Category Archives: Affinity Groups

Reflections from Fireflies

By Janet Shih

Even though I have been serving in the Fireflies ministry for the past 3 years, I always walk into the nursery room with great anticipation of what the morning will bring. With the recent baby boom, I have had to once hold two crying babies in my arms, while rocking another in their carrier with my foot. After each Sunday I serve in the nursery, I go home exhausted, wondering how parents do it all day long. Without fail, I go to work on Monday and wonder why my arms are sore… and quickly remember it’s because I spent a mere 2 hours picking up babies the day before.

Aside from the fun times and stories I have to share, this ministry is much more than babysitting. Each week, the toddlers and babies are taught different aspects of God’s character. As staff, we strive to demonstrate kindness, patience, and love towards them in a way that reflects Christ’s character. When I spend time with some of the older children, one thing that encourages me the most is when they understand the lesson and answer the teacher’s questions. Though correct responses to the lesson is no indication of a child’s salvation or even an adequate understanding of who God is, I know that they have not learned these things through a 5 minute lesson on Sunday mornings. It reveals to me the faithfulness of parents to raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, and their desire to pass on the greatness of God to their children. It is also a good reminder that there is nothing that I can do to change the hearts of these children, but it is the grace of God that will lead these little souls to an understanding of their sins before Him.

This ministry has seen a lot of changes in the past few years. We have had to change the structure of the rooms, as well as increase the number of staff serving each Sunday to accommodate the influx of babies. Through these changes, it has been a joy to see how other members—particularly collegians—have committed to serving in this ministry. The older women and seasoned moms are teaching younger women Titus 2 principles of how to love children. It is a great privilege to serve God in this way, and I look forward to seeing children come through this ministry, and move on to Sparklers, Sonlight, and Youth, and Lord willing, come to saving knowledge of Christ as their Lord and Savior!

Single Life Update

by Brenda Hom

After almost two years, Single Life has concluded our study in the book of Colossians. Pastor Patrick’s last message from Colossians described “Team Paul”, which consisted of eight of Paul’s companions in ministry. From Paul’s final greetings in chapter 4 of Colossians, we see that “Team Paul” consisted of beloved brothers, faithful ministers and fellow servants in the Lord (Colossians 4:7). I am amazed at how much God has taught us through studying the life of Paul and his ministry. Thank you, Pastor Patrick, for faithfully walking us through the book of Colossians every Wednesday night.

The next topic we looked at after Colossians was on the topic of pride. In the Old Testament we see the Hebrew word “gobah”, which can be translated into “haughtiness”. Also in Isaiah 9:9 and Psalm 31:18, we see another word for pride “gaavah”, which means “swelling”. In the New Testament, Pastor Patrick gave many more biblical examples where pride is mentioned. One example is in Mark 7:22, where pride, or “huperephania” is when you are holding yourself above other people, trying to make yourself look bigger and better.

The topic of pride hit home for many of the singles, especially in our stage of life. I was reminded that Jesus Christ did not choose me to represent Him because I am wonderful, skilled or smart. “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God…so that it is written, ’Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” (1 Corinthians 1:27-31) Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)

We learned that every sin is ultimately rooted in pride. Pride can be expressed through self-exaltation, when we believe that we are the source of our own accomplishments, or even the benefactor of what we think we deserve in this life. Self-pity is also a form of pride, because you are still consumed with thoughts of yourself. While it has been really challenging listening to messages on the topic of pride, I am grateful that Pastor Patrick has taken the time to help the Singles examine our own hearts and thoughts with Scripture. Even questions such as “Why are they getting married and I am not?”, or “Why am I still working at this job?” reveal a sinful pride in my own heart.

At Singles’ bible study, we were able to look at and examine different manifestations of pride through selected Scriptures. Some reflecting questions to ask yourself are “Can you be happy for others when they are recognized or receive something that you want?” and “How often do you question God about your life?” Manifestations of pride can be very subtle in your heart. For example, a lack of biblical prayer in your life and a lack of gratitude towards God is a form of pride. More practically, do you voice your preferences or opinions when not asked? Are you impatient or irritable with others? Do you get annoyed easily? Ask yourself these questions and you will feel small and worthless compared to God ‘s perfect glory. You will see that you deserve death as a punishment for your wretched sins.

