Category Archives: Affinity Groups

Teaching Our Children Diligently

by Melissa Ho

Six years is a long time. That is how long I have been serving in Fireflies. I started in 2012 as a regular staff member and have been a teacher/helper since 2013 till the present. Fireflies is the youngest of all the children’s ministries at Lighthouse Bible Church for little children ranging from newborn babies to toddlers who are 3 years of age…or until Sparklers is ready to receive them. Any given Sunday, eight ladies (teacher, helper, regular staff), provide not just “childcare” for over 40 kids in our ministry but so much more. You may be curious as to what goes on while you’re sitting in service, listening to the Sunday Morning sermon. No need to be worried; the screaming and crying you might hear when the music for praise fades does not take place all the time. Usually, two of our staffers will help with N1, which is our program for newborn babies until they are walking. The rest of us stay and serve in N2, which is for the children who are walking. The following is a taste of the fun, the tears, and the lessons that are experienced within our ministry. At the end, you will find some of my own personal reflections as well.

So we begin with drop off, which can be crazy. Therefore, in order to ease the flow of traffic during drop off, our parents are encouraged to sign their children into nursery prior to the start of worship. Some days, there may be crying and there may be extra reminders from our staff that we need to be patient and wait for mommy, that mommy will be back and that while mommy is not here, God is always with us.

Once the tears fade, we have the chance for a little bit of play time. Contrary to what you may think, play time is more than just having fun. While it’s fun to play with whatever we want, play time for kids at any age, typically lends itself to conflicts. When I hear “noooooo!,” or “someone took my toy,” or “they hit me,” or “that’s mine,” I find these to be teachable moments of how to peace-make even at this young age. These conflicts are great opportunities for our nursery kids to realize that life is not just about them, that sharing is non-negotiable, and that ultimately, we may not always make good choices but that we can always ask for forgiveness to make things right.

We continue with snack time, which is a time when, of course, the kids get to eat. Usually Goldfish crackers are the winner. However, during this time, we also intentionally use it to review our monthly Bible verse song and our rules. It works out for the best, since they are all busy eating and there’s not much else to do but to eat and listen. Each month there is a specific song with simple hand motions that we teach and sing with the kids. After singing, we review our rules. Our rules in nursery are: Listen the first time and be kind to one another. We then pray and “wash our hands” with some hand sanitizer before we eat our snack.

After snack and cleaning up, the kids go back to play time, and we usually take some of the kids to use the restroom. When all of our staff is back, we transition into our teaching time. The first reminder about teaching time is that toys do not get to join us at the table. They may, however, remain under our chairs while we learn. Our teaching time includes a lesson that is taught every Sunday for the whole month. While it sounds repetitive to re-learn the same lesson week after week, I have seen firsthand how beneficial it is, especially for kids at this age.

Recently, back in the month of April, I had the opportunity to be on staff as the teacher for three consecutive weeks. It’s not typical to be the teacher for nursery three weeks in a row, but it actually worked out because the consistency of being able to re-teach the same lesson and follow up with the kids allowed me the opportunity to share a mini-version of the gospel with them. April’s lesson is called “Jesus is Alive.” The lesson is about Christ’s death on the cross and his resurrection, which was the perfect basis for me to tell them why Jesus died. The simple reason being that we make mistakes, and we don’t always make good choices, meaning that we are not perfect and we need Jesus to save us from our sins. It’s amazing how these children are so young but how much they can understand as shown by their answers to questions during a lesson. Our lesson concludes with a coloring page along with a memory verse paper for the children to take home to their parents. If we are feeling ambitious, we get the chance to complete a craft (usually the last Sunday of the month). The rest of the time in nursery is spent with more time to play, clean up, and wait for mommy or daddy to pick us up.

