by Ed Yip

The air chills, clouds cover the skies, and snow prepares its descent on cities upon cities…except for San Diego. Christmas time is upon us once more. Though we might not count on snow to come to San Diego this year, one thing we can count on to come is the Lighthouse Christmas Concert. And with the concert comes hidden talents scattered throughout the church that come out of hiding once a year to perform and to encourage the body. Though the acts may change from year to year, it remains a great opportunity to bring believers and non-believers alike together to share in the true meaning of Christmas through performances and a full fledged Gospel presentation.

For those who are new to Lighthouse or have never been to a Christmas Concert, Christmas Concert is a wonderful time to celebrate Christmas with the church body and year after year has provided many highlights and memories for all. Two years ago, Eugene Park fondly recalled memories of a pianist known simply as “Ned Rip” who graced the piano to perform in what became the most epic mess up in Concert history. (But this writer would like to humbly remind you that the pianist is human and just as needing of God’s grace as the rest of you.)

That year, the LBC Orchestra performed, Eugene Park led the worship, the skit team performed, there was body worship, and of course a message from Pastor John. Last year, the LBC Orchestra performed once more and new talent was displayed once again. One of the performers, then-new member Obadiah Lee, had this to say about the night, “The performances were amazing! Eugene really did a wonderful job putting the choir and orchestra together, let alone the whole concert! The skit team put together a heartfelt drama that pointed the audience to Jesus…what more can I say?” Not much more, Obadiah, but if you think last year was good, wait till you see what’s in store for this year!

This year will be the first Christmas Concert in our new building and as the year comes to an end, what a fitting way this will be to remember God’s faithfulness to our church and in our lives. With Christmas time inevitably comes distractions from the true meaning of Christmas. If a befuddled Charlie Brown could once have trouble finding the true meaning of Christmas, it is likely that others could have the same trouble as well. This year, let Christmas Concert be the Linus to those Charlie Browns. Be it through song, dance, skits, or other kinds of performances, Lighthouse Christmas Concert has always been a time of great encouragement and entertainment to those who come, but most importantly, it has always been a time to reflect on the significance and glory of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Gospel. So invite your friends and family, believers and unbelievers for what will most assuredly be a blessed and Christ-centered Christmas Concert.

by Jennifer Shin

Colorful decorations plastered all over the walls. The aroma of hot dogs, spicy chili, and sweets filling the air. Cardboard boxes fabricated into robots and Tetris pieces. The sound of balloons popping, DDR music jamming, and children laughing. These can only mean one thing – Fall Festival is here! Fall Festival is an exciting Halloween alternative that we have here at church each year, in which both kids and adults alike eagerly look forward to.

This year, our church building has been transformed into a Dr. Seuss wonderland. The walls and ceilings were covered with giant Cat-in-the-Hats, the Lorax, and rainbow-colored Truffula Trees.

Some sort of game station occupied almost every room in the church building. Kids and adults wandered from room to room, attempting to pop balloons with darts, decorating cookies, dancing to the rhythm of DDR’s techno music, and participating in the infamous Screaming Game. When asked what her favorite part of the Fall Festival was, Megan Yi said, “I think all of them. But I wasn’t doing the screaming game. I liked making cookies.”

As always, the highlights of the Fall Festival are the costumes. This year, we had an array of costumes, ranging from Top Gun characters to praise band equipment, Eugene Park included. This year’s winner for the woman’s solo costume award was Angela Kim, who was dressed from head-to-toe as one of the Power Puff Girls. Garrett Glende walked in covering the bottom half of his face with a cardboard fence, and won the men’s solo costume award as Wilson from Home Improvement. The group award went to all the ladies in the Alice in Wonderland crew. Of all the costumes, Megan liked her sister’s the best. “I think I really liked Aarolyn’s. And she was, like, dancing.”

When bedtime struck and all the children went home after a fun night, the adults stayed and partied on. It was a wonderful time for our whole church family to get together.

