Author Archives: Stephen Rodgers

Ye Shall Be Scattered, Every Man To His Own, And Shall Leave Me Alone

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From John 16:32

Few had fellowship with the sorrows of Gethsemane. The majority of the disciples were not sufficiently advanced in grace to be admitted to behold the mysteries of ‘the agony.’ Occupied with the passover feast at their own houses, they represent the many who live upon the letter, but are mere babes as to the spirit of the gospel. To twelve, nay, to eleven only was the privilege given to enter Gethsemane and see ‘this great sight.’ Out of the eleven, eight were left at a distance; they had fellowship, but not of that intimate sort to which men greatly beloved are admitted. Only three highly favoured ones could approach the veil of our Lord’s mysterious sorrow: within that veil even these must not intrude; a stone’s-cast distance must be left between. He must tread the wine-press alone, and of the people there must be none with Him.

Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, represent the few eminent, experienced saints, who may be written down as ‘Fathers;’ these having done business on great waters, can in some degree measure the huge Atlantic waves of their Redeemer’s passion. To some selected spirits it is given, for the good of others, and to strengthen them for future, special, and tremendous conflict, to enter the inner circle and hear the pleadings of the suffering High Priest; they have fellowship with Him in his sufferings, and are made conformable unto His death.

Yet even these cannot penetrate the secret places of the Saviour’s woe. ‘Thine unknown sufferings’ is the remarkable expression of the Greek liturgy: there was an inner chamber in our Master’s grief, shut out from human knowledge and fellowship. There Jesus is ‘left alone.’ Here Jesus was more than ever an ‘Unspeakable gift!’ Is not Watts right when he sings-

‘And all the unknown joys he gives,
Were bought with agonies unknown.’

3.21a

Weekly Links (9/6/2013)

“As the power elite is increasingly imposes godlessness on the general cultures, churches are more important than ever. Churches are God’s sleeper cells. Although some megachurches are prominent, most churches are pretty inconspicuous. The impact they have on the neighborhood usually eludes the apparatus of the surveillance state–leaving a moral, spiritual, and intellectual footprint rather than a digital footprint.

By the same token, Christians are God’s sleeper agents, like spies behind enemy lines. God has them embedded throughout the culture, in the public and private sector. Once, when I was at the hospital, by the bedside of an ailing relative, I got into a conversation with a nurse’s aid, who was a Christian. Not a glamorous job. But the kind of job you’d expect a Christian with a heart for service to take.

The power elite can try to stamp out the overtly public symbols of Christianity, but like a tree with a deep root system, what’s most influential about Christianity lies underground rather than above ground.” (Steve Hays, “Why Churches Matter More Than Ever”)

by Stephen Rodgers

As is our custom, it’s the first Friday of the month, so you get a post from me with links to a veritable pile of free resources so you can start your weekend right.

  • There’s a new edition of Tabletalk out for the month of September on the subject of “The 13th Century.”
  • Ligonier’s free ebook of the month is Anthony Carter’s Blood Work. You can get it in just about every format imaginable, so there’s no reason to let this great book slip past you.
  • Pairing up nicely with that, is another free offering from Ligonier: RC Sprouls series on “The Atonement of Jesus.” Ligonier has seriously given us a lot to be thankful for this month!
  • Themelios 38.2 is out, with a few articles of note and more book reviews than you can shake a stick at. I’m particularly looking forward to Ovey and Orr’s specific articles, but let me know if you think any of the others are diamonds in the rough as well.
  • The free audio book of the month from Christianaudio.com is David Wilkerson’s The Cross and the Switchblade.
  • And last but not least, Logos has not one by two free resources available right now! The first is an ESV audio Bible; the second is George Muller’s Jehovah Magnified.

That should be enough to keep you busy all weekend.  Enjoy!

