by Pastor Patrick Cho

Hello LBC church family!

Things have been pretty active around the Cho home this week with the arrival of Eden Cassie (I can see why so many pastors find sermon illustrations to be easier once they have a kid!). We are so blessed to welcome her into our family. Already parenting has given us our share of challenges, but we are prayerfully depending on the Lord. Health-wise, it looks like baby is going to be ok. The doctors initially were concerned about jaundice, but her color looks good and she is eating (and digesting) much better. As for being a new dad, many have been asking how it feels. Honestly, it’s hard to say. Of course I am excited and extremely happy, but at the same time I’m not sure everything has entirely sunk in. We are so thankful for all of you who have blessed us with prayers, gifts, flowers, cards, and visits. Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts! We are deeply grateful to be part of a church family that cares for us and loves us the way Lighthouse constantly shows. Please continue to pray for us as we’re still learning the ropes and getting adjusted to the round-the-clock schedule.

Eden has been such a great reminder of so many spiritual truths. She is completely dependent on us as parents just as we are completely dependent on the Lord. She is a sinner, born in sin, and in much need of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She longs for milk just as we are to long for the pure milk of the Word. More than anything, she constantly teaches us of our Lord’s amazing grace and love. How He has blessed us with such an amazing little girl! I’m sure parenting will have lots of adventures (I can already see all the experienced parents smiling). But Christine and I know that as long as we raise our child in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, being careful always to depend on Him, Eden will grow up strong.

In His grace,
Pastor Patrick

by Pastor John Kim

To the LBC family and friends!

Jonathan Edwards Resolution #53
Resolved, to improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer. (July 8, 1723)

This resolution is very loaded with thoughts to consider as we are challenged to “improve every opportunity” to live out very deliberately and purposefully the following actions:

1. To cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. To trust and confide in the Lord Jesus Christ
3. To consecrate myself wholly to the Lord Jesus Christ

These three actions really are one and the same – a total dedication and devotion that exercises a genuine faith and utter dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ as Lord should receive the fullness of my submission to Him, not only as an issue of obedience, but as an issue of trust. It is because He is the only One that I can truly and confidently trust with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my mind.

You could almost see this as a process in which I “cast” my soul on Christ, where I present my life to Him and exercise a daily confiding through communicating and entrusting of my life, every part of it to the smallest detail. I am then reminded to be a living sacrifice that is daily consecrated to the worship of Christ.

This should happen particularly when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind. It should only happen when we feel needed and desperate, though those are obvious times that we tend to turn to Christ. It should happen when things are going well, when I am experiencing blessing and plenty and am enjoying life as God has graciously provided for us is so many ways. This in turn helps provide a genuine sense of assurance, knowing that my safety is not dependent on just how I feel or my circumstances but rather through the exercise of placing my faith daily in submitting my life to Christ.

The last phrase is one that I think is very significant.

4. To confide in my Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ

Jesus is my Redeemer. He has saved me from the penalty of sin by paying the price of my sin. He has literally bought me back. He has rescued me from death and hell. He is the One that I can truly confide in because I can truly trust Him. He redeemed me while I was a sinner. There are no surprises of my sinfulness to Him – that’s the whole point of why He had to come save me. If we only took the time to really fix our eyes on our Savior and savor and value the preciousness of who He is and what He has already done on the cross, the only appropriate and fitting response would be to cast my soul into His hands, to trust and confide in Him regarding all that I deal with in life, and to consecrate myself, to devote myself, to dedicate my life and present it to Him daily as an act of worship (Romans 12:1) – it would indeed by what is the most important response that I could give to the One who has delivered me from the wrath of God.

Do you confided in Jesus Christ? Do you go to Him first and foremost, not only in the day of trouble but in the days of happiness? Do you thank Him and rejoice when God has blessed you and not think that it was due to your own ability or means? Do you understand that all we have, we have been given? There is so much that really makes it easy to see that we should look to Christ daily. I hope you will confide in Him regularly.

Have a wonderful rest of the week!

