Category Archives: Affinity Groups

College Life Class of 2021

by Elder Peter Lim

Hello church family!

Every year, we have the joy of highlighting our CL graduates. We’re so thankful and encouraged to have seen God working in their lives these past few years, and we trust that God will continue to be glorified through their lives. Please pray for them as they move forward with their future plans.

Angie Tang

  • What are your short/long term plans? Teaching Aide at Cambridge starting Fall 2021. Planning on pursuing a teaching credential eventually!
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? I am thankful for the gospel and the word of God being faithfully preached every Friday. Also thankful for the staff/upperclassmen who constantly pointed me to Christ and encouraged me to consult God’s word for wisdom in all circumstances of life. These individuals lived their lives in such a way that Christ’s sacrificial love was demonstrated through their serving and care for the church body. So thankful for them, and also thankful for Peter and Patrick’s shepherding of us over the past years! (Not to mention all the fruitful weekly discussion groups, retreats, small group, EV opportunities, and fun fellowship activities :))

Ashley Yee

  • What are your short/long term plans? I plan to find a job as an elementary school teacher here in San Diego, and plan to stay in SD for the foreseeable future!
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? I am thankful for a community of believers and church body who continually uplift and focus upon bringing glory our Lord Jesus Christ. Over my years in CL, there have been countless individuals caring and encouraging me to focus my eyes to the Lord rather than self; in which, I am very grateful for such accountability and Christ-like love.

Bennett Wells

  • What are your short/long term plans? My plan is to stay in San Diego for at least the next year
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? I am so thankful for the staff for leading us in group discussions and small groups, for the leadership of the church
    for shepherding us well, and for my fellow collegians for the encouragement, service, and fellowship we have enjoyed as the body of Christ.

Brandon Tsui

  • What are your short/long term plans? Staying in San Diego! Working around the area
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? Thankful for the wonderful staff who were always quick to encourage me and point me to Christ, especially in the midst of hardship. I’m so grateful to have built so many relationships and will be sad to see the one leaving SD go.

Caitlin Odulio

  • What are your short/long term plans? I will be continuing my education at UCSD!
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? I am thankful for the Lighthouse church body that has so selflessly served me and showed me God’s love. I am thankful for all the people who have helped guide me and point me to Christ. Thank you!

Clara Kang

  • What are your short/long term plans? To stay in SD and in CL next year, while working part-time & preparing to apply for Occupational Therapy school. I’m planning on pursuing OT back at home in Orange County after my gap year but still making visits to SD of course.
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? I’m so thankful for the church and the people that have encouraged me, challenged me, and pointed me to Christ during my experiences and struggles. In the beginning, I really questioned how being at Lighthouse was in His good plan because I couldn’t see it as good in my self-seeking heart, but now I’m overwhelmed with gratefulness with how I feel like I am constantly being challenged in my faith to cling to Christ always & how I truly feel provoked towards good deeds by my brothers and sisters. I’m thankful for poured Christ’s love into me. Overall, God drew me closer to Him through the CL ministry, so I couldn’t be more thankful.

David Huang

  • What are your short/long term plans? Moving back to Sac, finishing classes in the summer, job searching
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? The church family, the preaching, the different ministries, there are too many things to be thankful for throughout the past 4 years

Derek Shibata

  • What are your short/long term plans? Getting married to Shelby!!!
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? I’ve been thankful for the CL staff and Lighthouse leadership for constantly pouring out into us and investing so much time in us. I’ve been thankful for the opportunity to use my college years to truly glorify God and grow in my love for Him.

Ezra Lee

  • What are your short/long term plans? I plan on going back to UCSD for a year to finish my master’s degree in structural engineering. In the summer and after master’s I plan on working for the company I’ve been interning at these past summers (Power Engineering). I’ll be down in San Diego and joining Salt & Light!
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? I’m thankful for the deep, Christ-centered friendships I made in CL. As I look back on my memories I praise God for how intentional my friends were with me in the conversations I had. I’m thankful for friends who would always point me back to Christ no matter the circumstances I was in. It was so evident that people really cared for me and my spiritual well-being above all else. I’m also thankful for how seriously people took God’s Word because it challenged me to also take it seriously. I’m thankful for all of the small group leaders I had who were so patient and kind as I grew. I’m thankful for Vallarta’s being open 24/7 so we could go there after Friday bible studies. And I’m thankful for so much more but I don’t think I can fit it all in this textbook.

Hannah Wangsa

  • What are your short/long term plans? I plan to stay in San Diego and in College Life for another year as I complete some prerequisite courses and apply for occupational therapy graduate programs. So even though I’m done with school at UCSD, I’m doing more school in order to try to go to even more school, Lord-willing. :)))
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? Even though I’m not leaving CL yet, I am so, so thankful for the people and teaching that God has used to grow me in Christlikeness. I chose UCSD on a whim since out of state tuition for another school I was considering was too much, but God was truly directing my steps and worked together so much good through LBC. I am grateful for the many friendships I have been able to form, my small groups, my class, the dedicated staff, EVERYONE! I have been encouraged, exhorted, challenged, & served in countless ways throughout the past three years. CL is truly so, so special. All glory to God!!

Jonathan Oen

  • What are your short/long term plans? Currently, going to continue at UCSD in getting M.S. in Electrical Engineering and then hopefully get a job afterwards.
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? I’m thankful for the church as a whole. In particular I’m thankful for the faithful teaching week after week, the people who welcomed me, and personally the growth that came with it all in learning more about my sins and shortcomings and about how great our God is.

Jose Caballero Medrano

  • What are your short/long term plans? I will be staying in San Diego for an additional year to work and build up a resume that I can apply to grad school with.
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? I am thankful for the love that everyone has shown to me and each other. Not growing up in a Christian household I was unsure of what relationships founded in Christ looked like, but so many of you poured into my life and genuinely cared about me and my walk. To continue I am also super grateful for the role that small groups had in my life. To have such intentional and close relationships with my brothers is an experience that I will keep with me forever. I learned so much through these relationships such as how to pray, how to read my bible, how to have a desperation for God and so much more.

Joseph Jeong

  • What are your short/long term plans? I got two more quarters of CL left, so probably stay
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? Fellowship and discipline

Joseph Li

  • What are your short/long term plans? Stay in SD and work remotely!
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? Solid and relevant biblical teaching, culture of meet-ups and discipleship, and a warm and welcoming community

Katie Chen

  • What are your short/long term plans? I will be heading back home to the Bay Area to start my full time job in July!
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? I am grateful to have been placed in a church that pushed me to grow in my faith and that God places so many brothers/sisters in Christ who point me back to the word/Christ in all situations.