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

At a time when rest from the daily grind of school, work and other responsibilities become tedious, All-Church Retreat last month was a helpful time for many to come together as a church family and look afresh at Jesus Christ, the center of our faith, our Lord. This event gave many people in Lighthouse Bible Church to be in an environment to learn great truths from God’s Word together, and spend time reflecting on what was just preached.

Kurt Gebhards led the retreat in four sessions that looked to Christ, and our response to His life and character. The first message, titled “The Ironic Rest,” dealt with Matthew 11:28-30 and Jesus’ call for us to come to Him. Anthony Ngai believed this message to be the one that stood out for him: “I thought it was such a blessing to have it applied directly to our service in the church.” Lives were re-evaluated, and hearts were challenged to see whether they truly have come to Christ at all in their time spent at church. There was an awakening for many to see that life in the church directly reflects whether you are obeying Christ by being yoked with Him. Angelo Metra said, “I was provoked to examine my heart as to how I see my role as a servant in relation to Christ, to Lighthouse, my co-workers, and my family at home.”

The next three sessions then dealt with Christ, His act of humility, the Father’s act of exaltation, and our response. Going over Philippians 2:6-11, Pastor Gebhards explained the life of Christ on earth and in heaven as a “Great Parabola,” hence the title of the sermon. Jesus’ act of laying down the outer appearance of His deity to become a lowly servant, was the left side and low point of the ‘U’. From His being crucified, the Father hyper-exalted Him to His right hand, thus the parabola extending up again. His life now is to be an example for us to follow. Our attitude is to be like Christ’s, a self-denial of our interests. Caroline Shin expressed that “the sermons were a great reminder of Lighthouse’s motto, that life is not about you.” She also spoke on where change needed to take place: “I was challenged to work applying my service to others and putting their interests above my own in practical ways, starting with my apartment.”

These times were spent not only to reflect, but to respond and apply the messages as well. Many of the singles got to interact with the collegians, and vice-versa. New relationships formed, and old friendships were renewed. Courtney Chow explained, “It was a good time of reaching out to people I didn’t know and getting to know them and see what God’s been doing in their life.” The air might have been cold outside but the Christ-centered thoughts and conversations filled the room as people hung out and even played games to enjoy their time together. The talent show was also a hit with acts like “The Evolution of Pants” from Sunday Elementary staff, “Joo and the Gentiles” from the collegians, and song and dance from “High School Musical.” It was a sight to see with everyone being entertained and even challenged, from Keilah and Matthew Lim playing their own instruments to the children and youth singing songs of Scripture for the edification of the church. Such impact for the cause of Christ was concentrated at this retreat. With a question, I think Courtney expressed well for all of us to consider: “What am I contributing to the glory of Christ?”

by Courtney Chow

Take a deep breath and imagine you are drawing in the fresh mountain air with a touch of crisp autumn chill. It’s bright and early as you are about to have a warm breakfast before heading off to spend a refreshing hour in God’s word. It may sound too good to be true but its not. Each fall season, Lighthouse presents a unique opportunity for the church family to gather together for a full weekend called All-Church Retreat. This year it will take place on November 7-9 at Pine Valley Bible Conference Center.

All-Church Retreat is more than a tradition. It’s a precious opportunity for people across all affinity groups (children, youth, collegians, singles and families) to spend extended time together. When asked what her favorite part of All-Church camp was Cindy Chu replied: “the fact that the ENTIRE church family goes, and we’re all confined in one general area. It’s such a great time to fellowship, chit chat, and laugh hysterically with mothers, collegians, and singles.”

In addition to spending time together, “It’s a great opportunity to take a step back from the busyness in life and take time to reevaluate your spiritual walk and find new ways to challenge your spiritual growth,” said Chris Tou. A large part of that is due to the blessing of receiving teaching together. This year’s retreat will be focused on the theme of “In Christ Alone” and we will have the opportunity to learn from a guest speaker for the whole weekend. Our speaker, Kurt Gephards is the pastor overseeing the children’s ministry at Grace Community Church and shepherds the single adults’ ministry.