However, God in His greatness and mercy did not leave us to die in our sins. We as Christians are dependent on Him to deliver us from our sin of pride. God has given us help to move away from pride and move towards humility. He even commands it in Scripture to “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (James 4:10) How do we as believers pursue humility? Pastor Patrick shares with us some ways that Christians can pursue and cultivate humility.

  1. PRAY that God would help you move away from pride and towards humility.
  2. READ the book of Psalms or any of the Old Testament prophets. A really great Psalm to read and meditate on is Psalm 139.
  3. STUDY the life of Jesus Christ because His life is an example of perfect humility. Once you study the life of Jesus, you will come to understand what sin is and learn to hate it.
  4. GET accountability. Ask others if you come across proud in any way.
  5. WORSHIP God all the time. Practically, fill your mind and thoughts of God.
  6. PRACTICE the “one anothers” by focusing on other people. How can you be a blessing to others? Do you live a “one another” life?
  7. WORK to put off pride and put on humility in your thought life, your speech, and with your deeds. (1 Peter 2:1)

With this in-depth study of pride and humility, we can take heart that there is hope in Jesus Christ to change wretched prideful sinners into humble God-fearing men and women who desire to magnify God and make Him big.

Reflections on Lumos and the Church

by Jennifer Shih

Can you remember your teenage years? What was it like? How did you spend your time? Who did you spend most of your time with? Who made the biggest impact on you and who were your influences? Was it your parents? Maybe it was your siblings, classmates, a teacher or a youth group pastor/leader? Likely all of these people have made some impact on you, whether they had positive or negative influences. Perhaps the older people in your life made a positive impact on you because they provided you guidance and mentoring. Maybe classmates did not have the best influence on you. How did the people in your life affect and shape your identity?

Everyone has a different testimony of their teenage years. My teenage years came to an end about 10 years ago, but I can still remember the people who made a big impact on my life and why. Through middle school, it was my after school tutor who would patiently help me through Algebra in the public library. She stands out because she went beyond just helping me with homework but took an interest in mentoring and guiding me through those awkward middle school years, and this happened usually over KFC wedge fries or McDonald’s soft serve ice cream. In high school, much of my influence came from friends and my school community because they were the people who were prominent in my life. Many of those years were marked by people-pleasing, and striving to fit in and trying to be popular among my peers. Looking back, I wish that I had known Christ in my growing years or had the benefit of going to a Bible-teaching church, hearing God’s Word preached weekly. If I had been saved by the Gospel, I’m sure that I would have avoided a lot of heartache and wandering in darkness and sin.

It is a fact that young people can be easily influenced by the community and culture around them. And too often teenage years can be wasted pursuing worldly things and building an identity and foundation on superficial and fleeting things. One of biggest blessings that the youth at Lighthouse Bible Church has is the opportunity to grow up in the community of a local church, and the benefit of learning from older men and women what it means to follow Christ. Also, vice versa, one of the biggest blessings and responsibilities of the older members of the church is to walk alongside younger men and women, helping them grow in their faith and modeling for them godly character. This is the way that God has instructed the church to work together, as written in Titus 2.

Over this year, I have been really encouraged to see how the youth are really excited about Friday night Bible studies and our many youth retreats – because they get to learn from God’s Word and spend time with one another. Josh and Cesar have been leading the youth through studies on Romans and 1 John, respectively, and in small groups it’s been a really sweet time learning, growing, and praying together. The youth staff have the opportunity to meet more often with the youth, but you don’t have to be on staff to make use of the opportunity to get to know the youth. Each member of the church has the opportunity to make an impact in their life, and it can happen even over a conversation on Sunday. Keep in mind – the Lumos youth can be really energetic and excited about life or more quiet and shy – but in either case, they have an eagerness to learn and grow in their faith. If you haven’t had a chance to get to know them – I’d encourage you to stop one of them on a Sunday and ask them about their weeks, hobbies, likes, and dislikes, and what they’ve been learning. Or you can even talk about that Sunday’s sermon and share prayer requests. One of the practical goals and challenges we’ve come up with in my small group is to get to know the church better in order to practice loving the church better. So chances are, if you haven’t had the chance to introduce yourself to the youth – they might come to you on a Sunday and ask for an introduction!

Praise God for Lighthouse Bible Church and the work He is doing in the life of the church!