Manfred Lau

  • What are your short/long term plans? Short term: try to relax 🙂 (Really short term: finish this last quarter strong) Long term: UCLA Law
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? Small groups — for reinforcing/reminding me of personal disciplines and keeping me accountable for personal, daily spiritual growth, which has been admittedly slow but without small group would be just dead. The way that older students reached out to me when I was a freshmen and demonstrated brotherly/sisterly love in Christ and made a good first impression, sermons on time and money, dating and relationships, the local church, what it means to “commit your life to Jesus,” and the extent of God’s grace when I often fail to live up to my new identity, edifying worship music — I’d never heard e.g. Sovereign Grace before and I like how the music seems to highlight the lyrics, being able to live with Lighthouse guys, encouragement I’ve had just talking with people about my problems and theirs

Maxwell Chen

  • What are your short/long term plans? I am pursuing a graduate degree in neuroscience in the UK
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? Friends I made and lessons I learnt

Noah Meeks

  • What are your short/long term plans? I will be pursuing my Masters in Speech Language and Hearing Sciences at Cal State San Marcos.
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? I’m thankful for so many things, but one thing would be small groups. I’m so grateful for all my past small group leaders and members who have imparted their wisdom to me, kept me accountable, and encouraged me. Really appreciate the LBC College Life community.

Pin Daorueng

  • What are your short/long term plans? My short term plan is to move to Chico after I get married! I’d be taking one semester of additional classes to fulfill an application requirement for my certificate program. Then, I’d be participating in a one-year certificate program for Clinical Lab Science! As for long term, Joseph and I plan to pursue missions in
    Thailand! In the meantime, we’re depending on God through the church and our Christian org to equip us in making disciples.
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? I am so thankful for my salvation because of the Word that was preached so faithfully at LBC. I’m grateful for the lovely families and friends who shared their lives with me and was a testimony of God’s power and grace. I can’t tell you how much I appreciated the training I’ve received in EV and discipleship; the people before me have really been intentional to instill that in me through fellowships, Bible studies, ministry events, and more. Patrick’s sermons are always so full, which really set the bar high for me when it comes to studying God. And, I can never get over how easy it is to do life with LBC friends so instantaneously…this is true living!

Rachel Seo

  • What are your short/long term plans? After Shelby’s wedding, I’ll be moving to Los Angeles for a full-time job! 🙂
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? I am so thankful for the leadership and staff within college life. They made me feel welcomed when I first arrived and I have been so encouraged by the care and attention they put into small groups and discussions on Friday nights. I am especially thankful for all of my small groups, for the accountability and opportunity to grow alongside other sisters.

Sarah Lau

  • What are your short/long term plans? Stay in SD!
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? I’m so thankful for the faithful staff and leaders who pour into us! I’m thankful for Josh, Patrick, and Roger who taught us these past four years and their faithfulness to the Word! I’m so thankful for this ministry and that God put me here these past 4 years!! I’m also thankful that I’ve been able to meet so many sisters and brothers who have committed their lives to Christ and continue to grow each day, it’s so encouraging to see people grow!!

Shelby Proulx

  • What are your short/long term plans? I am getting married at the end of June and will be staying in San Diego! I am currently looking for a full-time job related to math or statistics and hope to begin working after graduation and the wedding.
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? I am so thankful for the leadership and staff within college life. They made me feel welcomed when I first arrived and I have been so encouraged by the care and attention they put into small groups and discussions on Friday nights. I am especially thankful for all of my small groups, for the accountability and opportunity to grow alongside other sisters.

Tracy Zeng

  • What are your short/long term plans? Short-term – I’m working for non-profits in San Diego. I’m working with San Diego Youth Services, an organization that supports youth in crisis, whether it’s foster, runaway, or homeless youth. Long-term – I’m hoping to get involved in diaspora Bible translation projects here in San Diego while getting my Masters in Biblical Studies. Long long term I’m hoping to be involved in church planting and Bible translation overseas.
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? I’m grateful for the people I’ve gotten to love and the people who have loved me. I love seeing collegians grow in Christ, and specifically in love for evangelism. I’m grateful that I can feel known here, even in this brief time.

Vivian Song

  • What are your short/long term plans? SG- pass the NCLEX, become a RN, and work at a hospital! LG- go on a medical mission trip!
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? So so sooo thankful for God’s omniscience. I didn’t even want to transfer to SDSU because I wanted to stay at my home church. But God showed me that there were many areas that I needed to grow and learn that I couldn’t have if I just stayed where I was! It was truly a privilege serving CL <3

Yoshi Unno

  • What are your short/long term plans? San Diego for another year
  • Looking back at your CL experience, what are you thankful for? Fellowship with brothers and sisters as well as enrichment in the knowledge.

 

College Life Class of 2020

by Elder Peter Lim

Dear Lighthouse family,

Here are the graduates from College Life this year! These seniors have had to deal with the unusual pandemic situation so we were sorry for them to graduate without having a proper time to say goodbye to everyone. But God is sovereign and He will be glorified no matter what! Please pray for them as they move forward in life.

Alex Yu

  • What are your short / long term plans? I’m pursuing a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering.
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? My salvation.

Allison Furmidge

  • What are your short / long term plans? Stay in San Diego hopefully! I hope to find a job somewhere in California (SD, LA or Bay Area) and I don’t really have any long term plans, maybe get my Master’s at some point but I’m just waiting for any opportunities God has for me now.
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? So much spiritual growth. Realizing the depth of my sinful depravity, defending my faith, and seeing the grace of God through all my experiences in college. And my friends! I already miss them so much.

Alyssa Tepe

  • What are your short / long term plans? I am hoping to either move back home (LA area) or move up to the bay area to live with my older brother. In either location I am hoping to get integrated into a church and find an engineering job. But, anything could change, and I am hoping to go where God leads me.
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? I am super thankful for all the messages. Josh and Patrick were faithful to bring us God’s word each week. Thank you for that. My favorite series was Patrick’s “If I could give advice to College Patrick.” Those were convicting. I’m also thankful for all the people in college life, how we were able to walk alongside one another and encourage each other. I was encouraged to see the different ways that people would serve one another. It demonstrated their love for Christ and for each other.

Ashley Yee

  • What are your short / long term plans? I will be attending grad school at SDSU in the fall (hopefully)!
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? I’m thankful for such a caring community of collegians (& the church body) over the years, as this was something I didn’t have the chance to have growing up at my home church.

Audrey Louie

  • What are your short / long term plans? I will be staying in San Diego for the time being. I recently started a temp position as a research associate at a biotech company called Cellibre which is just down the street from church.
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? I’m thankful for all the CL staffers who committed their time and energy to build a relationship with us, to shepherd us with the truth, and to hold us accountable for our spiritual disciplines. I’m also thankful that God has blessed me with friends who love the Lord and point me to Christ.

Barry Lawlor

  • What are your short/long term plans? I’ll be moving up to Pasadena to pursue a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Caltech! That will be a 4-6 year program, so I don’t know what might come after that. Most likely I’ll go into industry afterwards, and seek to stay in CA. I’d love to return to SD at that point, but I certainly can’t be sure of where God will take me!
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? I’m thankful for so many things in my time in CL! To name a few: the many people who invested time and care in me, whether in formal discipleship, friendship, or living together; the chance to be involved in the church body as a whole (not just CL)–learning to love sacrificially, becoming a member, serving, and taking part in the joy of unity in the body of Christ; and honestly just the fun times together, whether at Retreat, Luau, Mission bowl, MNV, etc. or more informal things like $3 pizookie runs, trips to Tacos el Gordo or Irvine, apartment hangouts, all-day study sessions, etc. Ultimately the sweet and lasting relationships built in all of these things, and the ways that God has used those to deepen my walk with Him and love for others are what I’m most thankful for.