Pro Rege

 

 

 

Themelios 38.2

http://christianaudio.com/the-cross-and-the-switchblade-david-wilkerson-and-john-elizabeth-sherrill-audiobook-download

https://www.logos.com/product/34146/esv-hear-the-word-audio-bible

https://www.logos.com/product/15056/jehovah-magnified-addresses

Loving Diligently

by Larry Wu

As LBC members, we are required to follow the MVP statement. Our passion statement is Matthew 22:37-40, which says, “And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’” The word “neighbor” in Greek means any other man irrespective of nation or religion with whom we live or whom we chance to meet. What does it mean to love your neighbor? We as Christian should be known by love, but what does this mean?

During the summer, we had the blessing as singles to spend time with collegians and youths. We also had the special privilege to listen to sermons from our singles staffers. The sermon by Kevin Tse “Loving Diligently” helped us understand what our passion statement really means. “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord” (Romans 9:9-11). There were three points to Kevin’s sermon: 1) You must love genuinely; 2) You must love familial-ly; 3) You must love diligently.

To love genuinely is to love sincerely without hypocrisy. This means that you are not loving someone because of favoritism or expecting what they can do for you. This love means that we must self-sacrifice and put their interest above ourselves. To love familial-ly is to love between believers. This is where believers have a special relationship with each other by showing humility and grace. To love diligently is to love people you don’t socialize with. To socialize with the one that is difficult to love, one that doesn’t fit a friend mold or even totally the opposite of who you are. This love is the love Jesus showed the world, and we should strive to imitate this love to the outside world.

As we have opportunities to know other affinity groups, we should be asking ourselves: Do I only socialize with my own affinity group? Am I trying to know other affinity groups? As I deeply reflect in my soul and on the message, I am pushing myself to give that extra love to someone else that I don’t know right now or other affinity groups. As we meet difficult people to love, it is during these trials that we can find our love for God shining in the ways to love them. You will be surprised by the love you can provide and the spiritual growth you gain.

Husbands, Love Your Wives…

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Ephesians 5:25

What a golden example Christ gives to His disciples! Few masters could venture to say, ‘If you would practise my teaching, imitate my life;’ but as the life of Jesus is the exact transcript of perfect virtue, He can point to Himself as the paragon of holiness, as well as the teacher of it. The Christian should take nothing short of Christ for his model. Under no circumstances ought we to be content unless we reflect the grace which was in Him. As a husband, the Christian is to look upon the portrait of Christ Jesus, and he is to paint according to that copy. The true Christian is to be such a husband as Christ was to His church. The love of a husband is special. The Lord Jesus cherishes for the church a peculiar affection, which is set upon her above the rest of mankind: ‘I pray for them, I pray not for the world.’ The elect church is the favourite of heaven, the treasure of Christ, the crown of His head, the bracelet of His arm, the breastplate of His heart, the very centre and core of His love.

  • A husband should love his wife with a constant love, for thus Jesus loves His church. He does not vary in His affection. He may change in His display of affection, but the affection itself is still the same.
  • A husband should love his wife with an enduring love, for nothing ‘shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’
  • A true husband loves his wife with a hearty love, fervent and intense. It is not mere lip-service.
  • Ah! beloved, what more could Christ have done in proof of His love than He has done? Jesus has a delighted love towards His spouse: He prizes her affection, and delights in her with sweet complacence.

Believer, you wonder at Jesus’ love; you admire it-are you imitating it? In your domestic relationships is the rule and measure of your love-‘even as Christ loved the church’?

3.20p

LBC Weekly SPARK – August 28, 2013

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC family and friends!

I hope you are having a great week so far! This Sunday we’ll be taking a look at the most famous passage in the entire Bible! Take some time this week to read through and meditate upon Psalm 23. It is a wonderful Psalm about the loving care of God. What does it mean that the Lord is Shepherd? Why is David comforted even in times of deep distress? It should be a good study with much to learn about our awesome God.