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Reflections from Sonlight

by Shelby Wong

June is right around the corner and we are winding down the year in Sonlight. In the blink of an eye, a whole school year in this ministry has come and gone. Through this time, I am very thankful to God for what he has taught me through the children I claim to serve.

When I first joined the Children’s Ministry, my main goal was to get kids thinking about God at an early age and to help them contemplate where their heart is behind the matter. I had just finished a year as a Teacher’s Aide at a private, Christian school and knew how much these little brains were capable of. Simply memorizing was an easy task for them. They are like sponges! They retain all sorts of information given to them. I thought it was time to take learning to the next level and start getting the kids to think about what they are learning. My goal was to get the kids to personalize what they learn. Boy, was I in for a surprise.

Even though this sounded great in theory, putting it into practice was another story. On Sundays, after serving in Children’s Ministry, I would go home thinking, “Did these guys really understand what the lesson was about? Do they see how this relates to God and to them personally? Why don’t they respond when I ask them about their sins? If we are called to minister to the lives of these children, shouldn’t I be trying to draw out the heart? Am I failing at teaching these kids?”

I was humbled to realize I was too focused on what they can show for themselves. I wanted them to be able to express where they see their sin, and what they can do to change. I was so caught up on the end result, or behavior modification, that I forgot God is the One who changes hearts in His own time. God is the One who sees to it that their hearts are changed. I am simply called to faithfully teach and support them by posing the right questions, answering their questions, and investing in their lives.

There are times, however, when we have wonderful conversations about the day’s lesson and expand it to our own lives. It is then that I get a glimpse of understanding their little souls. It is truly a blessing to serve these kids and interact with them as they teach me more than I can teach them. God doesn’t need me to be with them, and they certainly do not need me. However, He has called me to serve here and learn alongside these little souls. For this, I thank God.

The War of the Wills

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Lately at Lighthouse, we have been engaging in some conversation about God-appointed roles in the church and home. Generally speaking, these discussions tend to revolve around gender. Is there a fundamental difference between men and women, or does God desire the complete equality of the genders even at an economic/functional level? While these discussions are important, we must not forget that the reversal of biblical roles is something that is going to be rebelled against at any level – not just between genders.

One arena where the assignment of biblical roles is constantly being threatened is in the home. But this threat is not merely between husband and wife. The battle for authority also rages between parents and children. I’m assuming that most people would agree that parents have authority over their children and are called to bring them up to maturity. However, practically it seems the roles are often reversed. Parents are constantly giving in to their children’s demands. Children are manipulative towards their parents and assume the place of authority in the home. Kids assert their wills to eat when they want, sleep when they want, play when they want. They fight to get their way at all costs. Strangely, we still call this parenting because the kids are generally taken care of – they eat, sleep, and have shelter. “Besides,” we reason to ourselves, “kids will be kids, right?” The sad reality is that even though kids are being watched after, “parenting” is not happening.

Colossians 3:20 states, “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” The Bible teaches that children are to obey their parents, and not vice versa. From infancy, children are going to test these limits and cross the boundaries. I’ll never forget the various ways our baby girl attempted to bend rules and flirt with boundaries. We would tell her not to cross a certain line onto the tile floor. So what would she do? She would come as close as possible to the line without crossing over. Sometimes she would put her hand on the tile wondering if she could get away with it if the rest of her body remained behind the line. Once, she even put a book on the tile and sat on the book as if to say, “Hey, at least I’m not technically on the tile.”

In the home, children are constantly going to fight to gain as much authority as possible. They will do this through flattery, manipulation, tantrums, and blatant rebellion. Every parent knows this frustration, but many do not seek consistently to correct it. Parents give in to their children’s will in order to keep them quiet, not cause a scene, or spare embarrassment, and time and again children win the battle for authority.

What is much needed in the home is a movement back to biblical priorities. Children need to be instructed in the ways of God to understand the authority of their parents. And that instruction needs to be promoted and supported by helpful reinforcement and healthy discipline. Children simply don’t have the knowledge, wisdom, or experience to assume the authority in the home (though they often think of themselves as more mature than they really are). This order, however, is not only necessary for the health of the child, but for the glory of God. Parents need to remember what is really at stake. When children are taught and trained to obey their parents and submit to their authority, it is pleasing to the Lord.