Beth Kushner

  • What are your short / long term plans? I’m taking a gap year at home in LA to work and to apply for graduate school for a teaching credential/masters program. Once I complete graduate school, I would like to be a high school history teacher.
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? I’m so thankful for the faithful friends I’ve made in College Life. I am constantly amazed by the amount of people who have invested in me by speaking truth to me and loving me throughout the past four years. It was truly a blessing to be a part of this steadfast ministry.

Camila Franco

  • What are your short / long term plans? I will be staying in San Diego at my current internship, but I am also looking for a full-time job at a pharmaceutical company doing research or quality control. In the long term I would like to go to graduate school and obtain a master’s in chemistry.
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? Looking back, I am most thankful for the opportunities that the Lord has given me, which he has used to grow me. It has been his providence and sovereignty that has shine in all the things that I have gone through in college. I am thankful for coming to San Diego and experiencing the best weather and the best food. I am thankful l to have met amazing people that have shown me what it means to live like Christ. I am thankful for faithful leaders that love to invest in collegians and strive to make disciples. College Life has truly been such a blessing and one that has impacted me for the rest of my life.

Coleton Wilson

  • What are your short / long term plans? Finding a job here in San Diego and start the process of applying to graduate school.
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? I am grateful for the community, encouragement, and guidance of Lighthouse and the CL ministry. I found lighthouse during a time where I was discouraged in my walk, unsure about my faith, and wasn’t even sure I wanted to be a part of a church when I moved to San Diego. By God’s grace, I came to Lighthouse which immediately became a source of support and guidance. The teachings were as convicting as they were encouraging, the leadership was dedicated and loving, and the students and congregation were living examples of the joy of salvation in the gospel. My time in CL has helped grow my faith and strengthen my walk like never before. I will always be thankful for the teaching, relationships, and commitment to a high standard of christian living that CL and lighthouse has provided.

Courtney Chung

  • What are your short / long term plans? I’ll be staying in SD to continue working at the UCSD Cognitive Science Department doing HR / Student Affairs.
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? I’m thankful for all the friendships and fun memories that I’ve made throughout the past 4 years. I’m so grateful to have friends who love, encourage, and point me towards Christ-likeness. In light of this pandemic, I’ve realized how lucky I am to have these friendships and a church family to miss. I’m also incredibly thankful for the leaders and staff of CL who have a genuine care and desire to shepherd our hearts. The time and dedication spent to prepare various activities, messages, and follow up with us even outside of CL is appreciated so much!

Dorothea Cheung

  • What are your short / long term plans? Due to COVID, my work start date with Deloitte was delayed from August 2020 to January 2021! With these unexpected changes to work scheduling, I’ve decided to pursue a CPA license and will be taking classes to sit for the exam in, hopefully, fall of this year! Outside of studying, I plan on treasuring time with my family & friends, and building a new church community at Pillar Baptist Church up in the Bay Area!
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? Looking back at least last 4 years, I’m thankful for the faithful preaching of God’s word and how LBC members are quick to apply truth to their everyday lives! Everyone says that Lighthouse is a very special place, and I couldn’t agree more! This church body has blessed me immensely–encouraged me through joys and hardship, cared for me sacrificially, and challenged me to grow in a deeper love for God. I made some of my closest friends at Lighthouse, and I am so thankful for those who have loved me creatively, allowed me to be vulnerable in sharing my sins, and challenged my thinking! These acts of care can only be attributed to God’s amazing work in your guys’ lives! Thank you to all of our church leadership, CL staff, and members, for being committed to loving God and His people!

Emma Cary

  • What are your short / long term plans? Planning to take the MCAT and apply to medical school!
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? I’m thankful for so many great friendships I’ve made at lighthouse and in college life!

Eunice Ko

  • What are your short / long term plans? Moving back home to Norcal to work at Facebook.
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? College Life has been such a blessing to me during my time in college. I have met so many people who have encouraged me and walked alongside me and learned from leaders that truly care for their flock and teach the word faithfully!

Evelyn Ma

  • What are your short / long term plans? Undecided.
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? I’m so thankful for the solid teaching and guidance of lighthouse’s leadership as well as the wonderful opportunities to grow with College Life, especially on servant team! Thank you Peter, Josh, and Pastor Patrick for your faithfulness in shepherding us!

Ivey Do

  • What are your short / long term plans? The plan is to move back home with my parents in the Bay Area for the time being and find a job in HR there.
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? I’m thankful for the consistent solid teaching, despite who the speaker is. At the church I grew up in, solid teaching was very dependent on who spoke. I’m also thankful for the opportunity to meet so many people who really love the Lord and are so servant-hearted. It was such a blessing to have this community throughout my four years of college.

Jane Lee

  • What are your short / long term plans? My plan is to move back home (OC area) and hopefully find a nurse residency program at a hospital nearby.
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? While attending CL I am thankful for the faithful servant team staff and church leaders who were so welcoming and willing to get to know each and every one of us.

Johanan Lee

  • What are your short / long term plans? Find a job and work for a couple years, and consider pursing a master’s degree.
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? Faithful teaching of the Bible and making sure everything preached comes directly from it. The commitment of the staff and people to invest in, challenge, and encourage me.

Josalyn Cao

  • What are your short / long term plans? I’m planning to take a gap year before applying for Physician Assistant programs!
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? Ah SO MUCH. I have so much to be thankful for here at LBCSD. It has truly been an encouragement to walk alongside people who have continuously and lovingly pointed me back to our perfect, unchanging Creator. Not only do I get to hear God’s word being preached here at LBCSD, but I also get to see it being lived out through so many people. Being able to witness others serve and love out of a heart that loves God has really been one of the sweetest things to see. I am so thankful for the church for consistently challenging me to grow in my faith, to confront the hard questions, and to truly reflect on my thoughts and actions. Spending the past 4 years here has been such a blessing, and I am thankful for it all.

 
Joycelyn Ma

  • What are your short / long term plans? Currently, I will be in San Diego throughout most of the summer and after, in the fall, I will be back home to work on graduate school applications, while also looking for part-time jobs during the time I wait to hear back from schools. In terms of where I’ll go for graduate school, while IDEALLY, I would like to at least stay in California, ultimately, wherever I get in and to even be able go to graduate school is only possible by His grace and His perfect & sovereign will.
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? Looking back at my CL experience, I am thankful for the opportunities I had to fellowship and walk alongside other believers and collegians while building relationships centered on the common ground we have in Christ.

Justin Chang

  • What are your short / long term plans? Short term: stay in the US and look for a job. Long term: go back home to Taiwan.
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? The teaching, community, and unadulterated gospel. I feel extraordinarily blessed to be able to be in CL getting to know so many loving individuals with genuine pursuits for Christ.

Madi Ro

  • What are your short / long term plans? I am going back to LA to be with my parents for the summer, and then will be off to teach English in Korea for a year!
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? I’m so thankful for the older sisters that have so faithfully poured into me and so selflessly guided me. I am also grateful for all of the friendships that I have made as well, and the opportunity to grow alongside one another.

Megan Gee

  • What are your short / long term plans? I will be moving back home to NorCal to work for a few years and plan on going tot PA school or a nursing program.
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? I think I’m most thankful for how everyone at Lighthouse was so invested and loving towards me. They were there to help keep me accountable and encourage me.

