by Roger Alcaraz

Some people will tell me they’re poor, and I sympathize with them. I know what it’s like to have everyone around me showing off their latest toys while I watch in envy. But if we take a step outside of our American borders and compare ourselves to most of the rest of the world, it’s safe to say one thing. We are rich! Even making minimum wage will put you in the top 10% of the world’s richest people.

But is that so bad? Well, no, but it should cause us to meditate deeply on Scripture dealing with money, especially when Jesus said, “ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Mark 10 25). The person who walked away from Jesus had far less riches than we do. But is this a call for us to sell all of our own possessions and become poor? The truth is, God doesn’t care how much money you have, but he cares about how much you love it.

This is because the love for money and for God are completely at odds with each other. You cannot love both. The pursuit of money, in itself, will never bring you closer to God, but it can very easily take you away from God. I think most of us know this, but how can we protect ourselves from this forbidden love?

Matthew 6:21 answers that very question, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” In saying it this way, Jesus gives us a warning. This is commonly interpreted as “where your treasure is is just a reflection of where your heart is.” And this would be a true statement. But there is another truth–that the things you begin to invest in, those are the things your heart will then chase after. Where your treasure is could be a reflection of where your heart is already, but it could also be a reflection of where your heart is going. In other words, your actions reflect the heart, but they also affect the heart.

Jesus is talking about a slow fade, where you find yourself gradually pursuing more and more of your own pleasure and spending money on empty things that will perish until one day, without realizing it, your heart has followed your actions to the point where the pursuit of material possessions is what defines you. So what can you do to protect yourself from the love of money? The answer is: be a good steward of it and handle it rightly.

An example in my own life happened recently. A few weeks ago, my car was illegally towed and I was out $300. I was also looking at buying a TV for our home around that time. I found one on Amazon and considered buying it. Nothing extravagant, but I was getting tired of having guests come over to watch a movie only to crowd around my laptop saying, “What did he say?” “I can’t see.” “Shhh!”

Guess how much the TV I wanted was? $271. And so you might think that I’d be angry when someone illegally towed my car and essentially robbed me of the TV I wanted. But I wasn’t angry at all. You see, my wife and I give regularly to church as a form of worship but one of the amazing effects of it is that we protect ourselves from the love of money. I’m used to seeing money as not my own and having a loose grip on it. If I had built up a habit of thinking this is MY money, then, yes, I would have been furious. In this scenario, the habits I developed actually protected my heart from loving money.

This isn’t to say that the godlier you are the poorer you should expect to be. When I was in seminary, there was almost a competition amongst the seminarians as to how poor one could be, almost equating being poor to godliness. People would come in eating their Cup-O-Noodles saying, “Fourth straight day eating this.” Another guy would then say, “That’s nothing. I haven’t eaten in a week!”

But Jesus isn’t talking about how much money you have. What he is concerned about is who is your master. And it’s not enough just to say you don’t love money. What do your actions say? Do you give to those in need and to your church? When you give, is it done joyfully?

There’s no command in the New Testament for how much you need to be giving, but a principle for giving is that it’s done sacrificially, as seen in the book of Acts. People sold their homes so that all the needs of the church were met. We are also called to give joyfully, as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” And the promise spoken after this verse is that we can give joyfully and without worrying because God will supply us with all of our needs.

Now I know it can be difficult to give up your money when you are a collegian and you’re not exactly raking in the big bucks. But I would say now, more than ever, you have an opportunity to worship God with your money. The way you handle your money is a form of worship. That’s why at our church, we sing songs of worship during the offering time, because how we give is just a continuation of worship. For a collegian with a lot of bills and not a lot of income, your capacity to worship with your money is even greater. In Luke 21:1-4, Jesus saw a poor widow offer a tiny amount, but it was all she had and yet Jesus commended her, even though she gave less monetarily.

If you say that you want the gospel to reach the ends of the earth and the people in your life, but your bank statement indicates that all you really care about is how your stomach is filled and how nice your clothes are, then your words are empty.

My encouragement to you is that you should give. Even if it is difficult, even if it’s not a lot, do so joyfully knowing:

1. God will provide for all of your needs,
2. as you give, you’re laying for yourself eternal treasures,
3. it is an act of worship unto God, and
4. it can be the very thing that saves you from the love of money.

With all these blessings in store, it’s no wonder why Jesus says it is better to give than to receive.

by Roger Alcaraz

One hundred fifty. What is the significance of that number? It’s known as Dunbar’s number and it is theorized to be the cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships. How someone came up with that precise number is beyond what I care about. But what I will take note of is the fact that people generally understand that the more people there are in your life, the harder maintaining relationships will be.