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are the announcements for this week:

  1. Singles/Youth Bible Study. The singles and youth ministries will be meeting again tonight at 6:30 PM at the church building. Dinner will be served until 7:15 PM. Please bring some cash to throw in the jar.
  2. College Bible Study. College Life kicks off a new year with its first Bible study this Friday at 7:00 PM at the church building.
  3. Communion. Don’t forget that this Sunday we’ll be taking communion. Please come with hearts prepared.
  4. FLOCKS! Flocks signups are being taken each Sunday in the foyer. Be sure to join a regional flock this weekend! Flocks begin September 18-21.
  5. FITS. The last Fun in the Sun day of the summer will be on Sunday, September 29, from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Come out for good fun, good food, and good fellowship!

Please don’t forget to pray for one another! Here are some prayer needs that you can lift up this week:

  • Please pray for Jeff and Shelby as they get married this weekend!
  • Please pray for Meinolf and Martina Mellwig and their family. Martina recently underwent surgery to remove a malignant tumor. The doctors ended up removing her kidney as well. She is recovering and the doctors are hopeful for a full recovery, but the family can still use prayer.
  • Please pray for the church in Tucuman, Argentina as they plan a major retreat this December for its young adults. This is the first trip of its kind that the church has planned and should provide a huge opportunity to ministry to the young adults of the church.
  • Please pray for our expecting parents.
  • Please pray for our seminarians as school has begun and they are once again commuting to and from The Master’s Seminary each week.
  • Please pray for LBC San Jose as they continue to think through the process of finding a new pastor.
  • Please pray for all the LBC church plants that the Lord would guide them and provide for them. Praise God for the work we are able to participate in to preach the gospel!
  • Please pray for the leaders of the church that God would protect, sustain, and grow them by His grace.
  • Pray that we would be a church that continues faithfully to proclaim God’s truth in love and that we would grow together in the unity of the faith.

Signs of Spiritual Maturity #13: What’s Inside Matters

by Elder Peter Lim

“A carnal unregenerate mind is not at all worried if it never has time for spiritual thoughts. But a truly spiritually minded soul will mourn when it misses an opportunity for spiritual meditation and is determined to be more watchful in the future.” (John Owen, “Spiritual-mindedness”)

In today’s society, our secular western world is built on the notion that our actions matter more than our hearts and motivations. It teaches us that we are innocent until proven guilty no matter what thoughts are going through our minds. This is understandable in our society because there is no way for anyone to know with absolute certainty what is going on in the minds and hearts of people. Even if that kind of technology was available, our society is built on man-made principles and definitions of right and wrong. Throughout the history of the world, Christianity/Judaism has influenced the world, but today it is not universally accepted as truth, even in matters of morals and ethics. Of course I am not advocating changing our laws here in the U.S. so that we are guilty until we prove ourselves to be innocent. However, what I am saying is that some people project our “innocent until proven guilty” mentality over to the spiritual realm and falsely judge one another by only what we do instead of who we are.

I’m not suggesting that obedient actions are worthless. On the contrary, 1 Samuel 15:22 tells us that obedience to God is better than any sort of religious ritual that lacks heart. However, the heart matters. A man who lusts after a woman is guilty of committing adultery (Matt. 5:28). Matt 15 tells us that the heart is the source of our evil. Christians understand that God is not pleased ONLY with our obedient actions but especially with our hearts. They will understand that the ends do not justify the means but that God is to be honored and glorified at every step, with every breath of our being. There are no areas of life that are exempt from this. A mature Christian will go beyond mere understanding of this truth but will mourn when he sins in his heart or fails to take advantage of every opportunity to honor Him, although he hasn’t actually taken any sinful actions. It’s this heart that loves God and wishes to glorify Him that is the hallmark of a mature Christian. It’s not about crossing over some imaginary line into sin. It’s about hating sin and staying away from it as far as possible. Moreover, it’s about seeking after Him during our free times and meditating on Him. May we all seek to pursue this intimate relationship with God and be satisfied in Him despite any difficult circumstances we may encounter in life.

