by Pastor Patrick Cho

I have to admit that I am an avid “Lost” fan. This season has been particularly good because of the new twists and turns that are being introduced to the overall plot. Theories abound explaining all the new phenomena: "Is there time travel on the island?" "Is Jin still alive?" "Does Jack not want to see Aaron because he was somehow connected to Claire’s death?" While theories about the show are fun to discuss, one thing that I am reminded about is how stupid it is to allow your life to waste away because of a TV show. One theory was passed on to me by another member in the church where another avid fan devoted pages and pages of detailed explanations and evidence about the show. This “Lost” theorist even walked through major counter arguments to his theory and then wrote detailed rebuttals to each of them. I couldn’t believe how much time and research must have gone into such a project. Of course, the work would have been worth it for that fan because of the joy that the show brings to those who watch it.

But this leads me to my point. It is so easy to find joy in entertainment, but is God really the One who brings you the greatest joy? Is your perspective towards your salvation still like that man who found the priceless treasure in the field only to go sell all that he has to obtain it? Is Jesus the first love of your life or is He merely an afterthought? These are serious questions to consider because I feel like the church is becoming spiritually numb when it comes to each member’s personal devotion to Christ. Corporately, people have gotten really good at enjoying the fellowship of the church. Sermons are great because the hearer has all the work of Bible study done for them. Prayer becomes unnecessary because others are sure to be praying. In all of it, instead of running in the faith, many are reclining by the side of the road. The principle reason for this is because Christianity has become a chore to people and ministry is burdensome. Pursuing Christ is not fun or easy, and sadly, people are drawn more to the things that are fun and easy.

We must pray like the Psalmist, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation” (Ps. 51:12a). Sinners who have truly experienced salvation from the wrath of God and freedom in Christ understand that there is no greater joy than living for the Savior. God forbid we find greater joy in the things of the world. God forbid we turn instead to the things that are simply fun, easy, and entertaining. This isn’t to say we cannot be entertained. It is vital, however, that each day we remind ourselves of this joy. We must not let ourselves fall to the point where we find counterfeit joy in idols. Christ is everything. If He is not everything to you, then you are not in Him. Instead of turning to the things of the world, let us cling to Him (cf. Deut. 10:20).

by Pastor JR Cuevas

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RISEN CHRIST

1 Corinthians 15:13-14 ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; ¹⁴ and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.

This thought really first occurred to me one afternoon when I was in the church office by myself working on some homework that I had assigned to me in one of my seminary classes. Of what I can recall (not everything’s crystal clear in my head), it had been a long week. Physically, I had been drained from the long commute to L.A. and back to S.D. coupled with the sleep that eluded me that week. Mentally, it was a draining week; studying Hebrew isn’t exactly a piece of cake for someone like me, who struggled with the subject of foreign languages more than any other subject in high school. Emotionally, it had been a stretch; leading small group, meeting up with guys, both in discipling and in being discipled, was tiring for my introverted personality (although I loved every minute of it). So there I was, a joyful yet exhausted pastoral intern, doing whatever he could to spur himself to keep on going for the rest of the afternoon when, for a second, I took a break and stepped back to take a look at my life. At this point, I realized that everything in my life – whether directly or indirectly – was related to ministry. Right then and there, the following words ran through my head: “If Jesus didn’t rise from the grave, I’m completely wasting my life.”

Now, as a pastor (part-time, interim, youth, but still pastor) those same lines ran through my head this weekend – this time with an even deeper impact. For now, everything in my life – EVERYTHING – has to do with ministry. As for my job, I work at the church and earn my living from nothing else. As for my education, I’m pursuing two master’s degrees – only one is in divinity (M. Div) and the other in biblical counseling (M.A.B.C.); biology is now replaced by Bible; chemistry replaced by Christology; physics replaced by Pneumatology; math replaced by ministry. As to driving, I commute 520 miles a week up to L.A. and back to S.D. to attend school. As to sleeping, I’ve had become friends with sleep deprivation to accommodate the driving schedule (although I’ve figured out ways to get more sleep this year). As to eating, I have to eat healthy to make sure that my body can stay not only alive, but awake, to endure the hardships of the work. As to where I live, I’ve had to give up moving back to Hawaii to stay in San Diego to continue to minister in church and pursue the degrees listed above. As for my summer vacations, they’re occupied by summer school and missions trips. As to my relationships with people, everything is devoted to stimulating (or being stimulated by) someone else to look to a crucified Savior. As recreation – well, there’s not much time for that anymore. As for the goal of life – I’ve had to give up pursuing self-glory and fame to instead pursue holiness in Christ-likeness. Everything has to do with church. Everything has to do with ministry. Everything has to do with Jesus.