Coincidentally, there are close to 150 people in College Life including the staff members. Could you name them all? First and last name? Their hometowns? Their personalities? Their interests? How about their…what’s that? You said “No” by the first question? Well then, it emphasizes a point–it will be impossible to have a meaningful relationship with everyone even in College Life, let alone the rest of the church, let alone the rest of the people in your life! So…good luck.

Ok fine, I won’t end like that. Perhaps it goes against what you might think, but the goal really shouldn’t be to know everything about everyone. But what I do want to see is every person being cared for. If we make it our goal to personally know everyone, we’ll only be able to develop shallow relationships. We are limited by our time and even our ability to remember so much. That being said, this is no license to slack in your calling as a Christian to love every person as yourself. This means that if an opportunity to serve someone you don’t know well arises, you must take it, regardless of your familiarity.

People sometimes ask me how I feel about cliques, which can easily become something harmful to the church. However, I understand the need for a closer circle of friends. Even Jesus had the twelve in whom he invested more than the rest. Yet his close relationships never stopped him from serving those outside of the twelve and even serving the multitudes. The problem with cliques isn’t that people have a close circle of friends; it’s that they become exclusive such that if you’re not part of my circle, then you are not part of my concern.

But my encouragement is twofold:

1. that while the church is increasing in size, you would pursue deep and meaningful relationships with others, and
2. that you would genuinely seek the care of all those around you.

How can you do both when they seem mutually exclusive? I’ll give an example. Let’s say you see someone new on Sunday. You know the look. They’re standing next to a wall by themselves or perhaps with another newcomer while looking at nothing in particular. You notice them but figure someone else will take care of them. But while you mingle with your friends, you fail to notice them leaving without ever receiving an invitation to lunch. Far better would be to include them in your conversation and even invite them to lunch or whatever you had planned. Sometimes when I meet someone after service but I know that I’ll have to leave soon, I’ll introduce them to some people who could continue the work of caring for him.

I can tell you a lot of other practical ways to love the people that stroll through our doors, but honestly, if you have a heart to see people plugged into the life of the church, that will take you the furthest. Maybe this is a simple idea, to love your neighbor, but take some time to see how you might change how you talk to people after service this week. Will you care for the unnoticed around you and view them with the eyes of Christ? Take some time to pray that your heart will be ready when the time comes.

I’m thankful for how loving this church is to all people. If anything, this is an encouragement to excel even more. But I know there are people on the fringe of our church who are still lacking the fellowship needed for spiritual growth. Find these people. They might be older than you, younger than you, it doesn’t matter. Find them and love them.

by Roger Alcaraz

In my last article, I introduced us to the problem of depression and some treatments that may help, but focused primarily on the symptoms and not the root issue. But if we want to truly help someone have victory over it, we must address the underlying problem. Imagine a tree that is planted in shallow soil just above hard dirt so that it cannot take root firmly. Eventually, the wind comes and blows the tree over. The question then could be asked, what caused the tree to fall over? To say the wind would be to ignore the condition of the tree and focus on the circumstances around the tree. The real problem is the tree’s roots because with such a shallow rooting, it could have been anything that caused the tree to fall: the wind, its own weight, an earthquake, and so forth. Therefore, the wind was arbitrary and should not be the focus of our attention.

The Christian Counselor’s Medical Desk Reference defines depression as “a persistent mood that is characterized by intense feeling of inadequacy, sadness, hopelessness, pessimism, irritability, apprehension, and a decreased interest in or ability to enjoy normal activity.” This mood must last at least two weeks before being considered as clinical depression. It is worth mentioning the definition to highlight some words such as mood, feeling, interest, ability to enjoy, all of which have to do with emotions, particularly dealing with contentment. It is not that a person is unable to perform certain actions, he just lacks the desire to and it will not bring fulfillment. This gets fleshed out as the symptoms already mentioned, but if a counselor is seeking to help a depressed person, he must focus on what caused the emotions.

Consider the Israelites for a moment. Numbers 11 reveals a nation who complains, and that is the extent of their sin, yet God responds severely, verse one says, “And the people complained in the hearing of the LORD about their misfortunes, and when the LORD heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp” (emphasis added). The Israelites complained because they were discontent in their situation. Many people try to make discontentment a respectable sin, but it is never seen that way in Scripture.

The Israelites are found grumbling again some chapters later in Numbers 21. Verse 5 records, “And the people spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.’” Again, the only wrong the Israelites committed was complain to God, yet their judgment was similar to the time before—“Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.”

It might seem strange to be focusing on these examples on discontentment in an article about depression, but I would argue that depression, at its root, is a discontent attitude toward God. Using the definition of depression mentioned before, depression is really being discontent with one’s situation such that it affects the outward emotions and behavior of a person over an extended period of time. In other words, depression is allowing one’s discontentment to rule over them.