Melissa Chow

  • What are your short / long term plans? I’ll be staying in San Diego for the foreseeable future! I’ll be working at Mitchell as an Information Security Analyst and joining the S&L Ministry this upcoming year.
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? I am thankful for the staff who have shepherded me throughout the last five years of my undergrad–who have pointed me to Christ and reminded me of God’s sovereignty and grace to me! I am thankful for my peers whom I’ve had the privilege to grow alongside, who have admonished, encouraged and prayed for me when I need it!

Monica Hall

  • What are your short / long term plans? I plan to stay in San Diego and hopefully find a job down here so that I can stay here long term!
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? Even though my time here in CL was really short, I am really thankful for the friends that I have made in the past year and a couple months. Thankful that through CL, these friends are some of my closest friends and are people I can trust to point me to Christ when I need it most.

Sarah Jung

  • What are your short / long term plans? Planning to move home after spring quarter ends.
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? Thankful for the biblical teaching and the faithful ways the leadership seeks to serve the ministry.

Shelby Proulx

  • What are your short / long term plans? I will be taking classes online in the fall through Colorado State University to obtain my Masters in Applied Statistics and will hopefully graduate and start working in 2021 with the rest of my class.
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? I am thankful for the staff and leadership in CL. I felt like I didn’t belong as a USD student my freshman year, but the staff always encouraged me and made me feel like I had a place. I am very thankful for the small group leaders I have had and how they have continued to push me in my faith and relationships while humbly using their own lives as examples.

Tabitha Chua

  • What are your short / long term plans? I will be moving back to the Bay Area to stay with family as I continue searching for a job in nursing.
  • Looking back at your College Life experience, what are you thankful for? I am so thankful for faithful teaching of the Word that has caused growth in understanding and reverence of the Lord. I am thankful for the church family that holds each other accountable and loves one another!

Examining the Faith in Youth Group (Part 2)

by Andrea Vigil-Ruiz

It’s hard to believe that the school year is coming to an end, which means the Youth Group’s Sunday School is also coming to an end. The Youth Group is continuing through Nathan Busenitz’s book Reasons We Believe for Sunday School and is scheduled to finish going through the entire book when this Sunday School term ends. As mentioned in the article in January, Reasons We Believe was chosen with the hope of showing the youth that there are tangible, reasonable, and intelligent reasons in support of the Christian faith. In January, we had discussed reasons why Christians believe in God and the Bible. During this past month, we went over the fifth section of Busenitz’s book that explains the reasons why Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and the Savior of the World. This article will be about three of the ten reasons Busenitz gives for why Christians can have confidence in their belief in Christ.

Busenitz opens the section explaining the fact that for the most part, most people would acknowledge that Christ was “a moral teacher, a social visionary, and an inspiring example of selflessness” (p. 155). Even people of other religions acknowledge that Christ was an influential man. For example, Buddhists such as the Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso) regard Jesus as a being who reached a high state of enlightenment. Hindu leaders also regard Jesus as a great prophet or teacher, and even some atheists and agnostics applaud Jesus as a social reformer. The problem with these views, as Busenitz points out, is that they all fall short and do not acknowledge who Christ truly is — that He is the Messiah, the Son of God, and the Savior of the World.

One of the first reasons Busenitz gives for why Christians believe in Jesus is He perfectly met the requirements of the messianic prophecies that are in the Old Testament. The promised Messiah couldn’t be just anyone because the Old Testament had certain criteria for the Messiah: He had to be a Jew (a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10), of the family of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1) through David (Jeremiah 23:5). The Messiah also had to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Aside from these criteria, Busenitz gives even more narrowing criteria that point to the fact that Jesus is the Messiah. One of the more specific criteria is about the curse of Jeconiah (also called Jehoiachin), who was an Old Testament king and a descendant of David. Unlike David, Jeconiah was cursed by God for his wickedness and as a result, would not have an heir of his own to sit on the throne as king of Israel (Jeremiah 22:30).

So if Jeconiah, who was a part of the royal line of David, was cursed to never have physical offspring to ever rule as king of Israel, how could the promised Messiah also come from the royal line of David? The answer can be found in the virgin birth of Christ. Since Joseph was a direct descendant of Jeconiah (Matthew 1:11), he too was subject to the same curse as Jeconiah of not having physical offspring be Israel’s king. With the virgin birth of Christ, it meant that Jesus was not the physical offspring of Joseph. Since Christ was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20-25), He avoided the curse that was placed on Jeconiah’s bloodline. In addition, Mary was also related to David, but not through the royal line of Solomon (or Jeconiah). This means that as Joseph’s legal son, Jesus was able to have the rights and privileges of Joseph’s royal ancestry, as well as being a true descendant of David through Mary. Therefore, Jesus was able to meet the requirement of coming from David’s royal line despite the line having a curse placed upon it because of Jeconiah. No mere man would have been able to overcome that curse while fulfilling other prophecies, but Jesus was able to.

Another reason why Christians believe in Jesus is because the Old Testament predicted the nature of His life and death. Similar to the previous reason, Busenitz argues that messianic prophecies are actually broader than just Jesus’ ancestry and the timing of His coming. The coming of a future deliverer was first predicted in Genesis 3:14-15 and was repeatedly confirmed throughout the Old Testament (Genesis 49:10, Numbers 24:17, Isaiah 9:6-7, Zechariah 9:9, and many, many other passages). What is important to understand is that early Christians were not the only ones who understood the implication of these messianic prophecies, but Old Testament Jews also did. Busenitz then quotes from Targum Pseudo Jonathan and the Babylonian Talmud to show that ancient Jews did understand that scriptures found in Genesis, the Psalms, and Isaiah point to the coming of the Messiah. Since Busenitz also has limited space in his book, he then focuses on Isaiah 53 to explain how Christ fulfilled many prophecies during His Passion week. Some of the prophecies Jesus fulfilled were:

  1. The Messiah would be despised and rejected by men, such that men would hide their faces from Him (v. 3; cf. Luke 23:35; Mark 14:50; John 1:10-11)
  2. He would be smitten by God (v. 4; cf. Matthew 27:46)
  3. He would be wounded and tortured (v. 5; cf. John 19:34)
  4. Through is suffering, He would bear the punishment that sinners deserved (vv. 4-6, 8, 10, 12; cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18)
  5. He would justify many by bearing their guilt (v. 11; cf. Hebrews 9:28)

These are just five of the 20 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled. What is even more amazing is that this one chapter, along with the book of Isaiah, was written 700 years before the events it describes. In addition, if one were to look at the many other prophecies from the Old Testament and even see what ancient Jews believed, it is clear that only one person was able to fulfill these prophecies: Jesus Christ.

We can also have confidence in believing in Jesus Christ because of the testimony of His friends and followers. Throughout the New Testament, it can be seen that those closest to Jesus indeed understood Him to be the Messiah, Son of God, and the Savior of the world. They knew He was God in human flesh and was their only hope for salvation. In Matthew 16:15-16, Jesus asks Peter, “Who do you say I am?,” and Peter correctly responds, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Later, Peter would go on to write of “our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1), who “was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God” (1 Peter 1:20-21). Along with Peter, other individuals such as John, Matthew, Philip, and Mary Magdalene all provide evidence of their understanding of who exactly Jesus was. The rest of the New Testament affirms these understandings of who Christ was through the written testimony of individuals such as Paul, James and Jude (who were Jesus’ half-brothers), and the author of Hebrews.