And so, looking at this kind of a life from a more objective perspective, it’s safe to say that if Christ did not rise from the dead, my life would be one thing and one thing only – a waste. It’s absolutely foolish – FOOLISH I say – to live a life devoted to a crucified peasant carpenter who, after spending three years making what Jewish society at the time looked at as nothing short of outrageous claims of deity and being crucified for it, simply decayed in his tomb like any other man would. It would be absolutely ludicrous to give up an entire life that could be devoted to sensual pleasures of the world to follow a man who could not promise me anything better beyond what I see in the world. It would be nothing short of a waste to deny myself, take up my cross daily, and follow a man who did not rise from the dead. Had that stone not been moved, had that linen not been folded, had Peter and John looked into the grave and seen what they had expected, then get me out of pastoral ministry, for JR is swimming in a bed of lies.

Does it not make sense then, for me to say today that Resurrection Sunday (what we all know as Easter) means more to me than it ever did? The more and more I grow in faith, the harder and faster I pursue holiness, the greater the sacrifices to live this kind of a life become – and the more and more the credibility and purpose of my life depend on the historical fact that Jesus of Nazareth rose from His grave. The longer I walk with Christ, the greater the necessity of faith becomes, and the greater the hope I place in His resurrection. If Jesus did indeed rise from the grave, then my life is not a waste. It is not a life to be pitied, but one to be envied. If Jesus did indeed rise from the grave, then following Him this hard no longer becomes one of many options, but the only option. If Christ did indeed rise, then there is no other alternative than to persevere to eventually be in His presence for eternity.

The next time you treat Easter Sunday as simply another excuse to gather around with buddies for some food, ask yourself if you’ve really given it all to follow Jesus Christ. And if you have, then let the reality of the resurrected Christ renew your minds, encourage your hearts, and stimulate your being to live the life as a slave purchased by the blood of the risen King!

by Pastor John Kim

Hebrews 10:24-25 gives a very clear directive that we are not to forsake the gathering together of the fellowship of believers. It is the habit of some to minimize the importance of the corporate nature of the church as embodied in the local church assembly and the consequences are telling. One of the most practical ways in which a healthy church shows itself to be honoring to Christ is by how active the ministry of encouragement is taking place. While it is to be very much a part of characteristic of a genuine Christian to be an encourager, it is all too often something that is missing and instead replaced with a critical and discouraging spirit. It is amazing how some people in the church don’t even think twice when they send sarcastic words that can rip into a person’s soul and drop them to their knees in tears. There are others who are always quick to point out something negative about a person’s actions, no matter how hard they have tried in other respects to do their best. It is like the child who brings home a report card that has all A’s and one B+ and the parents can only notice the B+ and not say anything about the areas that someone has done well. This is just wrong and sinful and it must stop.

I have to say that at a personal level, I have gone through seasons where there has been much encouragement and other times when the criticisms and discouragements seemed to never end. There were times when people were just downright mean and unloving and they didn’t seem to even care that their words and how they said them were just crushing. Now there are some who are maybe more thick-skinned than others and so they don’t seem to care when people treat them badly. But there are others who are more sensitive and while it is a struggle not to simply cave in to fear of man, there is still a human reality factor that makes it difficult to deal with and those who are the “stronger” in this area don’t give any real consideration to the “weakness” of others.

