Category Archives: Affinity Groups

The Walking Dead

by Elder Johnny Kim

Even as one who hardly watches television and rarely makes it out to the movies, even I couldn’t help but to notice the exploding fascination with zombies in pop culture as of late. From the aforementioned television shows and movies to the various zombie conventions and even theme parks, zombies have seemingly popped up everywhere. And as if all these things weren’t proof enough that zombies have gone mainstream, even various government agencies and organizations have embraced the fad by producing zombie-themed public service announcements in order to promote disaster preparedness among the general public! As ridiculous as it sounds, I have to admit that it’s actually an effective and brilliant marketing move on the government’s part. The average citizen may not have ever experienced large-scale natural disasters before and therefore might be unable to fully comprehend the dire consequences and fallout of such an event. But because zombies and the idea of zombie outbreaks and ensuing apocalypse have become so pervasive and popular in our entertainment and media, it turns out people might actually be more likely to have an appreciation of the gravity of at least that fictional scenario. By relating the level of preparedness needed for natural disasters with how people would prepare for the type of zombie apocalypse that they’ve surely seen in movies and on television time and time again, they are more likely to be better prepared for a very real large earthquake, blizzard, or hurricane. As ironic as it is, that just goes to show how popular zombies have become.

Traditionally, zombies are portrayed as mindless and soulless beings inhabiting corpses and otherwise lifeless bodies, usually on a quest to consume the brains of the living or to perpetuate their disease by infecting the living with their bite. Of course the prospect of living in an apocalyptic world and being surrounded by hordes of zombies, or the walking dead as they’re often referred, is a fictional fantasy that we’ll never encounter in reality.

Or perhaps we already have?

Before you parents fire off a concerned email to Pastor Patrick, for the record, I have not been teaching your youth about zombies. But for Lumos youth Friday night Bible studies, we have been going through Ephesians and we recently learned in chapter 2 of the epistle that Paul makes mention of those who are “walking” according to the course of this world and “living” in the lusts of the flesh, yet “dead” in their trespasses and sins. Walking and alive and yet dead; sounds familiar, right? While we might not ever find ourselves surrounded by zombies, spiritually speaking the “walking dead” are already all around us. The truth is the one who is without Christ is dead. Not only does Paul refer to this truth in Ephesians 2:1-3, but it’s a truth that he echoes in Colossians 2:13 as well. For the one who is without Christ, their cheerful disposition, happy demeanor, and other external evidences of being physically alive hide the fact that internally, they are spiritually dead. Our sinful nature and propensity to love worldly pleasures and vices make us dead to God and His goodness, His righteousness, and His holiness.

The loud sobs and wails of loved ones will never wake the one who lies dead inside the coffin. Pounding on the casket in grief and sorrow will never rouse the one inside to life. In the same way that the physically dead are completely and utterly incapable of walking, talking, or reacting in any way to anything, the spiritually dead are unable to respond to the facts of Christ and the gospel. In other words it’s all sinners who, because of their sinful nature, are unable to respond to the facts of Christ and the gospel. The most accurate knowledge of God’s character and the most passionate appeal to consider His righteousness and His holiness cannot rouse a sinner to glorify God. As sinners, we have as much capability to do that by ourselves as a corpse has to get up and walk around. We first need to be brought to life by an intervening external force. And not just by any force, but by the most powerful force there is. God is the only force sufficiently powerful for this miraculous task; power that was proven when He raised Christ from the dead (Ephesians 1:19-20). As those who were once dead but now brought to life in Him, we preach the gospel of sovereign grace to those who remain spiritually dead. While dead, there is nothing anyone can do but to acknowledge their “deadness” and to beg for God’s grace and mercy and to rely on His goodness to save them and to bring them to life in Christ. We preach this gospel to the dead who are around us, and indeed they are all around us, as in Matthew 9:37. However, not only are they spiritually dead, but they also face an inevitable eternal and permanent death.

As Paul uses the analogy of death to portray our former spiritual lives apart from Christ, the analogy also describes the certainty of eternal and permanent death that awaits all sinners after living in this present world. So inevitable is this eternal death for all sinners, that Paul points out we might as well be considered dead, though technically we are alive for whatever brief moment our lives will last here on earth (James 4:14). Apart from Christ and the salvation that is only obtained in Him, the only possible and assured outcome that awaits us all is an eternal death in hell. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. Because of our trespasses and sins, and ultimately our sinful nature, we were like “dead men walking”. But the good news is that God made us to be alive in Christ because of His rich mercy and great love (Ephesians 2:4-5). God, through Christ, not only makes us to be spiritually alive in this present life, to be able to live according to His commands and to please Him and bless Him by glorifying Him with our lives, but He also makes us to be alive in Christ forever. We have the hope of eternal life with Him beyond this life in the life to come. Those who are in Christ are truly alive in every sense of the word, now and forever.

I’ve found that the challenge of preaching these specific truths to the youth is that outwardly, they are seemingly the furthest from being “dead”. With vibrant attitudes and being full of energy, if anything, the youth are the liveliest affinity group in the church. Walk into the youth room (especially after soda, snacks, and candy) and the last word that comes to mind is “dead”. Similarly, youth being as young as they are, have that many more potential years of life here on this earth as compared to older adults. Death is often the furthest thing from their minds as it is from our minds when we think about youth. Yet all that doesn’t change the internal and spiritual reality that without Christ, they too are dead in the way that the Apostle Paul describes. They too are in desperate need of the One who can bring them to life, in this present life and in the life to come. It’s a sobering reality that I’ve come to be reminded of in youth ministry. The reality that as far off as it seems, I am surrounded by “walking dead” for every youth who has not yet been made alive in Christ.