As part of my full-time job being an early childhood special education preschool teacher, I am constantly dealing with discipline and behavior issues, both good and not so good, in my classroom every day. One thing that I’ve come to realize from witnessing the partnership between our nursery ministry and our parents is that this particular partnership rooted in the gospel is not a luxury I have in my own classroom. Discipline is necessary in any classroom and within our nursery class. It is reassuring that discipline issues are rarely taken lightly by our parents. If there are any issues that arise, we are able to partner with our parents by letting them know what the issue is and having them deal appropriately with the situation. I recently encountered a situation in which I had to inform parents of a discipline issue with their children. To be honest, I was very encouraged by the way these parents handled the situation and the fact that they genuinely sought to teach their children what obedience means, not just to their nursery teachers or mommy and daddy, but first and foremost to God.

Thank you to our past, present, and even future nursery parents, for allowing our staff to come alongside you as you strive to teach obedience to your children in accordance with the Bible. Thank you for trusting our ministry to teach your children. Last thing: for those of you who have a heart to serve the youngest of our church, and if what you have read about our ministry sounds like a challenge you would like to take on, please come join our staff! I promise we make it easy!

God’s Wisdom for Parenting (Part 7)

by Pastor Patrick Cho

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

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, and the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous. (Proverbs 13:22)

This is an interesting Proverb only because it seems there are so many exceptions to this ideal. Remember that Proverbs are not communicating universal truths but general maxims. They are written to communicate godly wisdom to help us understand who God is and what He generally desires of His people. After I read this verse, various examples came to mind of godly men who didn’t have the means to provide inheritances for their children, let alone their grandchildren. What if a man doesn’t even have children? Contrariwise, it is not uncommon to see the wealth of sinners oftentimes benefiting their families for generations to come.

But the truth of this proverb is illustrated in Scripture in several places. For instance, the wealth of righteous Abraham benefited his family for several generations, and Israel was able to plunder the idolatrous Egyptians before departing for Canaan. There are two key contrasts in this couplet. The first is between the good man and the sinner. The other is between the products of their lives. In other words, the verse is communicating that in the end, sin does not pay; it isn’t worth it and its consequences extend beyond even your life. At the end of your life, what will your righteous living (or sinful living) show for itself? The idea is that your righteous living will benefit your children and your children’s children. Whereas, if you spent your life in unrepentant sin, you will leave your family bankrupt.

Even if this principle does not prove itself financially for your family, it almost universally pays off spiritually. While your godliness does not guarantee the godliness of your children, generally we see the Lord’s kindness in this, that a couple’s children adopt the faith of their parents. Maybe you will not be able to leave your children a grand inheritance of houses and the riches of this world, but that does not mean you cannot pass on a lasting legacy of godliness that will benefit your children in this life and the life to come.

Retreat Reflections

by Diana Kim

“Praise the Lord.” These are the words that come to mind when reflecting on the past retreat weekend. The attendees of this year’s joint retreat with Lighthouse Bible Churches of Orange County, Los Angeles, and San Diego were blessed to be under the teachings of Pastor Carl Hargrove who taught how to “Live a Life of Prayer and Proclamation.” We were blessed to experience a new retreat site at the Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center and fellowship with new and old friends from the OC and LA Lighthouse Alliance churches. We were able to keep up previous traditions of encouraging each team (Hipsters vs. Athletes) with social media posts, exciting games, and delicious snacks, but also adopted new forms of entertainment through quality beans and latte art at the coffee station, a fabulously talent-filled Untalent show, and Lip Dub nostalgic songs which blossomed our creativity and teamwork.

What was unique throughout retreat was that the topic of prayer and evangelism, by the passionate teachings of Pastor Hargrove, was very applicable right then and there. The discussion questions probed for deeper conversation over the leading text of Colossians 4:2-6, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” We were reminded that as believers, prayer is not optional and we must readily be alert against distractions.

In the midst of all the hustle and bustle, it was encouraging to witness all the genuine relationships forming. Sure, there was a lack of sleep for many, but it was definitely worth losing in place of gaining and building up friendships. Many people were able to come out of their comfort zone and look beyond an overwhelming crowd to share struggles, joys, and pray for one another. Ephesians 6:18, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.” I witnessed fellow brothers and sisters approach one another with love and care through unselfish motives, families serve through participation in activities, discussions, and prayer, people stepping up to take responsibilities that were not required or expected of them, and much more.

