Category Archives: Affinity Groups

Single Life Ministry Update

by Elder Johnny Kim

With summer behind us, the Single Life ministry had been gearing up for the new term which started in October. Since the Single Life year typically follows the academic year, in some sense, it feels as though we too are heading back to school. With that mentality, we find ourselves thinking ahead, anticipating what we might learn and experience in the upcoming year, determined to do our best to make it profitable and fruitful. Whether it’s through the Wednesday night Bible studies, the fellowship with like-minded brothers and sisters, or through the accountability we receive in small groups, opportunities abound for us to grow spiritually within the Single Life ministry. However, to borrow more from the analogy to school, unfortunately we can sometimes find ourselves fired up at the beginning of the year, resolved to make the most of those opportunities for the sake of our spiritual growth only to find that after a month or so, that fire of determination has fizzled out. We put our lives on cruise control and coast for the rest of the year without making much headway or progress, but doing enough just to “get by”. If we could be given the ability to take a snapshot of our spiritual state at the beginning of the year and at the end, one might even be hard pressed to see any difference.

As we look forward to this upcoming year in Single Life, it’s a good time to be reminded that the Christian life in general is meant to be a life of ongoing sanctification. In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul likens our Christian life to a race and like those who run in a race, we are to be constantly moving forward, pressing on and striving towards greater Christ-likeness in our lives. Those who run in a race, be it the 100 meter dash or a marathon, don’t stop to rest or to lie down and take a break in the middle of it, or worse, start going in the opposite direction. In the same way, Christian sanctification means that we are continually seeking to be more like Christ. To anyone observing a race, it’s clear the direction that the runners are headed. To anyone observing a Christian life, it should be just as clear that it’s a life headed in the direction of holiness.

The Single Life ministry is for those who desire to run the Christian race together. It’s a ministry devoted to the sanctification of singles and for those who desire to become more like Christ in every aspect of life (2 Corinthians 3:18). With each passing week, with every message preached, and with every small group accountability meeting, we should find ourselves that much closer to walking like Christ, talking like Christ, and loving like Christ. And as we worship together as one body, we are to constantly encourage one another and exhort one another toward that end. Throughout this year, my hope is that the singles would gain a greater understanding of God and who He is, a deeper desire and hunger for His Word, and a greater love for Christ and more joy in obeying Him. And at the end of this Single Life year, my hope is that we could somehow look back to the image of our spiritual lives now and see a difference that would be unmistakably clear and unmistakably positive.

For all of us who are Christian, regardless of whether we’re in Single Life or not, sanctification is going to be a lifelong process (Proverbs 20:9). And as long as we are sinners and as long as God is holy, we will face a constant struggle to conform our lives to the standard in His Word. It is a process that doesn’t let up, nor should it ever slow down even as we get older. So then, for all those who seek to be sanctified, the question we need to ask ourselves at the end of each day is simple: “Does my life look more like Christ’s today than it did yesterday?”

Being Part of the Local Church

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.

An Introduction to a Biblical Philosophy of Youth Ministry

by Josh Liu

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” (2 Timothy 4:1-2)

In my experience and observations, many church ministries, most often youth ministries, seem to be solicited with “new” and “improved” ministry models, entertainment activities, youth development insights, and/or suggestions of how to deepen connection or community with youth. These are not intrinsically evil or wrong, but they often become the driving force of ministry, by which everything else is subjected to. Granted, we ought to continually examine our ministries. Yet the standard by which we examine our ministries is Scripture–the inspired, inerrant, totally sufficient Word of God (cf. 2 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:3, 16-21). God has not left it to man to decide how the goals of the church be carried out (cf. 1 Thess. 2:3-4; Titus 2:1).