I encourage you to consider your own lives and see that the same reality holds true for you as well. In our schools, in our workplaces, in our neighborhoods, and even in our own families, the sobering reality is that we can all find that we are surrounded by the “walking dead”. We shouldn’t let others’ worldly successes, temporal happiness, and comfortable affluence betray the fact that they are anything but alive absent Christ. If we stop to consider those around us who do not have life in Him, then we will realize that we are all constantly surrounded by those who are really dead and dying. Let us be bold and clear and constant in the way we preach the life-giving gospel of Christ to all those around us.

Reflections of the Fireflies’ Ministry Over the Years

by Brenda Hom

God has given me the wonderful privilege of serving on the Fireflies Nursery Ministry since 2007. When I first joined the ministry, the church was located in the Scripps Ranch area, and the “nursery” was a small classroom filled with computers, electrical cords, and other potential choking hazards for young babies and toddlers. We had about five nursery-aged children at the time, and I enjoyed spending quality time with those children and watching them grow up in the church. As the years went by, God continued to be faithful, and grew our church both spiritually and in numbers. It is truly an honor to grow alongside the church body, and witness firsthand how God has brought up the Fireflies Ministry to what it is today.

When we moved to our current location in Sorrento Valley, the Fireflies Ministry was given the main large room, which we currently use today for the toddlers. By that time, the ministry had grown to be about 10 toddlers and five babies. The main room was divided into two sections, with one side for the infants, and the other side for the toddlers. These were exciting times, especially with our newly adopted curriculum that included Bible lessons and memory verses. Creative and musically talented church members set the memory verses to a tune, and the Fireflies memory verse song CD was made! Within the next few years, the nursery continued to grow, as new families joined the church, and singles became married families with children. With 15 toddlers and 10 babies, Fireflies had outgrown the main large room. Once the LBC San Jose church plant started, the Sparklers ministry moved into Pastor John Kim’s old office, and Nursery 1 (infants) moved next door into the old Sparklers room. Currently, the Fireflies ministry now has 15 babies in N1, and 20 toddlers in N2.

As I reflect upon how much the Fireflies ministry has physically changed over the years, I am grateful for God’s constant faithfulness, unchanging character, and unfailing love towards His church. God has given us His Word to teach the youngest members of our church about who He is, His character and attributes, and who His Son Jesus Christ is. Our hope is that some day, these little ones would grow up to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and become disciples of Christ.

Reflections from (Less than) One Year of Marriage

by Sam Chung

Stephanie and I have been married a little under a year upon writing this article. There are days where we still feel like we are in our honeymoon days and there are also days where life together has become the norm. During this past year, there have been many changes and transitions for us, both individually and as a couple. Some of these changes were expected, while others were not. Through it all, we are both thankful to the Lord in sustaining us and sanctifying us. Although it has only been a year, we have already learned so much and grown as a couple in the Lord. The following are a few points in which we would like to share with you:

God is The Provider (Exodus 16:31-35; Matthew 6:25-34; Romans 8:31-34; Philippians 4:4-7) – Despite its varying contexts, we see that God always provides for His people, from material, physical needs to our greatest need of salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord. In the same way, there have been many things that we were anxious about that we needed to offer up to God. We were not sure about many things: wedding planning, our housing arrangements, job security for the following year, wedding planning (yes, wedding planning had to be repeated), and the list goes on even still (more housing questions, future children, what I should do for our first anniversary). For example, we had to think about the proper timing of our wedding. I had just finished graduate school and Steph was teaching part time. I had to consider whether or not I was willing to trust in God despite not having a job lined up, or even money saved up for a wedding. What were my reasons for pursuing marriage at that moment, or waiting until a later time? In the end, we were able to remind ourselves, and one another, of our need to continually trust in a loving Father who provides. This is not to say that everything went as we had wanted or as we had planned, but God knew what was best for us, allowing what was necessary to occur. In hindsight, we see that God had always provided throughout our times of anxiety. We are still fighting to trust in God with all things. We remind ourselves that our greatest need has already been provided through Christ: His life, death, and resurrection. We have God’s Word and memorable reminders of God’s provisions already, which we use to redirect our hearts to humble ourselves in times of uncertainty. With these things in mind, we look forward to adding to our memories of how our God continues to provide for us.
Marriage Takes Work (Ephesians 5:25-33; Colossians 3:19; 1 Peter 3:7) – This point is one that we were aware of prior to our wedding day. We had gone through the dating and engagement process. We had talked to married couples and gone through premarital counseling. Regardless, this fact brought a whole new meaning when it became even more personal. We quickly displayed to one another our sinfulness and imperfections even more than what we had before. We were really put to the test when we were unable to return to our respective apartments to think through conflicts and return at a later time to resolve them. We had to work things out at that instance, sifting through the emotions and sometimes at the heat of the moment, feet away from each other, to get to the heart issue. We had to put into the practice the commands to love one another, regardless of how we were feeling at that moment. Were we really willing to lay down our own desires and expectations, humbling ourselves, for the service of the other? Even despite seeing how our stance is the (perceived) better one? The reality of two sinners coming together, creating friction became very real, very fast. Although we have had our tough times together already, the commitment to peacemaking and loving one another “til death do us part” brought sweet resolution. We were able to see practical examples of God’s grace that was shown to us. We were able to learn about one another even more in order to serve the other better. We were reminded that God even provided these tough moments to refine us and prune us (John 15:1-17). The hard part is the fact that this is only regarding the two of us! We are still called to love others and serve the church on top of this. We are still working on loving one another better (and will until we die) as well as loving you, the church, better. We trust that it comes with the understanding and willingness to put aside our own desires for our call to love God and people.
Marriage is Fun (Genesis 2:18; Proverbs 31:10-31; Ecclesiastes 9:9) – Just as we were aware of the work that is involved with being married, we were also aware that marriage brings a lot of fun. And just as we did not experience the full extent of the work prior to our wedding, we did not experience the full fun that we have been able to share together until we were married. Going back to our first point of reflection, God provided for us with one another. There are many things we enjoy together now. The companionship that we have found in each other is unparalleled to any other relationship on this earth. To name a few, we love eating, watching TV, eating, laughing, eating, serving and talking together. There are also areas in which we can serve one another because we are better at it. Steph is much cleaner and more organized than I am. I have the physical capabilities of killing spiders. She cooks well. I eat well. She laughs at virtually anything remotely funny. I say things that are remotely funny. Apart from my salvation in Christ, my marriage has been one of the highlights of my life. God provided for me with a spouse, a friend, a partner in ministry, and so much more packaged into 1 person. Marriage is fun and we are excited to see what God has in store for us as we continue on this walk of life together.

