Dear LBCSD church family,

As we’re sure you’ve all heard, church services have now been deemed “essential” and thus have been allowed to be re-opened in a limited capacity, and with certain restrictions.  The elders at LBCSD have been praying through and discussing how we can best re-open the church, while still doing our best to protect people from being exposed/infected with COVID-19 (caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus).  Forthcoming in the near future will be details about the protective practices we will be putting in place (in accordance with the orders from the State of California), as well as our own guidance on who should consider staying home under various circumstances.  These guidelines have been in the works for a while, and have been carefully crafted with the help of multiple members of our church family who are front-line healthcare professionals.

At the same time, we understand that some are hesitant to return to church, and feel convicted that staying home is what is best for them and their families.  The elders want to affirm that this is a very reasonable and God-honoring choice.  We appreciate your collective prayers for wisdom on how to re-open, and also how to continuously monitor how things are going; nothing is set in stone, including the governmental guidelines we seek to adhere to.  So this is a fluid situation that we will do our best to monitor (legally, medically, and spiritually).

Some have asked how to make decisions in situations like this.  That is a great question!  We wanted to take the opportunity (since so many have asked) to walk through some biblical principles on how to make godly, and wise decisions.

As we’re sure many of you know (and affirm), whenever making a decision for any reason, we want to make that decision in a God-honoring way (1 Cor 10:31).  The Scriptures are clear that our starting point is what the Word of God says (John 14:15).  We are to love God and people (Matt 22:37-40), and trust Him in all things while not leaning on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:3-5).  Those are tall tasks in and of themselves, but secondly we should also submit to the government (Rom 13:1-2) so long as the government is not telling us to sin against God (Acts 5:29).  If we have fulfilled those two criteria (first glorify God, then second submit to the government) then we are free to make the best / wisest decisions we can make (prayerfully, and led by the Holy Spirit [James 1:5]).  This is true of all biblical decisions, not just this situation.

In regards to this situation, we have to continue to remember God’s commands, while sifting through governmental orders (that keep changing, and in some cases have been inconsistently applied) and data on a worldwide pandemic (that honestly also keeps changing, i.e. see new WHO guidelines on masking). Ignoring any of those three components (God’s commands, governing authorities, new health data) is going to lead to an unwise decision.  On the other hand, a heart that honestly considers all three of those components will make the best judgement for his / her family, and the elders respect and appreciate all the prayerfulness that went into that decision.  We don’t want to make anybody feel like they have to go against their conscience (when that conscience has come to a decision in line with biblical criteria).

Having said that, we did want to address the changing landscape of medical information that is put out on a daily (even hourly) basis.  There are many articles readily available online showing the rates of new infections, percentage of positive tests, deaths and recoveries in almost every nation affected by this pandemic.  While the data from these other regions of the world (or even of the country) are helpful, it’s important to remember that the virus is not affecting every region identically.  Furthermore, not every region of the world (or even of the country) are implementing the same physical distancing measures, masking requirements, lockdown protocols, or case-tracking technologies.  So rates of infection outside of our immediate region are difficult to interpret in light of our local situation.   Stated more succinctly, what works (or doesn’t work) in one locale doesn’t always translate to the one you live in.  

For example, Florida hasn’t seen the spike everyone thought they would (of course they acknowledge it could still happen, but that’s part of the problem since nobody can really be that definitive about anything related to the virus), and the models that predicted the initial number of deaths in the US to be in the millions is now saying that Florida is on a downward trend (see the predicted death numbers).  You can look at the California numbers too, and there’s an overall decrease in the projections (granted, this particular model uses a “mobility” parameter to predict how much the virus could spread, so it hasn’t yet taken into account the increased mobility of some people due to the new re-opening orders).  Another model specifically for San Diego uses a different algorithm, and shows a potential modest increase in daily death rates by Sept 1, 2020 while assuming a June 1 gradual re-opening date (about 4-5 deaths/day above our current May 30, 2020 “7 day moving average” – we should all be familiar with what this means because of Peter Lim’s finance reports!).