There are times when it seems right to be discontent with life, such as a death in the family. We’re even called to mourn with those who mourn, indicating that there are times when it would be right to do so. However, this is not discontentment. Paul says in Philippians 4:11-13 that he can be content in all circumstances through Christ who strengthens him. This shows that discontentment does not equate to being distressed, burdened, or mournful since Jesus experienced both of these in the Garden of Gethsemane and he wept over Lazarus. Rather, discontentment is a heart attitude that disapproves of what God is doing and thus, is essentially blaspheming God. It is plain to see in Numbers that God was the one who freed the Israelites from the Egyptians and eventually had them wander in the wilderness for 40 years. God is clearly seen as the sovereign one who put them in their situation, so when they complain about their situation, they are really complaining against God and challenging His goodness. The second example is a bit more obvious since they complain about the food that God provides for them. Clearly, they are complaining against God in this case.

Many people become depressed because they feel like a victim of their circumstances when really they are the wrongdoers because of their response. The counselee must, therefore, take responsibility for their own actions. Instead of considering their trials as a curse, they must meditate on Philippians 1:29 and see his suffering as a “gift of grace” from God.

Because the person is responsible for their actions, he must put off wrong speaking such as “It is hopeless.” This discourages the work of God and it is a lie. Rather, he should focus on praising and thanking God for using this time to make him more like Christ. That is exactly what Paul expresses in Romans 8:28-29—that God works all things for the good of those who love him, to bring him to Christlikeness.

Anyone who has worked with people knows that change like this does not happen overnight. But there are helpful steps to begin with, the first of which is for the counselee to seek a deeper relationship with God. It is impossible for someone to be fully satisfied apart from God, so the counselor should promote this relationship to their counselee.

Part of the strength to the counselee’s relationship with God is the man’s honesty before God. Times of trials will come but the goal is not to get angry with God. That is not what is meant by honesty. Rather, it is that the counselee expresses their desperate desires to God in faith that he will provide. The attitude should resemble Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 who pleaded with the Lord in a time of heavy trials, but was content when the Lord did not remove the trials. Paul demonstrates crying out to God in a God honoring way. The plea can be desperate and even bold as seen by Paul’s repeated cry. But no matter the outcome, the person’s response needs to be the same—an inner gladness and contentment.

Another helpful instruction for the counselee is to learn to control the outworking of their emotions and even the emotions themselves. Many people believe emotions are beyond a person’s control, but that is a lie. In fact, a person becomes depressed after believing one lie after another and letting those be truth to him. A Christian ought to know how deceptive our hearts are (Jeremiah 17:9). The heart might even be the greatest liar, yet so many people think, “I feel sad and alone. Therefore, I must be alone.” That is also a lie. God promises the believer in His word, “By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me.” A counselee must be instructed to believe truth over a lie—that is, God’s word over feelings or an interpretation of a situation.

The counselor must also promote a far sighted vision within their counselee. Instead of focusing on what is happening at the moment, a counselee should try to envision the grand plan of it all. Joseph is a great example of someone who waited many years from the time that his brothers sold him into slavery until the time he was second in command in Egypt. He suffered through scorn, slavery, imprisonment, and eventually abandonment. Yet he was able to conclude at the end of it all, that what his brothers meant for evil, God meant it for the good of many. Eventually, everyone will see that all the evil that was done on earth was used by God for good, but the goal is to get the counselee to that understanding in the midst of their trials. To do that, they must develop a far-sighted vision.

by Roger Alcaraz

Depression seems to be taking over the world like a virus, sometimes bringing people to a seemingly hopeless state that could last for years. It is a serious problem, yet I believe many counselors make it worse by not focusing their attention on the root cause of it. The goal of this article is to explain what depression is, how it’s typically treated in America, and finally, in part two of the article, how to think about depression biblically.

The Christian Counselor’s Medical Desk Reference defines depression as “a persistent mood that is characterized by intense feeling of inadequacy, sadness, hopelessness, pessimism, irritability, apprehension, and a decreased interest in or ability to enjoy normal activity.” This mood must last at least two weeks before being considered as clinical depression. Sadly, many people look at the circumstances of a person’s life and try to figure out what caused the depression rather than look at it from a biblical perspective: identifying not the circumstances around the person, but the condition of the person.

Depression could be caused in response to many things such as: guilt, preoccupation, stress from a tragedy, etc. It also takes on many forms such as: loneliness, irresponsibility, hopelessness, over-sleeping, insomnia, sickness, thoughts of suicide, loss of appetite, etc. The variety of causes and symptoms alone should indicate that there is no direct single causal factor of depression—meaning that even if a doctor had all the information regarding a person’s life and medical reports, there would be no way of knowing for sure whether or not the person would fall into depression. This means that if the counselor ever wants to get to the heart of the problem, he is going to first have to ask a lot of questions to understand the circumstances that led to this depression and how it is manifesting.