These three points are not all comprehensive of our reflections of marriage thus far, but they have been huge themes for us in the past year. God has provided (and will provide) for us, marriage takes work, and marriage is fun. We praise and thank God for our marriage because He is the one who sustains us. We hope that you were encouraged by our reflections from our one-year of marriage and continue to love and serve the Lord together with us.

Reflection on the 2016 Singles’ Retreat

by Dawn Hwang

The 2016 Lighthouse Bible Church’s Singles Retreat was … crazy. It was busy, hectic, and tiring. My voice was gone by the first night, which I didn’t get back until the following Thursday, and I felt so physically pushed and exhausted. But at the same time, it was also incredibly fun, encouraging, and humbling. If you were to ask me would I go to retreat again, I would not hesitate to jump up and down and ecstatically scream “Yes!”

This year Pastor Kurt Gebhards, visiting us all the way from Chicago, spoke on the topic of the Lord’s prayer under the theme “The Disciple’s Prayer.” He broke down Matthew 6:9-13 verse by verse and delivered four messages titled (1) Communion with the Father, (2) Commission with the Father, (3) Provision of the Father, and (4) Protection of the Father.

We are disciples of Christ and as a disciple, prayer is an intrinsic part of our lives. The disciple’s prayer, the Lord’s prayer is so familiar to us that we often tend to skip over the beauty and glory of it. Pastor Kurt focused on the implications of the Lord’s prayer and the importance of it for us as disciples.

The first session was on Communion with the Father (Matthew 6:9). During this session, Pastor Kurt challenged us on how we view and value our time in the word. We throw out the terms “quiet times,” “devos”, “devotions” and “DTs” left and right, but what is at the heart of these words? Communion. He explained the importance of relishing our time with the Father and the detrimental repercussions of not doing so, likening it to cutting off our own limbs when we relinquish this time. God has done all that He could to procure our communion with Him and we just want to microwave it instead of slow cooking our time with Him.

The second session seamlessly continued from the first session with the topic, Commission with the Father (Matthew 6:10). Jesus gives us the consequences of communion. When we are able to slow cook our communion with the Father, we find our identity and with any identity comes an activity. Our identity is grounded in Christ and this should and will lead to activity. When Jesus was here on Earth, He took care of everything and He was the Light. But now that He’s in heaven, we are the light of the world. He uses us to do His mission and what an honor that is! Communion and commission work together beautifully and we have to ask ourselves, what are our current commitments to the Great Commission?

The third session was on the Provision of the Father (Matthew 6:11). For someone living in the 1st century, this part of the prayer could have applied quite literally but how does this apply to us, 21st century Americans? The fundamental message that Jesus is telling us to ask for God to provide for us. We all know that our God is a good God and He is a gloriously good provider, but do we really understand and view Him in this way? Pastor Kurt’s challenge allowed us to reflect on whether or not we could genuinely trust that even through all that we’ve gone through, we’re going through, and will go through that God is good.

Pastor Kurt concluded the series of messages with the Protection of the Father (Matthew 6:12-13). We are called to live a perfect life and Jesus is the standard, but we fail thousands of times a day. Every single sin is a debt and when we sin against God, we take something away from Him. Our debt is massive but hallelujah! It is forgiven. The answer to all of these prayers is God, Himself. It’s not about what can God do for me, but that God Himself is what we need. In order to understand the protection of the Father, it’s exceedingly important that we understand justification.

It doesn’t end there! Not only were the sessions awesome, but everything in between was also really great. This year, I had the opportunity to serve as a team captain (woot woot Team Baseball!) and I learned so much through this experience. When I first got my list of teammates, I was somewhat overwhelmed with not personally knowing a good portion of my team as we had Lighthouse Bible Church San Jose and Orange County joining us for retreat. But God is gracious and He showed me so much love through all the people around. It was great getting know to people from the various Lighthouse churches and fellowship was so sweet. The feeling of being overwhelmed quickly dissipated and throughout the retreat, my love for everyone, not just those from San Diego, grew. It was encouraging to see people mingling, learning from each other, being vulnerable with each other, and challenging each other. We were able to witness people who didn’t know anything about each other form a relationship on the sole foundation of Christ.

This retreat was such a good reminder of God’s goodness and as I mentioned earlier, if I could attend retreat again, I would jump at the opportunity.

The Devotion and Practice of Doctrine

by Josh Liu

Introduction

What is “doctrine” and why is it important? There are many misunderstandings about doctrine and its relationship to believers and the church. Someone who says that doctrine isn’t practical may not understand what doctrine actually is. Many think of doctrine as dry, artificially organized information that is divisive, and something that removes worship and intimate relationship with God. Far from the truth, doctrine simply means “teaching,” and is inherently practical. It is a false dichotomy to separate doctrine from application.