So what about San Diego?  San Diego’s new positive case rate has been fairly steady (the number of new cases is holding around 100-150-ish / day since mid-April).  So that curve has “flattened” thus far, which was the original goal of the social distancing measures.  We’re sure you also know by now that as testing increases we should obviously expect that the number of positive cases will also necessarily increase, but it’s interesting that the percentage of positive tests have gone down steadily since late April (another sign we’re flattening the curve).  You’ll recall the goal of flattening the curve was never to see zero new cases everyday, it was to limit the surge so that the burden on the healthcare system would not be overwhelming.  Obviously we’d love to see zero people getting sick, but even waiting for that to happen won’t be possible until we start to approach herd immunity (~60-80% of the population having recovered from the infection, or who have developed immunity via vaccination).  Interestingly, reaching herd immunity is actually hindered by a continuing lockdown or quarantining, in the absence of an effective vaccine.

(Please don’t misinterpret what we’re saying – we’re not saying to open everything up right now so that the population can get infected, or that we need to sacrifice the weaker among the population who may die from being exposed to the virus.  We understand that there is a shared responsibility for us to protect those who are most likely to succumb to the virus.  But it is a valid question to ask yourself: “At what point would you be ok with going to church, or leaving your house, or hanging out with friends?”  Is it when there’s 0% chance of being infected? (Then it could be another 12-18 months, or longer, until the first FDA-approved vaccine is available)  Or is it closer to 20%, or 50% or…?  These are all questions that are valid and worthy of discussion between you and your family and friends.

Regarding “expert” opinions about opening up too soon, there’s always another side to the story and we are to evaluate both sides when trying to make a wise decision (Prov 18:17).  Many “experts” have highlighted the human cost of having people not go to see their doctors for regular / required checkups, not to mention the economic costs. Furthermore, there are also “experts” saying that lockdowns (as a means of controlling infectious diseases) are less helpful than universal masking, meaning masking would allow you to open up sooner.  For example this “expert” from Brigham and Women’s hospital (and a professor at Harvard) said we can “shut down the virus” if at least 60% of the people just mask up. They don’t mean the infection rate goes to zero, what they mean is that it becomes much less prevalent and intrusive on daily life if we all were to mask properly (and may allow us to open society earlier if we all adopt masking and hand washing practices). Here’s a modeling study saying wearing masks is the best strategy for governments to adopt as they make plans on how to exit societal lockdowns.  The paper quotes, “Combined with other NPIs (non-pharmaceutical interventions) including social distancing and mass contact tracing, a ‘mouth-and-nose-lockdown’ is far more sustainable than a ‘full body lockdown,’ from economic, social and mental health standpoints.”  In an interview with the principle investigator of this study, he cites the differences between the US response and Japan’s when he says, “This comes despite Japan having no lockdown, still-active subways, and many businesses that have remained open—reportedly including karaoke bars, although Japanese citizens and industries are practicing social distancing where they can. Nor have the Japanese broadly embraced contact tracing, a practice by which health authorities identify someone who has been infected and then attempt to identify everyone that person might have interacted with—and potentially infected”.  Now this modeling study could be wrong too, but so were the original prediction models for how many people would die (they are, after-all, just models).  All this to say, nobody knows what the “right” answer is.  And, on a related note, we have to be careful what we read (and what we believe as “truth” or “hard medical data”) because it could lead us to being over-confident, or to being overly fearful (Is 41:10, 2 Tim 1:7)

So biblically, how does one make a decision when we don’t have all the information we need (or the information is incomplete, flawed, or biased)? It’s the same way we make any other decision – doing what we think is wisest based on what we believe most glorifies God. This factors in the “risk averse” nature of some, and the “risk taking” nature of others. There is no “one size fits all” answer when it comes to these types of wisdom / “Christian liberty” decisions. We have to try not to be dogmatic / legalistic about these, one way or the other. We may be convinced in our own mind that our decision is the right one for ourselves or our family (Rom 14:5) and with the exact same (imperfect) data someone else may come to the opposite conclusion, and that’s ok. So long as we both honestly believe we are doing our best to glorify God, to obey His word, and to submit to the government, then we get to make that kind of decision with wisdom and prayer in a Spirit-led manner. We do need to be careful though too, because we may be convinced that our way is the better way for us, until somebody shows us (and gently walks us through) a better way. It could be that our original reasoning was flawed: perhaps it was based on faulty assumptions, an incorrect interpretation of Scripture, and / or a misunderstanding of government law, updated medical data, etc. In that case, we need to be willing to confront those flaws and think through the issues biblically, whether it ultimately changes our final decision or not. This is how we sharpen one another (Prov 27:17).

