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!

by Roger Alcaraz

There’s a lot in the world we can complain about. From the tragic to the trivial. From a broken heart to a broken pencil. And the truth is, we will always have an excuse to complain, even if we have to make one up.

I think even if we were to go to heaven in our unglorified state, we would still complain, much like the fallen angels did before us. Adam and Eve lived in a world without sin, and yet Eve was tempted to believe God was holding out on her, and so she complained in her heart about God. It goes to show you that mankind’s attempt to better the world so that we have less to complain about is futile. We will never stop complaining as long as we are able, even in a perfect world.

Complaining is so easy to do, and many of us probably do it without even noticing. But complaining will only bring you more heartache, and it goes directly against God’s commands. Furthermore, it could be what prevents others from coming to know Christ. Philippians 2:14-15 commands us to “do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”

The application from this passage is pretty obvious: to do all things without grumbling or disputing. And I doubt this command is new to you. Even if you grew up in a non-Christian home, you were probably told to stop complaining. Yet chances are, even as a Christian, you still complain. But Paul understood that we need proper motivation when trying to obey God’s commands, so he spends less time giving this command and more time explaining why it’s so important for us as believers.

Being Blameless Before God

It may not seem like much to grumble. Maybe it’s something you think you should stop doing, but it’s not hurting anyone, so why the rush? If so, you need to look at what God says about complaining.

Jude wrote to encourage Christians to contend for the faith, especially against false teachers because “certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 4). Jude goes on to reveal that a severe judgement awaits these false teachers “It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him’” (Jude 14-15). And so who are these ungodly sinners whom God will execute judgement on? “These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires” (Jude 16).

And so the grumblers and malcontents mentioned in verse 16 are actually the false teachers mentioned in verse 4. Now that might not make sense to you because when you think of false teacher, you think someone who spreads lies and heresies. How is this the same as someone who complains? But think about it–if you complain, you are actually teaching. And when you complain, you’re teaching that Christ is not enough. You might even be teaching that God himself is not good. When you complain, you teach this to yourself, and if you complain to others, you spread your teaching to them, as well.

It’s tempting to want to complain about our situation, but if we trust that God is sovereign and has placed us where we are for our good, there will be no room for complaints. Instead of complaining, we are to be content whether we have much or whether we have little, and whether we like our circumstances or not. And as a result of our refusal to complain, we will not only be happier, but more than that, the world can see Christ through our trust in God.

Shining Brightly Before Men

Going back to Philippians 2, we live in a crooked and twisted generation, and you as believers shine as light in the world. But you will ruin it all by complaining and disputing. Earlier I said that we teach people about God in the way we complain and this is most true with unbelievers.

Imagine witnessing to a friend one moment and complaining the next, perhaps over dirty dishes that your roommate left. On the one hand, you’re telling them that Christ is of the utmost importance. But on the other hand, you’re telling him Christ is only enough so long as there are clean dishes. I think they’d have trouble reconciling the difference in their mind.

It would be more consistent with the gospel message to, instead, just take your roommate’s dishes and wash them joyfully. What kind of message would that communicate to your unbelieving friend? One that says: “All I need to be happy and fulfilled in life is Jesus.” And this is over insignificant dishes; imagine how much more that message would be communicated as they see this type of attitude during a real tragedy.

Friends, the world notices how you complain and argue. Sometimes it’s done on social media where the whole world can see. But we cannot afford to persist in this sin any longer. For the sake of those who do not know Christ, we must stop complaining.

by Sean Chen

In the Lord of the Readers book club, we’ve been studying The Christian Life. Upon reading chapter 2, I was struck by the title— “God’s Broken Image.” I initially thought to myself, “God is perfect. How could His image be tarnished?” Sinclair Ferguson clearly illustrates how our sins dishonor the image of God. According to scripture, the effects of our sins disintegrate our relationships with God, our fellows, the world around us and ourselves. Sin is missing the target which God has appointed, and falling short of the glory of God which we were created to enjoy (Romans 3:23). Naturally, we not only deviate from the right path but also rebel against our rightful and loving King. Consequently, we find ourselves as traitors to the goodness of God (Romans 3:10-18), guilty in the presence of the Eternal Judge.