Doctrine in the NT Church

Doctrine itself is a biblical term and concept. In Scripture, “doctrine” (also “teaching,” “instruction”) is given particular emphasis in the role of the pastor or elder. Concerning qualifications and responsibilities of pastoral ministry, Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:13, “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.” The word “teaching” is from the same Greek word for “doctrine” (didaskalias). Paul also tells Titus, another young pastor, to appoint elders characterized as “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able to both exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict” (Titus 1:9). The example of teaching God’s truth, or doctrine, is also seen in the Old Testament. The Lord gave Moses instruction to teach the nation of Israel (cf. Ex. 24:12); the prophet Ezra read from God’s Word, which was then translated and explained to the people (cf. Neh. 8:1, 8). So, pastors and teachers are commanded to teach doctrine (see also 1 Tim. 4:6, 16; 5:17; 6:1, 3; 2 Tim. 3:16; Titus 2:1, 7, 10).

Doctrine and Life

To remove doctrine from Christianity is impossible. Everyone has doctrine; everyone holds a belief about Christ and what His Word says. It is a matter of whether or not one has biblical (or true) doctrine. Christ and other NT writers often condemned unbiblical, false, and demonic doctrine (cf. Matt. 15:9; Mark 7:7; Eph. 4:14; Col. 2:22; 1 Tim. 4:1). Without a proper understanding of doctrine, or a biblical, faithful commitment to doctrine, one may be believing or teaching heresy, and may be committing sin. The opposite of pure, unadulterated doctrine is immorality (cf. 1 Tim. 1:10).

Since doctrine is the teaching of Scripture, it impacts all areas of life and is inherently practical and immediately applicable. The Book of Proverbs is full of maxims, truth principles, for how to live life in a manner that honors God. It is full of doctrine that can be readily applied in various areas of life. It is impossible to apply biblical wisdom or truth principles without doctrine. Again, to not commit oneself to the study of biblical doctrine is to be vulnerable to sin.

But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted. (1 Tim. 1:8-11)

Egregious sins and the like are what oppose sound, biblical doctrine.

The Breadth of Doctrine

Doctrine impacts our understanding of the person and work of God, of Christ; it impacts our understanding of man, work, life, death, salvation, relationships, church, worship, discipleship, and so on. I’ll provide some examples of doctrines and demonstrate how they are immediately put into practice.

Let’s take the doctrine of creation for example. The Bible states that God has created all things (Gen. 1:1). Thus, you can immediately reject anything contrary to that truth (i.e., evolutionary theory; existential existence). God as creator gives purpose to everyday life. Though life is short, fleeting, and ultimately unfulfilling, God has given you life and this creation to enjoy for His glory (cf. Ecc. 12:1). God as creator encourages believers to persevere through trials knowing that He is sovereign over their lives (cf. 1 Pet. 4:19). God as creator defines men’s and women’s intended roles (cf. 1 Tim. 2:12-13). God as creator directly impacts ethical issues such as eugenics, abortion, and racism.

For another example, a biblical doctrine of work may be informed by Genesis 1:28 where God commands man to subdue and rule over the earth. Ruling (or work) is further understood in the context of God’s curses (Gen. 3:17-19). Still, we see that work is a pre-Fall commandment, not as a result of sin. Thus, work is a good thing. Thus, the NT can exhort believers to work well (cf. Col. 3:23; Eph. 6:5-9).

The Practice of Doctrine

For an example of immediate application of doctrine, let us use the doctrine of God’s sovereignty and suffering as a case study. When one sees that God is in absolute control over all creation, history, circumstances, trials, nature, and so on (cf. Gen. 50:20; Ex. 4:11; Acts 17:24-25; Job 38:1ff), then one can trust God in all circumstances (cf. Phil. 4:6), give thanks to Him (cf. James 1:2), seek to be faithful to His commands, and persevere through all things (cf. Phil. 4:13; 2 Cor. 12:9).

Doctrine, the teachings of Scripture, demands a response. One cannot simply hear the truth and do nothing. James 1:23-25 says,

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

Conclusion

In this brief examination of doctrine, we see that it is synonymous with the teachings of God’s revelation given to His people. Doctrine was a central responsibility of church leaders. Doctrine was a priority and practice in worship and life for all believers. Doctrine necessarily leads to devotion and action.

Doctrine is not some sterile study of the Bible (or man-made theological categories) by a disconnected philosopher-theologian in an ivory tower. It is not something reserved for a “super” Christian. It is merely the sum of biblical teachings on any given subject in Scripture that exalts the person and work of God, and informs us how to worship and live faithfully in response. I encourage you to devote yourself to studying doctrine so that you would deepen your knowledge of and intimacy with Christ.

Old Elucidates the New

by Ryan McAdams

Having spent the better part of the last three years in lessons upon the Old Testament, our curriculum will bring us to the incarnation of Jesus Christ at the start of April. Some may wonder why we spent so long outside of the New Testament, and I will certainly grant that our journey took a bit longer than we expected. But even so, it felt like we had to rush through certain books and skipped most of the prophets. In spite of all of that, I hope that our children have gained at least a small understanding of God’s hand throughout the entirety of history.

For myself, I grew up in the church and heard all about Moses, David, Daniel, etc. – the main Bible characters. I prided myself on my Bible page-turning speed and mastery of Biblical trivia (I didn’t learn the definition of trivia until later). But, I missed the forest for the trees, and had no sense of the unifying story of God’s redemption of man underlying all of the stories I knew. Now, not everything we do in our children’s ministry stems from experiences from my childhood, but these experiences do provide concrete examples of dangers to avoid.