So the leaders of the church obviously cannot make the decision to go to church, or not, for each individual person or family unit.  That’s a personal / family decision, based on your interpretation of God’s word, the government’s orders, and the medical data (as imperfect and incomplete as it is).  Nobody should fault you for feeling like the best decision is to stay home, and nobody should feel spiritually superior for thinking they should go back to church.

As for church re-opening, we will do our best to submit to the Word of God, as well as to governing authorities.  We believe that if the church is allowed to gather (based on the governing authorities), then we should re-open (based on the Word of God, Heb 10:25).  However, if individually somebody feels it’s not safe to return yet, we also trust our members that this decision was made through much prayer, and for biblical reasons (for an interesting view of a valid biblical reason to stay away from church, see Roger’s sermon from 15APR2020, where he explains that Paul didn’t visit the church in Thessalonica in order to protect them from persecution, watch from 1:05:00 – 1:14:00).

We love you all, and please know we are doing our best to trust in the Lord, and to acknowledge His sovereignty over our lives.  We are also called to shepherd the flock (1 Peter 5:2), and while online church services serve a purpose for the time being, we look forward to being in fellowship (and ministering to one another) with you all soon.

In Christ,

The LBCSD elders

by Stephen Rodgers

This is the hub post for Elder Peter Lim’s 18-part series examining the signs of spiritual maturity. From this page, you can easily find and refer to all posts in this series.

All posts in the Spiritual Maturity series:

• Signs of Spiritual Maturity #1: Introduction
• Signs of Spiritual Maturity #2: The Prerequisite
• Signs of Spiritual Maturity #3: Growing is fun! Sort of.
• Signs of Spiritual Maturity #4: Changes of the Heart
• Signs of Spiritual Maturity #5: Changes in Friendship
• Signs of Spiritual Maturity #6: Conservative Decision Making Motivated By a Hatred of Sin
• Signs of Spiritual Maturity #7: The Ministry of Presence
• Signs of Spiritual Maturity #8: Ready for Solid Food
• Signs of Spiritual Maturity #9: Truth is Valuable Enough to Labor For
• Signs of Spiritual Maturity #10: Righteousness Looks Normal and Sin Seems Strange
• Signs of Spiritual Maturity #11: Servant Mentality
• Signs of Spiritual Maturity #12: Difficult to Offend, Slow to Anger
• Signs of Spiritual Maturity #13: What’s Inside Matters
• Signs of Spiritual Maturity #14: Gracious No Matter What
• Signs of Spiritual Maturity #15: Contentment and Appreciation of the Mundane
• Signs of Spiritual Maturity #16: Respectful of Authority
• Signs of Spiritual Maturity #17: Lonely, Not Lonely
• Signs of Spiritual Maturity #18: A Passionate Desire to Grow in Maturity

“There are many Christian people in our churches today who do not want to be taught. They object to teaching and only look to be entertained. They say as much and criticize ministers who are trying to teach them. They insist they want something from the heart, and say they cannot be bothered with doctrine – it demands too much effort on their part. They will not read solid books, therefore, but only snippets and digests. They do not believe in studying God’s Word.”(DM Lloyd-Jones on Romans 14:17, Romans)

by Elder Peter Lim

Although there’s no shortage of topics to write regarding Spiritual Maturity, I will bring this series to an end here. If you haven’t figured it out by now, pretty much all the articles here on the Beacon are designed to increase your spiritual maturity in one way or another, so I’m sure I’ll be getting the other topics that I’ve been thinking about into a Beacon article in the future.

As this quote by DM Lloyd-Jones says, many people don’t want to work hard in order to pursue spiritual maturity. Or they want to be mature without going through a difficult process of study, conviction, and refinement. Sometimes people will even express a desire to “want to want” maturity. That is, they don’t actually want maturity because they know that it’s not going to be easy to give up the things of the world and pursue Christ. I’m not talking about people who truly seek to be spiritually mature and are finding it difficult, or are experiencing some failures along the journey. I’m talking about those who claim to have been Christians for a while (or want to be one) who have simply given up hope that they can grow or the that cost is too high.

Typically these are people whose desire to change their questionable lifestyle is shallow and short-lived. They are satisfied with lack of growth or are too lazy to think deeply about holiness. They tend to question whether gray area issues are so bad because they don’t mind going toward the direction of the “sin border” rather than away from it. They get bored easily and would rather be entertained by worldly entertainment. They sometimes have doubts about their own faith and they struggle with sin regularly.