The most common treatment to depression is to take drugs. However, The New England Journal of Medicine found that drug companies selectively publish studies on antidepressants. Drug companies have published nearly all the studies that show benefit while withholding the numerous studies that show these drugs are ineffective. This warps peoples’ view of antidepressants, and it has fueled the tremendous growth in the use of psychiatric medications. Companies like the makers of Viibryd, Zoloft, and Cymbalta are now part of the second leading class of drugs sold.

Not to mention there are huge risks in putting so many chemicals in your body. These side effects include: nausea, weight gain, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, drowsiness, insomnia, dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, dizziness, agitation, irritability, anxiety and even increased thoughts of suicide. Some of the side effects go directly against what the drug is trying to accomplish, revealing just how uncertain the outcome of taking them will be. I mention all this because if you’re counseling someone who has been diagnosed with clinical depression by a doctor, chances are that they’ll be taking medication. While this article gives a simple overview of them, it’s your responsibility to know what they do. As counselors, it’s not our place to tell someone to go against their doctor’s advice, but we can encourage them to study for themselves and come to their own conclusions.

The second remedy is to develop good habits like eating healthy, sleeping regularly, exercising, and being involved with a support group. Similar to the drug remedy, all these cater to the symptoms rather than the cause. Even still, these are all good things we want to promote, not as the solution to depression, but as help along the way. Developing good and healthy habits can help someone overcome sin. Rather than becoming a sloth, it is good to put some effort into how one takes care of himself because it often reflects how hard he is willing to be disciplined in other areas of life.

As Christians, we know that discipline is not enough. We must have a heartfelt desire to do what God wants for us, otherwise, it’s not pleasing to God. But it’s like the times when I haven’t eaten in so long that eating food actually hurts my stomach. I have no desire to eat in those times because I know the pain that would come, but food is what I need and so I eat apart from desire. Similarly, a depressed Christian will likely not want to read the Bible, pray, serve others, or be involved in church. However, the very things that he doesn’t want to do are the very things that will help him. He doesn’t want to read about God, but only God can help. He doesn’t want to serve others, but he needs to take his eyes off of himself. He doesn’t want to be surrounded by people, but he needs good community and accountability. Therefore we must encourage right living even if the depressed person has no desire for it because it can lead to right thinking which can lead to triumph over depression. God designed mankind such that if we walk in obedience to his will, we will find contentment– and contentment is just what people are longing for.

Ultimately, as counselors, we need to guide them to think about depression biblically and remind them of the hope we have in Jesus. We do this by understanding their situation, caring for them, keeping them accountable in their disciplines, and pointing them to Christ through Scripture and prayer. In my next article, we’ll be looking at the biblical understanding of depression and how we can help others to fight against it.

by Roger Alcaraz

Here in our college ministry, we’ve been looking at Jesus’ earthly ministry in the book of John. I’ve been most impressed with Jesus’ radical teaching and his amazing love. But what was Jesus’ ministry before he took on flesh? After all, John 1:1 says that Jesus was in the beginning, which begs the question, “What was he doing up to the earthly birth?

Jesus Visits Moses

In Exodus 3:6, it’s clear that God is the one speaking to Moses when he says, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then when Moses asks God about who he should say sent him, God responds, “I am who I am, tell them I am has sent you.”

I bring this up to show that Jesus is claiming to be the one who spoke from the burning bush. Exodus 3:2 states, “the angel of the LORD appeared to him in the flame of fire out of the midst of the bush.” There is no distinction between the angel of the LORD and God himself. Some argue that an angel came with God in the bush, so that the angel could get Moses’ attention and then God would speak to him. The problem is that there’s no account of God entering the bushes and we see no interaction between the angel and God that we would expect between two separate persons. The natural conclusion is that the angel of the LORD and the LORD himself are seen as separate in person but equal in their nature.

This mirrors the proximity of Jesus and God the Father when Jesus declares that he and the Father are one (John 10:30). Again, he wants himself and the Father to be seen as one and the same. If it were Jesus who appeared to Moses, then perhaps he was involved in the lives of others throughout the OT.

Jesus its Jacob and Manoah

In Genesis 32:26-30 Jacob wrestles with God whom he initially thinks is a man. By the end of the encounter Jacob says, “I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” The passage is particularly interesting when looked at along with Judges 13:15-23 where we read about the angel of the Lord appearing to Manoah and his wife. They also initially think he is a man.