According to Scripture, a priority of the Church is to glorify God by making disciples of Christ by going, baptizing, and teaching the whole counsel of God’s Word (Matt. 28:18-20; cf. Acts 14:21-23). In the spirit of that mission, Lumos youth ministry exists to glorify God in the lives of youth adults in the San Diego community by partnering with parents in the discipleship of their children, which is carried out through preaching and teaching God’s Word, and fellowship with and mentoring by older godly men and women. We do not attempt to mask Bible studies with entertaining activities, sentimental or emotion-inducing singing or setup, or prolific opportunities to get youth to “just do something” in the church. The focal point of Lumos is the preaching, teaching, and counseling through God’s Word.

Thus, this year’s Friday night youth Bible studies will be going through the Book of Romans expositionally (verse by verse). We also have been using the Navigator’s Topical Memory System list of verses with a desire to make Scripture memorization a vital spiritual discipline. Some of those verses are examples of prooftexting (interpreting and applying a verse without regard to its context and author’s intended meaning). As we memorize a verse each week, we study them in their respective context. During Sunday school hour on Sundays, we will be going through hermeneutics training and topical series (e.g. Old Testament/New Testament survey, Jesus’ parables). As you can see, we seek to preach the Word; to reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. Lumos is not defined by its activities, perceived comfort of “community,” praise band, appeasement of parents, and so on. We truly believe Scripture, that God works through His Word and the proclamation of His gospel (cf. Is. 55:11; Mark 4:14-20, 26-29; Rom. 1:16-17; 10:14-16; 2 Tim. 3:15), and that He receives most glory through the ministry His Word (cf. 1 Pet. 4:11).

Church, we encourage you to actively participate in the ministry of prayer and God’s Word toward one another, including the youth in our churches.

Reflections on Premarital Counseling

by Joseph and Lynn Ho

By God’s grace, we have been happily married for over two weeks now. Yes, you can say that the two of us are enjoying the honeymoon phase of our marriage (and we love every moment of it!), but even in the short time we’ve been married, we come to understand that marriage is something that requires active nurturing with a humble heart towards God and one another. We are blessed to be in a church that has a high view of God and His Word and be taught the biblical view of marriage. And so, in this short reflection, we would like to share a bit about how the biblical teachings of our premarital counseling has prepared us for our union and helped us build our marriage daily.

First, the premarital class prepared us to think about marriage Biblically. In today’s society, people generally approach marriage with a self-centered view that the wedding must be everything they have dreamed of and that marriage is about making them happy. Even during our engagement, it was easy to become overwhelmed by the joyful anticipation of marriage and consumed by the daunting task of planning all the details of the wedding and reception. But planning a Christ-centered wedding means that from the decorations, to the attire, to the food and entertainment, every detail is to proclaim the boldness and purity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We learned in Ephesians 5:22-33 that a wife is to learn to submit to the leadership of her husband just like the Church submits herself to Christ, and a husband is to learn to love and cherish his wife and lead her to holiness just like Christ loves his Church and purifies her from sin by dying for her on the cross. Marriage, ultimately then, is to not to make us happy, but to reflect the perfect love relationship between Christ and His Church.

Second, the premarital class taught us the importance of humility. This truth takes center stage in regards to understanding men and women’s role as God has designed it. The Bible reminds us that even though we are created equal before God, God has given us different roles and purposes. The husband is to learn to provide for the home both physically and spiritually and help his wife reach her full potential in the Lord (1Timothy 3:4-5; 1 Peter 3:7), while the wife is to learn to devote her energy and time in the home so that the word of God will not be reviled (Titus 2:3-5). Without humility, even in these acts of service towards each other, we could grow discontent and harbor attitudes of bitterness. Pastor Patrick reminds us that as a couple, we are always on the same team, and that we must always work together to display the greatness of God.

We are glad that we went through premarital! We’d say dedicating time to the premarital is as important as planning for the wedding. We highly recommend every engaged couple to go through the class thoughtfully and slowly. It will prepare you for the ever-continual pursuit of becoming the exemplary husband and excellent wife that God intends you to be.