In contrast, a sign of someone who is growing in maturity is a passionate desire to grow. They are not satisfied with the level of their current personal holiness and look for ways to continue to change. This is true whether they’ve been a Christian for a short time or for decades. Presumably, those who have been a Christian longer should be more mature which ironically leads to a greater desire to mature. This desire to grow is a result of a firm understanding that the most mature of us still lack holiness by a wide margin, and our desire is to be holy as God is holy. (1 Peter 1:16) If you desire to grow in maturity and be challenged, ask someone to help keep you accountable to put this desire into action and to sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron.

It should be fairly obvious by now that the things mentioned in this series of articles are calls to a never-ending journey toward a direction, not merely a destination. Well, almost never-ending. All this maturing ends in the presence of Jesus Christ when we dwell with Him forever
in Heaven.

by Elder Johnny Kim

A while back, I was browsing through the Nike website and discovered that they offer a service through which one can customize shoes for purchase. Known as NikeID, anyone looking for a pair of basketball shoes for example, can customize their shoe by selecting from all sorts of materials, accents, and color combinations for various aspects of the shoe, from the laces down to glow-in-the-dark soles. Add in some customized writing on the shoe and several hundred dollars later, you end up with a shoe that uniquely represents you and your own personal style and tastes. Furthermore, I suppose you also get to avoid the embarrassment of being caught wearing the same generic factory shoes as someone else, which could happen even if you bought these $400 “non-custom” Nike shoes.

Clothes have become the ultimate expression of personal style and individuality. More than just functional garments to cover our bodies and shield us from the elements, clothes for us in this society are instruments used to represent our personality, our interests, our mood, and even our income level. And how we decide on what to wear is itself an intimate and personal decision. On any given day, I might choose what to wear based on what makes ME comfortable, what makes ME feel good, the style that best represents ME, and what is most convenient for ME. This approach to picking out our outfit might not matter much in most contexts, but in the context of church and corporate worship, we Christians ought to think differently.

Worship is first and foremost a spiritual affair and therefore our spiritual state is what matters most. Yet the outward appearance of worship, the structure, the setting, the order of worship, still matter as well. Wayne Grudem points out in Systematic Theology that all these things still serve to facilitate the atmosphere of worship which Jesus demonstrated He still cared about as He drove out the money-changers from the temple (Matthew 21:12-13). Our outward appearance and how we dress is just one more way we can help the church and her members to cultivate a more worshipful and reverent attitude in worship. While our own hearts and minds might be in the right place regardless of what we wear (even then, I challenge you to dress up for church and see if it doesn’t affect your attitude even in the slightest way), we need to consider the hearts and minds of those around us who we are worshiping with (1 Corinthians 12:12-26). If we truly desire to offer up the most God-honoring and God-glorifying worship as one body, then we ought to strive to take advantage of every opportunity available to us to help ourselves and those around us to that end, including the way we dress.

How we dress up for church can help those around us to cultivate a more worshipful and reverent attitude in worshiping God. How we dress up for Sunday worship can serve as a very visible reminder to those around us that we are there for a special event. An event special enough so that we wouldn’t dress like we normally would. How we dress up can serve to remind others that worshiping God is of utmost importance, so much so that we should want to use every means, even down to how we dress, to help us have the most worshipful heart attitude we can possibly have. How we dress up for Sunday worship can help the unbeliever attending church for the first time understand, even before the first word of the sermon is spoken, that we are gathered before someone or something, some being, who must be set apart in some way and deserving of reverence for some reason. How we dress for church matters because what we wear is not simply only about ourselves.

While there might not be a standard dress code for our church for Sunday service, there is a question we can ask others to help guide our dress. “Is how I’m dressed today helpful, harmful, or neutral in nudging you to have a more worshipful and reverent heart attitude during Sunday worship?” I challenge you to ask this question, and furthermore, without a hint of legalism, I challenge you to care enough about your fellow brothers and sisters to desire that they would always be able to answer, “Helpful”.

by Elder Peter Lim

With pastor Patrick’s message regarding Saul Wars and the Witch of Endor, it’s a good occasion to bring back an old article I wrote for the Beacon. After all, if you never read it the first time, it’s new to you!