1. The image of God defaced

Genesis 1:26-27 introduces us the image-bearer of God—man. The image of God probably means that God originally made man to reflect his holy character and his position as bearing rightful rule over all his creation. In that respect he is like God. From the first moment of man’s sin (Genesis 3), however, God’s gracious plan is distorted, accompanied by a change in the image of God.

Fallen man is essentially an affront to God. He takes all that God has lavished upon him to enable him to live in free and joyful obedience, and he transforms it into a weapon by which he can oppose his Maker. The magnitude of his sin is also the measure of his need for salvation. The wonder of God’s saving purpose lies in the fact that he longs more than we imagine to restore what has been lost. But the old creation must pass away, and a new one must be established; what was lost in Adam must be restored in Christ if there is to be any hope of sharing the glory of God from which we have fallen.

2. Man under the dominion of sin and death

The threat of sin and death appears early in the narrative of Genesis; Satan came in serpent-guise to destroy the divine-human fellowship. He attacked the promise that man would come under the dominion of death (Genesis 3:4). He also undermined the goodness of God by his suggestion that God grudged their presence in his garden (Genesis 3:4-5). The rest of Genesis 3 narrates the sad tale of man’s yielding to temptation to sin. The same truth appears in the teaching of Jesus (John 8:34). Paul emphasizes the same point in Romans; the references to sin in the Greek are usually to The Sin, as though it had taken on personal characteristics (Romans 5:12-6:23). As a result, men are powerless (Romans 8:6-7), yet “the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19).

3. Man guilty before God

Not only does man suffer the consequences of sin in human misery, but he comes under the condemnation of God. In Romans 2:1-16, Paul outlines the principles which God employs in coming to a verdict on our lives. He shows that God’s judgment is always according to truth and reality (verse 2) that is given in accordance with works (verse 6), and also is tempered by the light of revelation which men have received (verses 12-15). It is a judgment which will be administered through Christ (verse 16) and therefore will take into account all the secrets of men’s hearts. Paul demonstrates the guilt of all men before God. By the standard of Christ’s life we are guilty sinners. Every mouth will be closed and all men will be declared guilty before God (Romans 3:19). Apart from Christ, “the wrath of God remains” (John 3:36).

4. Man in the grip of Satan

The light shows the true nature of the darkness. In the full light of Christ, Satan is drawn out into the open, unmasked and identified. Men are seen not only as living a lifeless death in sin, dominated by the course and fashions of this world, but are described as being under the dominion of the devil (Ephesians 2:1-3). John describes Satan as the “prince of this world,” suggesting that the whole world lies in his power (1 John 5:19). The ultimate tragedy of man’s self-understanding is that he believes himself to be free, has all the feelings of a free agent, but does not realize that he is a slave to sin and serves the will of Satan.

In order to escape the grip of Satan, the gospel exemplifies our needs:

1. We need re-creation by Christ in order that the image of God, once distorted by sin, may be restored.
2. We need deliverance from the dominion of sin in order that we may live freely for God.
3. We need to be rescued from the power of Satan so that our lives may be given to Christ the Lord as his glad bondslaves.
4. We need to be saved from the wrath of God so that, released from this most terrifying of all prospects, we may live the life of forgiven sinners.

Salvation

We will never properly understand the work of God which takes place in the Christian life unless we first of all have some kind of grasp of why we need the grace of God. It comes to us in our sin and begins to undo what had been wrongly done in our lives in order that God’s image may be restored. But the Bible pronounces us already to be, in Christ, what we will be only when we are transformed into his perfect image (1 John 3:1-3). Our newness does not only reflect what Adam was in the presence of God and what he would have been had he continued in obedience. The gospel does not make us like Adam in his innocence—it makes us like Christ, in all the perfection of his reflection of God.

This is the essence of the salvation Christ provides (Romans 8:29). He came into the world as the Second Man, the Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45, 47). Out of his perfect reflection of the image of God we may draw by the power of the Holy Spirit. We share in his death the freedom from the dominion of sin (Romans 6:10). Under him we shelter from the wrath of God, knowing that he bore our guilt (Galatians 3:13). He became sin for us although he himself knew no sin, so that in him we might be made the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). He died, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18). On the cross he triumphed over Satan, and exposed him as our enemy (Colossians 2:15). In his name therefore we may also conquer (Revelations 12:10). Christ is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30). All we shall ever need we will find he supplies by his grace.

by Roger Alcaraz

So you’re at church on Sunday and everything is going peachy as you’re getting to know some of the newer faces of the church. You find yourself bonding with a younger member who reminds you of yourself from 5-10 years ago–perhaps they’re even struggling through some of the same issues that you once did. You pray with them and tell them if they ever need someone to pray with, to find you. Then they ask you the all terrifying question: “Can we meet up regularly?”