You can read the accounts on your own, but to summarize the main similarities: a man appears to both Jacob and Manoah; the man blesses both Jacob and Manoah; afterward, both Jacob and Manoah ask for his name; the man responds to both, “Why do you ask?” Then both realize they should have died because they just saw God.

If we consider the possibility that the angel here were Jesus, then why didn’t he say he was Jesus? After all, he was asked by both for his very name—a perfect opportunity to reveal himself in the Old Testament.

Still, if the angel simply said, “Why do you ask?” then perhaps he just wanted to avoid being worshiped. But the angel added, “…seeing it is wonderful?” (Pene in Hebrew). The only other time this word is used is in Psalm 139:6 when the Psalmist writes about the LORD’s knowledge being too pene to grasp. So the word has the idea of being incomprehensible or being secret, which helps us understand the angel’s response as saying “…seeing it is beyond understanding?” This is how some English translations take it. What a strange response to give. Certainly if this were a man or an angel trying to deny worship, he would not consider himself pene.

So what does it mean that the angel of the LORD’s name was beyond understanding or secret? For this we turn to Ephesians 3:4-5 where Paul writes about “…the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” The subject here is the mystery of Christ, specifically, that Christ would save Gentiles (v. 6), but part of keeping the ministry of Christ a secret was to veil the person of Christ as well. Therefore, the reason that the angel of the LORD did not reveal himself was because it was not his time to.

Jesus Acts as a Link

This doesn’t mean that every time the angel of the LORD is used in the OT that it is referring to Jesus. It might be the case that every manifestation of God was, in fact, Jesus but some accounts of God’s appearance don’t give us enough detail to know for sure. I could mention other accounts where Christ is seen in the OT, like the mention of two LORDs (Genesis 23:24), or when he visits Joshua (Joshua 5:13-15), or when Isaiah sees a vision of Jesus (Isaiah 6:1-6; John 12:41). But the point isn’t only just to show that Jesus appeared to different people but to see what role he played in the OT.

In essence, Christ was providing a link between transcendent God and man. The OT saints longed for the day they could see God’s face, but at the same time, they were rightfully afraid because no one can see God’s face and live. When Christ appeared to individuals, he revealed a bit of who God is, but it was always incomplete and they couldn’t explain how it is that the infinitely glorious God could be in their presence for them to behold. The answer is Jesus.

For it was in Jesus’ earthly ministry when Jesus makes it plain that “whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:8). Paul adds that “Jesus is the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). These statements aren’t just true of Jesus in the NT but also the OT. So what did Jacob, Manoah, and others like Abraham, David, Isaiah see? They saw the image of the invisible God. They saw the Father. But they saw Him in the second person of the Trinity.

Jesus has always been mankind’s visible access to invisible God and when he showed himself to OT saints, it was a foreshadow of the incarnation. For they knew they were looking at God and yet didn’t know how. Now, because of Jesus’ incarnation, death, and resurrection, we can know God more intimately than ever, even more than all of the OT saints.

How often do we take the revelation of Christ in the NT for granted? If anything, we should be reading about Christ every day and drawing nearer to God, having a greater access to him than even Moses did. We also take hope in the future because even with Christ bringing us to God, there are some things we still long for, like being ushered into glory where we will be in the presence of God the Father, Son, and Spirit in the fullest way possible.

by Roger Alcaraz

Every Christian needs a few key verses in their life to remind them to have the right perspective towards ministry. Whether we’re in full time ministry or not, if we’re not reminding ourselves of God’s truth, then we will often minister according to our own wisdom and strength and it will inevitably be worthless before God. That’s why I personally made a list of 10 verses (three are included in the article) to meditate on occasionally to remind me of the type of ministry I want and the type of minister I want to be. Hopefully you can make a list of your own to help you in your ministry to never stray away from God’s word.

Psalm 119:9,11

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word…I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

I remember memorizing this verse early in my Christian walk because it reminded me of means by which we pursue purity; it’s through God’s word. God’s word is the instrument by which the agent, the Holy Spirit, sanctifies his people. I’m not the one who can produce repentance or purity in others’ lives. But that’s not what I’m called to do. What I am called to do is present the word as faithfully as possible so that the Holy Spirit can bring about holiness in a person’s life.

It really is the reason I’m in seminary. It’s so I can get a better handle of the meaning of God’s word so I can deliver it as undamaged as possible. If the gospel is the precious medicine that can save people and deliver them from the bondage of sin, then I’m just the delivery boy. This verse reminds me of the simplicity of pastoral ministry. And while “simple” doesn’t mean “easy”, it does relieve a lot of pressure and causes me to trust God who is the only one able to cause a real change in someone.

Matthew 22:37-40

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.”