Have you ever been curious about astrology or other mystical practices? Read this: “A Detestable Thing”

by Elder Peter Lim

As far back as I can remember, I’ve never been a needy person. That is, I never really felt like I needed other people to live a happy life. This was especially true when I first learned computer programming in 8th grade and felt like I would never run out of projects to work on. As I started to grow more spiritually mature, I wanted to read many books, particularly theological books. But I felt like I never had enough time for all of them. I started working with wood and started to acquire tools for my workshop. Again, I never run out of ideas for projects to work on. Sometimes I miss my shop because of my busyness so I just open it up, take a deep breath of the smell of wood and close it back up because I have other priorities. Ever since I was in the Boy Scouts, I love to go fishing. But alas, I don’t have much time for this. I have so many hobbies and no time to do them. How could I ever be lonely? To cap it off, I want to spend all my time with my wife and kids so how could I ever feel lonely? I found that through discussions with others and somewhat by my own experience, that people feel lonely in various common situations.

Soon After Graduation from High School

Whether someone had a dynamic social life during HS or an awkward adolescence, many people are looking for a new social life as college begins. Some even look forward to going out of town for college in search of creating a new life for themselves. They try out new groups and experiences to find satisfaction and community. For many who grew up in the church, they go searching for Christian groups to see whether their faith can withstand what they perceive to be logical arguments from other world views. It is helpful when they find a church where they are fed from the solid food of God’s Word. When this happens along with a community of strong believers, it’s the best of both worlds. But for those who don’t find both, it can become a very lonely place. It can seem like everyone else is enjoying a renewed vigor in their faith but that God has abandoned them. It’s easy to become bitter, resentful, and lonely.

Soon After Graduation from College

There’s only been one time in my whole life that I can remember feeling lonely. It happened a few months after graduating from college and I had moved back home with my parents. It was nearing Christmas time and there was a Christmas Concert at Grace Community Church that I was interested in going to. I didn’t feel like going alone so I started going through a mental list of people that I could ask to go with. It turned out that they were busy, didn’t want to go, or not in town. It hit me all of a sudden that I didn’t have any friends who were available to go with me. It was the only time in my life that I ever shed tears over the feeling of loneliness. People who get lonely soon after graduation are oftentimes those who had a busy social life during college. They had taken advantage of the many occasions to enjoy the convenience of college life, enjoying YOLO moments and spending many hours just hanging out. When removed from this environment, they find that life isn’t as fun and even start questioning whether those relationships were even real. They realize what older people meant whenever they talked about college life not being the real world.

Lonely in a Crowd

It would seem improbable that anyone could feel lonely in an environment where there are many others who are enjoying Christian fellowship, but it’s possible to feel lonely in the midst of a crowd. This often happens when it feels like everyone else is enjoying a closeness that is not available to oneself. They may have thoughts such as ” Would it make any difference in anyone’s life if I were to cease to exist?” These feelings can occur whether others are experiencing a genuine fellowship or even a shallow one. For the moment, even a shallow relationship is desired but doesn’t seem available. Cynical feelings of shallowness in all relationships can jade one’s attitude. Even married people can feel lonely when their spouse is busy with work or things other than oneself, even when those other things are admittedly good and profitable things to do.

Celibate for Life

Perhaps nothing causes as much loneliness as the feeling that this loneliness will continue to be a reality for the rest of their life. When strong desires to get married go unfulfilled and there’s not even a prospect of a future with a special someone, it’s difficult to be content. It’s nearly impossible to imagine a future where loneliness will be bearable.

The Mature Response

It is not a sign of a mature Christian who is struggling with feelings of loneliness to simply stop feeling lonely, as if that is possible. This kind of advice is never helpful. The best examples from the Bible are when those who struggle with these feelings discipline their minds and hearts to be satisfied with God alone. When they hear God’s Word and switch their perspective to see Gods perspective, that’s when they are able to give praise to God and take their eyes off of their own feelings of loneliness. They focus on the character of God, that He makes a home for the lonely. (Ps. 68:6) David often felt alone during his distresses. (Ps. 25:16, 102:7) Job felt alone when the words of advice coming from his “friends” and even his wife were unhelpful. (Job 2:9, 19:14, ) But when they heard from God, they were instantly convicted and were able to focus on God. Their situations didn’t change right away but they were able to trust in God for their satisfaction and for their future. The mature but lonely Christian will shift his focus toward God and His character rather than his own situation.