Hopefully these words sparked some thoughts that causes you to want to think Godly thoughts right now. I leave you with some additional words from the theologian John Owen:

“How can any man set his heart on the things of this world who has taken Christ as his example and pattern of life? How can anyone who claims to live by the power of the cross of Christ set his heart on this world and things of this world?” (John Owen, “Spiritual-mindedness”)

LBC Weekly SPARK – August 24, 2013

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC friends and family!

It’s already been a busy week with our members meeting on Sunday, final combined Wednesday night Bible study, final Friday night College Life Hangout, but there are still some great upcoming opportunities to spend time with the church family and be a blessing. Let’s remember that our goal should be to build each other up in the Lord. Sometimes it’s easy to be self-oriented when it comes to the decisions we make. When we come together as a church, we need to think about how we can best love, serve, encourage, and edify those in the body of Christ. Let’s never grow weary of investing in one another and stirring each other to love and good deeds!

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are the announcements for this week:

  1. Midweek Bible Study. The singles and youth will continue to meet on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM, but the college ministry will be going back to their usual time on Fridays at 7:00 PM at the church. For more information about how you can get involved in these ministries, please contact their coordinators: College (Hansol An, hansolan@gmail.com), Singles (Johnny Kim, jkim5555@gmail.com), and Youth (Josh Liu, liu.joshuac@gmail.com).
  2. Men’s Breakfast. We have men’s breakfast on Saturday, August 24, at 7:30 AM. All men are welcome to attend as we address the topic of being a leader in the home. Please bring a breakfast item to share!
  3. FITS. Our next Fun in the Sun Day will be on Sunday, August 25, from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM at Torrey Hills Neighborhood Park. Come on out for a great time together with the church family in the San Diego sun! Please bring $5 for food (children 0-12 eat free!). If it rains, we’ll still hangout, but we’ll do so at the church building.
  4. Prayer. Please pray for Jeff and Shelby as they get set to join as husband and wife next week!
  5. Odds and Ends. If you lost a small ring in the LBC sanctuary within the last couple weeks, please notify Pastor Patrick to reclaim it. Lost and found items have been placed on the tables by the front door of the sanctuary. Be sure to claim your lost items by this Saturday morning or they will be donated or discarded.

My Beloved

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Song of Solomon 2:8

This was a golden name which the ancient Church in her most joyous moments was wont to give to the Anointed of the Lord. When the time of the singing of birds was come, and the voice of the turtle was heard in her land, her love-note was sweeter than either, as she sang, ‘My beloved is mine and I am His: He feedeth among the lilies.’ Ever in her song of songs doth she call Him by that delightful name, ‘My beloved!’ Even in the long winter, when idolatry had withered the garden of the Lord, her prophets found space to lay aside the burden of the Lord for a little season, and to say, as Esaias did, ‘Now will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching His vineyard.’ Though the saints had never seen His face, though as yet He was not made flesh, nor had dwelt among us, nor had man beheld His glory, yet He was the consolation of Israel, the hope and joy of all the chosen, the ‘beloved’ of all those who were upright before the Most High. We, in the summer days of the Church, are also wont to speak of Christ as the best beloved of our soul, and to feel that He is very precious, the ‘chiefest among ten thousand, and the altogether lovely.’ So true is it that the Church loves Jesus, and claims Him as her beloved, that the apostle dares to defy the whole universe to separate her from the love of Christ, and declares that neither persecutions, distress, affliction, peril, or the sword have been able to do it; nay, he joyously boasts, ‘In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.’

O that we knew more of Thee, Thou ever precious one!
My sole possession is Thy love;
In earth beneath, or heaven above,
I have no other store;
And though with fervent suit I pray,
And importune Thee day by day,
I ask Thee nothing more.