In our not-so-brief jaunt, we started with God’s creation and how He saw that it was very good. And that since the day that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, humankind has spiraled further and further away from God and God’s perfect creation has suffered, and yet God promised a victor over the serpent. We came to Abraham and saw God’s promise to bless all nations through him and how God counts faith as righteousness, and through the son that God promised, God raised the nation of Israel. We read God’s covenant with the people of Israel, and that He would treasure them above all other nations if they obeyed His covenant. And we spent time reading through that covenant, seeing how God has chosen to set apart His people to himself, but then seeing that after the initial conquest of the Promised Land, the people quickly turned from the Law to their own ways, and the resultant suffering and oppression. We learned how after His people rejected Him as their king, God selected David as His king and promised to establish David’s kingdom forever, but that immediately the kings following David turned away from God to other gods and to their own might, resulting in a kingdom split and eventual destruction and exile from the Promised Land. Even still, God promised and executed a return for the exiles and never revoked the covenants He made. In fact, God continued to offer hope to the remnant of His people.

Taking the brief overview, most of us can observe the cycles of sin and corruption along with God’s grace and orchestration of the events of history. But lesson by lesson, we had to try to both learn from the lesson itself and also tie it back to this larger picture. If the children were tracking with the lessons and had engaged themselves in the story, they would have experienced brief moments of hope followed by crushing disappointment. And, if we ended our lessons with the end of the Old Testament, the children would find themselves in the same state of despair as the first-century BC Jews.

But, we have the New Testament, and we know what God did. God sent Jesus, His son, to take the sins of the world, to bless all nations, to sit on David’s throne forever, and to crush sin and death once and for all!

The Old Testament gives us greater depth and appreciation for all that Jesus Christ accomplished with His death and life. If we want to teach the kids the Gospel well, the Old Testament introduces and prepares us for the good news that comes as a result of the true main character of the Bible, the redeemer, the King, the God-man, Christ Jesus, the Lord.

So, we’re looking forward to our curriculum’s foray into the New Testament and hope that the lessons and unifying themes from the Old Testament can help our children to understand God’s redemptive plan and Jesus’s mission on Earth in a fuller way.

What Kept Jesus on the Cross?

by Roger Alcaraz

Last year, our college ministry tabled at UCSD during Triton Day. It’s an event where all of the school clubs get to advertise to the incoming students. Coincidentally, our church was right next to the Atheist Club. And I was curious what the club does since it centers around a non-belief, but I found out they like to watch debates, specifically those against Christianity. And after talking with them, I came to the conclusion that this club wouldn’t have been started apart from Christianity because their main focus wasn’t to attack God in general but to attack Christ. The atheist club should have more accurately been named, the Anti-Christian Club.

But this is nothing new. People have always hated Jesus since the time of his ministry. While he was on Earth, the Jewish leaders saw Jesus as a threat to their power and tried to get rid of him. They tried various tactics, but eventually realized that the only way to get rid of Jesus was to kill Him. So they devised a plan and this eventually led to his death on the cross.

While on the cross, spectators had the opportunity to hurl insults and even taunt Jesus. Luke 23:35 gives the following account: “And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!’”

The claim was, “He saved others; let him save himself.” So the question then is, why didn’t Jesus save himself? In other words, what kept Jesus from coming down from the cross?

Was It the Nails?

Some would argue that the reason he couldn’t save himself was because Jesus was just a man, like any other. So of course he couldn’t save himself, he didn’t have the power to. But Scripture tells us the opposite. Jesus did the impossible and he did it with plenty of witnesses.

He once told the storm to be still and the winds immediately obeyed his words. Later, 5,000 of his followers got hungry, so Jesus took a small amount of bread and fish and multiplied them to be able to feed them all. On multiple occasions, Jesus visited crowded funerals and raised the dead. Other times he gave sight to the blind, healed the leper, and commanded paralytics to walk and they would instantly obey. Jesus was so popular that people came from all over Israel to be healed. Even Romans were coming to him, believing he had amazing power. And his power extended over spirits as even demons obeyed his every word and even trembled at his mere presence.

Clearly, Jesus proved himself to be a powerful man, capable of controlling spirits, nature, even life itself. The clearest explanation for this is that he is God incarnate. All this is to say that we’re dealing with someone who, if he wanted to, could have easily pulled himself off the cross. So again I ask, what kept him there?

Was It Our Sin?

Maybe you’ve heard before that it was our sin that nailed him to the cross and kept him there. And I think there is an element of truth behind that statement. What is true is that Jesus’ death on the cross was necessary for salvation. We have all sinned and deserve death. But God has allowed for someone to stand in our place. And Jesus Christ is the only acceptable sacrifice that can remove God’s wrath from coming to us because he alone is perfect.

And so it’s true–if we had not sinned, then there would be no need for Christ to die, so it is really our sin that nailed him to the cross. But here is where the answer falls short of answering the question, “What kept Jesus on the cross?” God was never obligated to save anyone. He could have looked at sinful humanity and decided to simply condemn us. This would have been the easier option for him. And he would have been perfectly just to do so.

In fact, 2 Peter 2:4 tell us that this is what God did with the angels. It says, “God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell.” That could have been us. So then, Jesus certainly was powerful enough to remove himself from the cross, and God was under no obligation to save mankind. Then why didn’t he save himself? Why did he instead say, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing?” as he continued to bear the wrath of sin?

It Was Love

Before Jesus was handed over to be crucified, knowing he only had a few hours left, he fervently prayed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matt 26:39). It’s here where we begin to see why Jesus went and stayed on the cross. It’s because God the Son, loved God the Father. Jesus submitted to not his own will, but to the will of the Father and obeyed him to the point of death, even death on a cross.

In John 10:18, Jesus talks about his impending death, saying, “This charge I have received from my Father.” Thus Jesus was commanded by the Father to die on behalf of humanity. And the reason for Christ’s obedience was his love. Later, while Jesus is speaking again on his imminent death, he says, “I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father” (John 14:31).