Even leading up to the event, I found myself praying to have a heart of servitude and grow in desire to bless others. The fun moments of hyping up the team through silly Facebook posts, cheering and encouraging teammates to participate in games, sharing the love and joy of coffee, chatting about challenges of spreading evangelism at the workplace, were all a wonderful times of blessing that I have learned to cherish.

We are now a few weeks into the reality of work, school, and other routine activities, but may we continue to push ourselves and encourage one another to constantly have a prayerful heart and attitude. May we seek to walk with genuine opportunity, promoting God’s kingdom with every chance, not fearing man. May we pray with Scripture, developing a tender heart for tragic events, fight against our wandering minds with lists, ultimately doing all these things because we love our Lord God who graciously gives us each moment by moment. Indeed, praise the Lord for this past weekend.

College Life Class of 2018

by Josh Liu

I want to highlight the LBCSD members in College Life that are graduating this academic year. This is an opportunity to testify to God’s work in their lives. There is so much to be said about each student’s experience and encouragement to the church family that cannot be captured in this brief note. Yet I hope it encourages you and moves you toward glorifying God. Please take a moment to pray for them and look for opportunities to encourage them as they transition out of college.

ABE, BA, Sociology

It has truly been a joy to be part of College Life for the past three years. I am beyond thankful for the faithful preaching of God’s Word. Coming into College Life unsure of the gospel truth, the weekly hearing of the truth helped me to come to a biblical understanding of the gospel. God used it to rescue me from my sin and my self-righteousness. Even more so, God used the faithful teaching to conform me into the image of Christ. Shepherds, small group leaders, and peers have been so gracious to show me the Word, to help me put off the ways of sin, and to instead pursue holiness. Praise God for the work he has done in my heart through the Word! I am also exceedingly thankful for the Christ-centered relationships I was able to develop. We were able to eat carne asada fries together, to rejoice and weep together, and to pursue Christ together. It has always been such a blessing to serve alongside one another in campus EV, prayer, and class events. All of those are sweet memories that I will cherish as college wraps up. Again, I praise God for graciously granting me these relationships where we can strive side by side for the faith of the gospel. I will certainly miss College Life, as it has made a significant impact on my life. And for that, praise Him forevermore!

ALYSSA, BS, Child and Family Development

My time at Lighthouse has been nothing less than sanctifying and encouraging. I just wanted to say thank you to those who took the time to get to know me and invest in my life, for ministering and encouraging me to cultivate a deeper relationship with God and for pointing me back to Him when I lost sight of His loving kindness. I pray that this church body will continue to grow in their servant heartedness, welcoming and loving attitudes to all those who walk come through its doors, and give Him the glory and praise always. It’s been an amazing 4 years and I’m excited to see what more He’s got in store for LBC!

ANISHA, BS, Kinesiology

Hi church, praise God for leading me to Lighthouse Bible Church! God has softened my heart over the years and I have learned to call LBC my home. I am grateful for the community, teaching, love, and the bond that we all have in Christ. God has been working in my life and growing me in various ways. He is constantly reminding me of what it means to truly follow Christ and to cultivate a life full of prayer, thankfulness, and teachability. Thank you for taking me in, encouraging me, and loving on me!

CAVAN, BS, Business Administration

I just want to thank Lighthouse and the church family for creating such a loving and fun environment where I could grow with all of you. Genuinely appreciate the care and Christlike love this church body provides and will forever be grateful. Lighthouse has shown me what it’s like to be involved with the church body and serving one another whether it’s having one on one’s, hangouts/fellowshipping or serving in a ministry. “But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body but that the members may have the same care for one another.” (1 Corinthians 12:24-25).