The festivities kick off on Friday night with a time of praise and the fun continues with messages, games, talent show on Saturday night, and corporate worship on Sunday morning. Maybe you’ve been attending Lighthouse for a few months and signed up but are a little nervous because this is your first time attending. Brian Song encourages you with some advice: “There’s always a lot of free time at our retreats and it’s prime time to get to know and encourage one another. If you’re a light sleeper, ear plugs are highly recommended. You never know what noises you’ll hear (both inside and outside the cabin) that may keep you up.”

Whether this is your first or fifth time attending, Chris Lim suggests: “Sit at different tables during the meal times to get to know new people. I think you’ll be surprised how friendly people are.” What do you talk about after you sit down at that table full of people you’ve never spoken to before? “Share what you’ve been learning at home and what you’ve been learning at the retreat. Share about random childhood stories. Share about your favorite thing to eat and make plans to go eat it together upon returning to San Diego. Just share!” said Cindy Chu. Jenna Kim echoed that sentiment, from a slightly different perspective: “I’d recommend for other youth to take advantage of the time to get to know the “old people” (i.e. above 18). It’s easy to just want to be by yourself and then feel sorry for yourself, but make it an opportunity to encourage the adults at church. In all cases I’ve tried, I’ve been very encouraged myself in getting to know the grown-ups. Grown-ups? We’d love to talk to you.”

Personally, I look forward to retreat all year long. I hope that all of you who attend will find the Lighthouse family to be a blessing as we continue to grow and praise our Lord together.

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear friends and family of LBC,

I understand that many believers consider Halloween the devil’s holiday and a big celebration of evil. As a result, those believers want nothing to do with the holiday. Even when kids come by, they lock their doors and don’t hand out candy. Whatever your views towards Halloween and trick or treating, you have to admit that October 31 provides wonderful opportunities to meet your neighbors. Some of you may not even know what your neighbors look like! One way to look at the holiday is to see it as an awesome opportunity to get to know your neighbors and build relationships in order to share the gospel with them. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to participate in trick or treating, but it would be good to realize that those neighbors of yours who you wouldn’t really talk to you on any other day might spend some time talking with you while their kids go door to door.

But wait! Don’t miss out on the Fall Festival that is at the church at 6:00pm! It’s only $5/adult! And it isn’t just a big celebration of evil! =) But outside of the time for Fall Festival, try to meet the people who live around you. You never know what God might do through the relationships you build. =)

In His grace,
Pastor Patrick

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear friends and family of LBC,

I have had the opportunity to meet with some of our college students recently as we talked about having a biblical, God-centered understanding of the gospel. This stemmed from our conversation a few weeks ago about building a biblical philosophy of ministry (or really, “philosophy of life”). The progression went as follows: 1) We believe that the Bible is God’s inspired, and therefore inerrant, revelation to man; 2) Because the Bible has a divine author, we believe that it is authoritative and sufficient to deal with any issue pertaining to life and godliness; 3) Because the Bible is the only authoritative revelation given to men by God, all that we do and understand must be governed by and filtered through biblical principles; 4) This is because the Bible is completely trustworthy and God’s truth is unchanging, so that even if times change and culture changes, God’s Word abides forever.

Built upon these premises came our discussion of the gospel. This is a critical topic for study because the church today grossly redefines and changes the gospel message. The concern is that since the biblical message contains elements that are too offensive to people, those elements should be either dumbed down or eliminated. So you see many believers sharing the gospel with others without ever bringing up God’s righteousness, man’s sin, or God’s judgment. Some do not even mention the cross, simply saying that Jesus “came for you,” but not indicating what He did or why it was even necessary.

I hope you discern the problem with this. This is the primary reason why so many in the church hold on to a shallow profession of faith that does not save. On top of that, it neglects the fact that the gospel has been handed down to us through divine revelation. It is not something that God has left to us to redefine. Had He wanted the gospel to be man-centered, God would have revealed it to us that way. Preaching the gospel in a way that Scripture does not teach does not just indicate a faulty view towards evangelism. It also reveals a faulty view of Scripture itself. As believers, like the Apostle Paul, we must not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Rom. 1:16). It is our responsibility as God’s ambassadors and representatives to proclaim His message His way, and to trust that through that, and that alone, will He work to save souls.