Perhaps it’s expected that the Son loves the Father, but amazingly, mankind is also the recipient of Christ’s great love. Romans 5:8 is one of my favorite passages of the whole Bible because it speaks of the superior nature of God’s love. It reads, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Incredible! God loves sinners! Which tells you that God’s love is not something we earn or could ever deserve. We might think that God should love us because we’re used to thinking of ourselves as lovable, good people. But in God’s eyes, we are sinners. Even so, the good news of it all is that he still loves us. The good news is that his love has nothing to do with anything we have done, but it has everything to do with who God is. God is love. He is the very definition of love.

This is ultimately what kept Jesus from saving himself: his love for the Father, and his love for sinners. And so he provided a way of salvation by paying the ultimate sacrifice. Praise Jesus Christ for his love!

“2016 College Life Retreat Reflections”

by Josh Liu

Lighthouse Bible Church’s college ministry, College Life, had its annual retreat in February 12-14. The theme was “Knowing Our Position and Putting It into Practice.” Pastor Scott Ardavanis of Grace Church of the Valley in Kingsburg, California, delivered five theologically rich and practical sessions: (1) The Great Exchange, (2) The Relationship between Justification and Sanctification, (3) The Nature of Progressive Sanctification, (4) Ministering to Each Other in the Body of Christ, and (5) What Will Heaven Be Like.

Pastor Scott expounded upon the doctrines of Justification, Sanctification (positional and progressive), Ecclesiology (i.e. responsibility of the members of the body of Christ – 1 Thess. 5:14), and Glorification (i.e. the permanence of love in heaven – 1 Cor. 13). You can find recordings of the sermons here.

It was a great time of studying God’s Word, fellowship, games, and laughter. As the reputation goes, the college retreat games were intense and dirty, yet entertaining! I was also personally really encouraged by everyone present–their enthusiastic participation, great attitudes, profound discussions, and intentional investment. However, rather than hearing from me about retreat, I think it would be great to hear from the students themselves!

Each student was asked to introduce themselves and answer the following questions:

What was one significant thing you learned?
What was your most memorable/joyful/thankful moment/experience?
What was one thing you were really encouraged by from someone else?
What’s one thing you want to change as a result of what you experienced or learned at retreat?

Abraham Cheung

My name is Abraham Cheung. I’m a 1st year at UCSD studying Sociology. This is my first college life retreat ever. Looking forward to many more to come!

One important thing I learned was that we have a responsibility to pursue holiness because we have already been made holy when Jesus gave us his righteousness, trading the punishment for our sins.
My favorite moment was the games, especially steal the bacon (which was a squid inside a nasty kiddy pool).
I was really encouraged by the upper classmen reaching out to me. We had good conversations about what we learned and how to apply it into our lives.
My mentality of progressive sanctification has changed the most. Before I did not really know why I should pursue holiness, but now I know that I should because my new position in Christ ought to lead to a holy lifestyle.

Alyssa Chin

My name Alyssa Chin and I’m a sophomore at San Diego State University and studying Child and Family Development. This was my second College Life retreat (but third retreat with the church).

One thing that really stuck out to me was when Pastor Scott taught on the 3 responses we should give to those with different spiritual conditions (the idle, the fainthearted, and the weak). We learned we are to admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, and help the weak. I think for me, it’s easy to be blunt (which can come off as harsh) and not recognize that my brothers and sisters have different needs and are going through situations that require different responses rather than just rebuking. I guess I would only stick to just admonishing the idle but it was helpful to learn what it means to be idle, fainthearted, and weak and how we should rightly respond to each person in a given situation.
The games were without a doubt some of most memorable moments of retreat… or well the smell of the pool of death will not be forgotten..
It was encouraging to see that the captains really encouraged the encouragement buddies by supplying their teams with paper and goody bags. Also, in my cabin, there was a door that connected the two rooms and so it was encouraging to see that the door was left open (for the most part) and people would go in and talk to others, even if they weren’t in the same cabin numbers. It was super encouraging to see the freshmen go out and know the upper classmen. I know that I was really scared of meeting the upper classmen when I was a freshmen and so I would (for the most part) stick with people who I was comfortable with like those in my grade.
As a result of retreat, I hope to be more intentional in my conversations and continue to grow the friendships that were started at retreat by setting aside some time to meet up with new and old friends. Hopefully I can put to practice what I’ve learned, especially the part about being more empathetic for my brothers and sisters in Christ and learning how to be fast to listen but slow to speak.

Jaron Seid

Hi everyone! My name is Jaron Seid, I’m a second year at UCSD, studying Political Science and Accounting. This was my second College-Life Retreat and it was definitely a great one!

Something that I’ve been struggling with recently as far as my own walk with God goes is simply the motivation to endure and run the race. Pastor Scott said something at the end of his third message that really hit me, “There is no greater motivation for holiness than the love of God.” Though that’s a broad statement, it made a lot of sense to me; understanding God’s sacrificial love to undeserving me should motivate me to live a life in constant thanksgiving.
I really appreciated and enjoyed the time of morning worship that Humphrey led, being able to sing hymns of old with nothing but our gross-morning voices really set the tone for the rest of the retreat and was such a sweet time of fellowship!
I was very encouraged by seeing so many collegians meeting new people especially during meal times and building on relationships through those times!
For me, I felt the most applicable and practical thing I could work on is being discerning of what people’s needs are and doing my best through God’s grace to build up brothers and sisters in the specific areas where God could use me.

Noah Seto

Hello! My name is Noah Seto and I am a second year at UCSD studying general biology. This is my second college life retreat and the 3rd retreat I have been to overall while at LBCSD.