In His grace,
Pastor John

by Pastor John Kim

Greetings to the LBC family and friends,

Jonathan Edwards Resolution #52
I frequently hear persons in old age, say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age. (July 8, 1723)

As I was lying in the emergency room a couple of weeks ago due to chest pains, the thought passed through my mind that there are many who enter a hospital never to leave again alive. I’m sure there are many who would have this thought go through their mind – do I have any regrets? I don’t know if there are too many people who would have absolutely no regrets but I am sure that there are many who would have severe regrets as to how they lived.

This is a very keen insight by someone who was only 23 or so at the time e wrote this resolution. Edwards was thinking ahead to the day when he would be of old age and very deliberately did not want to have to hear himself say that he would have lived differently in light of having done things that he would regret. How often have we caught ourselves saying, “If I only didn’t make this choice” or “I wish I could just hit rewind and start over.”

The problem is not so much that we feel this way as it is that we could very purposely avoid making the kind of choices that we know are unwise, foolish, and otherwise blatantly sinful. While we cannot control all of the circumstances we face in life, we can definitely do something about the kind of choices that we deliberately make. It is often an unwise choice that causes the kind of circumstances that we regret. An unkind word. A conflict left unresolved. Time wasted pursuing vain things for myself. Putting off the opportunity to spend time with people. Being too busy with things that aren’t eternal. Not sharing the gospel when you could have. Being too nitpicky about petty issues. Complaining. Gossiping. Not stepping up when there was a need. Not spending enough time with your spouse enjoying each other. Missing another one of your kids soccer games. And the list goes on and on and on.

Instead of being filled with regrets, be resolved to minimize how much you would like a “reset” and be able to say that you did what you wish you could have done and if God is gracious enough to give you many years, when you look back, hopefully you can say like Jonathan Edwards did that you lived a full life up to that point.

Edwards surely made the most of his 50+ years on earth. While he might have had some regrets (being human like us), I can’t help but think that there were not so much regrets so much as there was more that he would have wanted to do for the sake of the kingdom of God.

I hope that the end of your life will not find you filled with regrets. So start now. You might die tomorrow. You might die 50 years from now. But whenever your time comes, I hope that you can say that you did your best to live up to this resolution.

In His grace,
Pastor John

by Pastor John Kim

To the LBC family and friends,

Jonathan Edwards Resolution #51
Resolved, that I will act so, in every respect, as I think I shall wish I had done, if I should at last be damned. (July 8, 1723)

There is a very unsettling notion that comes with thinking about what it would be like if I knew that I would have to face God’s judgment in hell for eternity. While this is something that we might intellectually assent to, it is a whole different thing to live in such a way that would respond to the reality of it. The reality of our sin should help us see that the ultimate penalty for it is eternal condemnation. It is the just and fair judgment of God. You might want to say that it’s not a matter of just or unjust or fair or unfair, that it is simply God’s prerogative but it is not something you can just put aside so casually. It really is a matter of God being just and fair because to sin against an eternal God calls for a serious penalty. We don’t use the word “damned” today in the same way that Edwards intends – it is really more of a cuss word that people use too casually when in fact it really has a very serious meaning that the whole world needs to consider. It is to face the wrath of a just and holy God that would righteously judge us in our sinfulness and banish us to eternal hell as a penalty. This should not be something that we take lightly.

As Christians we know that we have been saved from condemnation yet we still find ourselves often playing with sin in such a way that we forget what it would lead to apart from Christ having saved us from the condemnation of sin. Yet at the same time it shouldn’t cause us to live in such a way that takes grace for granted and minimizes the seriousness of sin. I think we all do this to some extent and it can be very scary to see how far we can go in sinning.

I think this is why Edwards makes it something that we need to keep in mind because we forget what we have been saved from and we sometimes think that it’s no big deal to sin, even in little ways.

Be challenged to consider this the next time you take sin lightly.

In His grace,
Pastor John

by Pastor John Kim

To the LBC family and friends,

Jonathan Edwards Resolution #50
Resolved, I will act so as I think I shall judge would have been best, and most prudent, when I come into the future world. (July 5, 1723)

Jonathan Edwards did not espouse the “Your Best Life Now” kind of mentality. He would not have been popular in today’s television circuit as he consistently focused on the reality of heaven. To Edwards, heaven was not just an ideal or hopeful wish. The reality of stepping into eternity was constantly on his mind because the reality of death was not something he feared, but simply saw as a step into the future world.