This has shaped every aspect of my ministry because this verse is really the fuel for it all. Everything the church does needs to be done with the love for God and people as the motivation. This is important because Jesus says that the whole law can be paraphrased by those two commands, meaning that every command of God was meant as a means of loving God and people. A simple example would be the 10 commandments in which the first four deal with loving God and the remaining six deal with loving people. There are, of course, hundreds of more laws than those 10, but if hundreds of laws could be summarized in a few short words, then those words must be important.

From a ministerial point of view, it means that I can’t lose sight of why I do the things I do. I imagine the workload of a pastor and how busy it can make someone. It can be easy for the pastorate to become the list of tasks to complete each week and for it to become routine. I imagine there are many people who enter the ministry with the right motivation and with a vision to see the name of Christ exalted. Then as the pressure bears upon them, the love for God and people become less on their minds until one day the pastor and even the church itself becomes lifeless. Sure, maybe there are activities and even sound teaching, but the members are simply going through the motions, participating or serving because that’s what they’ve always done or because no one else is doing it.

One of the sharpest examples of this is Christ’s address to the Ephesian church in Revelation 2 where he commends them for certain things but holds something weighty against them, that they forgot the love they had at first. It’s a danger all churches face and it reminds us to always be cultivating that deep love for God first and foremost, and then out of that, a love for one another. Apart from doing these, we cannot please God in anything we do.

2 Timothy 2:2

what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

I may be only 27, but I am a grandfather. Not biologically of course, but spiritually. I have discipled and led people to Christ who have turned around and discipled and led others to Christ. So far, there’s only two generations after me but I’m always telling the people I disciple this verse and that I want great grandchildren and great great grandchildren. For me, Wayne Hu is my grandpa. He invested in a friend of his named Kevin Au who later invested in me. And when I say invest, I don’t just mean he shared the gospel so that I’m saved and he could leave. I mean he taught the gospel to me and then for the next three years trained me in how to study the Bible, how to share the gospel with others, what God’s word says, and how to be a godly man. And to this day I still remember one of his final lessons for me. He told me that I need to take the things I’ve learned and pass them along to someone else to keep the cycle going. And that’s what I have been doing for different people. What’s amazing is that I follow the same pattern that I saw before me. After seeing a person saved, I entrust to them the things that I have heard and tell them they need to do the same for others.

This pattern will follow me in ministry because I will always be investing in people and if it doesn’t yield fruit beyond the person, it wasn’t a very good investment. I remember I was given a group of mature believers for small group last year, so what we did was go through a series on sharing the gospel and biblical counseling and I gave them the homework of finding a younger guy and invest in him. The amazing thing is that they all were able to do this within 2 weeks and I’ve seen the fruits of their labor in these people’s lives, either by maturing in their faith or by being saved. If I become a pastor, I know not all of the work of ministry will be on me, but I want everyone to be investing in people for the sake of building up the church and reaching the lost.

by Roger Alcaraz

The new school year for College Life has officially begun and it’s while the engines are still warming up that it’s good to remember what the overall goal of the ministry is. It’s easy to do things because we did them last year but we want to be more intentional because worship requires the heart, soul, and mind. That’s why I’ve written a philosophy of ministry for College Life that will remind me of some of the fundamental values and goals we have in the ministry. Below is a section on College Life as it relates to the rest of the church body.

The Priority of the Church

The church is God’s primary vehicle for accomplishing his work in this age. As such, all believers need to identify with, function in, and submit to the leadership of a local church. Because of the emphasis that Scripture puts on this kind of involvement in the local church, College Life ministry must seek to foster in God’s people a deep love for and commitment to the church, as well as a biblical understanding of what it means to function as the church. For this reason, all leadership positions in College Life require the believer to be a member of the greater church body that College Life is a part of.

Our Mission, Vision, and Passion

The ministry of College Life exists in the greater body of Lighthouse Bible Church and should never compete against its theology and ministry. This means that Lighthouse’s Mission: to make disciples of Christ; Vision: to plant churches; and Passion: to love God and people, will be the same for College Life because the ministry of College Life itself comes out of the Mission, Vision, and Passion. Thus, everything College Life does should be done to fulfill our MVP.

The Role of Elders

All members within College Life, including its leaders, must submit to the loving rule of the church elders. As such, an elder will always be overseeing the ministry to ensure that sound teaching and biblical ministry are taking place and if there is a persistent problem, the elders have authority to make any necessary changes. This even includes removing the ministry of College Life all-together if it would serve the greater church.

Priority of Church Events

Because of the priority of the local church, if there is ever a conflict of schedule such as College Life scheduling an event at the same time as a churchwide event, College Life will reschedule or cancel theirs in order to be with the whole church body.