One illustration that was given during our Sunday school really helped the youth understand how having the testimony of close friends and followers affirms who Christ is. The youth were asked, “What if you want to get to know someone without speaking to that person directly? Who or where would you go to to find out more information about him/her?” The youth actually all responded that they would go to the person’s family members and close friends, which is the same idea when it comes to relying on the testimonies of Jesus’ close friends and followers. Moreover, these close friends and followers also endured great consequences for their belief and following Christ. Busenitz quotes John MacArthur to show just what kind of consequences Jesus’ close friends had to face:

A brief survey of ancient Christian tradition reveals that Peter, Andrew, Philip, and James the son of Alphaeus were all crucified; Bartholomew was whipped to death and then crucified; James the son of Zebedee was beheaded, as was Paul; Thomas was stabbed with spears; Mark was dragged to death through the streets of Alexandria; and James, the half brother of Jesus, was stoned by order of the Sanhedrin. Philip was also stoned to death. Others, including Matthew, Simon the Zealot, Thaddeus, Timothy, and Stephen were also killed for their unwavering commitment to the Lord. (p.180)

So the question begs, why would all of these men die for their belief in Jesus? It is because these men, as well as other of Jesus’ followers, truly believed that Jesus was all that He claimed to be: the Son of God, the Messiah, and the Savior of the world.

However, if the testimonies of close friends and followers are not enough to affirm who Jesus is, Busenitz also explains that there is even evidence for who Christ is from people who hated Him, from people outside of Israel, and even from “neutral” third-party observers. One group that hated Jesus was the Jewish leaders who tried denying certain key aspects of the Christian story by inventing alternative explanations. For example, in an attempt to deny the empty tomb on the third day, the Jewish leaders paid soldiers to say that the disciples stole Jesus’ body from the tomb (Matthew 27:57-66; 28:11-15). Other important Jewish documents, such as the Babylonian Talmud, have many parallels to the New Testament and Christ’s life. Busenitz notes that although the Talmud says that Jesus was hanged, he explains that since crucifixion was a part of the Roman punishment system rather than the Jewish system, only few Jewish scholars knew about crucifixion and that form of punishment was not as well-known to other Jews. This difference in word choice for how Christ was put to death still points to a common story: that Jesus died on the cross.

Josephus, a Jewish historian, who lived from about 37 A.D. until sometime after the turn of the century, wrote in a particular passage called the Testimonium about Jesus and the miracles He had performed, as well as His crucifixion and His resurrection. Then Busenitz lists other Roman sources that were written by individuals who were adversarial toward Christians, such as Cornelius Tacitus, Celsus, and Lucian of Samosata. The sources that these men wrote affirmed that Jesus claimed to be God, that He demonstrated supernatural power, and influenced many. One other writer Busenitz mentions is Thallus, a secular historian who wrote a history of the ancient eastern Mediterranean world around 52 A.D. Thallus attempted to explain away the darkness that covered the land during the late afternoon hours when Jesus died on the cross (Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44-45). With these sources that were written by those outside of Jesus’ close circle of friends and followers, the existence of Jesus and the claims that He makes about who He was is only supported even more.

By going through these three reasons and many others in Busenitz’s book, the goal is to show the youth of our church that Christianity is not a blind faith. Yes, Christianity does require faith in what is not seen (Hebrews 11:1), but there is historical evidence and tangible reasons that support the existence of Christ and therefore Christianity. Although this Sunday School class is for our youth, I actually find myself growing in more confidence in my own faith and belief in Christ. Reasons We Believe is not just for youth-aged church attendees, but for unbelievers who are seeking out answers to their questions and for believers who would like to grow more in their own understanding of their faith.

Thoughts from a Fireflies Teacher

by Hosanna Koo

I have been involved in the Fireflies ministry for the past five years and entered the teaching rotation this past summer. Over the past five years, I’ve witnessed God’s faithful hand in softening the hearts of the littlest members of our church. It doesn’t take much to see the depravity of sin in tiny humans who are solely concerned with satisfying their desires, whether it’s through the overwhelming need to have a certain toy at an exact moment with no possibility of sharing or the upset crying echoing down the hall. However, God is not impeded by sin. His grace is greater than our sin and He has overcome the world. He teaches us that He is mighty, that He is everywhere, and that He loves us.

In addition, God is not impeded by age. The fact that we have organized, structured lessons for one-year-olds can be puzzling, but we know that God can change anyone’s heart. If He can turn the vilest of sinners towards Him, then He can also save anyone regardless of age. We as a ministry are solely reliant on the Lord to bear any sort of fruit. Anytime a child demonstrates an understanding of who God is, all praise goes to the Lord of Heaven, because He is working. We do not labor in vain, but are instead comforted by the fact that God doesn’t need the words we speak, the songs we sing, or the pictures we use to communicate truth. We are encouraged by a God who works above human constraints to work wonderful miracles in the hearts of rebellious sinners.

God’s Wisdom for Parenting (Part 10)

by Pastor Patrick Cho

One of the places in Scripture to find a wealth of helpful principles for parenting is the Proverbs. Almost every book on parenting will reference these Scriptures repeatedly because of the wisdom they contain. Besides the plethora of verses that apply to parenting indirectly, several passages address parenting specifically.

A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but he who regards reproof is sensible. (Proverbs 15:5)

Returning to a familiar theme in Proverbs, the author once again warns against rejecting discipline and spurning reproof. The fool in Proverbs is always depicted as morally corrupt. His wickedness is demonstrated in his sinful acts as well as his evil speech. Consider the way a fool behaves: he delights in doing wickedness (10:23), displays anger (12:16), mocks at sin (14:9), is arrogant and careless (14:16), and quarrels with others (20:3). With his mouth, the fool has lying lips and spreads slander (10:18) and his lips bring strife (18:6). It is no wonder the Proverbs speak repeatedly of how the fool’s life will end in ruin.

The reason a fool behaves the way he does is because his heart is inclined to do evil. A man does as he thinks, and the fool acts consistently with the disposition of his heart. It stems from the revelation in Proverbs 1:7 that a fool despises understanding. He acts in a reprehensible way because he turns away from godly wisdom. Several times, the author of Proverbs communicates that parental discipline is a source of godly wisdom. One of the reasons a fool runs to ruin is because he does not listen to the counsel of his father and mother.

Sadly, this verse presents a sobering reality that your child may not ultimately do what is right even if you are diligently instructing him or her. While by God’s grace it is generally the pattern that faithful parenting will produce faithful children, there is no guarantee that a person’s children will be saved because of his parents’ efforts. A father may discipline his son and still see his son choose the way of the fool. It is imperative that as parents we pray diligently for God’s grace to save our children and to protect them from waywardness (cf. Prov. 1:32).

The last thought in this verse is that the one who “regards reproof is sensible.” I am always astounded when I meet with older men of the faith to talk about counseling cases or life circumstances that baffle me. Their ability to craftily work through the biblical principles that speak to the issue and demonstrate understanding and wisdom in knowing exactly what to do or how to think is impressive. This is the idea behind the word sensible. It can be translated “shrewd” or “prudent,” and is the exact opposite of the fool. One of the great goals of parenting is to invest in our children through our instruction and example so that they will grow in wisdom and develop the same shrewdness.