This past week I found out a friend from college passed away. He was a really nice guy, the Eugene Yang kind of nice. A real servant heart and someone who was always encouraging. He was a few years older than me. He was bike-riding with some co-workers and then he simply died.

You never think that it will be you, yet it is still a bit disconcerting when death strikes close to you through a friend or family member. It kind of sobers you to realize that maybe my time will come sooner than I had planned, which is usually a long time from now.

If in fact we could die at any moment, it should motivate us to do our best and what is most prudent in light of the future world because we will face our Creator, our Lord and Savior and we will have to give an account for how we lived the life that He gave to us. In having saved us, Christ not only saved us from a life of sin but He saved us to a life that would glorify Him.

I have often thought what I might be doing if Christ came or if I died. I surely would hope that I was not doing something sinful. That would not be the best and most prudent way to enter into heaven. Even if I do know that my sins have been forgiven, it still would not be worthy of the grace and mercy that I have been shown. If anything, Romans 12:1-2 come into play as it would call me to offer my best as a living sacrifice and would call me to be prudent by not being conformed to this world and instead be transformed by the renewing of my mind by the Word of God, which is where I will find the will of God, which would provide for the wisdom that I need to live.

Do you seek the best and most prudent way each day? Or do you settle for something less? Do you justify yourself in thinking that no one can be that dedicated to Jesus all the time? We think that we should be allowed a break from the discipline of godliness, from the pursuit of holiness. But do you realize how precious our time is? Do you realize that this might be your last day? If it were, could you say as Jonathan Edwards had resolved that he had pursued the best and most prudent way before he went to heaven?

I would think that Edwards would look at you if he were alive today and ask if you truly found Jesus beautiful, wonderful, and that His glory overwhelms you. I think he would ask you if you have really taken time to be enraptured by the heavenly wisdom of God’s Word that could not be exhausted in a life time. I think he would challenge you to see if you really love Jesus with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. Or are you just a pretender? Are you someone who is a dabbler? Are your affections true and genuine before God? Or are you a faker?

Just because we are for the most part young doesn’t mean that we are immune to death. Death will come to all and we must all be prepared. Let us take time as we prepare for the summer months to not let down and have an excuse to be a lazy bum but instead seek to be our best for Christ and to live in God-honoring prudence and wisdom till the day we meet our Savior.

In His grace,
Pastor John

by Pastor John

Greetings to the LBC family and friends!

Jonathan Edwards Resolution #49
Resolved, that this never shall be, if I can help it.

This resolution simply builds on the previous resolution. It seems that Edwards is not only reaffirming the fact that he truly wants to fulfill the forty-eighth resolution but also to really emphasize the intensity of his desire to fulfill his desire to have a genuine interest in Christ. His goal is to never have to repent of being negligent as much as he can help it. You can be sure that he did everything he possibly could to help it.

I can’t help but see that this spirit of resolution is so lacking in people’s hearts today. People tend to give up so easily on their resolutions, revealing the soft-hearted and apathetic attitude toward so many pursuits in life. The corrupting cancer of comfort, convenience, and a casual lifestyle is preferred to the conviction of a costly, committed, Christ-centered pursuit of the cross and it is quite a stark contrast to the world when one sees such a person living in this way. It’s no surprise that many find it hard to believe that Jonathan Edwards was someone who really enjoyed life, equating his puritannical mindset to a joyless and heartless pursuit of moral knowledge.

It is only when one is resolute, with a face set like flint as Christ did on his way to Jerusalem, will such a person really live out the kind of Christian life that really shines bright. Is that the desire of your heart? Is that something you really set your mind to each day? Or do you follow the crowds in the resolute heart attitude of living for your own interests instead of the interests of Christ.

Do a little bit of heart inventory today and check to see if you really care to be interested in the things of Christ. Then ask somebody you trust to see what they would have to say honestly in their assessment of your Christian testimony. It might hurt but know that it will maybe really help you have a correct view toward the Christian life.