In His grace,
Pastor Patrick

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear friends and family of LBC,

I hope you are well and walking in the Lord. If I were to ask you how your week was going, what would be your response? I’m sure many of you would respond by saying that it has been like any other week; that you’re just going through the daily grind of classes or work. But why is it that we respond that way? Is it simply because nothing extraordinary has taken place? Certainly this week would be interesting if you were in a car accident or your house got broken into. But are these out of the ordinary events the only things that set one week apart from any other?

One way to make this week stand out would be to deliberately make opportunities to live for the Lord (yes, I said “make,” because if you simply wait for these things to “happen” you may end up waiting a long time). I really believe that one reason life carries on as usual is because we fail to see the many opportunities to glorify God in our everyday decisions. I like what Paul Tripp says, that how we live for the Lord is not seen in isolated, extraordinary events as much as it is in everyday, small decisions. Do you go to work simply to earn the paycheck and pay next month’s bills? Or do you seek to do your best in all things for the glory of God because God is your ultimate employer? Do you go to school simply to make the grade and climb up the ladder of success? Or is your motivation to be available to be used by God regardless of what direction He would take you or what He would have you do with your life?

When you seek to live each day this way, there is no such thing as an ordinary week. First of all, this is the kind of life that maximizes your potential to please the Lord and live for Him. When you are constantly thinking about how your life fits into His plan instead of how God fits into your plan, you will have the life that brings Him the most glory. Second, living this way opens opportunities to represent Christ each day. When you are aware of the reasons and motives of what you do, and those reasons and motives are governed by biblical principles, you will stand out in the workplace and classroom.

Finally, by living this way, you open the door to suffering. This isn’t to say we are just masochistic and seek out pain. But we need to realize that it comes with living for the Lord. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Certainly the persecution in Paul’s day may have been more intense, but the world we live in today is no different. We live in a society that is open and honest about its hatred of the things of God. This culture is marked by its toleration of sin. When we stand for the things of God, by necessity, we place ourselves against the flow of the current of our culture. We will be the unpopular ones because we go against the grain of contemporary thought. We will be seen as the exclusivists because we teach that Christ is the only way to be right with God. We will be branded as dated, hateful, ultra-conservative, and bigots, for instance, because we teach that homosexuality is a sin and not a lifestyle, and that we are governed by biblical principles instead of what society deems as right and just.

This is what it means to live for the Lord. Try to live this way this week and see if you can say at the end of the week that it was mundane and carried out as usual. May we all seek to live for the Lord better with each passing day instead of falling into the spiritual coma of complacency.

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

P.S. Don’t forget to read through the announcements so that you know what’s going on at LBC!

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear friends and family of LBC,

I hope you are doing well and walking in the Lord! I’m sure you are all aware that we are in a very significant point of time in our nation’s history. The upcoming presidential election is going to be monumental regardless of who wins because we’ll either have our first African-American president or first female vice president. And what a job they will have to take on! Our economy is seeing its scariest low point in years and the war in Iraq rages on. Just walking on campus today at SDSU, there were representatives of both parties trying to get students to register to “Rock the Vote.”

Of course I feel like every American should exercise his/her right to vote this November. Especially since it looks to be another close election, every vote counts. But it would be good for us as believers to remember that God’s plan was never for our ultimate hope to be established through government or politics. It is not to say that these things are unimportant (quite the contrary!), but it is vital to remember that the greatest problem in this nation is not the economy, or the war, or gas prices, or the housing market. The greatest problem in this nation (and the world!) is sin and the greatest hope (the only hope!) is found in the gospel. The only way any kind of lasting change for good can occur in America is if people respond to the call of the gospel.

I only write this because I know that it can be really easy to get excited about the issues surrounding the upcoming election. It can be really easy to think that the next political leader is going to solve all the problems of this nation. Let’s be thankful that while government is always changing, our God is constant. It isn’t necessarily wrong to get worked up about politics, but what does it say when you are more angry about the economy than about sin in people’s lives? What does it say when you show more enthusiasm for a political leader than for Christ?