Youth Retreat: Worshiping the Lord

by Sarah Andrews

This year, the youth went to Pine Valley for our annual retreat. Over the weekend we bonded over meal and snack time, games and football, and the study of God’s word. We even saw snow on Sunday morning! I am thankful for the quality time spent with the youth and the friendships built within the ministry. I pray that God may grant them spiritual wisdom and understanding about what it means to be a Christian and the new lives we have in Him.

We were blessed by the preaching of Pastor Andy Kang from Lighthouse Bible Church Los Angeles. The topic of the retreat was worshiping God, and he began by discussing what true worship is. In Isaiah 66, God is Creator and does not need anyone or anything to bring glory to Himself. He is displeased when His people worship false gods, but he favors “those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at [His] word” (Isaiah 66:1-2). Humility is recognizing that we are sinful beings before a holy God.

In Psalm 51, David shows humility before God. He recognizes that he has broken God’s commandments, and confesses with guilt and shame. He asks that God may have mercy and cleanse him from all iniquities. God mercifully accepts “a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart” (verse 17).

Next, we discussed the reason for worship. We worship God because we recognize His worth. In Psalm 103, David praises God for his character, majesty and benefits. He is so holy that He cannot be anywhere near sin. Yet He is also full of forgiveness, love and compassion, and does not treat repentant people according to what they deserve. God knows we are mortal beings that are like dust, but “from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children” (Psalm 103:17). He who is holy and lives in heaven draws near to “the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit” (Isaiah 57:15). God is worthy of all worship and praise.

We also learned that there is a wrong way to worship God. In Matthew 15:1-20, the Pharisees criticized Jesus for breaking the Jewish tradition of washing hands before eating, and Jesus rebuked them for their hypocrisy. They pridefully performed their deeds to be seen by people, and they broke God’s greater commandments. God was displeased by their worship because they lacked humility before Him and a brokenness over their sin.

We continually fail to keep God’s commandments, but there is good news: Jesus has paid the penalty for our sins! Our deeds will never be sufficient to make us holy. Christ’s finished work on the cross is sufficient to cleanse us of sin so that God may see us as righteous. Christ removes all guilt and shame that we may have, and we are no longer condemned. When he was crucified, Jesus said “it is finished” (John 19:30) because He atones for the sins of all who believe in Him, and He reconciles sinful humans to a perfect God.

Lastly, we learned about manifestations of worship. God is pleased when we “offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” and “do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of [our minds].” When we turn away from deeds of the flesh and seek God’s “good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1-2), God allows us to be “instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work” (2 Timothy 2:21). The Holy Spirit is given to us when we are saved, and enables us to do the good works.

We are to worship God in spirit and in truth, and must rely on God’s word to know what pleases Him. Romans 12 gives examples of God’s commanded will. We are to serve members in the body of Christ; show love, preference and hospitality towards one another; and do good to our enemies, rather than repay evil for evil. It is important that we focus on worshiping God and having a humble and repentant heart, rather than seeking to impress others with external behavior.

Through their time in youth ministry, I pray that the youth will have a greater understanding of our position before God and the finished work of Christ. We must recognize that we are sinful before a perfect God, and there is nothing good we can do to make ourselves right with Him. Yet God loves us and sent Christ to pay the penalty for our sin. If we trust His finished work on the cross, we will not experience God’s wrath, and we are free of the shame and guilt that sin brings. We are free to worship God and live new lives empowered by his Holy Spirit. We have received every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-10) and are adopted into his family.

Praise God that as Christians, we are washed by His blood and able to worship Him!

Reasons We Believe

by Hansol An

Last school year (2017-2018) was one of many transitions for the Youth Ministry at Lighthouse Bible Church San Diego – I, along with several other members, joined the Youth Ministry Staff; on Friday nights, we spent the first half of the year finishing a series in Ephesians that continued from the previous academic year; after returning from winter break, we split the group during the teaching time between the high schoolers and middle schoolers; Johnny Kim started a series on the book of Romans with the high schoolers; and I started a series from Children Desiring God (now Truth:78) called The Fighter Verses. These changes occurred for several practical reasons but ultimately, they all came from a desire to find the best ways to minister to the youth and equip them with God’s Word (1 Timothy 1:5).

This year we reinstated Sunday School for the youth so that the students would have another opportunity, besides Friday nights, to learn and fellowship on a week-to-week basis. When it came time to select a topic for Sunday School, we wanted to cover a topic that would not only educate them but also provide them with very practical knowledge or wisdom. One area of direct attack and challenges to the Christian faith comes from those who contend that there are no logical reasons for being a Christian or believing in a literal interpretation of the Bible. This is the presupposition of all public-school curriculum so we decided on Reasons We Believe by Nathan Busenitz. It is a concise and easy to understand book that gives an overview of the reasonableness of the Christian faith and it was familiar to our church because College Life went over it in their small groups a few years ago.

Busenitz’s book is not a comprehensive treatise on Christian apologetics. Instead, it is a survey of the reasonable case for the reliability of the Bible and person of Jesus Christ with enough references in the bibliography for someone to delve deeper, if they so desired. As its subtitle states, it provides “50 lines of evidence that confirm the Christian faith broken” down into three reasons: Reasons We Believe in God, Reasons We Believe in the Bible (two parts) and Reasons We Believe in Jesus (two parts). Since the beginning of the school year, Johnny, Cesar Vigil-Ruiz and I have been taking turns teaching through the book. Each week we cover 2 reasons.

In the section about the reasons for believing in God, some of the reasons include “Because the Existence of Our Universe Points to a Creator,” “Because the Flow of Human History Conforms to a Divine Plan,” and “Because Other Belief Systems Are Inadequate Alternatives.” In this section, Busenitz tackles the scientific and philosophical arguments against the “possibility of a personal, all-powerful deity who demanded repentance and worship from sinful human beings.” Busenitz rightly points out that without God, science and philosophy must provide an explanation as to why anything exists at all, rather than nothing. Needless to say, the academic elites have yet to provide an explanation.

He also discusses the way history has consistently supported what the Bible has revealed. He points to the tremendous success of biblical prophecy that can’t be explained away as simple luck or coincidence. “It has been calculated that the chance of only forty-eight prophecies coming true in one person is 10 to the 157th power, making it a statistical impossibility. Yet Jesus fulfilled many more than that.” In short, biblical prophecy is one evidence that history is the outworking of God’s divine purpose and not merely the culmination of chance events.

Having completed the section on the reasons Christians believe in God, we are currently in the Reasons We Believe in the Bible. It has been an encouragement to me to see our youth equipped in ways that will prepare them for what awaits them in the world. Particularly so for me as Jonas, my oldest, is now in the ministry. I pray that he and the rest of the group will someday draw upon the truths in Reasons We Believe to find confidence in the veracity of Scripture as well as to defend the faith.

