Category Archives: Affinity Groups

Transitions: Oh, The Places You’ll Go?

by Josh Liu

“I didn’t know how difficult life would be after college,” a college graduate confessed to me. “It’s really lonely. I’m depressed and confused about what to do with my life.” A significant amount of post-college persons experience the hard-wall of reality of life after college, and struggle immensely. Understandably so, the transition to post-college life can be tumultuous, confusing, chaotic, wearisome, discouraging, and monotonous.

Christians and non-Christians alike are concerned. This particular season of life is in the middle of what some have labeled as “emerging adulthood” (I’ve also heard “twenty-somethings,” “youthhood,” “adultolescense,” “extended adolescence,” “black box”). Regardless of the label, most are familiar with this “stage of life.” Many collegians are warned about “life to come;” many don’t understand it until it’s too late. Some collegians aren’t even aware of it and slip into a lukewarm, routine lifestyle that is for the most part God-less. The vibrant, social, available, adventurous, care-free college life is rudely removed. Instead, it is replaced with expectations and responsibilities (i.e. get a job, set a career, get married, buy a home, pay off loans, etc.). In response, many graduates step into spiritual depression; they feel isolated and lonely; they fantasize about the good ol’ college days; they want to take a “gap year” to really experience life before succumbing to the ball and chain of “real life;” they throw aside the spiritual passion and discipline they once had during college to study the Bible and pray, to serve others and the church, and to evangelize and witness.

This is symptomatic of deeper, significant issues, related to identity in Christ, spiritual maturity and character, and idolatry of a distorted youth life stage. I am particularly concerned that so many appear shell-shocked after briefly experiencing post-college life. I am particularly concerned that many have confessed that they don’t know what to do or how to respond, or that they weren’t prepared during college. I am particularly concerned that many have allowed the circumstances of life to dictate how they think, feel, and act.

As I personally experience some challenging transitions (stepping out from children’s and youth ministries, and stepping into college ministry and my final year in seminary), I want to take this opportunity to encourage all those going through difficult transitions. A comprehensive analysis and response to delayed maturing, the above described experiences, and the related significant spiritual issues are outside the scope of this article. Instead, I want to remind you of six biblical principles to carry with you in every circumstance or transition:

1. Plan on the sovereignty of God.

God is intimately involved in your life. Consider David’s words in Psalm 139:1-16.
He knows your entire person, and each moment of your life. Behold His omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, immanence, and magnificence! Take your eyes off yourself, off the circumstances, off the unknowable future, and wholly entrust yourself to God your Creator and Sustainer.

Know that God is ultimately directing your life (Prov. 16:9; cf. 16:1; 19:21; 20:24; Jer. 10:23). God’s sovereignty (control, leading, authority, will) over individuals’ lives and actions is readily seen throughout Scripture. This is seen in Joseph’s life (Gen. 50:20), the nation of Israel (Jer. 29:11), Paul’s life (Acts 9:15-16; 16:6), and the believer’s life (Rom. 8:28).

As a result, plan and live your life out of dependence on the sovereignty of God.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 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. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)

2. Pursue Christ first.

Wherever God leads you, whatever circumstance He places in your life, and however you’re feeling in the moment, pursue Christ vehemently. Seek to deepen your intimacy with Christ through intentional prayer, Bible study, Scripture memorization and meditation, serving others, and fellowship with Christ’s body.

Don’t let anything or anyone else displace the centrality of Christ in your life. Be able to say with Paul,

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ…Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:7-8, 12-14)

Friendships, interests, careers, and personal feelings of usefulness can become idols if you do not pursue Christ first. When Christ is central in your life, when He is your first priority, when He is your greatest treasure, the present trials and circumstances of life fade in light of the great glory of Christ and eternity with Him (cf. behold Christ in Col. 1:13-18 and Heb. 1:3-4).

3. Preoccupy yourself with faithfulness.

The Christian isn’t called to achieve the life milestones that the world expects (begin a career, get married, buy a home, etc.). Don’t be busy with the things of this world that will ultimately fade, but be busy with what God has commanded. Seek to steward your life, time, energy, and resources to fulfilling what God has directed believers to be busy with here on this earth (cf. Matt. 25:14-30). How will you seek to be faithful with the life that God has graced you?

  • Are you being faithful to making disciples (Matt. 28:18-20; Titus 2:4, 6; 2 Tim. 2:2)?
  • Are you being faithful to pursuing godliness (1 Thess. 4:3-4; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:5)?
  • Are you being faithful to serving the body of Christ (Rom. 12:1-21; Eph. 4:1ff; Heb. 10:25)?
  • Are you being faithful to witnessing (Acts 1:8)?
  • Are you being faithful in your relationships (Eph. 5:22-6:9)?