DANIELLE, BS, Molecular Biology

I honestly could not describe all that Lighthouse and specifically the people in College Life have encouraged me. When I first came to San Diego as a freshman I didn’t know anyone and was afraid of how college would change me. I am so thankful to say that my experiences in college have indeed changed me, but all for the better as the church challenged me to grow in grace and maturity. Through all the joys and pains of life these past few years, my mentors and peers in College Life were right there beside me to serve, encourage, and rebuke me as necessary for my sanctification. I love each and every one of my faithful brothers and sisters at Lighthouse more than I could possibly express, and I pray that we will continue to grow alongside one another as in Colossians 3:12-17.

HANNAH, BS, Biochemistry and Cell Biology

Hi Church! As I reflect on the past few years, I want to express my gratitude, love, and encouragement for you and for the ways God has used you mightily in my life. When I first attended Lighthouse, I remember being blown away by the love this church had for Christ. I met people who listened to sermons in their spare time– people who wanted to listen to sermons in their spare time. And I met parents whose love for God had grown over the years, and not faded, parents who shared the gospel with their children and were still active in the life of the church. I remember the church’s exclamations of joy and excitement when newly engaged and expecting couples were announced, and being amazed that everyone in the church seemed to know these couples and even care for them. I remember thinking that the sweet relationship between the Lighthouse Alliance so reflected the love between churches in the New Testament in a way I believed was no longer possible. And love for God overflowed into a love for others, of which I was an undeserving recipient. Throughout the years, the faithful preaching of God’s Word every week has pierced, convicted, challenged, and changed my heart. It has revealed to me all the areas of my life that I fail to submit to my King, the Creator of all things, the Righteous Judge, and the merciful Father who demands my everything. It reminds me of how small I am in light of who He is, and how my sin is ever before Him. It has encouraged me to live with conduct becoming of one redeemed, and to make the gospel the center of my pursuits. Your love, Church, has been an instrument that God has used mightily in my life. It has been a continual reminder of God’s grace to me, that He would even provide brothers and sisters who would strive alongside me. It is my hope that this brief description of how God has used this ministry and this church in my life would stimulate all of you to persevere, renew faith that God can use broken tools powerfully, and stir you to cling even tighter to Him amidst trials, knowing that He is the greatest treasure worth living for and that He walks with you. And I encourage you not to lose your first love, your love for Christ, “for from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36).

JARON, BA, Political Science

Hey church family! These last four years have by far been the best four years of my life. I had never before been so challenged and so cared for spiritually, and I have no one to thank but God who has used you to teach me so much. Thank you for constantly displaying Christ’s love in spirit and truth and for teaching me to love others in a way that is only possible through Him. Though my time in College Life and college in general is over, I am reminded that the mission is the same even though life may look a lot different and that God will remain faithful through it all. I love you all so much and words cannot express my gratitude.

JESSICA, BS, Microbiology

I’ve been encouraged by the people in the various classes in CL by their desire to glorify God and point back to Christ in all they do and make sure every hangout isn’t just for the sake of having a good time. I’ve been constantly challenged to be pushed out of my comfort zone in a good way, be it hanging out with people literally all day, meeting with people I don’t know well, addressing housing issues, and confronting the hard questions in small group. Throughout it all, God has really used my time in college to teach me to trust in Him, that He is in control in every situation. Trials really are to be considered as not curses, but as His way of bringing us closer to Him and so we can depend on Him more with each passing day.

JOE, BS, Chemical Engineering

I am happy to have spent my undergrad years at such a strong, Bible teaching church. I have been encouraged by how much people are willing to serve one another and build each other up whether that be through church ministries, small groups, or one on one meetups. I personally felt Lighthouse most affected my spiritual growth in the area of evangelism, especially through the ministry of campus EV. Throughout my time here, I have noticed an increase in boldness for sharing the gospel, love for lost souls, and wisdom in the field of apologetics. These are things that I hope and believe will remain with me in the years to come.

