as making trips to Costco and Target. It may include raising kids and dealing with bad attitudes and fixing toilets and weeding the garden. It may require serving in-laws who bad-mouth you behind your back, being patient when wronged, financially helping out extended family members who are unreasonable, or trying to make peace with someone who is slandering you. The mature believer sees the big picture and a Godly perspective which shows that seemingly bad situations are not as bad as we thought and those things that bring us happiness (such as getting into the college of our choice, landing our dream job, or buying the latest new iGadget) pale in comparison to the joy of serving Christ.

It is my sincere hope that you can reflect on every aspect of your life and be able to give thanks to God for your current situation (or predicament). Remember that God is good, sovereign, and loves you. He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also that we may be able to endure it. (1 Cor. 10:13) Note that He doesn’t promise to remove the temptation, but rather promises that we would be able to endure through it. I want to leave you with some verses that help us to remember to be content no matter what.

But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Phil. 4:10-13)

But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. (1 Tim. 6:6-8)

Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor. 12:10)

…Yet Learned He Obedience By The Things Which He Suffered

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Hebrews 5:8

We are told that the Captain of our salvation was made perfect through suffering, therefore we who are sinful, and who are far from being perfect, must not wonder if we are called to pass through suffering too. Shall the head be crowned with thorns, and shall the other members of the body be rocked upon the dainty lap of ease? Must Christ pass through seas of His own blood to win the crown, and are we to walk to heaven dryshod in silver slippers? No, our Master’s experience teaches us that suffering is necessary, and the true-born child of God must not, would not, escape it if he might.

But there is one very comforting thought in the fact of Christ’s ‘being made perfect through suffering’-it is, that He can have complete sympathy with us. ‘He is not an high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.’ In this sympathy of Christ we find a sustaining power. One of the early martyrs said, ‘I can bear it all, for Jesus suffered, and He suffers in me now; He sympathizes with me, and this makes me strong.’

Believer, lay hold of this thought in all times of agony. Let the thought of Jesus strengthen you as you follow in His steps. Find a sweet support in His sympathy; and remember that, to suffer is an honourable thing-to suffer for Christ is glory. The apostles rejoiced that they were counted worthy to do this. Just so far as the Lord shall give us grace to suffer for Christ, to suffer with Christ, just so far does He honour us. The jewels of a Christian are his afflictions. The regalia of the kings whom God hath anointed are their troubles, their sorrows, and their griefs. Let us not, therefore, shun being honoured. Let us not turn aside from being exalted. Griefs exalt us, and troubles lift us up. ‘If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him.’

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Weekly Links (1/10/2014)

“Prometheus cannot be at once unbound and unreal; the human will cannot be simultaneously triumphant and imaginary.” (Ross Douthat, “The Confidence of Jerry Coyne”)

by Stephen Rodgers

Ok, it’s the first day back from our Christmas hiatus; time to see what sort of resources have accumulated while we’ve been away.

Alright then.  It’s 2014. And plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose, so I’ll see you Sunday!

Pro Rege

Bible Reading Plans for 2014

by Stephen Rodgers

Technically, we’re still on hiatus, but since it’s a new year, here’s a quick post reminding everyone where we stash the resources related to Bible-reading plans.

First of all, we have a number of resources available here on the Beacon already:

Second, the free book of the month from christianaudio.com is actually the ESV Bible! This is a great resource for being able to hear the Bible read out loud, which is wonderful because 1) it’s another way to get it into your brain, and 2) some portions of Scripture were actually intended to be consumed that way.

Third, a number of sites have their own recommendations and ideas for what constitutes a good Bible-reading plan in 2014.  In no particular order, they are:

One last comment: it’s very easy to get wrapped up in the technical merits of one plan over another, but let me go slightly out on a limb here and say that the best Bible-reading plan is the one that you’ll actually do. Pick a plan, and stick with it. That’s really the first, and most important, decision to make.

So Tolle Lege…it’s not just for Augustine! It’s for you as well.