Our government has been established and sustained by the grace of God. Please remember that God calls us to pray for our governing authorities (cf. 1 Tim. 2:1-3). Although our nation grants us the right to free speech, God tempers us with the call to submit to our governing authorities (cf. Rom. 13:1-7). But at the same time, let’s guard our hearts against an imbalanced attitude towards government lest we forget that our greatest war is spiritual, our greatest problem is sin, and this world is not our home.

In His grace,
Pastor Patrick

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear friends and family of LBC,

I hope you are doing well and walking in the Lord! Fall is a wonderful season for the church because ministry is in full swing and there are ample opportunities for you to fellowship with and encourage one another. As we have been learning and will continue to learn through our study in 1 Corinthians, God has called us to be a unified body made up of various members. As the members all function together exercising their spiritual gifts, the whole body is built up and works towards maturity. If the members are unwilling to participate in their ministry to one another, the body as a whole will suffer.

But Paul also reminds us that Christ is the head of the body. He is our Lord who gives us our direction, purpose, and instruction. The body should operate according to the direction of its head. In other words, failing to function together as the body of Christ has more than horizontal implications – there are also vertical implications because of the dishonor it brings to the head who is Christ. God has not left ministry to us to be performed however we like. We are the members. He is the head. This is a lesson Paul will continue to teach us as we walk through 1 Corinthians 12.

Each individual ought to consider how he/she is working towards serving the rest of the body through the exercise of his/her gifts. Are you helping the body work towards maturity in Christ? There is no place for a spectator Christian in the church. Every member is to do his/her part. I’m sure we’ll address this more in the coming weeks, but it would be good for these thoughts to be on your mind until we get there.

In His grace,
Pastor Patrick

P.S. Please continue to pray for our Pastor John as he recuperates and tends to his various health issues. Please also be in prayer for the leadership during this time.

by Pastor John Kim

To the LBC Family and Friends,

Jonathan Edwards Resolution #54
Whenever I hear anything spoken in conversation of any person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, Resolved to endeavor to imitate it. (July 8, 1723)

We often don’t realize that there are many lessons we can learn from the lives of those around us. Not only those who are in leadership roles but even in those that you might not always consider candidates to imitate. While there is no one that has all of their life perfect, there are many that have character qualities and behavior that really magnifies Christ and it would be remiss if we dismissed it just because they were not someone who had a title or a leadership position.

When we talk about people, do you take time to recognize the kind of things in their lives that are not only worth sharing but imitating? As we talk about other people, it would be good for us not just to avoid slander and gossip and useless talk, but rather to really uplift others, even when they are not around to hear it. And when we do hear things about people that are praiseworthy, we should do as Edwards says here, to endeavor to imitate it.

I can think of many different examples and while I don’t want to embarass someone or draw undue attention, I can look at our church family and see things about people and even hear from others about traits that are well worth imitating. The kindness of certain individuals that is constant and consistent. The generosity of those who go out of their way to bring a meal when you are busy. The thoughtfulness of those who write notes of encouragement in a timely way. The patience of those who are able to deal with the imperfections of people in a persevering manner. The optimism of those who don’t get fixed on the negative things but are constantly hopeful. The willingness to share even a cookie with someone when they run out. The sacrifice of those who will put in long hours that not many would see to do those things that many might not even recognize but need to be done so that we can do ministry. And the list goes on. I can think of very specific names for these and other qualities that are a challenge to me to imitate.

I hope that you will be willing to even learn from those that are younger than you. Often times we get older and think that we are above learning from those who are younger. That is too bad because there is much we can learn, even from the children in nursery and preschool.

Take some time this week to maybe write down a short list of things that you recognize in others. Thank God for them. Then share about them with others so that others can learn from them as well.

I would appreciate your prayers as I am up in Lake Hughes (past Castaic Lake) speaking to a junior high camp. Please pray for strength and the right words to preach the truth to these young people.

Have a great week!

In His grace,
Pastor John