What is encouraging for all parents is that it is never too late to start. Perhaps there is a pattern in the home of succumbing to the demands of your children. It isn’t too late to help your kids understand that greater structure, rules, and order are going to be implemented. Those rules will probably be tested, but with consistent application children can learn to submit to their parents and even do this with joy.

More than anything, we need to pray for the hearts of our children. Really what this comes down to is the manifestation of their sin nature. Children are little sinners doing what they are innately programmed to do. What they need is God’s saving grace to transform their hearts so that they can desire the things the Lord desires for them. Thankfully, the Lord often uses the spiritual example of godly parents. When things are difficult or frustrating with your children, persevere to show them patient, gracious, and loving authority. Lord-willing, they will see the example of their parents and will come to desire the same relationship with the Savior that their parents have.

Editor’s Note: Patrick was inspired by some previous articles by Al Mohler, and asked that the links be included:

Reflections from a Groom-to-Be

by Brian Song

I Do.

In a couple of months, I will be reciting those exact words in front of God and close family and friends. Those two words carry the promise of remaining forever faithful to my bride and loving her until “death do us part.” Unfortunately, this level of commitment is deemed too difficult by many in the world as many couples find it easier to co-habitate than get married. Yet as Christians, it shouldn’t be a novel concept, especially for those of us who attend LBC. Marriage should just be an extension of the commitment and love that we already show to God and His church. In the seven or so years that I’ve spent at LBC, especially my time in the Singles Ministry, God has taught me this important lesson and helped me apply the passion statement of LBC.

It all starts with God. In Matthew 22:37, Jesus commands us that, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” We are called to love God with our entire being. At LBC, we have a steady diet of preaching and teaching to help us learn about God and his character. In my small groups, I was constantly challenged to love God and make Him a priority in my work and grad school life. This experience is definitely not limited to those of us who are single. But being a single definitely freed me up to take advantage of all the opportunities to learn. I had more “free time” and was able attend as many church activities as I could and spend more time in prayer with Him.

Continuing on in Matthew 22, Jesus also commands us that, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Being committed to loving others was not always an easy task for me. Like many in my stage of life, I preferred to spend my free time doing things that pleased me. But over the years, I’ve learned that by serving others, my love for people, God, and His church grew. A couple of years ago, I was blessed with an opportunity to serve the Singles Ministry as a small group leader. Through this experience, God taught me that committing to love others often requires sacrifice. Again, being a single guy allowed me to fully commit to them and the needs of my other brothers and sisters in the ministry. Whether they needed me to counsel them through personal struggles or just wanted someone to hang out with, I was available for them.

As I get ready to transition out of Single Life, I know God will continue to deepen my understanding of these truths and help me apply them in marriage. As you live your life, have you said “I Do” to the Lord? Just like marriage, this is a life-long commitment. Let us all endeavor to passionately love God and people every day.

When are You Ready to Date?

by Hansol An

Recent events and conversations I’ve had have made me think that it might be a good time to discuss dating again. I gave a message on dating last year so some of what follows may be familiar to some but I thought it was time for a refresher.

The way the world defines love and the way the Bible defines love are diametrically opposed to one another. The world would have you believe that love is the fulfillment of your desires for intimacy, both emotional and physical. On the emotional side are feelings of euphoria, happiness, satisfaction, ecstasy, and excitement. When someone in a movie or on TV says “I love you,” aren’t they really saying “I love the way you make me feel right now?” But these feeling are often temporary or at the very least, understood to be conditional and subject to change. That’s why people say they can fall in and out of love. On the physical side we know that the world is often referring to sexual pleasure or passion. The term “making love” is very revealing of the way the world views love, basically reducing it to mean the same thing as having sex. The word “LOVE” is used too loosely in today’s culture. That’s why people date. They want this kind of love, all or in part, but only until it doesn’t suit their desires any more. Then they look for love in the next person. This pursuit of love is what we commonly refer to as dating.

The way that the Bible defines love, or God’ definition of love is clearly different. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a says,

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”

Does that sound like the world’s definition? Does it say anything about your feelings? Does it say anything about your sexual fulfillment? The difference is that the world’s definition of love is all about satisfying selfish desires. God’s definition is sacrificial and puts your feelings aside for the sake of others and God’s glory. Jesus was the ultimate example for us to follow.