LBC Weekly SPARK – January 2, 2014

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC family and friends,

Happy New Year! I hope your 2014 is off to a wonderful start! The New Year always provides a helpful time for self-evaluation and new resolutions and adjustments. As we looked at during our New Year’s Eve service, one of the passages that is often turned to during this season is 1 Corinthians 10:31. This is appropriate because our goals should stem from the one most worthy motive – to bring God glory.

Too often resolutions are merely about self-improvement. We want to be better individuals so we seek to lose some weight, learn new things, and treat others better. While these resolutions might seem lofty in one sense, in another they fall awfully short of what they could be. We forget that we were created to be part of something greater than ourselves. We worship an amazingly awesome God and our lives could be spent in pursuit of magnifying Him and ascribing to Him the worth He deserves. Instead, we shrink our vision down and focus on our comparatively puny selves. As I said at the New Year’s Eve service, self-improvement simply for the sake of self-improvement is like decorating a rotting tree or gilding a tomb. It serves such little purpose when compared to the grand scope of God’s will for our lives.

Let’s allow the New Year to serve as a much needed reminder that our goals and resolutions must be run through the filter of God’s Word to ensure that we are expending our resources and energy on things that truly matter.

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are some upcoming opportunities for you to get involved!

  1. Midweek Bible Studies. Please keep in mind that our midweek Bible studies and activities are still on hold this week. LKC, Youth, College, Singles, and Grace Life will all resume next week. Please check the church calendar at the website for updated schedules and more information.
  2. Communion. We will be taking communion this Sunday during service, so please come prepared for this special time of worship and fellowship with our Lord. Perhaps you will want to read and reflect on 1 Corinthians 11 where Paul gives instruction about this ordinance.
  3. Sunday School. Our Sunday School classes will resume this weekend. Please make an effort to attend either our Fundamentals of the Faith class or our class on Eschatology during the Sunday School hour.
  4. Missions Sunday. Our small delegation to Argentina has returned and the team is excited to share with you all that they were able to experience. On Sunday, January 12, we will be having a special missions themed morning service dedicated to the Argentina team’s report.
  5. Men’s Breakfast. On Saturday, January 18, at 7:30 AM, we will be having our next men’s breakfast event. The theme for the series is “Men of Steel: Cultivating a Life that Overcomes the World.” Please bring a breakfast item to share.
  6. All-Church Photo. We will be taking our annual all-church photo on Sunday, January 19, between the morning services.
  7. Membership Class. Our next membership class will be at the end of the month. Part 1 will be on Saturday, January 25, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Part 2 will be on Sunday, January 26, from 2:00-5:00 PM. You must attend both sessions. Please contact Pastor Patrick for more information or for a membership application.
  8. Members Meeting. We will be having a members meeting on Sunday, January 26, at 4:45 PM. All members are highly encouraged to attend. As always, dinner will be provided.
  9. Parent/Child Dedication. We will be having a parent/child dedication service on Sunday, January 26 during our morning worship time. If you would like to participate in this service, please contact Pastor Patrick for more information.
  10. Baptism Class and Service. Our next baptism class will be on Tuesday, January 28, at 7:00 PM, in Room 107. If you have not yet been baptized as a believer in obedience to the Scriptures, or if you simply want to learn more about what the Bible says about baptism, please make plans to attend this class. The baptism service will be on Sunday, February 9, at 4:30 PM.
  11. LBC Los Angeles. LBCLA will be having their official inaugural service on Sunday, February 16, at 6:00 PM. Be sure to mark your calendars for this exciting and momentous occasion!
  12. Mission Bowl. If you are interested in playing on either our men’s or women’s Mission Bowl flag football team, please contact Randy Tsuchiyama (dabigtsuchie@gmail.com). Practices begin this month!
  13. Bible Reading Plan. If you would like to download an electronic copy of our Bible reading plan, you can go to www.lighthousebc.com/handout and click on the folder named “Bible Reading Plan.”
  14. Prayer Need. Please continue to pray for Alex Ko as he is still in the hospital. Pray that his treatments would be successful and that the Lord would be gracious to grant a speedy recovery. Pray that the Lord would not only sustain Alex but also his family during this trial.