KAREN, BS, Developmental Psychology; Minor, Biology

Hi Church! Words cannot describe how grateful I am for the past 4 years I spent with you all. I came in just wanting a solid church, and got not only a church that is dedicated to preaching the truth, but that is also so loving, intentional, and passionate to seek Christ in everything you do. Thank you for investing in, loving on, and spurring on my class and me as we pursued wisdom, humility, and maturity in our walks. I praise God for graciously giving me a church that always challenges me to continue growing in my faith and to preach the Gospel in whatever I do. I’m truly undeserving of you all and ever thankful that God placed me in San Diego! I can’t wait to see what God has planned in this next chapter of my life, and am so happy that I will still be able to run the race alongside y’all here for at least a little while longer!

KENNY, BS, Computer Science

It has truly been a blessing being able to be a part of the Lighthouse Bible Church San Diego church family, as I have been able to learn and grow under the teaching of faithful pastors and elders who hold a high view of the word. I am grateful for those who have faithfully and selflessly poured out their love and wisdom to the church during my time here, as it has been fundamental to my spiritual growth. In particular, I would like to thank the College Life staff who have led the collegians in Christ-likeness and encouraged and counseled us to seek to glorify God through all of our actions. Although my time in San Diego is quickly coming to an end, I will continue to pray that this church continues to seek to bring glory to Christ, and hold fast to the M.V.P. Statement.

MAGGIE, BA, Computer Science

Lighthouse has been a tremendous part of my personal walk with Christ during my college years. I have made many unforgettable experiences and have met so many amazing brothers and sisters. But most importantly, I have grown in knowledge and understanding of the love that is demonstrated through the Gospel. Christ’s love clearly shines through the genuine care the leaders and staff of College Life have for us collegians.

MEGAN, BS, Cognitive Science

Hi Church, it has been such a blessing to be able to attend Lighthouse Bible Church throughout my college years. I have learned so much and grown more in love with Christ here. Thank you Lighthouse for being dedicated to exemplifying God’s love for us through teaching, fellowship, and serving. I am very thankful for the College Life ministry and all the staff who poured out their time and love to invest in us. I am also thankful for all my brothers and sisters who have come alongside me and kept me accountable in this race. Thank you for pushing me to continually strive to grow in Christ-likeness. It has been an encouragement to see how God has been growing Lighthouse and I pray that He would continue to do so. Let’s keep striving to push one another to glorify God in all that we do!

NATHAN, BA, Urban Studies and Planning

I came to Lighthouse in Fall 2016 from recommendation from friends and family for a Church down here in San Diego and I’ve been immensely blessed in my couple years here in College Life. The biggest thing I’ve learned that has stayed in my time in College Life and College is taking God at his word in every step. That scripture is sufficient, has no errors and it is God speaking to us with every sentence and page. In so many different conversations, I’ve been directed back to the word of God and his sovereignty amidst my own shortcoming and need for growth. I can’t forget my first Friday night Bible Study where Josh preached on the Cross of Christ and as he had us open our Bibles, I knew this is the Church I wanted to stay at. My hope going forward from here for us both is to continually be guided by the scriptures and to be so anchored in our Lord for the days to come, however hard the storms may come.

NICK, BA, Communication

Thank you LBCSD for all the memories, teachings and encouragements! I have been blessed and enriched by the biblical teaching of our pastors, the servant hearts of the College Life ministry and the fellowship of so many like-minded people who share a passion for proclaiming and living out the Gospel. I’m so thankful for the intentionality and outpouring of love that I have felt throughout my college experience. I know God will continue to do amazing things through this church as he builds up disciples of Christ! Thank you to everyone who has advised, encouraged and even challenged me to live out my faith! You have all played a big role in my spiritual walk! I will cherish the numerous memories with College Life, praise team, retreats and countless hours of awesome fellowship! Thank you for all the amazing experiences and I pray you will all continue to grow in your spiritual walks!

NOAH, BS, General Biology

I have been so blessed with my time at LBC within the college life ministry. The community at Lighthouse has always gone out of its way to make me feel welcome and I have really appreciated their desire to seek and preach the truth of the gospel. It’s been a lot of fun getting to know people through random events at Lighthouse and I hope that the church will continue to reach out to others who come by LBC.