A New Outlook on Life

by David Lee

When one becomes a Christian, change occurs in one’s life. As Paul writes in Galatians, the Christian proclaims that “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me…” Personally, my life saw many changes when I became a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ a number of years ago. As someone who was enslaved to sin, I joyfully heeded the call to my slavery to righteousness. My then newfound vigor to submit to my Lord (kupios) as his slave (doulous) brought me great comfort in understanding my life to be in His sole ownership. Moreover, I aligned my perspective of people as well as of Christ himself to one that is consistent with a biblical worldview. I began to view Christ as my Lord and Savior, and to view people with an understanding of their spiritual needs. Alas, here I am now, sitting six years past from the moment the God of the universe grasped me in His grip of salvation. As Roger Alcaraz preached on the eve of a recent midsummer bible study, he posed a challenge to me: Am I viewing Christ and people the way I should be?

In a sermon titled “A New Outlook on Life,” Roger expounded upon 2 Corinthians 5:16-17. His first point reminded us that Christ’s death should change our perspective on people. We see that in verse 16, Paul writes that as believers, “we regard no one according to the flesh.” Before one becomes a believer, the lens through which one views people is, sadly, primarily based on external judgment and under a worldly standard. A further assessment of the unbeliever’s view of people demonstrates that it is most often associated with self-centered motives. “What can this person do for me?” “ I’ve just met this person, but I don’t know how I feel about him/her. Does he/she make me feel good about myself?” These are often thoughts that most people don’t readily admit to have running through their heads. Even as believers, we struggle with these very thoughts. But as those who claim to follow Christ, how exactly should we be viewing people? 1 Samuel 16:7 tells us that “…the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks upon the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Clearly, we humans are not capable of looking on each other’s hearts, but the challenge posed here should be rather striking to us. Rather than regarding someone according to the flesh, we should be glancing over the simple outward appearance of man to avert our gaze with deep intention to consider the needs of the soul. Indeed, the cliché “It’s what’s on the inside that counts” comes to mind. But consider this, Christian: our perspective on the family, friends, and strangers around us who are in desperate need of the gospel should serve as an impetus for our desire to share His Word.

Furthermore, we believers have a new perspective on Christ. In Acts 26:9-11, Paul writes of his former hatred for Christians. Verse 11 reads, “And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.” How marvelous is Paul’s conversion, that he once heavily persecuted Christians himself, but upon his conversion to saving faith, only grew to love God more and more! As I reflect upon my own testimony, I am reminded by this passage of my need to actualize my profession of belief with the manner in which I live my life. I pray that my appreciation for Christ’s death and resurrection would invigorate my zeal for the gospel, flowing from my soul in an outward demonstration of loving others more. As the passage in 2 Corinthians continues, Paul states that we are a new creation. “The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (v. 17). As I consider the stark contrast between Paul’s life before and after his conversion, I wonder and present myself with this question: Am I portraying a similar transformation from my “former self”? Am I indeed an entirely new creation in Christ and not simply an “updated version”? Roger’s message challenged me to also evaluate how well I am living out the Passion of LBC’s MVP. As a Christian, my perspective on Christ and people should cause me to love God and people more, for it is because God first loved us by sending His son to die on our behalf that I can subsequently love those around me (1 John 4:19). My prayer is that our outlook on life may be one that cherishes our identity in Christ as a new creation and heeds the calling to honor our Almighty Father not only with our reverence of Him, but with our love for all people.

From Forgiven to Forgiving

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.

Lumos Summer Update: Welcome Matthew and Megan!

by Josh Liu

Since the summer began, the Lumos youth ministry has been taking a break from its usual Friday night Bible studies to join the combined Wednesday night Bible studies with the collegians and singles. The summer schedule allows a bit of a break for staffers to recuperate and to manage church summer activities (e.g. mission trips, park days, youth retreat). During the school year, many of the students are overwhelmingly busy and often unavailable; during the summer, many of the students become freer. To take advantage of this time, the youth staff have been hosting various activities. We have had birthday surprises, sleepovers, and pre-Bible study activities. During those pre-Bible study activities, we have gone hiking, worked on a scrapbook, played board games, and even made plastic yarn from used plastic shopping bags! It has been great getting to spend more time together!