The world tells us that love is fleeting. You can fall in love and out of love very quickly. So if you’re in a dating relationship and you’re no longer in love with them, then dump them and move on. Who cares how many times you’ve said “I love you?” Who cares how many times you’ve kissed that person? Who cares? God cares because his Word says that love never ends. What does that tell us about the couple who proclaims to love each other, then breaks up? Was that really love? They probably genuinely felt something but only so long as it was convenient to them. Did their love bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things? Did their love never end?

We need to change the way we view dating and its goal of finding “love.” This can be challenging because dating is non-biblical, meaning it’s not explicitly mentioned in the Bible. So what should we do? As a believer how do we determine the goal of dating? Is it marriage? Yes, it is the vehicle in which most Christians pursue marriage, but we have to remember that whether it’s dating or marriage or anything else, God’s glory is always our primary purpose! We as Christians should not date for our own emotional or physical fulfillment, but to pursue the goal of God’s glory and His intention for a man and a woman: marriage.

If marriage truly is the goal of dating one should be ready for, or reasonably close to being ready for, marriage. As mentioned before, dating is not specifically addressed in the Bible, so no one can tell another how ready they have to be to date. No one can tell another how long the dating period should be. But marriage is addressed in the Bible and if marriage is the goal and not dating itself, it stand to reason that dating should be minimized. It shouldn’t be prolonged longer than necessary to confirm that marriage should be pursued between a particular couple. The longer a couple dates the natural inclination will be to begin to act like a married couple in emotional attachment, in physical expressions and in other ways. The danger is that the couple will give too much of themselves to each other, when they might not end up getting married. Until a commitment in made, there are no guarantees.

So the question you need to answer is: Are you ready, and mature enough as a believer, to fulfill your role as a husband or wife? Are you ready to forsake all others? Ladies, are you ready to submit your life to a man? Guys, are you ready to love a woman as Christ loved the church? These questions should be examined and carefully considered along with other biblical responsibilities of marriage before dating is even considered. Dating is a choice and ultimately, so is love. There must be a conscious consideration of what is required before entering into a relationship with the goal of marriage in mind. We are called to be set apart from the world and dating is one area where we can practice our distinctiveness in Christ.

Lumos Saturday Seminars

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

What was your experience like in your high school youth group? Did you make a lot of friends? Or were you the shy type who only opened up in front of a small, select few? Did you enjoy your time with those in your youth group, or did you secretly dislike some people there? How was the teaching? Was the Bible central in what was being preached during Bible study, or did it seem more like a footnote to what your leader really wanted to talk about? What do you remember most about your youth group? How big it was? How small it was? How many friends you made?

These are some questions I never entertained during my high school years, since I never attended my church youth group. I was always put off by some of the students’ attitudes, and no one ever reached out to me. I was actually more comfortable hanging out with some of the senior citizens in my church, since they were very friendly, and they always had stories to tell about their lives. Friendships with my peers at school were what meant a lot to me, and I always knew where they stood (since I perceived Christians to be transparently hypocritical during that age, I reasoned non-Christians weren’t because of their transparent disgust for Christianity, which made me think they were more honest).

One of the regrets of my life was the fact that I had easily judged those who went to my home church and yet had no desire to serve my peers and develop an atmosphere of fellowship among them. It wasn’t until college that I realized I wasn’t a Christian that I had wasted so many opportunities to learn from those who served specifically in the youth ministry. There was a disconnect between what I was learning in school, and what I was interested in studying: apologetics. I wanted to learn how to defend the faith before I actually had faith!

Now that God has placed in my heart a desire to serve the youth, it has been a goal of mine to train our youth to be ambassadors at their respective schools. One of the ways this youth ministry has moved in that direction is to have Saturday Seminars. These times are dedicated to specific training in issues that these youth are already encountering or will encounter in the near future. If you read anything related to youth ministry, numbers are thrown out that ¾ or more of the youth who professed faith in Christ during middle and high school enter college and abandon the faith they once held. Though statistics are not our guide for determining our approach, we do see a need for those within our church to grow deeper in their knowledge of God, that it would withstand the storms that will come their way.

As an extension of fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), we want to foster a ministry conducive to discipleship, which includes the preaching of the Word of God. What these seminars are intended to accomplish is to set forth a biblical worldview that meets daily life, and is immediately applicable to the youth. A couple years back, I had the privilege of going through evangelism training that encompassed the message, the man, and the method of Gospel witnessing.