Gulp. “Regularly?” I mean, praying with them is one thing, but how would you go about counseling them week to week? Well, I hate to break it to you, but as the church gets bigger, the more impossible it becomes for the leaders to counsel everyone. And so the church must rely on its members (including you if you’re part of Lighthouse) to point each other to Christ, to shoulder one another’s burdens, and weep with those who weep.

But if you’ve never done this, it could be a daunting task. Heck, I’ve done it many times and I still get scared. Questions run through my mind like, “Do I have the time to invest in this person’s life? What if the situation is more than I know how to handle? What if I make things worse?” Still, I trust God with all of those things and find the experience rewarding every time. So even if you’ve never regularly counseled someone, I encourage you to serve the church in this way. And to help you in this, I’ve written out some steps to guide your times together in counseling.

Gain Involvement

Interestingly, your very first goal as a counselor is to gain involvement—establish the kind of relationship with the individuals that they tell their problems honestly and honestly take the counseling to heart. Without this, there is a lack of trust and the counseling becomes questionable for the individuals. I cannot emphasize this enough. If the counselee doesn’t trust you, they will likely hide their deep struggles from you. And even if you manage to draw them out, they will likely ignore any counsel you give. So building trust is a must.

Gather Data

Next, you need to gather data that would allow him to understand the individuals and the problem as much as possible. This should be done regardless of how well you think you understand the person or the situation because there will always be new things revealed that will affect how you counsel. Often times, gathering data is done by asking a lot of questions. The questions range from focusing on what happened, to why it happened, to how the person felt when it happened, all to gain clarity on the situation. It may seem like a tedious time and perhaps even a waste of time, but you should not feel bad if you spend a majority of your early sessions just asking questions and learning. Data gathering can also be used to gain involvement and trust from the individual. It can also be used to know just what homework to assign. Overall, it sets the foundation for the rest of the time with the individual and helps make all those times profitable. Once the you feel confident that you have all the relevant data, you must then proceed to interpreting that data.

Give Hope

After this, you need to give hope. It starts as early as the first session because most people who come for counseling are lacking hope. It is your job to offer the hope that can only come from God and his word. Look for the promises God gives concerning their situation and continually remind your counselee of them. They might be comforted by God’s word, but it’s up to you to have them meditate on Scripture and allow the Holy Spirit to bring about change.

Provide Instruction

After all of this, you are finally ready to provide instruction from God’s word. The warnings in Scripture towards those who teach should cause a healthy fear during this time. Hopefully, by this point, you understand the person you’re counseling and the situation in full to know how to instruct. The most important thing to consider is that your instruction is biblical. For this, it’s helpful to categorize your instruction as either a biblical mandate (such as avoiding fornication), or a helpful instruction (such as setting a curfew in dating). The difference between the two is whether or not Scripture commands it. Disobeying would then be a sin. But our instruction can also include things that would serve as a help to our counselee, even though Scripture doesn’t directly command it. But we should always make the distinction clear to our counselee so we don’t promote legalism (the idea that if we follow man made rules, we’re more righteous before God). The helpful instruction we give is meant to help people obey biblical mandates.

Assign Homework

In school, homework is used to improve one’s ability to perform some task and it is also used to mark progress. The same can be true for homework regarding one’s spiritual life. More than just the need for homework is the need for specific homework. The difference between that and vague homework is that specific homework can be monitored and directly measured. For example, for someone who is struggling with selfishness, homework that consists on putting others’ needs before your own is vague. What does it mean to put someone’s need before your own and how would one be sure it was done? However, more helpful homework would be to require the person to treat three people out for a meal or ask five people for prayer requests and praying with them. The difference is that at the end of the week, one can be sure whether or not the homework was done. This allows you to provide greater accountability, and give the counselee a time to build better habits. This is all aided with the use of specific homework, cleverly chosen according to the need of the counselee.

“Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:1-5)

by Kevin Tse

In Roger’s update last month he excitedly revealed that we’ll be going over Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi for the upcoming new year in Single Life. When Roger first brought up the idea of going through the book of Philippians, I could tell he was really excited to share with us how God’s Word instructs us on how to live a joyful life in Him. But I know Roger is equally excited (and I am too) to go over passages like Philippians 2 where Paul reminds the church at Philippi how they ought to treat one another.

Paul reminds the Philippians that because of their common bond in Christ, and their confession of faith in the same Gospel, they ought to love one another as Christ did (v5). Paul outlines what sacrificial love looks like, which is to regard others are more important than yourself (v3). He reminds us also that we ought not to be selfish (v2), but that we ought to look out also for the interests of others (v4). I’m sure this is a section of scripture that is very familiar to us, and many of us have probably even heard it exposited before. But the challenge is always to put what you hear into practice. After all, a change of heart is only complete once we are obediently acting on the Word of God. As it pertains to Philippians 2, the question we have to ask ourselves is: “What am I doing to think of others ahead of myself?”

The new year is going to bring with it new comers. They’ll probably get the bulk of the attention since (generally) we all like to meet new people. We especially get excited to meet those who we could see spending time with outside of church because they share some common interest(s) with us. While taking the time to get to know new comers is a potentially good application of regarding another as more important than yourself, be careful not to only seek out those with similar interests and backgrounds. In fact, if you think about it, by only spending time with those who are like you, you have really done nothing sacrificial at all. You’ve merely found another way to love yourself, by surrounding yourself only with people who like the things you already like to do anyway.

This might sound like a harsh rebuke, and well….it is. We (myself included) all enjoy spending time with those who are similar to us. Ethnic churches, in large part, exist because people have a hard time relating to people who are different than them. Cliques often exist for the same reason, whether intentionally or not, and are a means of keeping others out of our exclusive club. If Christ loved even His enemies, we cannot claim to be living Christ-like lives if all we end up doing is loving others whom we find easiest to love.

True sacrificial love, which looks to the interest of others ahead of ourselves, is when we go out of our way to get to know somebody who is very different than us. They might look and dress kind of funny, smell a little nasty, or act with very awkward mannerisms. And yet, if they are in Christ, they have a common testimony of faith in the same saving Gospel. We need to love them as Christ has loved us (and we all know how unlovable we were before God saved us).

As we go through the book of Philippians, in addition to learning about how to be joyful in the Lord, I challenge us all to reach out to those whom we don’t know very well. This includes the new comers, but also the old timers. People who have been around at the church for a while who you still do not know (or choose not to hang out with because they’re different) are just as blessed by your sacrificial love as any new comer. Look to the interests of others ahead of yourself, and step out of your comfort zone, and go show love to somebody at church who you really don’t know well. Christ did this by humbling Himself, taking on the form of a man, and ultimately going to the cross to die for His enemies.

If we can all reach out to at least one person who we don’t know well this year, just think of how much encouragement we can spread through the Single Life ministry, and maybe even to the rest of the church.

“The Gospel Wins;” let’s show the world why it wins.

by Roger Alcaraz

Now that I’m leading Single Life, people sometimes ask me what my plans are for it. I joke and say that my goal is to get everyone married and eventually work myself out of a job. But while Singles ministry is a great place to meet a spouse, I don’t want people to think of it as a stepping stone to something greater.

Marriage will never satisfy someone the way way Jesus alone can. And marriage itself presents sacrifices that get taken for granted among singles. Even a few days ago, a happily married father saw people planning a volleyball event and said, “Ahhh…the days when I was the master of my schedule.” So while marriage brings much joy, it also brings restrictions. And it’s not just when it comes to playing sports but even in our Christian walk. First Corinthians 7:32-34 says “The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided.”

The adage of calling a spouse the ol’ “ball and chain” is a crude and inaccurate portrayal of marriage, implying that all a spouse does is hold you down in life. But let’s not get rid of the imagery altogether. There may not be a ball, but there’s definitely a chain. Two people are tied together for the rest of their lives. The person on the other end will be able to lift you up when you fall, but you will also have to carry them sometimes. And that’s just the beginning. Have you ran a race chained to someone you’re in conflict with? It’s not easy.