4. Prioritize godliness.

As you seek to pursue Christ and live for Him, be concerned with personal godliness and character. Since God is holy, His people are called to be holy (cf. Ps. 15:1-5; 1 Pet. 1:14-15). In deepening intimacy with Christ, how are you growing in personal holiness and spiritual maturity?

Can you say with the psalmist in Psalm 119:9-11,

How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping it according to Your word.
With all my heart I have sought You;
Do not let me wander from Your commandments.
Your word I have treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You.

Seek to walk by the Spirit to be filled with the Spirit, and so produce the fruit of the Spirit (Rom. 8:13-14; Eph. 5:18; gal. 5:16-25).

Are you practicing (and growing in) Spirit-led love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? Or, are you prioritizing a stronger GPA, a more impressive résumé, accumulating academic or work experience, or attending life workshops? These are not evil or wrong, but are often exalted to highest priorities, which may contribute to the experience of spiritual trials in transitions.

5. Preach to yourself.

Do not allow your emotions, feelings, or fantasies dictate how you think or act. You may understandably experience depressive emotions or struggle with despondency/despair. Similar to circumstances, your emotions do not dictate the truths of Scripture. If you do not actively fill your mind with the truth of Scripture, you may spiral downward in your own false and condemning thoughts, and respond sinfully (e.g. laziness).

Seek to renew your mind (cf. Rom. 12:2; Phil. 4:8; Col. 3:16). Capture every thought for Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 10:5). Remind yourself of the gospel of Christ that has secured for you eternal hope, in which you eagerly await for Christ’s return. Reading Ephesians 1-3 can be helpful!

6. Persevere with patience.

Life circumstances and transitions are merely earthly seasons of life. They will eventually pass. They do not compare with the glory and duration of eternity, of the life to come with Christ. Remember Paul’s encouragement in 2 Cor. 4:16-18,

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Remember that all that God leads you through is under His sovereignty. It all fits in His eternal purposes and plans. Persevere knowing that God is using you, your life, even tumultuous transitions, for His Kingdom and for your sanctification (cf. Gen. 50:20; James 1:2-4; 1 Pet. 1:6-9).

Indeed, transitions can be difficult. Thankfully, God has instructed us on how to live for Him in all circumstances.

I suggest the following supplemental resources:

Reflections from the Fireflies Ministry

by Mabel Tse

The end of each academic year allows us to reflect on what has taken place over the last year. In the Fireflies ministry, we have enjoyed many blessings in the last year. Through Bible lessons, memory verses and songs, our little ones are continuously exposed to the simplicity of the Gospel truth. It has always been our prayer that LBC’s Fireflies ministry would help to lay a strong foundation upon which to build the future. We thank the parents of all our babies and toddlers this year who provided us the opportunity to serve in this way!

Our roster included about 10 babies and about 25 toddlers this past year. The upcoming transition time when some of our Fireflies toddlers will be graduating is particularly rewarding for our family this year, as our oldest daughter will have gone through the entire nursery curriculum over the last 3 years and will be settling into Sparklers this next quarter. We have seen her learn to love church and to love other members and their kids.

More importantly, as many other parents of Fireflies-aged children can attest to, we are thankful for the nursery workers who have instilled in our children a joyfulness in the Lord that comes from constant exposure to the simple truths of God’s word. Their familiarity with numerous Bible passages and their interest in learning more about the people in the stories provides the Fireflies’ staff (and the parents) an opportunity to explain what the love, kindness, patience, and holiness of God mean.

The time we have with our children is precious, and the Fireflies ministry and our staff are thankful to the rest of the church body for giving us an opportunity to care for and instruct their children in the ways of the Lord. As this academic year draws to an end, we look forward to more opportunities to serve the congregation and the little ones.

Grace Life Weekender with Dr. Ernie Baker

by Brian and Beverly Chan

Editor’s Note: Audio from the conference can be found here; a brief overview of Dr. Baker and some of his additional materials can be found here.

1) What happened at the Grace Life Weekend Conference? Who was the speaker? What was the theme?

The Gracelifers had our annual three-day conference at church. Dr. Ernie Baker was the speaker and the theme was on “parenting as a discipleship ministry.”

2) What topics were covered in the main sessions?

The main topic was on keeping critical parts of your marriage and parenting front and center by organizing you family life around those things. This was huge as it provided the foundation from which we could build the rest of the material off of.

Other topics were parenting as a discipleship ministry, peacemaking as a family, the discipline of children, and a healthy dose on the importance of family worship.

3) How was the conference helpful, encouraging, and/or challenging?