This year, our focus has been on building a Christian worldview, and areas our youth can apply their faith towards. I had the privilege of presenting first the building blocks of a biblical worldview, followed up by Lumos leader Josh Liu on applying it in the areas of modesty and purity. Seeing the many changes in culture that are sure to drastically affect the world the youth will be living in, we spent another seminar on the issue of abortion, and plan on spending time focusing on the nature and history of Scripture, since it is constantly under attack.

Though we understand these seminars will not be comprehensive in scope, we hope and pray that they will be a guide for them to begin studying more in-depth the issues that we see are important for them to understand. We live in a day of moral compromise and lack of fidelity to the truth of God’s Word, when models of courage and character are hard to find. We must be in the business of discipling and modelling of spiritual maturity for those younger in the faith. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to speak to our youth in areas that many involved in youth ministry have not deemed vital to address in the youth culture.

It is my conviction that the youth can understand more than the culture promotes. Our youth are living proof that they can listen to a 45-minute (many times, longer!) sermon, and can be challenged to live out their faith with prayer and encouragement. It is a joy and honor to play a small part in the work that God is doing in the hearts of our youth, and I pray you too can play a part in teaching the greatness of God to the next generation. What one pastor is known for saying is “Theology matters.” Theology matters extremely for the youth, since knowing who God is and who we are will radically affect the beliefs they will hold and color the many decisions they will make. Pray that our youth will be the next group of leaders in the church and will themselves be great models of godly living and bold witnessing!

Sparklers as a Place for Staff to Grow

by Hanka Rodgers

The more I thought about this article, the more I was convinced that God gives me the desire to serve – generally, but also specifically in Sparklers – to teach me and help me grow, rather than because people really need me to serve them.

I feel like sometimes we focus so much on the fact that we serve in our ministries that we fail to notice how much we can learn and grow in them. Honestly, if you go on a mission trip to the Czech Republic or Argentina and you come back talking only about how much you helped them, I am not sure you really understood what you were doing. The same is true for ministries at church – we do serve to serve (and ultimately to glorify God), but at the same time, God is so gracious that He helps us benefit from our ministries as well, and we would be foolish if we didn’t see it. Sometimes I am not sure if He puts me in a ministry because He wants me to serve the other person, or because He wants the ministry to serve me.

Serving the body of Christ and people who don’t know Jesus is a privilege. Philippians 2:13 says that He works in us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure – even the fact that we want to serve is only by God’s grace. Without His changing our hearts to grow the desire to serve, we would never want to serve Him or other people. Serving in Sparklers is a privilege, and that is what I would like to focus on here.

To be honest, as much as we sometimes love talking about “planting seeds” in children’s ministry, the reality is that we don’t always see much fruit. If you ask a random Sparkler what they learned the past Sunday in Sunday school, most of them will say, “I don’t know.” Or they will say they learned that Jesus had long hair. Or something equally important and spiritually enriching. It is ok. God doesn’t tell us to only do ministries that “bear much fruit”. He tells us, however, that if we stay in Him, we’ll bear much fruit (John 15:5) and that’s the kind of fruit we can see if we look at our ministries from a different perspective than the “I am serving them so much” perspective.

One of the privileges we have as staff on Sparklers is teaching. I am not planning on fighting for women’s rights to preach more at church (I did go through that stage in my early Christian life, but I promise it’s over), but I am very thankful that Sparklers are also taught by women. Not because I love preaching to people and telling them what they should do (even though I kinda like telling people what they should do), but because of the studying and the listening part. Don’t get me wrong, I am not that dumb. I know I could be studying the Bible for hours, even without teaching at Sparklers. But I am a sinner. And in my sinner’s life, really deep study of the Bible moves up the to-do list much faster when I have a lesson to teach, or a Bible study to prepare for. And you know what’s best? When you start studying for one lesson and the lesson gets changed the week before you teach. That is God’s grace. From certain perspective.