RENDALE, BS, Engineering Physics

Hello church family! These past 4 years have been the best in my life. Through this ministry I was able to come to saving faith. Through this ministry I’ve come to know what a loving church looks like. Through this ministry I’ve learned how to accurately handle the word of God and how important that is. Through this ministry I’ve learned what it really means to have the older men/women disciple the younger men/women. It was by God’s grace alone that I would be placed in San Diego for college, and by your faithfulness of proclaiming the gospel that even brought me to this church in the first place. Thank you for these years and may you continue to be a shining lighthouse of God’s truth in this dark world!

TIFFANY, BS, Child and Family Development

Hello church! I have been truly blessed by all the ways you guys have sought to encourage, serve, and shepherd me during the past four years of college. I have grown and matured so much in my faith through the strong teaching of God’s word and accountability from the members of the church. I want to thank the pastors and leaders of the church for their faithfulness in preaching and living out the gospel daily. I have been so encouraged by your genuineness and desire in seeking to love and care for one another. Thank you for pointing me back to Christ when I fall short and showing me the love and care that I do not deserve. Continue to live a life that exemplifies Christ and show Christlike love to those around you. I am excited to continue to grow and serve alongside you all this coming year as I will be sticking around San Diego for at least another year! Let’s continue to run this race together for the Glory of God!

TIMOTHY, BS, Biochemistry and Cell Biology

I thank God greatly for His grace and providence in bringing me to this church. It has been nearly three years since I first visited LBC on September 27, 2015 as a freshman in college. Back then I was unsaved and utterly lost in my sins. It is no surprise that I came out that Sunday morning not out of a love for God and a desire to worship Him, but out of a self-righteous habit of attending church service.

Ever since then, God has worked wondrously in my life through the church. Not only did He save me through the gospel, but He has been molding me into the image of Christ in several ways. First, He has regularly nourished me with the Word preached by the elders and leaders at LBC. Their faithful exposition of the Bible has caused me to mature spiritually and to more wholly fix my hope and trust upon Christ and His promises. Second, I am constantly encouraged and at the same time humbled by the Christ-likeness I see exhibited, especially in your self-sacrificial love for one another. As I have come to spend time with you, I cannot measure the amount of time, love and encouragement you have given me and other brothers and sisters. Your love, in turn, reminds me of His ultimate love for us on the cross, and spurs me to more fully obey 1 Peter 4:8 – “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.” Third, I am so thankful how the church has equipped me to live a more faithful Christian life, not only through the preached Word, but also through exposing me to the wealth of Christian literature. I am particularly grateful for having been shown how to pursue the Christian disciplines based on what Paul says: “[D]iscipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7-8, NASB).

I have been blessed in so many other ways than those listed above. As He is the giver of all such grace, I praise Him and give Him thanks for what He has done and promises to do, not only in my own life, but in your lives as well. May we never grow complacent but say with Paul , “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” (Philippians 3:13-14, NASB).

VICTOR, BS, Computer Science

Hello church family! I’m so thankful and blessed to have been able to attend Lighthouse during these past 3 years of college, and have been encouraged by the love that everyone shows towards each other in their desire to exemplify Christ. I’m grateful for the dedication of scripture-based teaching, and have been constantly challenged through the weekly sermons at College Life as well as Sunday service. I’m glad and excited to be around at least one more year, and am thankful to be part of the church body here in San Diego.

In for the Long Haul

by Brian Wong

Imagine a seed being planted in the dirt and its becoming a full-sized tree. Now think about a candle burning down or a puddle on the cement evaporating. Do you see a pattern? Each of these things takes a lengthy amount of time for the process to actually finish, and if you were to observe them real-time, the changes would be so insignificant that you wouldn’t be able to perceive them. But when you want to imagine these examples, you would see these processes as a time lapse going much faster than what it would actually be. After all, who has time to actually sit there and watch a puddle evaporate from start to finish?