Now this is not to say that there should not be times where sin is called out and confronted seriously. But there should always be the foundation of a genuine loving spirit that has been evidenced by an encouraging and supportive spirit that comes alongside a brother or sister and endeavors to see that person truly grow in their walk with the Lord.

Encouragement is a powerful ministry. To give affirmation, to point out something positive, to lift up the spirit in the midst of adversity can make all the difference in the world. That is why coming together as a church family is so crucial so that the ministry of encouragement can thrive. But it takes everyone making a contribution. The command is not to “be encouraged” (passive) but to encourage (active) and so we are called to actively fulfill this call to action by taking it upon ourselves to go to someone else and do the work of encouraging. Try it sometime. Look for something, even if it seems small, but try to affirm someone. Maybe it’s even just showing up. Maybe you’ve seen someone take some small steps toward growth. They are taking notes of the messages. They came out to an activity. They tried to share the gospel and even though they got shot down, they still were challenged to continue. There are so many things that we could do to affirm what is going on the lives of others if we only take the time to seek it out.

Last month Pastor Patrick wrote a similar article regarding this issue. I hope that we can really continue to consider how we might use the tongues that we have been given and let them be filled with words of encouragement that build up and not tear down.

Meditate on Ephesians 4:29. Then live it out every time you communicate – via e-mail, instant messenger, text messaging, phone, video, in person, and whatever other ways you can communicate. Christ will be honored and you will be a blessing to many.

by Pastor John Kim

Having to preach every Sunday, not to mention on Fridays and other Bible studies, does not give me very many chances to visit other churches to hear other preachers. But for three Sundays, I will have had the opportunity to hear three of my favorites. As I shared in the last entry, I heard Chris Mueller preach and minister to my heart. This past Sunday, I went to Grace Community Church and heard John MacArthur preach from Luke 22. I had not been to a Sunday morning service at Grace since 1989 so it had been quite awhile. The whole service was a reminder of the great blessings I had growing up – the music, the singing, the prayer, even the announcements were all part of looking back and just thanking God for the rich foundation I was granted in my junior high, high school and college years. I got to introduce Kara to John MacArthur and it was a joy to have her sit with me in listening to my pastor.

The past few days I have been in Minneapolis (very cold!!!) where I was able to attend the Desiring God conference for pastors. It was my first time and it really was an incredible time as the theme was on the pastor as father and son. D.A. Carson, a very well-known theologian and professor from Trinity in Chicago was the main speaker along with a few other speakers but his typical thoroughness in addressing the theme was such a deep and hearty feeding of truth that I was really full after hearing him share. John Piper also shared about the legacy that his own father left him and it was really inspirational hearing him share very personally about his relationship with his father who was also a pastor. All the speakers that shared were very much in tune with the challenges and hardships that pastors face so it was with a great measure of empathy that they shared and exhorted and comforted throughout all the messages. There were some statements that were made during one of the messages that really spoke to my heart as they directly related to things that I had been going through and so God was merciful to minister to me while I’ve had some time to just receive.

This weekend I will get a chance to visit John Piper’s church and hear him preach so I’m very excited and looking forward to that as well. I will have then heard three of my favorite preachers in three weeks – what a privilege and treasure it has and will be! Then I’ll be back in the pulpit on February 17 and hopefully rejuvenated and refreshed to minister for a long stretch.

Thank you to those who have been praying for me. It has been a stretching time these past few months but God has been gracious to allow me the opportunity to get some rest and I hope that I will be able to encourage you all the more when I return.

by Pastor John Kim

I had the opportunity to visit Faith Bible Church in Murrieta last Sunday where I got listen to Chris Mueller preach. I had not heard him preach in person since around 1988 when he was my college pastor, though I had listened to many of his sermons on audio. But to be able to sit as a normal, regular, church-goer and just soak in the message was like receiving a draught of cool water after being in the desert. It was such an encouragement to my heart to see the same passion yet tempered with wisdom that obviously comes with experience (something I still have much to learn about) as he preached on Deuteronomy 6 and the importance of parenting with the word of God. It was more than just the words that he spoke – it was the heart that was behind it, a heart that has gone through much heartache and sorrow but also much joy and blessing. There is much to be said about having mentors in your life that truly invest in you.