First, the conference was helpful in affirming the things we have been taught at Lighthouse through the years. There wasn’t anything new that we haven’t already been taught by the current or previous leadership (Pastors Patrick Cho and John Kim). So in that sense, it was a great endorsement that the teaching we get at Lighthouse is reliable and trustworthy.

Second, it was encouraging to hear from someone who has gone through the journey of parenting, is now a grandparent, and can share reflections and lessons learned from this journey. While the same biblical principles apply, how it gets played out in life may differ from family to family. You’re really just looking for nuggets of practical suggestions that may or may not work for your family. Ultimately, you have to decide what to try out; there’s no chapter and verse for what date nights should look like or how family devotions should be conducted. So hearing what some of Dr. Baker’s family traditions were, how they handled certain discipline situations, how they worked on their marriage throughout that time, and how they handled different family struggles were all very challenging and encouraging to hear.

Lastly, Dr. Baker was a great speaker who was easy to follow and understand. He presented an even mix of theology and practical suggestions that we feel was worth the time.

4) What has been some of the positive feedback you’ve heard about the conference from others?

People are motivated. We understand how much we really are under-performing in the eyes of the Lord and how much work still has to be done in our own hearts before turning our attention to our children. None of us know how much time God has given us with our children and we definitely need to do a better job of redeeming our time with them. We need to strive to be more mature in following God’s prescription for parenting while understanding that ultimately, the salvation of our children is in God’s hands alone.

While the degradation of American culture does make it harder, we are still called to follow the timeless biblical principles for parenting. It’s encouraging to know that even though we fail time and time again, we serve a gracious God and are thankful for His continual forgiveness of our failures and shortcomings. There’s still a tremendous amount of work to do and with the help of the Spirit and the encouragement of our peers at church, we’re ready to make the changes we need to make and help improve the spiritual health of the church one family at a time.

Sow Bountifully

by Haiqiao Lin

Like it or not, money is a big part of our lives today. Every day, we are bombarded with advertisements telling us how to spend money. At the same time, we are reminded that we need to use our money wisely and save for retirement. As Christians, we are additionally concerned with giving away some of our money. Despite the weekly reminder during the offering time at church, I find that I often have a distorted view of giving that is influenced more by the world than by the Bible. So I am thankful that in the Singles Ministry, we recently had the opportunity to hear a very practical message about this important topic. We have been going through 2 Corinthians in our Wednesday night Bible studies. In the 9th Chapter of the book, the Apostle Paul addresses topic of money to the Corinthian church. In the first part of the chapter, he commends the Corinthians for their promise of a generous donation. Then, in the second part of the chapter (verses 6-15), he gives a brief discourse on the theology of giving. Alex Ko’s message entitled “Sow Bountifully” outlined 5 blessings we can reap from giving generously, based on this passage:

  1. We receive love from God. Verse 7 says that “God loves a cheerful giver.” We don’t often read in the Bible that God loves us based on something that we do. So when we see it put this plainly, we ought to pay attention!
  2. We receive generosity from God. We read in verse 10-11, “he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way.” When we give generously, God promises to supply us everything that we need. There is an emphasis here on spiritual blessings; sowing righteous works will result in reaping an “increased harvest of righteousness”. However, God may also bless us with material prosperity so that we in turn would be able to give even more generously
  3. We give glory to God. Verses 12-13 read, “for the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God… they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others.” Our generous giving brings glory to God in two ways. First, we supply the needs of other believers, which causes them to give thanks to God. Secondly, our giving demonstrates our obedience to the gospel of Christ, which causes other believers to glorify God for the transformation he has worked in our lives.
  4. We gain friends from God. Verse 14 continues, “they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you.” Even though we should not give with the expectation of being repaid (Luke 6:34), we learn here that one of the blessings of generosity is that we gain friends who will pray for us and fellowship with us. This is a far greater reward than financial repayment!
  5. We grow in likeness to God. The chapter concludes with verse 15: “thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” We are reminded here that the ultimate reason for us to give generously is because God first demonstrated great generosity to us by providing salvation through Jesus Christ. In the previous chapter, Paul makes this connection explicitly: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). Through the act of giving, we have the opportunity to demonstrate Christlike behavior in a very practical way.

