by Pastor Jim Kang

Where to Worship Corporately?

Recently there’s been a popular saying amongst Christians that goes something like this: “You don’t go to a church, you are a church!”

The point is church is not a building but people. I get it. Certainly I understand it. Such saying is a reaction against people who have sentimental attachments to a physical church building more so than people. So I understand the context in how such popular saying came about.

But the problem is that there are too many people today who use popular sayings without discerning them biblically. People just say things without thinking. And saying things without thinking is dangerous.

I agree with Michael Horton, Carl Trueman, and others that a slogan like “You don’t go to a church, you are a church” have encouraged selfish and individualistic view of Christianity. The fruit of such a view prompted many people to have a low view of church attendance, church membership, accountability to the local church, and many other issues.

I agree with that slogan to a certain degree, but church is also a place where God’s people congregate. You don’t have a church (or be a church) if people don’t congregate. And people can’t congregate if we don’t have a place. Hence, we assemble at a certain time and a place with a certain address to worship together as a local church. It is because the word of God mandates his church to do all things with decency and order (1 Cor. 14:40).

That’s why we don’t do “church on wheels.” We don’t say to people, “if you want to know where we would meet next, follow us on Twitter.” So, church is both people and place.

One of the important themes in the redemptive history is the land, namely God’s Promised Land. The promise is given to Abraham in Genesis 12:1. But the descendants of Abraham did not get to the Promised Land until they first experienced God’s redemption from Egypt. After the exodus from Egypt, the people of Israel set out to the Promised Land. In their journey, the people received various laws, including how they should live and worship as God’s redeemed. However, none of the laws contain an instruction for the people to live and worship however they desire. Rather, God gave specific commands related to what, how, when, and where they must worship. Hence, where God’s redeemed people worshiped matters. This also applies to sacraments or ordinances.

Where God’s people worship also includes where sacraments or ordinances are served. For instance, if I want to be baptized, I can’t just ask someone off the street to baptize me in my bathtub just because I want to. Also, just because I want to have the Lord’s Supper, I can’t ask someone off the street or have one of my friends to perform it at my home. Just as there is no private baptism, there is no private communion. Rather, sacraments or ordinances are served in the context of the local church by the local minister.

The Heidelberg Catechism (1563) has something to say on this regard. For example:

Question 75. How art thou admonished and assured in the Lord’s Supper, that thou art a partaker of that one sacrifice of Christ, accomplished on the cross, and of all his benefits?

Answer: Thus: That Christ has commanded me and all believers, to eat of this broken bread, and to drink of this cup, in remembrance of him, adding these promises: first, that his body was offered and broken on the cross for me, and his blood shed for me, as certainly as I see with my eyes, the bread of the Lord broken for me, and the cup communicated to me; and further, that he feeds and nourishes my soul to everlasting life, with his crucified body and shed blood, as assuredly as I receive from the hands of the minister, and taste with my mouth the bread and cup of the Lord, as certain signs of the body and blood of Christ.

Also, the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) points out how the sacraments or ordinances are served in the context of the local church.

There are only two sacraments ordained by Christ our Lord in the Gospel; that is to say, Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord: neither of which may be dispensed by any, but by a minister of the Word lawfully ordained (27.4).

Likewise, the London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689) shares the same conviction.

These holy appointments are to be administered by those only who are qualified and thereunto called, according to the commission of Christ (28.2).

Although a Christian can pray and sing individually (even read the Bible individually), the sacraments or ordinances are done in the context of corporate worship in the local church. Hence, for a church to be a church, it needs both people and place.

by Pastor Mark Chin

If we were to take a road trip across America, visiting a different evangelical church every Sunday, I suspect we would soon discover that there are as many different styles of worship as there are churches. At times these differences have been the source of encouragement and help as they challenge our own preferences and styles of worship. At times these differences have been the source of confusion and offense, creating distance between fellow believers. These differences raise some necessary questions. What is Christian worship all about? What is Christian worship supposed to look like? What is Christian worship?