3.20a

And She Did Eat, And Was Sufficed, And Left

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Ruth 2:14

Whenever we are privileged to eat of the bread which Jesus gives, we are, like Ruth, satisfied with the full and sweet repast. When Jesus is the host no guest goes empty from the table. Our head is satisfied with the precious truth which Christ reveals; our heart is content with Jesus, as the altogether lovely object of affection; our hope is satisfied, for whom have we in heaven but Jesus? and our desire is satiated, for what can we wish for more than ‘to know Christ and to be found in Him’? Jesus fills our conscience till it is at perfect peace; our judgment with persuasion of the certainty of His teachings; our memory with recollections of what He has done, and our imagination with the prospects of what He is yet to do.

As Ruth was ‘sufficed, and left,’ so is it with us. We have had deep draughts; we have thought that we could take in all of Christ; but when we have done our best we have had to leave a vast remainder. We have sat at the table of the Lord’s love, and said, ‘Nothing but the infinite can ever satisfy me; I am such a great sinner that I must have infinite merit to wash my sin away;’ but we have had our sin removed, and found that there was merit to spare; we have had our hunger relieved at the feast of sacred love, and found that there was a redundance of spiritual meat remaining.

There are certain sweet things in the Word of God which we have not enjoyed yet, and which we are obliged to leave for awhile; for we are like the disciples to whom Jesus said, ‘I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.’ Yes, there are graces to which we have not attained; places of fellowship nearer to Christ which we have not reached; and heights of communion which our feet have not climbed. At every banquet of love there are many baskets of fragments left. Let us magnify the liberality of our glorious Boaz.

3.19p

LBC Weekly SPARK – August 14, 2013

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC family and friends!

I hope you are doing well and walking in the Lord. I read a passage from ch. 8 of R. C. Sproul’s The Holiness of God this morning that I thought was particularly helpful:

“Luther used a wonderful Latin phrase to describe the status of the justified sinner: simul justus et peccator. Let’s look at the phrase a word at a time to discern its meaning for us. Simul is the Latin word from which our English word simultaneous is derived; it means ‘at one and the same time.’ Justus is the Latin from which our word just comes, and et is the Latin word for ‘and.’ The word peccator is probably least familiar to us. We derive the English words impeccable and peccadillo from it. It is the Latin word for ‘sinner.’ Putting the words together, we get simul Justus et peccator: ‘at the same time just and sinner.’ That is what saints are, people who are at one and the same time just, yet sinful.

“That saints are still sinners is obvious. How then can they be just? Saints are just because they have been justified. In and of themselves they are not just. They are made just in God’s sight by the righteousness of Christ. This is what justification by faith is about. When we put our personal trust for our salvation in Christ and in Him alone, then God transfers to our account all of the righteousness of Jesus. His justness becomes ours when we believe in Him. It is a legal transaction. The transfer of righteousness is like an accounting transaction where no real property is exchanged. That is, God puts Jesus’ righteousness in my account while I am still a sinner.”

May we always be thankful that God could be both just and justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus!

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are the announcements for this week!

  1. Midweek Bible Study. Everyone is invited to join us for a special summer series in God’s Word each Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM. We meet again tonight in the church sanctuary for a time of singing, teaching, and fellowship!
  2. Members Meeting. There will be a members meeting this Sunday, August 18 from 4:45-8:30 PM at the church. If you are a member of LBC, please try to be at the meeting. Your attendance is strongly encouraged. As always, dinner will be served.
  3. Men’s Breakfast. We have men’s breakfast on Saturday, August 24, at 7:30 AM. All men are welcome to attend as we address the topic of being a leader in the home. Please bring a breakfast item to share!
  4. FITS. Our next Fun in the Sun Day will be on Sunday, August 25, from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM at Torrey Hills Neighborhood Park. Come on out for a great time together with the church family in the San Diego sun! Please bring $5 for food (children 0-12 eat free!).
  5. Odds and Ends. If you lost a small ring in the LBC sanctuary within the last couple weeks, please notify Pastor Patrick to reclaim it. There has been a Ergo baby carrier in the nursing moms’ room for a number of weeks. If it is yours, please be sure to pick it up. Lost and found items have been placed on the tables by the front door of the sanctuary. Be sure to claim your lost items by this weekend or they will be donated or discarded.