In addition to describing the benefits, Paul also explains what generous giving looks like: “each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” From this single verse we can learn 5 different aspects of generous giving:

  1. It is a decision. We should not limit ourselves to reactive giving (i.e. in response to a sudden or urgent need) or occasional giving (i.e. when we happen to remember or are “in a giving mood”). On the contrary, generous giving involves deliberate, purposeful planning.
  2. It is decided in the heart. Giving should be determined privately, between a person and God. We shouldn’t determine our giving based on social expectations or comparison to others.
  3. It is not done grudgingly. While Paul certainly expects Christians to give, he makes it clear that giving is a privilege that we should participate in joyfully, not an obligation that we perform reluctantly.
  4. It is not done under compulsion. While giving a tithe was expected out of the Israelites under the Mosaic law, it is never commanded in the New Testament. Paul’s instructions here should be understood as a fulfillment of that Old Testament law. God doesn’t need our money to accomplish his will.
  5. It is done cheerfully. Note that Paul doesn’t say that God loves a “sacrificial” or “big” giver. I’ve heard it suggested that we should give until it hurts, or until our giving has a noticeable impact on how we spend the rest of our money. This might be helpful advice for some people. However, I think Paul’s words here imply that we should not only consider how our giving affects us financially, but also how it affects us emotionally!

These instructions make it clear that while the practical aspects of giving are important (e.g. how much and to whom we give), the attitude behind our giving is even more important. This is consistent with what we know about God’s character, that while man looks at outward appearances, God looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). As someone who often finds it difficult to be generous with my money, this is an uncomfortable teaching. It means I can’t truly become more generous simply by trying harder and giving more. However, the good news is that because of the gospel, true internal change can and does happen in the lives of believers! I pray that this biblical teaching on the blessings of giving generously will help me to not only truly desire to become more generous, but to work hard at it, knowing that it is really the Holy Spirit which empowers such change in my life. I’m really grateful for the solid teaching that we receive at LBC, and I look forward to the remainder of the series and the continued chances to learn and fellowship with the other members!

SWOT Analysis

Editor’s Note: This article highlights the main points of Roger’s last sermon as the College Life coordinator. You can listen to the full message here. 

by Roger Alcaraz

The end of the school year presents us an opportunity to consider this past year as it relates to College Life and evaluate what we did well or not well and then to consider the years ahead of us. To do so, I’ll be using SWOT analysis, which stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. And while I could see myself writing endlessly, I’ve chosen only to highlight one area from each category. This evaluation will be of the ministry as a whole, so don’t be upset if you feel like it doesn’t describe you as an individual.

Strength: A Deep Love for God and People

Now this is the part of the article where I just brag about you, so just sit back and get ready to have your ears tickled as I shower you with praise. In short, I am glad that if there is any strength in this ministry, it’s in the area of love because it follows the two greatest commands in scripture.

If you’re a member here you should be able to guess where I’m turning for this one, but in Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus teaches that every command in Scripture falls under the umbrellas of loving God or loving your neighbor as yourself. Furthermore, one verb connects the two commands: to love. If all of the commands we’ve been given came down to one word, that word would be “Love!”

We have a Facebook group that I get excited about because what was originally intended to be a place where people socialize, College Life has redeemed it into a place where people volunteer to serve others. There are people offering others rides. People cooking for others. When new people post that they want to get to know others, they get 10 responses immediately. I remember one time I posted that my wife and I would be on campus and asked if anyone would be willing to buy us dinner. I was so confident that someone was going to buy us dinner that we left our house before even getting a response. And not to our surprise, we were fed that night by a generous collegian.

But it’s more than caring for each other’s spiritual needs: you care for one another’s souls. I love hearing of all the events that the students organize on their own to have a time of prayer and accountability with one another, and how there’s a real intention to build each other up whenever possible. This is something I hope continues and maybe it’ll take on different forms but I hope the heart behind it stays the same.

Weakness: Integration with the Rest of the Church

Titus 2 talks about older men and older women of the church and how they are to lead by example and instruct those who are younger. I got to wondering, what was the age gap between these old men and women and the young ones?

We can’t say with absolute precision, but the word use for older men and women is presbetes which literally means “one who is advanced in years.” So these aren’t just men and women who are older, but these are people who are innately old, apart from any reference point. Thus, these are presumably men and women who are much older, especially since the “young women” in verse 4 are said to have a husband and children. I don’t think I (as a 27 year-old) would have been lumped into the older men category.

Yet the paradigm for ministry in the church is that older, and presumably more mature, teaches the younger. It’s not enough to learn from someone who is ahead in the race by a few steps. You need to learn from the one who’s laps ahead of you.

Collegians always have questions about dating and you get the opinion of other collegians, but why not talk to people who’ve been through it, and have already considered the necessary principles, and can also tell you of the trials and temptations that lie ahead of you? I know it’s your desire to be integrated with the rest of the church because every time we have an event where an opportunity arises to go to another member’s home, you jump at the chance. But what I don’t want to see is you needing an organized program in order to get you to do it.

What I want to see is you building relationships with those older in the church so that you could learn from them and also be able to serve them. Even if you don’t know them yet, get to know them. Some ways to do this may be taking them out for a meal, spending an afternoon with them, or conversing with them after church service.