Though we can visualize a seed becoming a tree within only a few seconds, it would be absurd to expect this process to actually take as short as it could in our imagination. However, is it possible that we could have this kind of expectation when it comes to spiritual matters? Understandably so, I think many of us would rather be further sanctified and have people become saved sooner rather than later. Salvation and sanctification are good things, so what’s the hold-up? But does our desire for these things to happen according to our convenient timing reflect the actual reality of our Creator’s sovereign and wise plan for our good? In order to address this, let’s look at a practice that has been vital to human civilization’s development that is still relevant today: agriculture!

Scripture makes many references and comparisons of the Christian life to agrarian concepts: evangelism is described as planting seeds, trusting Christ as following a good shepherd, faithful witnesses as laborers in a harvest, and much more. I want to particularly bring your attention to what the Bible likens to fruit. Fruit is generally used to describe sanctification and the development of the heart in a way that is pleasing to God (Luke 6:43-45, Gal. 5:22-23, Phil. 1:9-11, Col. 1:9-10). Because this comparison is frequently found throughout the New Testament, it should prompt us to look deeper into why that is the case as well as the implications behind this imagery. Though many analogies fall short of explaining the full weight or significance of spiritual matters, they are still helpful in guiding our understanding of the subject. Thus, if we take a look at the characteristics of fruit, we can glean some helpful principles and ideas of sanctification and growth as a Christian.

Before a fruit can even form, a flower must be fertilized; in order for it to be fertilized, it must be pollinated; but before pollination, the flower must already be blossomed; but in order for a flower to blossom, the tree must already be pretty mature; and to get a tree to that level of maturity, you have to…

And you get the point. Before we even get to the formation of fruit, we’re looking at years of attention, work, and patience put into nurturing the tree. Even when fruit forms, it still needs time to ripen and mature. Don’t forget that during this process, the trees are also vulnerable to poor weather conditions, diseases, and pests! However, at that point, the most that we can do is to wait for the fruit to mature. There’s no special trick or technique that people can do to speed up this maturing process; nature has to simply run its course. While one of the main elements that is needed for a tree to mature and bear fruit is time, we can also play an important role in the early development of the tree by means of proper and consistent watering, weeding, and pruning.

So given what we know about fruit and trees, one of the biggest implications we can draw from this comparison is that sanctification is a marathon, not a sprint. We shouldn’t be expecting ourselves to grow into ripe fruit overnight, and we also shouldn’t hold that expectation on others. God has provided the means for us to grow if we are faithful in practicing them, such as spending time in the Word, in prayer, and involvement in the local church. Similarly as to how you cannot simply dump buckets of water onto a growing tree in one instance and then neglect it afterwards, we cannot only rely on dramatic changes (i.e. retreats, conferences, etc.). We must seek after daily faithfulness, understanding that God has not given us a lifetime supply of grace to portion, but we must ask for it daily (Matt. 6:9-13).

Going back to what I mentioned in the very beginning of this article, it is convenient and part of our natural inclination to want to fast-forward things that might seem mundane so that we can get straight to the results. We think that the processes of a tree growing, a candle burning, or a puddle evaporating aren’t valuable enough to pay attention to, and we’re fine with just taking a peek every now and then to see how much has changed since the last time we saw it. That’s fine and all, but beware of applying that type of thinking to spiritual matters, because God doesn’t see it that way.

If God wanted to zap our sin and our struggles with it away, he could. We’ve seen Jesus instantly wither a fig tree; so he can certainly bring forth mature fruit if he wanted to. But God gives us the comparison of living the Christian life to bearing fruit for a reason. He cares not simply for the maturity of the fruit, but for His people’s daily faithfulness in mundane things even if there might be no perceived results in their sight. We are called to walk by faith and not have our obedience dependent on what we can see around us; the aim isn’t just to bear fruit that we can point to and boast in, but to please Him who has bought us with a price (2 Cor. 5:6-9). Thus, we are to embrace this process of sanctification and diligently steward the means that God has given us to grow and obey Him, even if not much around us seems to change in the moment. Trust the process, because it’s God’s.