Location

While it seems logical to meet on a college campus, the location for the college wide Bible studies is at the church. The main reason is that we cater to multiple campuses and do not want to seem exclusive. People are welcome from all colleges to worship together. There are events that are done on campus when trying to reach out to the campus. These are mostly outreach events such as campus evangelism, tabling, seeker’s Bible studies, etc.

Summary (taken from the College Life Website)

Christ was passionate about his church. The apostles were passionate about the church. As such, we believe that every believer should have a healthy biblical perspective of the church. The Bible doesn’t prescribe “Lone Ranger” Christianity! Instead, all throughout the New Testament, you see believers incorporated into the local church. It is in the context of the local church that almost all the instruction of the New Testament is given. Since spiritual growth was intended primarily to be cultivated in the life of the church, we encourage all our collegians to be committed to the local church.

by Roger Alcaraz

If you don’t know already, my wife and I love each other. Get to know us a little bit and you’ll find that this is more difficult than it sounds. In fact, there were many opportunities while dating for us to throw in the towel, but we persevered. A large part of this is because we choose to forgive one another as Christ forgave us (cf. Eph 4:32). I’ve learned that the words, “I forgive you” can sometimes be more difficult to say than “I love you” because we hear it so less often. Watch any romance film and you’ll know what I mean. In fact, for many people, saying “I forgive you” or asking “Do you forgive me?” can be downright awkward. But if there’s ever an area in which Christians need to exemplify, it’s forgiveness.

Imagine you and another Christian friend have just gotten into an argument on your way home. It begins as talking about a simple disagreement but progresses to shouting until you both are tired of even talking to each other. Both of you are to blame for the uncomfortable silence that fills the air. Upon arriving home, you just make your way out of the car, not speak to each other for the night, and eventually shrug off the offense because time acts as the great Vicodin to numb the pain. Yet even with the pain gone, the deep seated cause for the pain can linger. Not only that, but the trust that binds you two has been severed and risks being broken altogether. But imagine, instead of leaving the car, you both endure the awkward silence until you have the courage to speak, “What I did was wrong.” Not just that, but what if you explain everything that was going on in your own heart that fueled the conflict until you finally utter the difficult words, “Do you forgive me?”

The person might be taken aback and wonder, “Do I forgive you? Why should I?” But if he is in Christ, then it should cause the person to think about forgiveness and see how important it is in a relationship. Certainly, the relationship was severed by sin and it isn’t enough to pretend it never happened. True forgiveness acknowledges the wrong that is done but promises not to treat the person according to what they deserve. It’s difficult to forgive, but you get to think about God’s forgiveness and all that he did to reconcile you to himself through his son Jesus Christ.

It was Jesus who, though he was God, came in a uniform of flesh so that he could reconcile sinners to himself. He did this by living a perfect life that no one has ever lived. Yet he was despised and nailed to a cross so that he would bear the wrath of God being stored up by sinners. Not only that, but after Jesus died, he resurrected and so when believers die, they will also be resurrected to be with the one who loved them and forgave them by giving up his own life. In this way God truly forgives by recognizing the wrong done to him, not ignoring it as if nothing happened. Yet he provides a way out of the due judgment through Christ and will never condemn those who trust in Christ to forgive and who turn away from their life of selfish sinning.

As you both meditate on these truths, your conclusion should be the same, “If God can forgive me, a sinner, then I can forgive this person.” Not only that, but this should also cause you to think about your own sin and that no matter how badly a person speaks of you or mistreats you, they can never paint you as bad as you really are or treat you worse than you deserve. And when you’re able to find forgiveness because Christ has forgiven you, then praise God for how the gospel has shaped both of your lives to be able to forgive and experience the blessings of true reconciliation.

by Roger Alcaraz

Something I love about my wife is how kind she is to all people, especially strangers. When I was a sophomore in college, my family visited me and I wanted to be a good host. But rather than attempting this alone, I decided to just grab the nicest person I could find and let them do the work. That person was my good friend who is now my lovely wife, Grace. I had roommates and other nice friends who were also a joy to be around, but I wasn’t just looking for someone who loved people. My family hardly knew anyone in San Diego, so I was looking for someone who loved strangers. I knew she wouldn’t have to “warm up” to my family; she loved them the moment they met and it was obvious. As a result, when I told my mom that Grace was now my girlfriend, she was excited and knew I had made a wise choice, even after meeting only once.