Weekly Links (Christmas Edition 2013)

by Stephen Rodgers

We’re actually going to be going on hiatus until early next year, but before we did that I wanted to drop a little Christmas cheer on you, Beacon-style.

First off, long-time readers (and people who know how to use the search box), will recall that we’ve done special Christmas posts before.  The content therein is still as timely as ever:

Seriously, if you’ve never checked those out, you really should.

Most of those sources are still good, but I have a few additional ones that I’d like to highlight:

  • If you need to speak to someone who’s been confused by Andrew Lincoln’s book against the virgin birth of Christ, then you’ll find this to be quite handy in particular, and this to be quite handy in general.
  • Each year, Triablogue highlights a number of Christmas-related resources.  This year is no exception.
  • And if you have a lot of time on your hands, they also have an entire tag dedicated to the subject of “Christmas.”

That’ll do for now. Have a merry Christmas, and we’ll see you in 2014!

Pro Rege

I Will Accept You With Your Sweet Savour

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Ezekiel 20:41

The merits of our great Redeemer are as sweet savour to the Most High. Whether we speak of the active or passive righteousness of Christ, there is an equal fragrance. There was a sweet savour in His active life by which He honoured the law of God, and made every precept to glitter like a precious jewel in the pure setting of His own person. Such, too, was His passive obedience, when He endured with unmurmuring submission, hunger and thirst, cold and nakedness, and at length sweat great drops of blood in Gethsemane, gave His back to the smiters, and His cheeks to them that plucked out the hair, and was fastened to the cruel wood, that He might suffer the wrath of God in our behalf. These two things are sweet before the Most High; and for the sake of His doing and His dying, His substitutionary sufferings and His vicarious obedience, the Lord our God accepts us.

What a preciousness must there be in Him to overcome our want of preciousness! What a sweet savour to put away our ill savour! What a cleansing power in His blood to take away sin such as ours! and what glory in His righteousness to make such unacceptable creatures to be accepted in the Beloved!

Mark, believer, how sure and unchanging must be our acceptance, since it is in Him! Take care that you never doubt your acceptance in Jesus. You cannot be accepted without Christ; but, when you have received His merit, you cannot be unaccepted. Notwithstanding all your doubts, and fears, and sins, Jehovah’s gracious eye never looks upon you in anger; though He sees sin in you, in yourself, yet when He looks at you through Christ, He sees no sin. You are always accepted in Christ, are always blessed and dear to the Father’s heart. Therefore lift up a song, and as you see the smoking incense of the merit of the Saviour coming up, this evening, before the sapphire throne, let the incense of your praise go up also.

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Christian vs. Worldly Love

“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:32-36)

by Jin Lee

It has been my experience that when people are good to me, it is so easy to treat them well and be good friends. I don’t mind going out of my way to help since I know that they will respond with appreciation and thankfulness. I really enjoy treating a friend to a meal or a nice gift because first we are called to serve but also selfishly, I enjoy receiving their thanks and seeing them happy. The people I have a difficult time with are those who expect things from me and those who just don’t show appreciation or thankfulness the way I expect or desire. God has been teaching me a lot lately in terms of giving and helping with no expectation of anything in return. He’s been showing me how even the giving or helping I do is tainted with my selfishness and once again proves that my “good deeds” are like filthy rags to God. I really love the above passage. In Luke 6:32 – 36, Jesus is teaching his disciples what it really means to love. If I love those who love me back, how is this different from the world? It really isn’t. Even the world loves those who love them. In the same way, if we do good to those who in return do good to us, how is this different from the world? The answer is there is no difference. True love comes when we are able to love those who hate us or do good to those who revile us. This is the love that Christ is talking about. The same way Christ loved me when I hated Him. The same way He was generous to me with His grace while I had no regard for Him. This is the love that Christ expects from me. I can try to do this on my own but eventually I will fail because this type of love is not sustainable on my own. However, this love can only come and be sustained when we plug into the power of God and ask Him to help.

It’s amazing how God continues to reveal to me just the darkness of my heart in the midst of my “good deeds.” It’s a true blessing to know that even with my darkened heart, God continues to love me. Let not my love be like the world’s. Let my love be like Christ’s.