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

This has been one of the biggest things I’ve come to learn from my first year of being on staff for the youth group. Initially, I felt like I wasn’t effective enough or mature enough to be able to lead my small group, since discussion times often consisted of one sentence answers and me trying to fill in as much of the awkward silence as possible. However, God has been gracious in using the messages to get them thinking more which manifests in what they share. I’ve learned to continue being faithful in guiding them in their understanding of the gospel week in and week out.

It reminded me of myself as a youth. Growing up, I attended youth group every Friday from 7th to 12th grade. We regularly learned about God and the Gospel through messages as well as small group with the staff members at my church. However, I wasn’t saved until late in high school. Even though it took years for me to become a Christian, my salvation would not have been possible without the willingness of the staff that walked alongside me the whole time. Similarly, it is my desire to walk alongside the youth in this way, and I’m just getting started!

God’s Wisdom for Parenting (Part 6)

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline, but he who regards reproof will be honored. (Proverbs 13:18)

Once again, the author of Proverbs returns to the theme of discipline. While this passage is not addressing parents or children specifically, its principle is surely applicable. Other proverbs focus on the folly of disregarding discipline. This verse emphasizes the consequences of turning away from it. It is important to note that the idea behind the word discipline is instruction. In this context, it is more than just corrective or punitive. As it relates to parenting, we must remember that the goal of Christian parenting is to implement discipline that is formative. We are not simply after behavioral change. We want to help our children to think with godly wisdom so that it affects their behavior.

To neglect discipline is essentially to have an unteachable heart. The word for neglect is translated from a verb that means “to let go or loose.” This is the same word used in Proverbs 1:25 where the author confronts his son for neglecting all his counsel. When godly wisdom is passed down from one generation to the next, children are warned not to let it slip through their fingers.

Instead, the one who is wise “regards reproof.” They not only hear it, but heed it and keep it. This is not just giving assent to it but also practicing what is taught because you recognize it as sound counsel. It is one thing for my child to do what I say. It is another for them to understand why it is for their good regardless of what their own heart’s desire. No one likes to be reproved or corrected, but a person recognizes it is lifegiving when they understand that it is what they need most in the moment.

It requires humility and teachability to welcome reproof and to heed it. The verse says that the one who regards it will be honored. “Honored” comes from a word that has the idea of heaviness, weightiness, or muchness. The noun form of this word is translated “glory.” There is significant substance to a person who is teachable and he is worth emulating. Parents need to help children understand the wisdom in this. The world promotes this idea that standing for yourself is what gives you substance. The Bible teaches that it actually comes from listening to wise counsel.

Living Unmistakably Against the Common Grain

by Josh Liu

In nature, we often observe energy travel the path of least resistance. Similarly, people typically choose the easiest or most convenient option. Unfortunately, a similar pattern is seen in many believers: they are simply going with the common grain. It’s easy to live like the world since it’s the path of least resistance; it’s hard to live against the world for Christ. Yet the transforming power of the Gospel enables and compels true believers to be faithful to Christ in all areas of life.

Overview

Pastor James Lee of Lighthouse Bible Church Orange County preached on the theme of “living unmistakably against the common grain” for our 2018 College Life Retreat. It was a great time of studying Scripture, examining our own lives, and considering how to be faithful to Christ in every area of life! Personally, it was also a blessing to be able to spend time with Pastor James and his family as they have been an incredible source of joy and encouragement.

The following provides a brief overview of the sessions:

Session 1: Faithful to Follow the Lord: The Cost of Discipleship (Luke 14:25-35)

Many fail to truly consider how much it costs to be a Christian. As Pastor James says, we up-play the freeness of the gift of salvation but we downplay the cost. Christ commands us to follow Him completely, with no regrets or conditions. In considering what it means to follow Christ from Luke 14, we must understand three non-negotiables: (1) accept His terms: absolute lordship (vv. 25-26); (2) accept His road: daily discipleship (vv. 27-33); and (3) accept His mission (vv. 34-35).