After the message, I went up Chris and he just gave me a big hug and it was like medicine. He has known of my own heartaches throughout the past but especially in the past several months, his counsel and prayers have been invaluable as I know they come from someone who has consistently invested in my life since I was in junior high. Though often times his messages were so convicting, they were never devoid of a tremendous love that he showed in a personal way, even when I was a shy, nerdy kid who never ventured to speak to someone unless spoken to first. He has gone through some tremendous heartaches in ministry as well, which all the more made his counsel more meaningful as he has faced betrayal and the destruction of relationships in ways that I couldn’t imagine. Yet he has come out of it still on fire for Christ and he and his wife Jean have been such a blessing to our family that we can’t believe God would gift us in such an incredible way.

Meeting the youth pastoral staff, Shawn and John (the high school and junior high pastors) was all the more testimony to Chris’ impact on the church ministry. Here are two lay guys who are not paid at all, yet they have given themselves so sacrificially to the youth of the church that in the past year alone, the youth ministry has doubled in size. It’s not just that the group has grown numerically. There are about 20 staff members, of which there are an astounding 6 married couples from every range, with those with teens to those who have little babies to those who just got married. Watching them serve the youth at the winter retreat was like reliving my old days at Grace Church. That’s what got me into youth ministry in the first place – having been impacted by not only the pastor but by the staff who spent time with me to help me grow in my walk with God.

It was so refreshing to be able to observe another church family that really loves Christ, loves one another, and wants to make a difference in the world. I gave them my best shots, long ones at that =). Yet the youth and even the staff responded with such heart-warming conviction.

It was truly a balm to my soul after having gone through a harrowing time the last year. To be honest, my spirit and heart were severely damaged through all that has happened in the past year and only by the grace of God am I still breathing and looking forward. My physical and emotional well-being have been battered and I’m still recovering in both ways, but God has seen fit to show mercy in allowing me some time to rest (even though I got sick) as well as to reflect on the past year.

It was only in the providence of God that He arranged for me to speak back in October for the youth retreat this past January so that it would give me an opportunity to be encouraged. While I was the one who was the speaker who was supposed to encourage the youth and staff, it was actually the youth and the staff the encouraged me abundantly more and getting to see Chris last Sunday was like whipped cream on top.

God, you are indeed good and sovereignly put all things together for good for those who love you and are called according to your purpose.

I find my rest in you.

by Pastor Patrick Cho

How is your prayer life? It is a question that is often asked in accountability groups. Like with Bible reading, it is sad that so many Christians struggle as much as they do. J. C. Ryle aptly remarks that prayer is a sign of a true believer — that if someone is truly saved, he will be praying. The fact that so many struggle in their daily prayers shows the spiritual weakness of the church today. Some may be well-versed in theology knowing all the current issues and debates. Others may be experts of the Bible having memorized great portions of it. Still others may be fervent in ministry giving of themselves for the sake of others in sacrificial service. But do they pray? Do you pray?

Certainly, I do not write these things because my prayer life is perfect. (Isn’t it funny that sometimes we ask others how they are doing in their spiritual walks just so we can mention how well we are doing?) I struggle very often to pray. It’s sad because I know I have access to the God of the universe and that I have a constant help in times of trouble, yet I do not approach the throne room of grace with nearly enough consistency.

I mentioned this in a sermon once but perhaps we do not pray as much as we should because we do not think it will accomplish anything. I know it sounds horrible to admit! I’m sure no good Christian would openly say such a thing. But do the attitudes in our hearts prove this? Isn’t this what we preach with our lives when we argue that we are too busy for prayer? Don’t we show that we believe prayer is time wasted where we could accomplish more important things? Why pray when you can plan?

“Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.”