A good church will also help minister to lonely people by providing opportunities and exhorting people to reach out to those who may be struggling with various issues, including loneliness. A mature Christian understands that in the church, the Body of Christ, every member is essential to the well being of the whole. Someone who has not been seen in a while should be pursued but the lonely, mature Christian won’t wait for that to happen. He will reach out and join small groups where people will keep each other accountable. If others are not helpful, they are not to blame. The mature Christian will understand that others have their weaknesses too so he will continue to reach out and not give up. A practical suggestion to those who are lonely is to focus on serving others who are also feeling lonely. Perhaps you can be a blessing in someone else’s life. So there is a responsibility of the members of the church to look for opportunities to serve those who are suffering in loneliness and there is responsibility on the part of the lonely but mature Christian to seek help. We are all in this together. We don’t need to hide behind a facade that everything is wonderful for a Christian but that we continue to strive to move forward because we trust in God and His goodness even during difficult circumstances. (Prov. 3:5-6) The more we focus on Him, our loneliness will turn into not being lonely.

by Elder Johnny Kim

Lately, there’s been a new Internet fad making the social networking rounds. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, on a different planet, and without Internet access for the past month, then chances are you’ve heard about the “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge”. In short, it involves people posting a video of themselves dumping a bucket of ice water on top of their heads for the sake of ALS awareness and soliciting donations for the ALS Association. Regardless of what you might think of the method by which the awareness is being spread, there’s no denying that it’s been highly effective. According to Forbes, the ALS Association has received over $100 million dollars in the past month attributed to the popularity of the “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge”, which amounts to a 3,500% increase in donations compared to what was received this time last year.

Perhaps lost in all the hoopla surrounding this latest trend are some facts that most participants might overlook in their haste to fill their buckets with ice. From all the publicity and attention that the “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge” has received, if you had not heard about ALS before, then one might think that this illness is widespread and prevalent within the US population. As horrible a disease as it may be, ALS actually affects less than 0.01% of the US population. It is estimated that approximately 6,000 people in the US die each year due to ALS. Compare that to the approximately 54,000 people who die each year in the US due to influenza and pneumonia. Furthermore, unless ALS donors specifically stipulate limitations on how their donations can be used, they will find themselves contributing to research which involves the destruction of fertilized human embryos.

ALS is a horrible disease and Christians would be right to want to support finding a cure for it in an ethical and responsible way, just as with other diseases and illnesses. But out of all the people who would participate in the “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge”, Christians should be the ones to recognize that there is actually a disease far worse than ALS or any other disease known to man. A disease that affects 100% of the world’s population, present in every man, woman, and child on this planet from birth…the disease of sin (Psalm 51:1-5). Without a cure, the pain of living with ALS ends with death. But for the one afflicted with sin, physical death only marks the beginning of an eternity of agony and suffering in hell (Revelation 14:9-11).

It seems that people who participate in the “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge” find themselves to be emboldened, doing what they normally wouldn’t do but for the sake of a good cause. Yet, how much more emboldened should Christians be when it comes to raising awareness about the issue of sin? If we are willing to submit to 30 seconds of indignity in the form of ice water on our heads, then how much more time, even on social media, should we be willing to devote to bringing awareness to the sin in people’s lives and their need for repentance and a Savior? Compared to 30 seconds of indignity for the ALS cause, how much more should we gladly accept the shame, ridicule, and insult from an unbelieving world for the Gospel cause (Romans 1:16)? Now I am in no way condemning the “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge” or those who participate in it, but simply seek for all of us to consider how much more loudly, boldly, daringly, repeatedly, desperately, and urgently then, should we be the clarions for the greatest, most serious problem to face all humanity, past, present, and future?

As Christians who have come to a saving knowledge of Christ, not only can we preach awareness of the disease of sin, but we can also preach the cure. Unfortunately, in a fallen world we can’t dismiss that there may never be a cure for ALS, but God has made the cure for sin known to us through the Gospel of Jesus Christ in His Word. So will you take up the challenge to preach the Gospel to those who are in desperate need of it? And as you do so, will you “nominate” your fellow brothers and sisters by way of exhorting them to do the same? This challenge of preaching the Gospel may not be trendy, popular, and widely accepted, but it’s the most important challenge that God has set before those He has cured and saved through Christ.

by Elder Peter Lim

Greetings from paradise!