youth_summer

As the summer draws to an end, we officially welcomed two new youth to Lumos as they moved up from the Sonlight elementary ministry: Matthew and Megan. I have personally known and served Matthew and Megan through the children’s ministry. It is quite exciting to see them grow and enter this next stage of life. I know that they have long awaited the moment they could join Lumos. To welcome them, some of the youth planned a welcome party. By tradition, the new youth were greeted with a human tunnel to run through–there was a lot of cheering and excitement! We began with lunch, which Janet helped prepare. After lunch, the youth sang a song that Jessie rewrote lyrics for. Then, Zach led a time of games (the “couch game”). It was encouraging seeing the youth care for and serve others. It was also fun hearing them share their own experiences when first joining Lumos and other memorable events during lunch.

We ended with a brief devotional. During the devotional, I asked the youth what the M.V.P. of Lighthouse was–they knew each part and their respective Scripture references! I explained the purpose and goals of Lumos, that we are seeking to make disciples of Christ through the vehicle of the local church because we love God and love people, all of which is appropriated to the unique circumstances and experiences of youth age students. As with the other affinity groups and ministries, Lumos is not independent of the local church. It is merely a means of furthering the purposes of the local church as set forth in Scripture. Our hope is that the youth see Lighthouse as their church family. Also, in challenging the youth to consider whether or not they are part of the family of God, we looked at Matthew 5:1-16. I briefly reviewed the characteristics of those who belong to the Kingdom of God (vv. 1-12), and the activity or purpose of those who belong to the Kingdom of God (vv. 13-16). I reminded them that Lumos (which means “light” in Latin) is here to challenge those who profess Christ as his or her Lord and Savior to be a light representing Christ the King to others–family, friends, other youth, classmates, and so on. We also communicated that we the staff are committed to serving, encouraging, and walking this life with them. Might I encourage you, church, to do the same, especially with those who are growing up in our church family.

Teaching in Sparklers as a Parent

by Grace Lee

Teaching on any subject is eye-opening and educational in the preparation and presentation, but when it happens to be the Word of God to a group that includes your own children, a huge measure of humility and conviction is definitely part of the process.

When Jin and I prayerfully joined the Sparklers’ staff last year, we didn’t realize the extent of how challenged and blessed we’d be through our involvement. We had always appreciated the staff – all of children’s staff for that matter – but our admiration and appreciation grew in such a deeper level as we ourselves had to prepare lessons (currently through the Old Testament) and get a whole behind-the-scenes look of what happens each Sunday to have God’s Word taught to these impressionable children.

We were asked as staff to listen and respond to two sermons on teaching Sunday school preschoolers from Children Desiring God at the end of last year: Preschool Teaching by Connie Oman and Preschool Lesson Preparation & Training by Connie Oman and Holly Urbanski. Two things struck my heart from listening to these sermons:

  1. The hearts of preschoolers are fertile, and the window of opportunity for a child’s salvation gets smaller as they get older, so the best teachers should be teaching preschool. –Gulp- This added such weight to the responsibility and significance of communicating God’s Word to the Sparklers.
  2. Connie Oman’s own teaching was dotted throughout with tears as she spoke of the gospel. Her love for Christ was so evident, and this really challenged me – my prayer became that I wouldn’t be just relaying Bible stories or truths to give information to the kids, but that I’d be speaking from the heart of the great and loving God whom I know and serve.

Anyone who works with preschoolers can tell you that they are impressionable, energetic, curious, and just downright adorable (most of the time). It’s been such a privilege to serve in Sparklers and see the children as they engage with biblical truths and interact with one another. It’s impossible to walk out of that room without having cracked a smile or laughed.

Practicing Patience

by Pastor Patrick Cho

“Patience is a virtue.” It’s one of those proverbial phrases that we all hear again and again growing up. Of course, most people understand the importance of pursuing patience, but they also know from experience how difficult it can be. Who hasn’t stood in line at the DMV or post office or been stuck in gridlock and really struggled with patience? The fact is we don’t like to wait, and perhaps even more we don’t like to be reminded to be patient! How many times were we reminded by our parents to be patient when we complained and whined? I don’t think I was ever thankful for those reminders. Now that I am a parent, though, I see the daily need to teach my children patience. And while I don’t want to minimize the need for those lessons, I have also come to find more and more through experience how much I still need to learn patience as a parent.