The temptation is to build our view and definition of worship around what we do at church on Sunday mornings. Sometimes our view and definition of worship can be reduced to the singing of praise songs. Frequently the term “worship team” is used primarily to identify the musicians who lead us in songs of praise on Sunday morning. But if “they” are the worship team – then what does that say about everyone else – the Sunday School teachers, the refreshment team, the cleaning team, etc.? To what degree is our worship defined by what we do and who we are – as opposed to who God is and what He has done in Christ in your life and mine? Is it all about me?

It helps to define what one means by worship. Allen P. Ross defines worship in this way. “Thus, in general terms, ‘worship’ refers to the appropriate response to the revelation of the holy God of glory. More specifically, Christian worship, whether individual or collective, is the structured and ordered expression of the proper response of the people of God to the revelation of God in Christ.” [1] In light of this definition, one might add that Christian worship is to be the right response and participation in the Gospel that is made possible by grace through faith in Christ alone, in accordance with the will and Word of God.

Defined as such, the testimony of Scripture clearly demonstrates that true worship begins and ends in one place – and that place is not with us. Though the technical terms, styles, songs, and practices of worship may change, there is one overwhelming constant of all true biblical worship. From the creation of the world to the New Jerusalem, from the Holy of Holies to the cross at Calvary, from the Passover to the Lord’s Supper, from the tabernacle of Sinai to the temple of New Covenant saints, the constant that initiates, defines, sustains, and accomplishes true worship in each case is the God of the Bible, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – His person, His Word, and the presence of His glory. Without the person of God and the presence of His glory, there is no true worship. This is the testimony of Moses (Ex. 33:12-16), Ezekiel (Ez. 10), Jesus (Mt. 23:37-39), Paul (Rom. 1:22-23) and every saint of the Bible, Old Testament and New. So John Owen says, “ The principal and adequate reason of all divine worship, and that which makes it such, is what God is in himself.” [2]

From the creation of the universe, to the giving of the Law of the Mosaic Covenant, to the inauguration of the New Covenant by the flesh and blood of Christ, to the coming of the New Jerusalem, the creator, author, designer, and giver of all true worship is not man, but the God of the Bible. Worship, like salvation, is entirely a work of God’s grace in which God’s people have been called to participate. Its starting point, like the salvation of God’s people, is the will and the word of God. Any deviation from His will and His word is a departure from true biblical worship and an embrace of false worship (Ex.32:1-10; Rom.1:18-32). Worship that is truly God’s is worship that is wrought by His Holy Spirit who always acts in accordance with the Word He has given us. As such it is characterized by a clear and faithful expression of His person, His will and His word, in every aspect. This is a worship that is most fully expressed in the ministry of His Son – His life, His death, His resurrection, His present ministry at the right hand of the Father and in His bride, the Church. Does our worship look like Jesus? Is that what a visitor would say as he leaves the church doors?

“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen” (Rom. 11:36). [3] If the starting and end point of all worship is the God of the Bible and His Word, then the defining characteristic of all worship and the end of all worship is the glory of the God of the Bible. From the Hebrew term kabod to the Greek term doxa, Allen P. Ross notes the following: “When the Bible uses the word “glory” or “glorious” with reference to the LORD, it is basically saying that he is the most important or preeminent person in this or any other universe. And when the Bible refers to the ‘glory of the LORD,’ it is usually referring to all the evidence of God’s preeminence.” [4] That evidence, as John Owen points out, is the revelation and manifestation of His divine attributes, the fullness of God’s nature, His attributes, and His will – in short, the totality of His essential being. [5] Is God and His glory preeminent in our worship?