Love stories aside, I believe my wife was simply modeling the love that we are all called to by God. I’m sure many of us are aware that the qualification for being a church elder is that he is hospitable, literally, “a lover of strangers.” But this requirement applies to all of us because it goes back to when God first gave his law. In Leviticus 19:18, God says, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” It should be obvious that if our neighbor is the person we would want to seek vengeance, then our neighbor is really all people. But this is the question a lawyer had for Jesus when he asked in “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29). Jesus proceeds with the parable of the good Samaritan in which a Levite and a priest take precautions to avoid a fatally injured man lying helplessly on the road, but a Samaritan made sacrifices and suffered a great inconvenience to save this man and restore him to good health. Jesus never indicated any relationship between the Samaritan and the man because in Jesus’ mind, that should bear no factor in the way we love one another. I’m reminded of Matthew 25:34-35 where Jesus taught that in the final judgement, he will one day commend his elect, saying, “Come…inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” And when people ask when they did such a thing, Jesus will respond, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (v. 40). He continues to say that those who do not show love like this will go away into eternal punishment.

Clearly, loving strangers is serious in God’s eyes as it deals with the second and even the first greatest commandment. So then, why are we not more hospitable? I can’t speak for the individual, but I can say that when people walk through our church doors, they should immediately feel like the guest of honor. Instead, we often let them pass by in order to show love with those we’re more familiar with or those who are easier to love. This isn’t the way it should be but I am encouraged by all the times I see members inviting people they just met on Sunday into their homes, or spending hours listening to a stranger’s struggles. In college, the tendency can be to spend the most time with your own class and love them more than the rest. But if Christ came to divide the wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 2:14), I’m sure the wall standing between classes, schools, genders, or stages in life is in pieces now. So let us love without boundaries, and as we do, Christ will be glorified and pleased.

by Samantha Zhang

I’ve been noticing that almost every conversation I have with a collegian includes discussing the many unknowns of their future: career choices, relationships, marriage, relocating and much more. These conversations make me nostalgic and bring me back to my college years when thinking about my future seemed so daunting and figuring out God’s will for my life seemed so confusing.

When I was a senior in college, one of my good friends shared a quote with me that has stuck with me through the years: “There are two constants in life: change and God.” My life has definitely been a testament to the truth of this quote. When I was a new graduate, I remember feeling overwhelmed by the many uncertainties that I was confronted with upon entering “the real world.” My friends moved all over and even out of the country, and I didn’t know whether to stay in San Diego or move back home; I had no idea if I should continue pursuing physical therapy or not; my church had gone through a split, and I had just begun dating. Fast forward four years later, and here I am–a wife to Matt, a mother to Rylan and a homemaker. I have definitely experienced a lot of change, but through it all, God has been my one constant. His word, His promises and His faithful character have been the unwavering stronghold in my life. As someone who has struggled a lot with change, I encourage you to consider the following points the next time you encounter uncertainty in your life:

1. Let God be your stability. Isaiah 33:6 says “He will be the stability of your times.” What gives your life stability? Is it a relationship? Financial stability? Securing a specific career? One way I assess whether I am finding my hope in my circumstances instead of Christ is by asking myself whether I would be okay if God’s plans for my life are not the same as my plans. “The heart of a man plans his ways, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). If I find myself in despair or distraught by change in my life, it is usually because I am not finding my stability in Him alone. Make Christ your sure foundation and the stability of your times and you will find that no matter what circumstantial changes take place in your life, you will have the peace that surprasses all comprehension that only God can give.
2. Focus on obeying God’s revealed will instead of obsessing over his unrevealed will. Be careful not to become overly preoccupied with trying to discern God’s will for your future. Undoubtedly, it is important to pray, search God’s word and seek counsel when making important decisions that affect your future. But I challenge you to be even more diligent in being sure that you are living out God’s revealed will (what we know from His word) for your life. It may not be God’s will for you to know all of the plans He has for your life, but you do know it is His will for you to love Him with your whole being (Matthew 22:37), to rejoice always and pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17), to outdo one another in showing honor (Romans 12:10), etc. Focus on obeying what you do know about His will.
3. Remember your life is but a vapor. James 4:14 says “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” Psalm 103:15-16 emphasizes the same point: “As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.” Let these verses humble you. Consider your life and all your future plans in light of eternity. Our lives are a mere snippet within God’s glorious eternal plan and we should be in awe that He would allow us to take part in it. We must remember that we exist to glorify God. Our lives are not about ourselves! Contrary to what our selfie-obsessed culture teaches us, our lives are not to be wasted by trying to build a name for ourselves on earth. We are to be living sacrifices, making much of Him and being obedient to His will for our lives and whatever He may be calling us to.

Change, as scary as it can be, is an inescapable part of life. In Matthew 8, Jesus led His disciples into a storm. And just as Jesus was with the disciples in the storm, you can be assured that wherever He leads you in your life, He will be with you. If the unchanging Christ is your stability, you will not be dismayed when you encounter change. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). What an immense comfort this should be for our souls! We have a God whose character is consistent and unwavering! May we continue to press on in the good race, keeping our eyes fixed on our changeless Christ.