I suppose it is indicative of our own sinful tendencies to see fault in others without really seeing the same faults in ourselves. We’re really good at seeking to remove specks while ignoring the blatant logs in our own eyes. Any parents seeking to do their job to the glory of God knows that it requires enormous patience to raise kids. When you know that the goal is not merely behavior modification but are working to address the heart, that requires patience. When you understand that all the good parenting in the world will not accomplish any real success apart from the grace of God, that requires patience. Even though we know these things in principle, it’s obvious that we still need to be reminded from time to time because of how often we struggle with impatience.

As Christians, we need to always make the distinction that we are not just pursuing patience for patience’s sake. This is not just a self-improvement project that we will one day reflect on patting ourselves on the back with smug satisfaction. The reason we seek to grow in patience is chiefly because God wants us to. But it goes so far beyond just that! We were enslaved to our sinful ways and dead in our sins. Through faith in Jesus’ amazing and miraculous death and resurrection, God rescued us from our sin and freed us up to live for Him. He gave us new life in Christ that was particularly highlighted by the sending of His Spirit. And what is the fruit of having the Spirit’s influence in our lives? Patience (Gal. 5:22). As God has shown us such immeasurable and infinite love, what are we also to do? We are to love one another. But what does such love look like? It is patient (1 Cor. 13:4). So God expects us to be patient with others (including our children!) because that’s what He saved us to. One of the effects of saving grace in the life of a hopeless sinner, one of the miraculous changes that would take place in that sin-enslaved heart, is that it would manifest patience.

This is why is impatience dangerous. It isn’t just because it is annoying to hear people complain. It isn’t just because of the damage it might do to your reputation. Being impatient goes against the grain of what God sought to accomplish in your life by saving you. Not only that, but we would also do well to remember how the Bible repeatedly reminds us of the patience of God (cf. Rom. 9:22; 1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 3:9; et al.). If God showed us tremendous patience, one of the reasons was to serve as an example for us that we might be patient towards others. So when we are impatient, we violate what it means to represent Him in this lost and dying world.

Think about how this applies in parenting. Our children look to us as an example of how we ought to live out the Christian life. Whether they want to mimic that example is another issue, but at the very least if we say we are in Christ we ought to reflect through our lives what that means. From Scripture, one of the things that should be clearly seen in us is patience. That when we show patience towards our children especially when they sin against us, we are reflecting the patience that God showed towards us when we sinned against Him. Our demonstration of patience actually helps fortify our testimony and strengthens the opportunities to teach our children about Jesus.

Patience is a relational quality (cf. Eph. 4:2; Col. 3:12). Whether we are waiting on the Lord or on others, our patience is applied with another person. As parents, most of the time our patience will be tried by our children. They will push our buttons and test our limits. We will have difficulty keeping cool in the midst of their tantrums, complaints, disappointments, and failures. This is why we need to remember that patience is more than just about keeping cool. It is rooted in the gospel. How can we pursue patience more effectively?