The glory of God, then, is the essential quality of all true worship, the purpose of all true worship, and the end of all worship. If worship does not exalt the preeminence of God through a clear manifestation and revelation of His truth and grace, as opposed to the needs or desires of worshippers, then it is not true biblical worship that is from God or for God. That is not to say that the God of the Bible ignores our needs or desires. To the contrary, He is greatly concerned about the needs and desires of His children. However, when our needs and our desires become preeminent, then we are worshipping a different god. True worship exalts God by placing His glory on display, not that of man, doing so according to the will and word of God. The attributes of true worship, then, are nothing less than the attributes of the God of worship.

From the human perspective, the beginning of biblical worship, then, is the beholding of the glory of God (Isa. 6:1-5). The NT informs us explicitly that we behold this glory in the person of Jesus Christ (Heb 1:1-4). “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The NT also informs us that it is only by faith which is a gift of God’s grace that we are able to see the glory of Christ (Matt 11:25, 16:17; Lk 10:21; Rom 1:17; Eph 2:8; Heb 11:3 ). This faith comes from hearing the Word of God. “So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ,” (Rom 10:17). That faith through the word is needed for true worship serves as a reminder that the greatest hindrance to true worship is us – specifically our sinfulness and sin which is an offense to the holiness of God and which blinds our eyes to His glory. It is only the forgiveness of sin that comes from Christ’s death on the cross and that is received by faith in Christ alone that removes the scales of sin from our eyes. So it is the Gospel, as presented in the written Word of God, that serves both as the path and pattern of worship that places the fullness of God’s glory in Christ on display and that enables the blind sinner to see His glory when it is embrace by faith in Christ alone.

Such worship is nothing less than transformative for the beholder of divine glory. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as through the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18). Transformation, then, is one of the essential consequences of true worship in the life of the worshipper and the worshipping community of God’s people – a transformation into the image and glory of God, not into the image and glory of the surrounding culture. It is a transformation wrought by the Spirit of God through the Good News of God’s written Word. As such, worship that is transformed by God and His Gospel looks like God and His Gospel, as do the worshippers who are transformed by God and His Gospel. Such truth begs the question, who and what does our worship look like? Does it look like us or does it look like Him? Have we been transformed by His worship lately? As a pastor, these are questions that I need to be confronted with on a regular basis – questions that bring me to my knees at the foot of the cross as they show me my desperate need for Christ and the Gospel of His Word.

[1] Allen P. Ross, Recalling the Hope of Glory: Biblical Worship from the Garden to the New Creation. (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2006), 50.

[2] Sinclair Ferguson, John Owen on the Christian Life. (Carlisle: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1987), 274,

[3] All Scripture references, unless otherwise specified, have been taken from the NASB.

[4] Allen P. Ross, Recalling the Hope of Glory: Biblical Worship from the Garden to the New Creation. (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2006), 47.

[5] John Owen, The Glory of Christ: His Office and Grace. (Fearn, UK: Christian Heritage, 2004), 54.

by Pastor James Lee

Growing up, my family could not afford expensive vacations that involved air travel, so it was the pattern that we would always, always get in my dad’s Ford and go camping every summer. My first adventure flying didn’t come until I left on a mission trip to Japan at age 23. I remember my team was amused in witnessing my journey from anxiety to amazement to wonder as we took off from LAX. One of them, thought it would be funny, to buy one of those toy planes with the airlines logo from a stewardess to commemorate my initiation. At the moment, I thought I had finally arrived, fulfilling a dream to fly since childhood. But as much as I enjoyed the aerial view and appreciated the huge and humbling breadth and power of God over His universe, I have always loved the trees of the forest and not just the forest. As a father myself, I now appreciate all the road trips my family took before there were seat belt laws and mobile entertainment. I enjoyed playing “Uno” in the back seat with my brother, singing 99 bottles of beer on the wall, naming items through the alphabet, and getting truckers to “pull” their horns.