I took some time to read from Psalm 4 last week and it was a great reminder to me of why we pray. David comes to God in a time of distress and cries out to God to hear his prayer. He is quick to confess, though, that he should not be heard because of who he is (though he was a king!). He appeals to the God of his righteousness — the God who has saved him. He understands that he has no righteousness in and of himself and freely admits that his righteousness must come from another. The basis of his prayer and reason why it should be answered is because of who God is. He is a God who saves. How appropriate to be reminded of how God saves when we are in times of distress.

David recalls also how God had saved him. He states, “You have relieved me in my distress.” He rec0unts the past deliverances of God, and is reminded that if God has saved before, He will save again. His confidence is in the God who does not change. Perhaps we need to memorize that great hymn, “O God Our Help in Ages Past”:

Our God, our help in ages past
Our hope for years to come
Our shelter from the stormy blast
And our eternal home

Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure
Sufficient is Thine arm alone
And our defense is sure

Is it any wonder that God reminded His followers that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? If He was faithful to help in ages past, He will be faithful to help today. This is why we should pray, because we have seen the help God has given in the past. He is the one who said to Joshua, “Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.” He says the same to us.

Finally, David appeals to God’s grace to hear his prayer. God is a God who hears prayer and this is because of His grace. He is not obligated to hear us and David recognizes this. He appeals to God’s grace. God was gracious to hear him in the past. God was gracious to deliver him from trouble in the past. He thus appeals to God to be gracious once again. Do we keep this attitude in prayer? So often we come to God casually as if God should listen to us! Shouldn’t the fear of the Lord drive us to come humbly before Him? Surely we have been granted free access to the throne room of grace, but this does not mean we should enter in with pride. What greater sign of pride than to address God our Creator as if He was our equal?

We need to be praying. This past year has definitely reminded me of that. With all the trials we face and the hardships we endure, we need to appeal to God to help. This is not a time for self-sufficiency and self-reliance. This is a time to lean on the everlasting arms by coming again and again to the God who saves in prayer.

by Pastor John Kim

Welcome to 2008!!

To say “Happy New Year!” is not something that I really take too seriously as it seems a bit superficial and even contrived when you look at the harsh realities of life. But I think it is something I have had to address in my heart that I often would be more pessimistic in my outlook toward things rather than hopeful and it just might be because the joy and peace in knowing and trusting in Christ is more in the background rather than in the forefront of my heart condition and it inevitably shows.

When I have heart pains, I usually get concerned because I know that my physical heart condition is not so good. I have allowed the circumstances of life at times to overwhelmingly stress me out to the point where my physical body actually feels the consequences of the emotional and mental distress. My teeth have been grinding for so many years that I didn’t realize it until half of my bottom teeth were worn away (don’t ask to look – it’s not a pretty sight). I actually tore a muscle in my mouth last week while I was sleeping, even with my nightguard in place – I didn’t know that was possible. My neck and back are so tense at times it feels like I am sleeping on a rock. All this and more have been more than enough proof to show that my emotional and mental state can have some very severe effects on my physical body and I often am in so much pain that I can’t stand it.

Left to myself, I am helpless. I can resort to drugs, physical therapy, and other things, but I realize that what really can bring relief (not necessarily physical) is the shoring up of my spiritual condition. When I am truly experiencing joy and peace in Christ, it really does affect my emotional and mental state to the point where I am reminded of the hope I have in Christ and the anxiety no longer paralyzes me. But when my gaze is not fixed on Christ, I find it so easy to be not only distracted, but to be redirected as to how I live my life.

This new year afforded me the opportunity to do some evaluating of my heart condition and I have come to see that I need to be more resolved in pursuing the hope of my life – Jesus Christ. It really is in Christ alone that I can find the joy and peace that anchors my hope and trust in Him. It is in Christ alone that I can have the right perspective in life amidst the challenges and trials that come and go. It is in Christ alone that I ultimately find my life’s purpose and apart from Him, there would truly be no real reason to live.

So while circumstances are not necessarily so “happy”, I have found joy in my salvation, I have found peace in the sovereignty of God, and I have found hope in the promises of a faithful God who I know will consistently and daily make manifest His mercy and grace to a sinner like me.

Happy New Year!!