  1. Pray for help. Since patience is a fruit of the Spirit, it would be wise to ask the Spirit of God to help us in times of impatience and struggle. We can actually prepare ourselves for those times that we find ourselves particularly weak (for me it’s the mornings!). Oftentimes just taking that moment to calm your heart to ask the Lord’s help will get your heart in the right place to respond well to your children. I remember a friend facetiously saying, “Don’t ever pray for patience, because God will only make you wait.” I think we will find that the more the Lord helps us in this area of life, the better off we will be.
  2. Think on the Lord. Consider the amazing patience of God who put up with your sins and failures all those years before bringing you to saving faith. He patiently endured your rebellious life and self-centeredness. And even after saving you, He still has to patiently wait on your spiritual growth and development. When you struggle with patience, think on the Lord Jesus’ perfect patience to serve as an example for you (1 Tim. 1:16).
  3. Remember that different situations are going to call for different responses, but Scripture still calls us to “be patient with all” (1 Thess. 5:14). Regardless of whether our children simply require help or encouragement, or they are downright being rebellious, the situation will always demand our patience.
  4. Pray for your children. If your children ever come to saving faith in Jesus Christ, it will be because God worked in their hearts to believe. If they experience any success in developing godly character, it will ultimately be because of the Spirit’s working through His Word to cause them to grow. While we have been given the solemn responsibility to raise our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, God is the one who will bring about the results. We need to pray that He would be gracious to help them grow into the men and women He wants them to be.
  5. Be encouraged. Remember that God never sits around idle. While you are called to wait on the Lord, He is actively working out His good, acceptable, and perfect plan in you. Whatever situation you find yourself, however difficult it might seem, God knows it better than you. He sees with a perfect perspective. When you are in a place where you are required to wait on the Lord, it is the best place you can possibly be.

Single Life Ministry Update

by Elder Johnny Kim

For the last quarter of the Single Life Ministry term, we had the privilege of walking through (or more like running through!) the book of 1 Peter. The Apostle Peter wrote the epistle toward the end of his life, addressing it to the Christians who found themselves dispersed throughout the empire of Rome (1 Peter 1:1). From the beginning of his letter to the end, Peter makes it unmistakably clear that the focus and major theme of what he wanted to impart to those Christians was the idea of suffering for the sake of following Christ (1 Peter 1:6). As in any personal letter written with specific recipients and readers in mind, Peter appropriately broaches the topic of suffering, understanding that the Christians in Rome at the time were experiencing persecution at the hands to of the Roman Emperor Nero and the citizens of Rome.

Fast forward to our lives today in the city of sunny San Diego and the idea of being persecuted for our faith couldn’t seem any more foreign, alien, or out of place. In fact, an honest self-assessment will inevitably reveal that we are naturally predisposed to avoiding pain and suffering in our lives. But while we might seek to dodge even discomfort in the course of our daily routine, the danger lies in the fact that this self-preserving attitude often pervades our spiritual lives. In an effort to try and avoid possible humiliation and rejection, we might find ourselves unwilling to share the Gospel message. In an effort to try and avoid possible financial insecurity and instability, we might find ourselves withholding giving to the church and giving our offering to God. In an effort to try and avoid uncertainty and inconvenience, we might not give even the slightest thought to planting a church. In an effort to try and avoid being ridiculed and despised, we might not be willing to stand up so boldly for Christ and His commands.

But for the one who seeks to genuinely follow Christ and on His terms, suffering isn’t something to be avoided, but rather is something to be expected (Matthew 10:24-28). The truth is we live in a country and society that is increasing in its secularism, growing in its hostility towards God and those who would submit to Him, and departing further and further away from Biblical principles. Enemies of the Gospel and the unbelievers around us will eventually be a cause of suffering and persecution in our lives, if not already. Furthermore, Peter reminds Christians that we live in a fallen world that is administered, occupied, and influenced by Satan and his demons who actively seek to bring about the suffering and destruction of believers (1 Peter 5:8). Suffering is a part of the Christian life, as is intended by God, and to deny that truth is to deny His plan and purposes (1 Peter 4:12-14).

The Christians in Rome who read 1 Peter firsthand faced increasing persecution that would escalate to include death by crucifixion, being torn apart by lions, and being lit on fire to serve as human lamps in Emperor Nero’s garden. While none of us undoubtedly may be able to claim the presence of such suffering in our lives, we Christians are still called to action in response to what we read in 1 Peter today. First of all, let us thank God for His grace and mercy to withhold from us suffering for at least this current moment in our lives. Then, in this current moment that we do have, let us prepare for the suffering that is to come. Let us prepare so that circumstances will one day find us ready and joyful to suffer well and suffer excellently for the sake of following Christ.