Have a great rest of the week!

In His grace,
Pastor John

by Pastor John Kim

Greetings to the LBC family and friends!

Jonathan Edwards Resolution #48
Resolved, constantly, with the utmost niceness and diligence, and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or not; that when I come to die, I may not have any negligence respecting this to repent of. (May 26, 1723)

To “have truly an interest in Christ” – this is something that cuts to the heart of all that we do. I find it to be sad at times that those who would say they are Christians, particularly in the Lighthouse family, who would do things that really do not have the interests of Christ at stake but their own interests, especially in relation to how they treat other people. But it is more than an issue of external behavior or how one might interact with someone. Someone might even appear to be supportive and helpful, all the while harboring resentment, bitterness, a critical spirit that does not have the interests of Christ reflecting the state of their soul.

Edwards often puts death into his perspective regarding many of these resolutions and we see that his goal was that he would not have anything to repent of in neglecting the importance of pursuing the interests of Christ. We will all too quickly find ourselves at the end of our lives and be faced with the daunting task of evaluating our life’s work and to see what we have accumulated in light of eternity. Gone will be the material desires as they no longer will be relevant once we die. Most people will look to how they will have lived in light of what was truly meaningful and as Christians, I think there are essentially two things that will show whether we have shown an interest in Christ or not.

The first would be our love for God. Matthew 22:37-40 dictates that we love God with our entire being. Anything less would show a disinterest as God is not worthy of anything less. Not that we will do it perfectly but is the heart passion truly there? The second thing that would show whether we have an interest in Christ is how we love people. It seems like some people really don’t exhibit any kind of care or compassion toward people, whether Christian or not. There is something to be said about people being deliberate and purposefuly in showing genuine Christian love toward people.

Edwards uses three thoughts in how he would assess his soul. First, to exercise the “utmost niceness” – I’m not sure if there is something that he understood niceness to be that would be different from today, but I would venture to say that when people get involved with self-reflection and evaluation that they can sometimes become very mean in how they think, not only toward themselves but in also how they end up judging others. I don’t think this means you are trying to purposely be easy on yourself but it really is a reflection of the heart attitude. What is the point of self-reflection if you are only going to be condemning? The point isn’t to condemn but to confess and repent and to learn.

The second thought would be diligence. To confront one’s own soul is not an easy task as we often do not want to face the reality of where we are spiritually. There are some Christians who would acknowledge that they are lazy and apathetic when it comes to their faith but they don’t really want accountability or to expend the energy to really address their struggles. We must be diligent and as Edwards says have no negligence when it comes to really pursuing our interest in Christ. To lack diligence would only seem to mean an increase in negligence and there is no good end in sight when one is negligent about the state of their soul.

The third thought would be that of strict scrutiny. To be specific and particular about addressing the things that would keep our eyes off of Christ. Hebrews 12:1-3 talks about the sin that entangles and the encumbrances that would distract us from running with endurance the race that is set before us. It is no surprise to see the extent of the 70 resolutions that Edwards wrote as it shows that he wanted to exercise strict scrutiny over his spiritual life before God.

We need to get off our comfy chairs and really take the Christian life seriously. Are you even remotely interested in Christ? Can others tell? Or is the primary interest in your life Jesus Christ and can people really tell? Take that to heart this week as you do all that you do.

In His grace,
Pastor John

by Pastor John Kim

Jonathan Edwards Resolution #47
Resolved, to endeavor, to my utmost, to deny whatever is not most agreeable to a good, and universally sweet and benevolent, quiet, peaceable, contented and easy, compassionate and generous, humble and meek, submissive and obliging, diligent and industrious, charitable and even, patient, moderate, forgiving and sincere temper; and to do at all times, what such a temper would lead me to; and to examine strictly, at the end of every week, whether I have done so. (Sabbath morning. May 5, 1723)

How is your temper? Have you lost it lately? What does it mean to lose your temper? I think for many people, the issue is not so much about losing your temper but about choosing what kind of temper you will exercise. Your temper is not a passive entity that is subject to the whims and winds of circumstances. You actually can choose how you will respond to the trials and challenges of life. But this can only happen when the Holy Spirit has filled you and is the source from which you are able to exercise the kind of temper that would truly glorify and magnfiy Christ.