Opportunity: Newcomers

In Romans 16:1-2, Paul writes about someone who was transferring to the church of Rome and gives instruction concerning this newcomer. The first is that they welcome her in a way worthy of the saints. This means as newcomers arrive, you ought to receive them as you would your own brother or sister so that they can instantly feel loved.

And not only that, Paul instructed the church to help this newcomer in whatever need they had. What we don’t see is a waiting period in the church for a fellow believer to be included and cared for. This is something I see you all doing well which is why it’s in the opportunity section. But it’s something that you’re going to have to keep doing because there will always be someone new to extend love to.

Even if they’re not a believer, love still has to be extended. If there is one primary reason why people stop coming to church, I would say it’s because they don’t feel loved when they come in. And some of the blame might be on them if they avoid people and don’t give others much of a chance to love them. But all the more, you need to be watchful over that because that is an opportunity to help someone be part of the flock of God.

Threat: People Falling through the Cracks

It used to be that if there were someone missing from College Life, it was easily noticeable. It’s gotten a lot harder since then because the group is bigger than ever. And I suspect the problem will only get worse.

I remember one time I came to Bible study late. This was while I was in college and I thought nobody would notice. After all, what’s one guy missing? I snuck in after Bible study, but then someone noticed I wasn’t there the whole time and asked me, “Where were you?”

The truth was that I didn’t want to be at church. Even as a believer, there were times when I was deeply grieved by my own sin and circumstances, and I didn’t feel like faking a smile.

There can be a sense that if you attend Lighthouse, you have to be doing well, otherwise you’re in the wrong place. And so people put up walls, and they put on a face to make it look like everything’s okay. For some people, they leave Lighthouse because they’re hurting, and when they come to church, the pain only worsens because they feel they have to hide their struggles. Instead of feeling like church is a like a hospital for the broken, they see church as wax museum of happy faces.

The danger for us is that College Life will be a place where the broken and hurting feel they don’t belong. As the ministry grows, it’s going to be harder to detect who’s hurting. My final encouragement to you is to be intentional in your relationships so that no one falls through the cracks.

Lumos Update: New Ministry Coordinator – Johnny Kim

by Josh Liu

There are some major changes taking place at Lighthouse. We hope that these prospective transitions will further improve our effectiveness and faithfulness in ministry. One such transition is that Johnny Kim will become the Lumos youth ministry coordinator. I am personally excited for Johnny to lead Lumos. I have asked him to answer a few questions so that you can get a head start on getting to know him!

Describe yourself and your family (e.g. occupation, ministry, etc.).

I was born and raised in San Diego by Christian parents and attended church my entire life. I went to college in Arizona where I graduated with an aerospace engineering degree, then came back to San Diego where I have been ever since. I am married to my lovely wife Mimi and together we have two boys, Matthew and Philip. By day, I work as an aerospace engineer, but in the evenings and on the weekends, I spend my time ministering to my family and to the church. I currently serve as an elder in the church and most recently had the privilege of leading the Single Life Ministry. I became a member at Lighthouse in 2007 and ever since then, I have been continually blessed to be part of a God-fearing, Bible-believing church family.

How did God save you?

God saved me through a gradual process by which He revealed to me the truth of the Gospel through faithful Christian parents and through the church. While growing up, I had plenty of opportunities to witness my parents demonstrate what it meant to live a Christian life by the way they sacrificed for one another, our family, and by the way they served the church. In church, I had the opportunity to learn more about God and His Word through Sunday School and later on in youth group. After several youth group messages, bible studies, and retreats, it was sometime in early high school that I realized that the Holy Spirit was gradually changing my heart to desire to live for Christ. One day I just realized that I had an overwhelming desire to submit my entire life to Him. While I can’t pinpoint an exact time or moment for my conversion, it was during my time in youth group that I remember being able to feel and know the assurance and certainty of my salvation.

How did you meet Mimi?

Mimi attended the same church that I attended prior to coming to Lighthouse. Long story short, we started dating when she started college in 2005. Four years later, she received a diploma from her school and an engagement ring from me and we were married in the Fall. Today, I am constantly reminded of God’s grace through a forgiving, understanding, and sacrificial wife in Mimi. I am extremely grateful and blessed to have found a partner and best friend in her for life and for ministry.

What are your favorite hobbies?

My favorite hobbies include spending time with people, pretending to like playing sports, and eating the cheapest and most filling food I can get my hands on.

If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?

Initially, I am tempted to say that I would want the power to fly. But upon further consideration, I realize that would probably be a waste. In 20 years or so, flying cars could very well become mainstream and then I would look like a fool, flying around with my super power while everyone else around me is flying around in the comfort of their flying cars. Kind of like if you saw someone today running down the middle of the freeway in the midst of speeding cars. Anyway, I would probably just give up flying and just give in and eventually buy myself a flying car so I could finally fly around with air conditioning, heating, and cupholders. And whenever I get stuck in sky traffic, I’m sure I’ll be daydreaming and wishing I had the super power of teleportation. So yeah, never mind about flying. I would want to have the super power of teleportation.