Lives Spent Well for the Lord

by Timothy Yoon

This past Christmas I was gifted a copy of Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper. In its beginning chapters, he gives the reader an autobiographical narrative of his childhood, undergraduate, and seminary years. Piper stresses the influence of various Christian authors during his adulthood, but we should realize that earlier experiences in his childhood also played an important role for him spiritually. These influences came in such forms as a wall placard that displayed the words of the British missionary C.T. Studd, “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last,” as well as from his parents: his father was a traveling preacher with gripping stories of conversion, and his mother as the embodiment of a woman after God’s own heart. [1] If we step back and look at the general course of Piper’s life, we see the fulfillment of a truth that many parents are familiar with:

“Train up a child in the way he should go,
Even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

What exactly is the way in which a child should go? How can we ensure that the lives of our children are not a waste in the sight of God, but pleasing to Him? The answer in Scripture is clear: They must be brought up “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4) so that they may be men and women who love Him with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). In every child there ought to be kindled a great, fervent passion to exalt God by enjoying and displaying His excellence in all areas of life.

Why, some of you may ask, is the importance of children knowing the Lord, even from childhood onwards, stressed so highly? Charles Spurgeon gives multiple reasons in a sermon titled “The Best Burden for Young Shoulders.” He preaches on Lamentations 3:27—”It is good for a man that he should bear the yoke in his youth.” A blessing of dedicating one’s life to Christ early on is:

“There is this goodness about it yet further, that it enables one to be well established in divine things. “They that are planted in the courts of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.” A tree transplanted takes a certain time to root, but when it becomes well established it produces abundant fruit. There must be time for striking root in divine things; everything in the kingdom of grace is not to be learned in 10 minutes. I bless God that a man who has believed in Jesus only one second is a saved man; but he is not an instructed man; he is not an established man. He is not trained for battle; nor tutored for labor. These things take time. When we are converted, we go to Christ’s school; we sit at His feet and learn of Him. Now, who is the best scholar? All other things being equal, I should expect to find the best scholars in school to be those who come early. Eleven o’clock scholars do not learn much; evening scholars, with a good master and great diligence, may pick up something, but scarcely so much as those who have been at the school all day! Oh, how blessed it is to begin to know Christ very early, because then you can go on comprehending with all the saints the heights and depths of that which surpasses knowledge. No fear that you will ever exhaust this knowledge. It is so infinitely great and blessed that if we lived 7,000 years in the world, there would still be more to know of Christ, and we would still have to say, “Oh, the depths.” We need not be afraid, therefore, if we are converted when we are 10, or 15, or 20 years of age, we shall live to wear out the freshness of religion. Ah, no, we shall love it more and understand it better, and by God’s grace practice it more fully as the years roll over us! Therefore it is good to begin soon.” [2]

Fully recognizing the primary responsibility of the parents in raising their children in biblical discipline and instruction, we in the Sonlight staff seek to first and foremost assist the parents in helping the children come to know and love God from a young age. We do this mainly through teaching and setting the foundation of a right understanding of the Bible and of a Christian worldview, as was outlined by Jeff in his article “Two Objectives of Children’s Ministry.” In the Old Testament, for example, we have plenty of opportunities of showing the sinfulness of the human heart and the hope we have in the death and resurrection of Christ. In recent weeks, the children were taught the account of the bronze serpent in Numbers 21. In response to the Israelites’ complaining hearts, God punished them by sending “fiery serpents” but also provided a means of physical salvation through the bronze serpent, at which if any person looked, he or she was saved. This incident, as Christ Himself explains in John 3:14–15, is analogous to His own death. If any child would see his or her impending physical and spiritual death and look upon Christ in true repentance and faith, that child would most certainly be saved.

May we take all opportunities that the Lord puts in our way to point the children to Christ, whether it be through the beauty of a flower at the park, a severe chastisement after continued disobedience, or even the funeral of a beloved family member or friend. In 1755, Jonathan Edward wrote a letter to his ten-year-old son Jonathan Jr., whose playmate had recently died. The father wrote, “This is a loud call of God to you to prepare for death . . . Never give yourself any rest, unless you have good evidence that you are converted and become a new creature.” [3] I pray that all of us, whether parents, staff, or fellow members of the body of Christ, would emulate such love and concern for the children, caring most for the glory of God in the redemption of their souls.

[1] Piper, John. Don’t Waste Your Life. Crossway, 2003.

[2] Ministries, Eternal Life. “The Best Burden for Young Shoulders.” Spurgeon Gems – C. H. Spurgeon Sermons & Other Resources, www.spurgeongems.org/ (emphasis mine).

[3] Marsden, George M. Jonathan Edwards: A Life. Yale University Press, 2003.

Examining the Faith in Youth Group (Part 1)

by Andrea Vigil-Ruiz

For the past four years, it has been a privilege to be given the opportunity to be a part of Youth Group as a staffer. Youth Group ranges from 6th – 12th grade and usually meets on Friday nights for Bible study and Sundays for Sunday school. When working with the youth, there can be many questions about the Christian faith that can come up: Why do Christians always talk about the Bible? How do I know that God exists? How do I know if the Christian faith is true? Why should I believe in Christianity as opposed to other religions? Overall, there can be a perception that being a Christian is somewhat mystical, driven by one’s emotions and feelings and cannot really be explained with reasonable reasons. During Sunday school this year, we are going through the book Reasons We Believe by Nathan Busenitz with the hopes of showing the youth that there are actual, tangible, reasonable reasons why Christianity is true and that Christianity is not a blind faith.

Since September, Johnny, Hansol, and Cesar have been on a rotation to teach through two reasons from the book each Sunday. Cesar kicked off the start of the Sunday school term with an introduction to why it’s important to know and understand the reasons we believe in Christianity. Knowing and understanding the reasons that support and defend the Christian faith can be beneficial in two ways: first, to help one grown in his own understanding of the veracity of the faith, ultimately leading to a greater appreciation and awe of God, and second, to equip the believer with the “tools” needed to talk about why the Christian faith is the one and only way with unbelievers.

After that initial Sunday introduction to the study, we dove into the reasons why we believe in God. Due to limited space, this article will address three of the 16 reasons that were presented in Sunday school so far. One of the reasons we believe in God is because the order and design of life that we see around us points to a Creator. The Bible explains that God is the creator of the universe (Genesis 1:1-30) and the overall design of life testifies to God’s creative power (Job 38-41; Psalm 104-1-35). Modern medical and biological science also points to the complexity of life. An example Busenitz uses is the complexity of DNA and how DNA is composed of very specific sequences of data (in the form of four bases: adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine) to complete the genetic code. Given the complexity of how specific the DNA sequence must be points to how this complexity cannot have happened randomly.

More so, when one looks at the creation of man, the idea of a Designer is supported even more. Christian apologist John Gerstner says, “There is more in the universe than mere life. There is intelligent life. There is a kind of life which not only lives but which thinks about living….How could matter, which has no life in itself, actually produce a life which can reflect on matter and tell it that it has no life in itself?” Even the human ability to defy the existence of God is proof of a Designer because the level of intelligence to think about such questions testifies to His existence. During this Sunday school session, the Design (Teleological) Argument was presented to the youth. At the end of the session, the youth were asked to think about how even the most minute biological system requires such specificity in order to function correctly (the flagellar motor system of bacterial cells requires 30 proteins and if even one is missing, the entire system cannot function properly). This session encouraged the youth to look at the complexity of life around them and see that the existence and function of these complex structures, down to even the most minute organism, cannot be due to random forces.