As I’m on vacation right now in Hawaii, I’m reminded of the greatness of God’s creation. As everyone in the world knows, Hawaii is a beautiful place to spend some time in. From the lush, tropical rain forests and the Na Pali coast of Kauai, to the wonder of Kilauea the volcano on the Big Island, to the Pineapple plantations, the big waves along the North Shore, the fish and landscape of Hanauma Bay and Diamondhead on Oahu, God has certainly blessed this area with may evidences of His creation.

However, as John Rudolph shared at the luau, we should be reminded that this is not really Paradise. It’s a fallen world. The curse upon this world goes much further than the fact that there are thorns and thistles on plants and the existing enmity between man and animals. It affects our innermost being as we have been exposed for the sinners that we are. Even right here in “paradise” there is evidence of the sinful nature of man as the military bases and the various WWII memorials (such as the Arizona memorial) attest to. There is no remedy for this by our own efforts.

As nice as it is here, I can’t wait to get to the real paradise, the one in the presence of our Lord. Meanwhile, I can sing along with the hymn that Jim Reeves wrote, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door. And I just can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”

by Elder Johnny Kim

On Monday May 26, Americans around the country celebrated the Memorial Day holiday with picnics at the park, barbecues on the beach, and fun with family and friends. But while Memorial Day might provide many different reasons for joy, including a welcome day off from work and the unofficial start of the summer vacation season, the true reason for the holiday ought to be what Americans always celebrate first and foremost, even if it’s more somber in nature. The history of Memorial Day dates back to the end of the US Civil War when it was originally known as Decoration Day, so named because the graves of soldiers who died during the Civil War would be decorated with flowers on that day. Since then, the holiday has been renamed Memorial Day and has been reestablished as a day in which we as a country remember all the men and women who have died while serving in the US military. Traditional activities on Memorial Day include watching military themed parades, visiting national cemeteries and memorials, and observing a moment of silence to honor those who died while serving our country.

As we spend the day considering those service members who sacrificed their lives while serving in the Armed Forces, it’s always a sobering thought to consider that men and women would knowingly place themselves in harm’s way for any given reason. While today’s military is now an all-volunteer force, even during past periods of conscription, many men volunteered to fight for our country ahead of being drafted and ended up dying in the fight. People willingly volunteered to join the military even when it was all but assured that they would be sent into combat to risk losing their lives on the battlefield. They submitted to the will of the leaders of the country, were obedient in following the orders of their commanders, and carried out dangerous missions all for a cause they believed to be greater than themselves and even their own lives. In the end, they did all this believing that the defense of America’s freedoms and liberties and the morals for which this country stands were ideals worthy enough to make the ultimate sacrifice for. It’s the reason that we who are now the recipients of these freedoms and liberties spend the time to honor such individuals on Memorial Day.

Now while most of us might not have any experience being in the US military, Christians ought to be at least somewhat familiar with the idea of the military. Aside from the chronicles of various military campaigns and conquests found in the Old Testament of the Bible, we can find that even the New Testament is replete with military terminologies and ideas serving as metaphors for various aspects of the Christian life. In Philippians 4:1, Paul urges people to “stand firm” in the Lord with language used to describe a soldier who stands guard. In 1 Thessalonians 5:8, Paul goes on to relate characteristics of the Christian life to the physical pieces of armor worn by a soldier. And in 1 Peter 2:13, Peter urges people to “submit” to the government with a military term used to describe ranks of soldiers below and in submission to a military commander. These and many other examples found in the Bible, to great effect, use elements of military life in order to describe characteristics of the Christian life.

However, for the genuine Christian life, similarities to the military don’t just stop there. The truth is, like soldiers in the Armed Forces who are ultimately willing to die for their country’s cause, Christians who truly know the cost of following Christ will understand themselves to be in the same boat. As followers of Christ and slaves who are subject to His lordship, we are given the same charge, that we too should be willing to die for the sake of Christ and His Gospel cause. In Matthew 10:24-29, in a list of requirements for His disciples to consider in following Him, Christ concludes the list with the ultimate requirement in verses 38 and 39: that those who would follow Him should be wiling to give up their life, up to and including dying a physical death. Christ repeats this requirement later on in Matthew 16:24. In both instances, Christ uses the picture of the cross and in doing so, He makes it unmistakably clear that the cost of following Him is not merely one’s life in a figurative sense, but in a sense that is as real as being persecuted, tortured, and executed by crucifixion on a cross. By setting the cost of following Him to possibly include our physical lives, Christ established once and for all that He and His cause are worthy enough to make the ultimate sacrifice for.