Describe your youth ministry serving experience.

After I graduated high school and left for college, I had the opportunity during summer breaks to come back and help serve on staff for the youth ministry at my previous church. Even though it was just for the summer, I enjoyed spending the short time investing in youth and being a source of encouragement and guidance for them. After I graduated college, I was finally able to join the youth staff year round. As a single working adult with time and now money, serving in the youth ministry seemed to be a perfect fit. I enjoyed simply spending time with youth, treating them to meals, and listening to the things going on in their life. It was rewarding being able to witness youth turning their lives over to Christ and also humbling to be used by God to help them understand what it meant to submit to Christ’s lordship. In the end, it was a joy to be able to serve the same youth ministry that had been such an important instrument that God used for my own life.

What was your favorite memory/experience from your own youth group?

My favorite memory/experience from when I was in youth group were the times when I would spend all day at church together with my youth group friends. There were many Saturdays and Sundays, and even some weekdays during the summer, when we would just hang out at church from morning until evening. It seemed at the time that it really didn’t matter for us what there was to do or what event was going on at church so long as we were together. The close relationships that we shared made for much more meaningful experiences when we would hear the Gospel together, learn the Bible together, and serve on missions together.

What are you most excited for in serving in Lumos?

I am most excited to be able to come alongside parents to help shepherd and disciple their youth age children. I am excited at the prospect that I might have the chance to see up close their hearts turning away from the world and toward Christ. I am also excited to be playing even the smallest role in helping to establish and strengthen a youth ministry that God-willing my own children will be a part of someday!

A Day in the Life of Sparklers Staff

by Brian Gin

Every Sunday Sparkler Staff all gather before service and go over the Bible lesson. The teacher shares the lesson, going through one last practice with whatever props they need, and the other staff are given a chance to provide input or advice. Finally Kyle Grindley usually ends with announcements. During one of these meetings, Kyle announced that we were no longer going to refer to the “Bible Stories” as stories, we were going to call it the lesson. This was to help the children understand that what they are being taught is not just a story, like fictional books, but a lesson based on real history, based on the Bible, the inerrant word of God.

This epitomizes a big part of what I’ve learned while being a part of Sparkler’s staff. We have to choose the words we use to teach and interact with the kids with care and consideration. Children at this age have a rapidly growing vocabulary. We have to make sure the kids understand all the words we use in our explanations of difficult concepts. We try to stay as close to the text as possible while teaching the lesson in a way that is understandable.

In each lesson we try to link the lesson with the gospel, in greater or less depth depending on time and appropriateness of the lesson. We explain that we all have evil hearts that result in evil fruits. But if we believe that Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, and then rose again after three days, we can get good hearts and start producing good fruit.

Every lesson has one main point we try to get across to the kids. Some examples of points are: God is powerful, Jesus is God, or Jesus is preparing His disciples for His departure. We try to make sure we hit that point a few times throughout the lesson to make sure the kids can understand what we’re trying to teach them about God. Our hope is that by repeating the main point and presenting the gospel, we would plant the seeds that ultimately lead the children to salvation.

We also have a small group time to make sure that any difficult words or concepts are explained adequately to the kids. Normally the older kids have more questions, and it helps immensely to have parents who are teachers help us figure out what kinds of things the kids have a hard time understanding, even if the kids don’t say anything.

I am slowly learning how to choose my words, which starts with preparing my heart each Sunday along with the other teachers. I learn so much from the other teachers on how to interact with the kids and make sure God uses me to teach them the right lessons and words. I pray that God would lead any child that walks into Sparklers would commit to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Singles Update: Unequally Yoked

by Herman Wang

Attending Single Life Ministry Bible Study on Wednesday nights is always a joy and blessing for me. Gathering together with fellow believers to worship God and hear his Word preached in the middle of the week and being able to apply what I have learned the very next day at work are tremendous blessings. Recently, Elder Johnny Kim spoke about what it means to separate ourselves from non-believers, the reason why we should separate ourselves from non-believers, and the blessings that come from obeying this command in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18:

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,
“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you,
and I will be a father to you,
and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.”

I’m glad that Johnny reminded me that what this command doesn’t mean is to be totally disengaged with non-believers. As Christians, we are to evangelize to non-believers (Matthew 28:18-20) which require talking to and engaging with non-believers. If that were not so, then there is no reason for us to remain on earth after being born again. As Johnny explained, we would be better off in Heaven where we can perfectly worship God. But the truth is God keeps us here on earth to do the ministry of evangelism, which requires engaging with the lost.