The point is that people imagine marriage to be a blissful stroll through a park when it will often be a uphill climb through a rocky forest. Marriage will disappoint any person putting their hope in it and the truth is that an unhappy single will make for an unhappy married. Wanting to see people get married is simply too small of a goal.

This is why our main focus for this coming year will be on deepening our relationship with God so that we’re not chasing every fleeting pleasure before us only to be disappointed or have our faith shaken. We want to be like the man who builds his house on the rock so that when the storm comes, the house stands. We’ll do this by going through Philippians for the first semester of our Bible study since it carries the theme of joy in Christ. The last thing I want Single Life to become is a cold and joyless ministry. It really should be a time of great joy and sanctification, more than any other time of their lives since the people there don’t have their interest divided on how to please their spouses.

Secondly, I appreciate that so many want to get married but it’s not enough to want a good thing. We have to want it for good reasons. Marriage is a very sweet gift of grace to many, but it can become sour if we go into it with wrong motives. So after Philippians, we’ll be going through a series on biblical marriage.

It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that marriage is a ministry to another person, and instead make it something that serves their own needs. Saying that you want to get married to have a companion in life is like saying you want to go on missions to travel the world. It ignores the real reason God would call you to the foreign mission field: to bring glory to God. Likewise, if a person marries without concern for God’s glory, and only for their needs, it is done selfishly. In the end, I want to see people married but only if they’re doing so for God’s glory and the other’s good.

And lastly, most people experience a decrease in the number of non-Christian interactions when leaving college and the same is true when people get married. Being single presents one with more opportunities for evangelism, and so sprinkled throughout the year will be an emphasis on sharing the gospel to our friends and community. I even want to do what I can to make Bible studies more friendly to new visitors so they can come and witness the love we have for one another as they hear about God’s love.

In short, we should all have a godly jealousy to those in Single Life. Some may see it as a pit stop to a greater destination, but I say stay, grow, serve, and evangelize in ways you may never get to again.

by Haiqiao Lin

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

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

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

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

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

by Herman Wang

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Randy Tsuchiyama

Editor’s Note: The 2015 Singles Retreat audio and video are also available.

After coming out of a very busy February, I was looking for a chance to relax. When I saw that the Singles retreat was on the calendar, I was a little hesitant to go. After hearing that the theme for the retreat was “The Disciplines Of Grace”, my arrogance and pride was telling me that its going to be another retreat talking about quiet times, prayer, and the various other topics that come to mind when spiritual disciplines. I was so very wrong, and so glad that I was.

The spiritual refreshment found in the preaching of God’s Word and fellowshipping with brothers and sisters in the faith was a great encouragement for me. Every sermon was so helpful and incredibly refreshing to hear. Though this topic of “The Discipline of Grace” was not new, it is one that I need to be reminded of from time to time.

In the first sermon, “A Disciplined View”. Pastor Alton preached on Matthew 20:1-16. The way that he explained the parable of the laborers in the vineyard helped and challenged me greatly. It’s so easy to become incredibly proud of how God has grown us. Being a Christian for a long time we can put a lot of merit and self-worth in the way that we serve. We may even see it as something that gives us a sense of being better than someone who is not doing that. The sermon reminds us that the work that we do as an older Christian doesn’t make us more important or worth more than someone who is younger. We have no more inherent value because we have been serving God longer. The outcome is still the same. We all will still inherit the kingdom of God.

In the second sermon, “A Disciplined Giving”, Pastor Alton encouraged us to store our treasures in heaven. He challenged us to think through how we are using our money for the building of the kingdom. This was not necessarily a message to encourage giving to the church (though that can be a very appropriate application). We can become selfish and think the money that we earn is for ourselves without even considering how we can use this money to bless others. Too often purchases we make are incredibly self-serving and can contradict every thing else we say that we’re living for.

The third sermon was about “A Disciplined Desire”. This sermon was having a desire for the Word of God. One of the things that stuck out the most to me was the comparison of desire to read the Word and intense hunger. One who is hungry has a sole focus. They are not easily led astray and they will pursue food with a humility and desperation that is unique. This is the type of desire that we ought to have for the Word of God. Even after having studied the Word for a while, this is still a challenging thing for me. This reminder helped me see the need to view the Word of God as something that is of incredible value.