I think one of the biggest things that I learned from the retreat was the two parts of sanctification. The first idea of positional sanctification and how we can find comfort knowing that “God has already looked at us in the perfectness of Christ.” Secondly the encouragement for progressive sanctification and being reaffirmed about the fact that “God works in us and we cooperate with the Holy Spirit to make us more holy.”
One of the best things about retreat was being able to sit down with any group of people during the day and have conversations about what they learned or about just how they were doing in general. It was also very nice to get away from the distractions of everyday life in San Diego and spend intentional time with other brothers getting to know one another even better. One of the most memorable moments was the dinosaur rap at the end of a skit and the craziness that ensured after it.
One of the greatest things to see at retreat was how close it seems our college group has gotten and how encouraging everyone has been. It was also awesome to see people introducing and talking to the new people who came out so they would not feel left out.
During my time at retreat I was really challenged to care for my brothers and sisters in Christ. I think being more sensitive about situations so that I can better encourage those who are faint hearted or weak with loving patience is something I want to grow in.

Andy Yeung

I’m Andy Yeung, I’m a 3rd year at UCSD studying Human Development. I’ve gone to two College Retreats, the one last year (2015) and this one!

One significant thing I learned this weekend was the biblical distinction in the ways we should seek to minister to others (admonish vs. encourage vs. help).
My most memorable experience of the weekend was when we turned to face the other half of the college body and sang “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”. Singing such a hope, prayer, and encouragement to the other half of the college body was such a blessing in itself to me, helping me to realize that such a goal was my truest wish for each and every one of them.
One thing I was really encouraged by someone else was seeing how many members of the college body reached out to the many of the newer individuals, and some of those who weren’t as well known in the fellowship (of course, there was more potential to be had here, but there was quite a bit of this internal encouragement and welcoming, and for that I rejoice).
One thing I want to change as a result of retreat is how I go about in my conversations and interactions with others. In light of recognizing that my foremost wish for any individual is to see them turn their eyes upon Jesus and hope in Him and Him alone, I want to frame each and every one of my interactions such that they could see Christ more fully and seek Him in all they do.

Erica Truong

My name is Erica Truong and I’m a 3rd year attending UCSD, majoring in Political Science and minoring in Law and Society. This was my 3rd college life retreat.

One significant thing I learned during retreat is that in heaven there will be perfect unity. There will be no disappointments, no tension, and no hindrance to love. We will be able to love perfectly in heaven because we will be filled with His perfect love–thus we would be able to love like Him too because we will be perfectly satisfied in our great God. What an anticipating day to look forward to!
I really enjoyed getting to spend time with my brothers and sisters at retreat (especially those that I don’t get to see quite often)! I am thankful for them and really got to get a taste of the future glory that is to come! It was a really sweet time getting to catch up with them and seeing God’s faithfulness being displayed in their lives.
I was really encouraged by the hard work that the staffers and student staff put together to make retreat happen. I know it probably took time out of busy schedules, and I really am grateful for their service!
One thing I want to work on is being more sensitive and patient towards others who are idle, fainthearted, and/or weak.

Humphrey Lin

My name is Humphrey Lin. I’m a 4th year at UCSD studying biochemistry and cell biology, and I will be graduating this upcoming June of 2016. This was my fourth (and possibly last) College Life retreat.

One significant lesson I learned is that our practice of holiness should be the result of our justified position before God. That we are called to live out our lives the way God sees us–perfect and pure because of the blood of Christ.
One of the highlights of my retreat was when I lost my nametag and had to participate in the punishment that I devised…and ended up eating a whole habanero. The experience was intense, but I was encouraged by how many people seemed to genuinely care for my physical well-being. It was also just an ironic turn of events.
I was really encouraged to see people whom I know to be more introverted step out of their comfort zones to greet newcomers, talk to the speaker, and participate in the events. It really showed me that they are being controlled by the love of Christ, and not by their personalities or fears.
I know you said one thing, but I can’t settle on just one…I want to strive harder to live more holy, to find discipleship, to have more intentional conversations and relationships with my brothers, and to set my mind on the things of heaven.

Lorraine Yeung

Hello, my name is Lorraine Yeung and I am currently a senior studying Biochemistry and Cell Biology at UCSD. This was my last college life retreat and indeed a memorable one.

Through the preaching of Pastor Scott, I learned that justification must be distinguished from sanctification, but never separated. Justification being the roots and sanctification being the fruits.
One highlight from retreat were the skits. The skit preparation allowed us to reflect on the sermons/discuss them and to execute these ideas. It was amazing and a joy to see all the creativity, humor, and participation from the skit performances.
Though we were divided among different teams (red and blue), members from each opposing team continued to find ways to serve one another. Even through the games, though quite competitive, we cheered and encouraged each other with God-glorifying attitudes.
One thing I learned is that “sanctification is not a one size fits all” and when serving brothers and sisters-in-Christ, I must discern the people in the body of Christ, their needs, and how to come alongside them (rebuke the idle, encourage the fainthearted, and help the weak). Most importantly, it must be done from a heart of patience.

Growing Pains: Maturity Mirages (Part 2)

by Kristen Lim

This article is a continuation on the Growing Pains series, a look at various topics that young Christians may encounter.

If you’ve been keeping up with this series so far, we’ve seen how maturity takes time as we utilize the means of grace God has given (reading Scripture, prayer, fellowship with other Christians, etc.) to grow in holiness and fight sin. He will surely be faithful to produce fruit in His children! But what exactly are we maturing towards? In short, spiritual maturation is becoming more like God (Ephesians 5:1). Rather than providing a survey of various marks of spiritual maturity (for that, I usher you to Peter Lim’s series entitled “Signs of Spiritual Maturity”), I wanted to point out two “maturity mirages,” or two misleading indicators of spiritual maturity. It is important that we are measuring spiritual maturity based on God’s standards and not on our opinions, so that we strive towards true Christ-likeness.