During another session of Sunday School, we went over how the human sense of morality points to a Lawgiver. The argument here points to how all humans have a conscience that is intrinsically aware of right and wrong. In Romans, the conscience is described as “the work of the law [that] is written on [people’s] hearts” (2:15) because “what can be known about God is plain to them” (Romans 1:19; cf 1:32). This reveals that there is a higher moral order where God is the Standard and Judge (Ecclesiastes 12:14). This moral conscience can also be seen across cultures (for example, stealing, lying, and murdering are seen as evil regardless of where you are from geographically), and not as a result of Western Judeo-Christian culture. Moreover, there are universal rights that all cultures agree on, such as the right to love and kindness. Of course, sometimes this moral conscience can malfunction due to being fed the wrong information (1 Corinthians 8:7; Titus 1:15) or when it is ignored for too long (1 Timothy 4:2).

The existence of a moral conscience with humans also shows that depending solely on a biological explanation for the existence of creation (such as the survival of the fittest theory) is neither sufficient nor makes sense. This session also addressed the existence of evil. The question “Why does evil exist?” is often asked, but Busenitz sees this question as a presupposition in support of the existence of God. We are able to identify what is morally evil because of the existence of God, who is the Standard of good. Busenitz writes, “Deep in our hearts we understand something is unrighteous or unjust — it offends us, saddens us, and causes us to cry out for justice. We rejoice when good triumphs over evil, and we feel violated when it does not.” For people across cultures to understand generally what is morally good and bad, it has to point to the existence a divine Creator and Lawgiver who is the ultimate standard of good.

Currently, we are in the section about the evidence for why we believe in the Bible. One reason we believe the Bible is the Word of God is that the Bible is marked by a clear and consistent message. The Bible was written from 1400 BC-100 AD, which is a span of 1500 years. For the 66 books in the Bible (39 in the Old Testament; 27 in the New Testament), there were 40+ different human authors that God used to write the Bible, across different geographic locations (Asia, Africa, and Europe), and in different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek). Not only that,  these authors were all from different backgrounds and vocations. Just to name a few of the human authors, there were: Moses, a prince (Exodus 2:10, cf. Hebrews 11:24-25) who became a shepherd (Exodus 3:1); David, a shepherd (1 Samuel 16:11-13) who became a king (2 Samuel 2:4); Paul, a former Pharisee (Philippians 3:5); and Luke, a Gentile physician (Colossians 4:14).

Given the varying conditions of where and when the Bible was written and by whom, this is evidence that God is the unifying factor in the authorship of the Bible. And even with such varying locations, languages, and authors, there is still a clear and consistent message about God, man, sin, salvation, and the end of the world. This unity in the message is also clearly seen in reference to the gospel of Jesus Christ, since He is the one that the entire Bible points to from Genesis 3:15 to Revelation 22:16. In Answers to Tough Questions Skeptics Ask about the Christian Faith, Josh McDowell and Don Stewart write, “The Old Testament is the preparation (Isaiah 40:3). The Gospels are the manifestation (John 1:29). The Book of Acts is the propagation (Acts 1:8). The epistles give the explanation (Colossians 1:27). The Book of Revelation is the consummation (Revelation 1:7). The Bible is all about Jesus.” With such a clear and consistent message from beginning to end, Christians can strongly hold firm to the belief that the Bible is from God.

To reiterate, the youth staff understands that going through this study will not ultimately save the youth. The salvation of a person is not dependent on any other human, but solely on the one who is the giver of the gift of salvation — God (Ephesians 2:8-9). By going through this study though, it is a way to encourage the youth to think about these different pieces of evidence so that they can see the Christian faith is a reasonable one, not a blind one. As a staff member, I have already been encouraged and even challenged in my own understanding of the evidence for the faith, and I look forward to the remainder of the school year in continuing in this book study. I hope the youth are, too!

Discipline in Sparklers

by Kyle Grindley

At Lighthouse, we understand that most of the kids in our children’s ministry are not Christians; they have not had their hearts of stone replaced with hearts of flesh, they cannot obey God. Ryan McAdam’s article Why Require Obedience in the Classroom? touched on why we require obedience in spite of their inability. I have found applying this in a way that represents God to be the most challenging aspect of teaching in Sparklers (LBC’s preschool ministry).

One elder presented this challenge in a way that has stuck with me: Can the kids tell the difference between the way we run our classroom and the way any secular school would run theirs? Can the kids see God’s order, righteousness, peace, mercy, grace, love all reflected in the classroom? Or do they only see order, and teachers who are annoyed when it is violated?

I have struggled with how to maintain an ordered classroom where we can teach children about God’s loving-kindness, without unteaching it with the way I impose that order. These are a few guidelines that help me approach classroom discipline.

Discipline in an LBC classroom must come from humble teachers. We are sinners in need of teaching, correction, reproof, and training in righteousness, just like the children. To paraphrase Paul Tripp: we are more like the kids in our class than unlike them (see Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family). We do not discipline the kids because we are their moral superiors, but because we love them and want to teach them that the only way to have joy and peace is by trusting God’s wise words and following God’s good rules.

Discipline in an LBC classroom must come from unconditional love for the kids. Many kids go through a “difficult” time in Sparklers; a few months when they are consistently the recipient of discipline. In these times we must be careful to show unconditional love: a consistent desire to include them in class activities, to hear their thoughts, and to play with them. If children see that they are sought after in difficult times just as in good times, they might see a small picture of God’s love for us. God’s love is not diminished when we sin and does not grow when we obey. God’s love for us is always bringing us closer to Him, sometimes in the sweetness of close communion, and sometimes in the stinging conviction of sin.

Discipline in an LBC classroom must focus on the heart. Classroom disobedience is the result of a child deciding that they will be happier following their own wisdom, doing things their own way, rather than trusting and following God’s way of thinking and acting. It is what we call a My-Way heart (look at Getting to the Heart, by Liannu Khai (Dang)). Luke 6 says “out of the overflow of the heart, his mouth speaks”. We cannot stop at addressing the children’s behavior, we must address the heart that gave birth to that behavior. And we need to address it so that they are ultimately pointed to the only person who can change their hearts. Each time we discipline, it should be another lived example of what we teach during the lesson: “People need Jesus to change their hearts. You need Jesus to change your heart.”

Discipline in an LBC classroom must model a proper response to God’s Word. When we discipline the Sparklers we walk them through the process of repentance. First we identify the issue, perhaps it was unkind words, rebellious action, or an ungrateful attitude. Then we measure those words, actions, and attitudes by God’s Word. Does the Bible say what I did was good or sinful? If our actions are consistent with what God calls good, then we give thanks because our heart is consistent with God’s heart. If we find that God calls what we did sin, then our disobedient heart has been revealed. We ask for forgiveness, and we ask God to change our heart. It is my hope that as the children see their teachers and parents apply this pattern to their situation, they can learn how to apply it themselves. All this in the confidence that God’s Word is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart and bring change.

Please pray for the children’s ministry staff, that we would rely on God’s wisdom in each discipline situation. Pray that we would represent God’s righteousness and mercy each time we require obedience from children who cannot give it. Please pray that each child would trust that joy and peace can be found by listening to God’s wise words, and following His good way.