In the last sermon, “A Disciplined Pursuit”, Pastor Alton exhorted us to be more like Christ. This is one of those extremely simple commands that is difficult to follow. The biggest thing I got from that was looking at Christ-like examples in the Bible as well as those around me. The question that I must ask myself is, “Am I trying to pursue Christ more like so many men before me or am I content with following what the world says is acceptable?”

There were a lot of reminders and a lot of challenges that I received from the retreat. Even though I was a little more tired physically after the retreat than before the retreat, I was incredibly thankful for having the opportunity to hear Pastor Alton preach the Word of God.

by Marina Hayes

Have you ever been in a  conflict situation where just overlooking an offense is not enough or where a situation calls for restoration? Did you find yourself asking the question, “How can I lovingly serve others by helping them to take responsibility?”

“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.” (Gal 6:1)

The key verb in this verse is “restore”. The definition is to repair or make amends with something; it carries the idea of setting a broken bone, or repairing a dislocated limb. The world doesn’t practice restoration; they tend to confront people, get it off their chest to feel better, and leave it at that. But our concern is not to feel good about ourselves, or say our piece. Our goal is to bring that person back to Christ, and to restore this relationship is to make that person whole again. The heart issue of every conflict is sin and prolonged conflicts always boil down to sin.

“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.” (James 4 :1-2)

Whether it is pride, self-centeredness or malice, God calls us to help other believers see their sin. When we think of restoring a broken bone, it is not enough for a doctor to just diagnose it and omit offering any healing or solution to it. That is akin to confrontation without the restoration process.

Process of gently restoring is outlined in Scripture:

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matt 18:15-20)

First, the conflict reconciliation process should start with just two people. Conflict is initially addressed at the most fundamental level and involves as few people as possible. Where there is a sin issue that is too important to be overlooked we ought to talk to that person in humility and gentleness.

If they are not willing to reconcile, the Bible gives us step two: to take one or two more people with us. This is not a brand new idea to the New Testament; Deut. 18:15 speaks of settling an offense with witnesses. We involve other people to ensure that the process is Biblical, there is no partiality, and wisdom is being poured out in that situation. This is not for the purpose of ganging up on that person. The type of people that we should consider bringing to this situation are mutual friends, church leaders, godly and respected individuals, people that the conflicting parties both trust and respect. However, we often never get to this step. The main reason that prevents us is the fear of involving other people. There should be no shame of going to somebody for the purpose of resolving a conflict. On the contrary, it shows that we care for that person and that we are serious about being obedient to God’s word and being a peacemaker. The church leaders are not so worried about the problems that they do know of; they are more worried about those that they don’t know of.

If the situation is still not resolved and the person is not willing to reconcile and repent, then we move to the next step. We bring this issue to the church. When we find ourselves in this situation we understand that this is not a form of punishment. We are not tattling on the person, or trying to shame or ridicule them. We are pursuing restoration. Members can appeal to the person and pray for that person. The church is a family. When somebody in the family is in conflict and not speaking with one another, it affects the entire family. The sin between two believers can affect us all. And when one of our family members is in sin, we talk to them, plead with them and pray for them. It is not different with the church family. Bringing the issue to the entire church may seem harsh and embarrassing, but in reality nothing could be more loving.

The church has authority of restoring believers. The church has authority to settle material conflicts as well.

“If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people? Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church? I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers! The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters.” (1 Cor 6:1-8)

Since the root of all conflicts is sin, conflicts are a spiritual problem. Rather than court, we should try to settle our conflict within the church.

If that fails, the final step is treating the unrepentant person as an unbeliever. This is not saying that this person is in fact an unbeliever or became an unbeliever. Only God knows the heart. But we are to treat that person as an unbeliever. This is still part of the restoration process. It is done out of love and a desire to see that person restored. Through the church discipline we can help them realize the seriousness of their sin. It serves as a reminder to share the gospel with them. If they are not believers, then they have a chance to hear the gospel again. As harsh as it sounds, this act is still part of gentle restoration. It is not to punish the person, or get rid of him, but a hope that they eventually will come to their senses.

Next time we are in a conflict situation, let’s remember that God takes conflicts seriously. He gives us very specific instruction on how He wants us to deal with conflict. These are not just some unattainable, theoretical ideas. This is His will for every believer.