It is not just the studying though, but also the actual lesson. Every Sunday morning we all meet before the service to listen to the person who is teaching that day. Everybody always first teaches the lesson in front of all the staffers, so that we can criticize – excuse me, encourage – him or her and share some comments. Seriously though, it is one of the times I am very thankful for. There have been lessons that made me thankful for the truth of the gospel more than “adult” sermons. I myself just taught a lesson on Acts 5, where God sends an angel to let the apostles, who were thrown in jail for preaching the gospel, out of prison. I talked about God’s amazing power and the amazing power of the Holy Spirit who can do great things through us – not because we are so good, but because He is so powerful. It was the Holy Spirit who gave the apostles words, courage, and wisdom to teach God’s Word, and I have the same Holy Spirit as they did. That is quite encouraging to know when you mess up the “morning teaching training” in front of the adults, and you feel like those kids won’t learn anything from you that day.

Another great advantage of serving in Sparklers is that children are so honest. We should all do our best to show everybody around us how great God is, and be good examples. However, with adults we sometimes get away with things. Adults won’t ask their parents what was Mr. This-and-That doing with his phone (that had the word “Facebook” on the screen) while pastor Patrick was preaching. You also won’t see adults innocently copy some of your sinful behavior or calling you out on it when you do something wrong.

We don’t get to only listen to the kids tell us things, but we should also listen to us talking to the kids. In some way we are getting used to telling kids all the time they are sinners. Whenever they disobey, we try to show them that in disobeying us, they disobeyed God. And we try to help them understand that they disobey because they are selfish sinners. But do WE understand what great sinners we are? Do we try to find the “heart issue” behind our disobedience, or do we only care about “heart” when children are involved? When children get in conflict, we always tell them to talk to the other child first and if it doesn’t work, we help them resolve it. How do we resolve our conflicts though? Do we go to the person first, or do we talk to everybody else? If you are in children’s ministry dealing with quite honest sinners all the time, you can’t avoid examining yourself from time to time concerning some really important issues.

Last, but not least, if you serve in Sparklers, it takes about two weeks for you to discover R.C. Sproul’s book The Poison Cup. For some reason, some of the kids love the book and want us to read it all the time. I’ve read the first half of the book much more often than the second half, but I don’t mind. I can never be reminded too much of how evil we were before God saved us, and what a great price He had to pay to do it.

These are just a few lessons you learn if you serve on Sparklers staff. There are definitely more, but I think you got the idea. If you really want to learn and grow, come serve in Sparklers. Or any other ministry.

A Heritage From The Lord

by Pastor Patrick Cho

The term “heritage” is not used much in our day, but this is the word employed by the Psalmist to describe God’s gift of children to parents. A heritage is equivalent to an inheritance or legacy. It is something passed down from one generation to the next, intended to be a blessing. In Psalm 127, however, children are not a gift from the previous generation, but from the Lord. Indeed the Psalmist says that the “fruit of the womb [is] a reward.”

This passage comes in the context of a Psalm dedicated to the raising up of families. It is one of two Psalms attributed to Solomon, the wisest man to ever walk on earth (excepting Jesus). Solomon recognizes, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” (v. 1). In other words, we are not in control when it comes to family planning and bearing children. Children are a gift and blessing from the Lord. He exercises His sovereignty and grace to give or withhold children. Because of these truths, Solomon confesses that the one whose family is filled with numerous children is considered blessed (vv. 4-5). A couple’s children help provide strength to the home and fill their parents’ hearts with joy and pride.

It is no surprise that the prevailing attitude towards children today (sadly even in the church!) is completely antithetical to the principles of this passage in God’s Word. Children are often considered a chore, nuisance, and inconvenience. Parents are sometimes resentful about the things they have had to sacrifice in order to raise their children. In order to pursue personal ambition with their careers, many parents have surrendered the responsibility of raising their children to grandparents, daycares, and nannies. Many couples put off having children so they can pursue personal pleasures and freedoms like traveling and other hobbies.

The great heart issue that needs to be addressed is whether we believe the Scriptures and trust that children are a gift according to God’s goodness and grace. Instead of cultivating worldly and even sinful attitudes towards children, we ought to promote parenthood and be thankful for God’s grace to us. Many godly couples come to find that they are unable to have children, though they intensely desire it. For whatever reason in the plan of God, He has withheld this blessing from them (perhaps to bless them by some other means).

If God has blessed you with children, it is important to develop a biblical understanding of your role as a parent and to view your children as God views them – a gift of His grace. We need to guard ourselves from having a worldly attitude and think God’s way. For the sake of our children, let us consider ourselves tremendously blessed by God because of the precious heritage he has passed on to us. Parents serve as stewards of God’s gift and our children are entrusted to our care so that we can raise them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4).