So what does it mean to be unequally yoked with a non-believer? A yoke is a wooden frame that is placed over the necks of two animals for the purpose of achieving a common goal. In Deuteronomy 22:10, God forbade an ox and a donkey to be yoked together because two animals of different kinds have incompatible natures. 2 Corinthians 6 alludes to this but is specifically directed towards spiritual activities. A believer and non-believer are not to partner together in spiritual activities and pursuits. The reason is that a believer and a non-believer are complete polar opposites when it comes to spiritual nature. Paul compared a believer and non-believer with righteousness and lawlessness, light and darkness, Jesus and Satan.

I remember growing up watching “Super Friends” on Saturday mornings, and there was this super villain named Bizarro. He was created when Superman was subjected to a “duplicate ray” and was a mirror image of Superman with all of Superman’s powers, but was Superman’s exact opposite: Superman was good, and Bizarro was evil. I imagine what would happen if a similar thing happened to me where the person that I was before I was born again were to appear before me and asked me to hang out and do all of the things that I used to do. If I were to comply, then I would be going back to my old ways of life. But as Paul stated in Colossians 3:3, I have died to my old self and my life is now in Christ. So if I were to have any fellowship with that old self, an unbeliever, then that is how I would see myself being unequally yoked.

This is a good reminder of being mindful of who we are, that we have taken the yoke of Christ (Matthew 11:28-30), that we are united with Him. And for us to be yoked with an unbeliever, whether it be in marriage or some other spiritual enterprise, would be as if Christ were united with an unbeliever in that same spiritual enterprise, and that would be sin.

Making Sense of Money

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.

Biblical Friendship #7: The Company We Keep (Book Review)

Book: The Company We Keep: In Search of Biblical Friendship by Jonathan Holmes

Review by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

When you think of friends, what immediately comes to mind? For many, the popular 90’s show Friends, with six quirky characters, and the catchy theme song, pops in their head. Or, you may think back to your high school days when you had a group of people that you regularly spent time with during lunch, in class, or outside the classroom. Maybe you think of your buddies that were on the same team with you in whatever sport you participated. Or, you may just think to yourself, “I wish I had friends.”

We typically think of friends as the people we get along with best, have the most in common with, enjoy a hobby together, or even live with. The common interests that are shared are generally what keep you guys (or gals) staying friends. We use phrases like, “We really gel well,” or, “We’ve been through so much together” in order to describe the friendships we have, and continually seek more of the same. We spend time with them because we like them, and (as far as we know) they like us; we always feel like we have a good time together.

Other times, a disagreement arises between friends, which can fester and color our interactions with each other in the future. A careless word is spoken, a misunderstood action is done to the other, or expectations have become unrealized. Now we’re on the lookout for a better friend, one who won’t disappoint us the way our last friend did, and on and on the cycle continues. We start to wonder what it is about others that cause friendships to end, and what is wrong with us that we seem to be out on the market for another friend for the umpteenth time. Is there any way we can get out of this spiral?

Enter The Company We Keep: In Search of Biblical Friendship, a short book written by Pastor Jonathan Holmes of Parkside Church. Looking at the landscape of friendships amongst Christians in terms of its formation and maintenance, Holmes notices that friendships between Christians don’t look all that different than friendships outside the church. His concern is that God’s view of friendships has been largely overlooked, and calls for a renewed understanding of Scripture’s teaching on the subject: “I want to try to show you God’s great design for biblical friendship and describe how we can all take concrete steps toward the kind of friendships that can and should exist among believers.” (p. 17)

Rooting the origin of friendship in the Triune nature of God Himself, Holmes identifies man’s nature as made in His image to best reflect that image in terms of a community. As Genesis 2:18 says, “Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a helper fit for him.” The focus of this verse has been on the created design that a wife be her husband’s helper, and rightly so. However, an overlooked fact is that God began that statement identifying the relational aspect of man in saying, “it is not good that the man should be alone.” The pursuit of friendships supersedes that of common interest, and instead focuses on the nature of man as a relational being, made to reflect God as Triune.

The problem of friendships has everything to do with the Fall, and how it has affected our relationship with God, our motives for friendship, and our relationships with others. We no longer pursue friendship as an extension of glorifying God, but to gain some personal benefit. Whom we become friends with tell a story, either in what we look for in a friend (common interest, be it sports or a hobby), or in demonstrating the power of God working in the lives of two sinners in need of redeeming grace. Typically, the former is what drives many people to friendship, leading to a different story told other than the gospel’s transforming power.