When I first read this sentence by Edwards, I had to start laughing because of how many adjectives he uses to describe the kind of temper that he would try to cultivate. Here are some thoughts that seem to come out of this resolution:

1. He is resolved to deny what is NOT agreeable to this kind of temper. In other words Edwards is wanting to really do everything he can, “to my utmost,” to make sure that he is not contradicting in any way the kind of temper that he desires to exercise.

2. He is resolved “to do at all times, what such a temper would lead me to” – his actions are to reflect the kind of temper that he is seeking to exercise.

3. He is holding himself accountable at the end of each week to see how he has done. This is just some kind of one time attempt. He really is seeking to establish this as a discipline in to his life.

4. The list is quite extensive here in how comprehensive his temper should be exercised:

• Good – pretty straight forward – GOOD temper versus a BAD temper
• Universally sweet – could this be the extent to which this kind of temper would reach and would “sweet” be preferred to “sour”?
• Quiet – as opposed to loud?
• Peaceable – as opposed to being quarrelsome, pugnacious, given to instigating conflict
• Contented – someone who is not always grasping for more or envious toward others
• Easy – not so complicated and difficult to deal with
• Compassionate – a genuine love and care for others
• Generous – a servant’s heart to give and to serve, not with a tight-fisted attitude but one that is willing to give in an overflowing kind of way
• Humble – not boastful and seeking self-recognition
• Meek – exercising self-control and is not given to seeking self-glory
• Submissive – willing to follow and be subject to authority with a sincere heart
• Obliging – considerate and willing to think of others
• Diligent – hard-working and not taking the easy route
• Industrious – someone who makes the most of a situation, who works creatively for a good purpose
• Charitable – loving, gracious, willing to give graciously
• Even – balanced, not easily pushed over
• Patient – longsuffering, willing to bear other’s burdens
• Moderate – not given to extreme emotional displays that reflect a measure of lacking self-control
• Forgiving – the willingness to show grace and mercy even in light of being wronged
• Sincere – as opposed to being hypocritical, fake, or insincere in how they would present themselves

I suppose that I could have gone into more detail for each character quality – I’ll let you meditate on these thoughts and see if you could come up with more. But suffice it to say that there are many who would struggle with having the kind of temper that truly honors God. Too many Christians are short-tempered and easily given over to fits of anger and rage or despair or disconsolation that it does disservice to the truth that we have an all-powerful God who resides within us through the Holy Spirit to enable us to shine the light of the glory of Christ through our lives, particularly in how we respond to the circumstances of life. That’s why James 1:2 says that we should consider it all joy WHEN we encounter various trials, not IF we encounter various trials. We will face difficulties that will test our faith but our temper should not be swayed by them in the same way as those who do not have Christ as Lord and Savior.

Think about that the next time you “lose” your temper. It’s not that you lost it but rather that you chose to quit denyinig that which is agreeable to the kind of Christ-centered, Holy Spirit-filled, God-exalting temper that reflects the kind of redeemed heart that has been saved by the grace and mercy of God in Christ.

Let that keep your tempers in check =)

In His grace,
Pastor John

Written by Grace Wu

April 6, 2008 went down in Lighthouse history as we had the Building Dedication Service to thank God for His provision in moving into our new building, as well as reunite with members, new and old for a celebration of where God has directed Lighthouse in the past 9 years.

During the morning service, the Snider family joined Lighthouse for worship. It began with Pam Snider playing the piano, followed by Dr. Andy Snider and two of his daughters singing together. Dr. Andy Snider then preached a message called, “The Key Ingredients of the Gospel.”

That evening during the actual Building Dedication Service there were even more visitors. Pastor Chris Mueller, who spoke at Lighthouse’s inaugural service in 1999, was the special guest again to help Lighthouse usher in a new beginning. Pastor Mueller’s message was titled, “How to Pick a Church,” which explained how one can know that Christ and Christ alone is the head of a church. The evening was an encouragement to Lighthouse as it was an affirmation of our ministry, but also a reminder to not lose our focus as the church grows larger.