Do you believe that Christ and His cause are worth fighting for? Do you believe Christ and His Gospel are worth dying for? Like a prospective soldier signing his enlistment papers, do you understand exactly what you are signing up for in calling yourself a follower of Christ? Christians need to understand that while we might not be a part of any physical army, we are a part of the Lord’s army. While we might not ever fight in physical wars, we are participants in a spiritual war, whether willing or unwilling. Christ our Commander in Chief commands and orders us to be obedient to His Word and to His cause, even to the point of death. And should we have to sacrifice our lives while in faithful service to Him, we too may just find ourselves being honored as well (Revelation 2:10).

by Elder Peter Lim

A spiritually maturing Christian respects authority because Scripture describes several relationships that God has ordained wherein we are instructed to obey. These relationships are there not only to create order within society but ultimately is an illustration of God’s sovereignty over all relationships…whether they are easy to deal with or not. A mature Christian realizes this and voluntarily submits himself despite our natural tendency to be independent. We don’t like being told what to do. We would much rather tell others what to do.

Four years ago, I wrote a couple of articles called “Star Trek and the Local Church”  which would be helpful for you to read in order to gain further insight into my mindset when I mention “Respectful of Authority” as a sign of Spiritual maturity. In these articles, I talk about the polity of the church and that mutual submission within the leadership of the church is a requirement in order to bring God the glory instead of a human leader in running a local church. Mutual submission is difficult to achieve at times but it provides opportunities to hold God in the highest esteem and to humble ourselves. In other relationships that God outlines for us, this same mutual submission and seeking after God’s glory as the primary focus is the key to understanding all submissive relationships. In College Life, we are currently going through a Dating and Relationship series. I’ve been preparing for a message on considering the authoritative role of parents as it relates to collegians in a dating relationship. It’s a difficult issue and on one hand, I’m not looking forward to presenting this message this Friday since I am expecting that some may misunderstand my message or that I won’t speak clearly and possibly confuse people, especially parents who may listen in on the message online. On the other hand however, I am looking forward to declaring the truth of God’s word as it relates to both parents and college-age young adults seeking the glory of God in their relationship with each other.

As a parent myself, I understand how my children need to obey me since I’m looking out for their best interests and they sometimes lack the ability to make good decisions. It seems as if they are unaware of the consequences down the road if they continue in their present course. With the best of intentions, I advise them and expect to be obeyed. After all, the Bible is pretty clear that they are to obey me. I wonder though how absolute that authority is. As they get older, aren’t they more and more liable before God to act on their own convictions and responsibility? Isn’t my goal to raise them in such a way that they can become responsible adults who will seek to glorify God above all else including disobeying me if they think that my opinions are not aligned with God’s will for them? Just how long can I expect them to be under my tutelage?

I am reminded that we are all under authority. Not only are we fathers responsible for not provoking our children to anger (Eph. 6:4), but we are also to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Fathers, how are you doing with that? We are also to be subject to them unless you think that Eph. 5:21 is talking about everyone except your own children. (It’s not.) If we are to be rigid in our insistence that our children obey us without question or flexibility, we must hold ourselves to the same standard when dealing with other relationships that we are to submit to: people to the government, employees to employers, wives to husbands, congregation to church leaders. Do you honestly think that there’s no flexibility and exercising of our own judgment when we submit ourselves in these relationships? Of course we must exercise good judgment and make decisions that each of us believe to be most God-glorifying.

Although it’s obvious that we are to exercise our best discernment to follow God’s will, Scripture is quite clear that we are to be characterized by submissiveness that’s not mindless, but rather it is to be intentional so that we would be characterized by peace which will ultimately show the world that we Christians represent the only One who can bring true peace and joy to this world which is characterized by sin and chaos. Mature Christians voluntarily do this because we love God and we want to magnify Him. In the words of John the Baptist, “He (Jesus) must increase and I must decrease.” (John 3:30)