“When we embody biblical friendship, we bear Jesus’ image, his character, his priorities, and his glory. No longer will our friendships be situated merely around common circumstances or interests, but will instead become an embodied commitment to live out the image of God together in every area of our life.” (p. 25)

All that being said, what then is friendship?

“Biblical friendship exists when two or more people, bound together by a common faith in Jesus Christ, pursue him and his kingdom with intentionality and vulnerability. Rather than serving as an end in itself, biblical friendship serves primarily to bring glory to Christ, who brought us into friendship with the Father. It is indispensable to the work of the gospel in the earth, and an essential element of what God created us for.” (p. 27)

Remembering the fact that Jesus died and resurrected, and He now calls you friend, Holmes spends the rest of the book fleshing out this definition, and demonstrating how Scripture gives a full-orbed, comprehensive picture of what friendship looks like through God’s eyes. Chapter 2 looks at the substitutes for biblical friendship that many tend to fall into: social media, specialized interest (stage of life, common interest), and selfish friendships. His quotation of Nicholas Tuffnell on the problem with Facebook Friend lays bare the futility of seeking those kind of friendships:

“On a slightly deeper note, there’s something about the relentless happiness of people on Facebook that I find monstrous. Everyone is apparently always somewhere better than I am and what’s more, they’re having a brilliant time. My life is not like that. In reality, no one’s life is like that, these are of course constructed narratives, our “best ofs”— but sometimes it’s hard to reason to yourself that these people aren’t having fun all the time when all you ever see of them is pictures of them having fun all the time. I suddenly start to feel pangs of inadequacy and jealousy… and these people are supposed to be my friends.” (p. 33)

Chapter 3 focuses its attention on what the marks of biblical friendship are: constancy, candor, carefulness, and counsel. Getting his cue from Proverbs, Holmes lays out a beautiful picture of friendship that Scripture has painted concerning friendship that demonstrates the wisdom of God in providing for us what may draw us closer to Him. Constancy is a rarity amongst friends, as different and varied reasons are given for why friendships end, some good, but most bad. One only has to think of friendships among elementary school-aged children to see how fickle ‘friendships’ last. Proverbs 18:24 states, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Biblical friendship has a consistency built within, because the end goal is maturity in Christ, and that doesn’t stop until we see Him face to face.

Candor deals with the ability of another to speak the truth in love for the good of your friend, and vice versa. Proverbs 27:5-6 states, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. [6] Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” More than just giving correction, a friend is one who will defend you against the world, the Evil One, and your flesh.

Carefulness emphasizes the care one should have for another as a friend. Here, Holmes writes of the areas of speech, timing, and stewardship. As our knowledge of one another grows, we have more of an entry point to give timely words of care to those we have committed to friendship together:

“[A]s friendship grows and develops, we must continue to engage in a faithful pursuit of the heart, thus emulating Jesus’ knowledge and pursuit of us. This growing knowledge will help our words become ever more careful, considerate, and effective.” (p. 55)

Counsel in friendship is “inter-personal ministry. It is living out the one-anothers of Scripture together.” (ibid) As seen in Proverbs 27:9, “Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.” This aspect of friendship is sorely lacking among those who call Christ as their Savior and Wonderful Counselor.

Chapter 4 introduces the proper setting for friendship to flourish, which comes down to having the right attitudes and goals in a friendship, and using the blessing of conversation and context to foster these attitudes and serve the goals of ultimately glorifying God through these relationships. Chapter 5 lays bare the threats to friendship, which includes personal sin, an incomplete grasp of the gospel, false expectations and the homophobia boogeyman. Chapter 6 brings the book to a close by focusing on the purpose of friendship, since all that came before can tempt one to give up altogether, seeing the work it would take to establish a biblical friendship. What Holmes makes sure his readers understand is that the effort believers should take in fostering friendship is in the light of God’s grace, not our own perfect performance. There is a unity that must be cultivated, which comes from a genuine endurance through the ups and downs of life as you together show the unity of the body of Christ, and the power of the gospel to a lost and dying world. The book also has an appendix answering some common questions from a practical standpoint.

Reading this book made me reflect much on my own attempts at biblical friendship, and the many failures I have personally experienced in my selfish desire to receive the benefits of friendship without contributing my part in the relationship. Considering the marks of friendship brought a whole new appreciation for the friends I have who are currently intentional in their pursuit of biblical friendship. This may have been my first time being exposed to the wealth of wisdom from Proverbs in what it has to say concerning friendship. A passing reference here, a head nod over there from articles and books that lightly touched on friendship, this book stands head and shoulders above the current literature on the topic.

If you want to evaluate biblically your current friendships, this is definitely the book worth investing your time looking into. I am very thankful to have read this book, and commend it to you. May our friendships all reflect the glory of God and point others to the cross of Christ because, and not in spite of, our friendships.