Maturity Mirage #1: Knowledge

There is a challenge where someone holds a burning match while reciting all the books of the Bible in order, and must complete the task before getting burned. As impressive as that sounds, it is not a sure mark of spiritual maturity. Maybe you have memorized a whole book of the Bible; you have read not one, but TWO systematic theology books; you can easily walk through the main points of the Gospel with Bible references for each key point; you can even spout out the right Bible verses for counseling situations.

All those things are not bad. In fact, it’s good and profitable to be well versed with Scripture and to understand your faith. But accumulated knowledge isn’t meant to just stay in the head. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 is a familiar passage to most: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” The knowledge that is garnered through the careful study of God’s word does not stop at just knowing facts, but leads to good works.

Lest we forget that we are not saved by good works, Paul reminds us in Titus 3:1-8 that “[God] saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” On the basis of our firm foundation of faith in the mercy we have received through Jesus, the response is to be careful to engage in good deeds.

These good works don’t have to be super extravagant. It could simply be sharing one of God’s promises to a downcast sister or brother, cooking a meal for a sick family, or choosing to show grace and kindness to someone who made a hurtful comment to you. Perhaps the more difficult good deeds are the ones done in the quietness of your heart, for example, to seek unity and peace with a fellow member of the church after a conflict, since this truly tests your “knowledge” of God’s love towards you. A spiritually mature person not only grows in knowledge and deeper understanding of who God is, but applies that knowledge in good works and points others to glorify Him (Matthew 5:16).

Maturity Mirage #2: Giftedness

In our human nature, we find pride and identity in our talents, personalities, and status that may contain leverage to make us feel better than others. And we can also have a higher view of others that have certain desirable qualities and giftedness. This can be very subtle. We may deem eloquent people who can orate beautiful sentences filled with emotion, as more passionate for God than the soft-spoken stutterer who serves in the background. Or maybe it is the quieter person that is viewed as having more maturity in speech than the jovial jokester. Or even assuming that a married person is more spiritually mature than a single, just based on marital status.

I won’t go into every scenario or case-study, but the point is that many times we can be guilty of judging the spiritual maturity of ourselves or others based on God’s allotment of specific kinds of gifts. Public speakers, toilet-scrubbers, introverted personalities, the life of the party, married, unmarried; these are all different portions that God has wisely and purposefully given to His children, for their good and for His glory. The person given the flashy gifts isn’t necessarily more spiritually mature than the one who seems like they have “unimpressive” talents. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 helps us understand that there are a variety of gifts, but the same God who sovereignly distributes gifts as He wills. And Romans 12:3-8 reaffirms the truth that “we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us” and “each of us is to exercise them accordingly.” One gift is not more valuable or more worthy of praise than another. And if a person has been given a “desirable” gift, it doesn’t elevate that person to be automatically more mature.

1 Peter 4:10-11 instructs Christians to employ the gifts God has given in order to serve one another as good stewards of the grace of God, “so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” A spiritually mature person not only recognizes his God-given talents, personalities, and gifts, but also understands that God is looking for faithfulness to exercise those gifts to make much of God.

Christ Must Increase

Having knowledge of the Bible and being gifted in certain ways does not necessarily make a person spiritually mature; it may even be a facade to cover spiritual immaturity. When God saves us, He also redeems our knowledge and gifts, so that the knowledge we obtain translates into good deeds, and gifts we have been blessed with are to be faithfully exercised to be of service to others. Hopefully it is apparent that spiritual maturity is less about how we can increase and build a resume of knowledge and gifts, but rather how God can use us to be a blessing to others. May we seek to grow in knowledge of God for more effectiveness in good works, and utilize our giftedness in faithfulness to God’s apportionment, so that Christ may increase, and we may decrease (John 3:30).

Lessons from Sparklers Ministry

by Henry Shieh

I remember telling my small group leader years ago that teaching was not something God has gifted me with and I did not intend to seek it. But now, I have been a teacher for the LBCSD Sparklers ministry for the past two years and I truly love this ministry. Some of the things I love to do in Sparklers ministry are preparing / teaching lessons, playing with the kids, and seeing them excited that their parents have come back to get them.

Somethings that God has been teaching me through this ministry are how to:

Make Disciples of Christ: I have the opportunity to come alongside their parents and teach them about God’s word and what it means to be a follower of Christ which includes encouraging and teaching them to make “wise-way” choices instead of “my-way choices.” It’s fun making disciples of Christ when you get to have fun with them through games and fun lessons. However, there is a responsibility for me to teach them about what sin is and that it leads to death. One of my first lessons taught was on Numbers 11 in which God sent fire down on the Israelites for grumbling against God. This was a difficult lesson to teach to three to five year-olds because of their limited understanding, but it is a necessary lesson to teach because the understanding of God’s call for us to be holy is such an important part of understanding our depravity and the need for Jesus’ sacrifice.
Love God and People: I have the opportunity to actively love God in studying His word and breaking it down in a way that three year-olds can understand it. I have opportunity to show love to the parents at church who have children in this ministry through telling them how their child was during their class. I have the opportunity to love the children when I get to laugh with them and comfort (or distract) them when they cry. I have the opportunity to show God’s love when I have to take them aside for disobeying and talk to them about their choice to obey or disobey God.
Hope in God through Prayer: Praying for my Sparklers has been one of my greatest joys as a teacher. We started praying for two Sparklers each Sunday based on prayer requests their parents have communicated to us (thanks Grace!). Some of these prayers I am able to see answered just by interacting with Sparklers once every couple of weeks. It’s been humbling and exciting to see God’s work at hand.

I’m truly thankful to be part of the Sparklers ministry because of the constant reminder of what it means to have childlike faith. I hope to be part of it for many years to come as long God allows me to stay in San Diego.

LBC Beacon

A Ministry of Lighthouse Bible Church