Wherever our family sedan could take us and back within my father’s allotted vacation time, we circumnavigated the entire western United States. Our travel Bible was the KOA site guide and National Park system – Yosemite, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Death Valley, Big Sur, the Grand Tetons, wherever we could pitch a tent and break out the old Coleman stove, or find the cheapest motel in a big city, with perhaps a night sleeping in the car. My dad bought me a Kodak Extralite camera that used 110 film that you had to manually forward, and he’d let me shoot 5 rolls of 36 exposure film every trip (the discount saver pack). I’d ration my film along the way like it was water in a desert. And my brother and I would collect “free” rocks, and try our best to discern the best thing to get for our one item souvenir allowance. Most of the time I’d regret an early purchase or regret not making a purchase long gone at the last stop; it was always the great dilemma for me. What made it worse, as a foolish child I’d pout and lament the regrets of buying the silly astronaut food or not buying the cool wooden rubber band gun with an engraved eagle handle. So as we were driving through some amazing scenery, I’d be pouting like a brat from my inevitable buyer’s remorse. Then something so majestically beautiful would jolt me from my idolatrous state into humbled awe – dropping into the blue lakes of the Tuolumne high country after soaking our feet in the Merced River of Yosemite valley, driving across the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time, or driving through a pounding snow storm in Park City, Utah. I’d forget the souvenir shops, and get immersed in those seemingly larger-than-life experiences.

As a pastor and as a brother, I confess I still make the mistake of getting discouraged in the difficult details and trials of ministry, missing the incredibly wonderful and intimately merciful kindnesses the Lord bestows along the way. There are both small things that elicit the sweetness of fresh praise and the awesome displays of grace that take our breath away for their sheer magnitude. Sadly, far too often, I have missed many of both and everything in between. But to encourage us to see more than we see, let me share just a few of the many beautiful things I’ve witnessed in my life and ministry that can only be explained by His loving power. They remind me of His faithfulness, to keep on:

1. The Incredible Beauty of Witnessing Regeneration – The salvation of sinners is a sight that never gets old, and is one that I long for more than almost any other thing. Once flatlined, now alive unto God! Once blind, now really seeing! Once an enemy, now God’s child! Once enslaved to sin, now enslaved to Christ! And the farther from God a person previously appeared to be, the more it made me marvel. And the more neglectful or poor a witness I was, the more simultaneously humbling and grateful. The first person I led to Christ as a student at UCLA came from the most nervous gospel presentation probably ever heard in church history, but God still saved him. Since then, I’m always asking our Father to let me see it again and again. “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.” (Luke 15:24)
2. The Incredible Beauty of Pursuing Reconciliation – When I was young, my newly saved dad wasn’t paid for 6 months of professional architectural services from a man who purposely cheated him and refused to pay the court-ordered settlement. A year later, that man was dying from cancer, and my father led him to Christ at the hospital. We never got the money owed, and my dad gave more of “God’s money” to the surviving widow. And on the drive home, he saw my anger, and told me the Bible says we must forgive, “as God in Christ forgave.” (Ephesians 4:32) I drove indifferently through that beautiful truth. So, as a young adult I raged inside against a relative for breaking my dad’s arm because he didn’t have any more money to loan him for an investment that went bad. My dad kept sending gifts and cards to the relative appealing for reconciliation. I’d roll my eyes and reason my father was pathetic and weak. Later I went to my relative’s house as a teenager with my Louisville Slugger, only to find he had moved away. 20 years later, I saw them hugging in tears as though they were twins separated at birth. In that moment, I repented of my gross hypocrisy. Not only was the hoped-for result beautiful, but I saw the pursuit was beautiful even if the result never came.
3. The Incredible Beauty of Genuine Repentance – A youth group member goes to state prison for attempted murder after years of hardened gangbanging while sacrificially caring for his mom when at home. Prior to that, I’d smell the pot on his clothes every week at church, and broke up several fights he was involved in. He was bigger than me, but he was respectful of me… because of his mom. I’d tell him about Jesus every week, but to him that was cruel and unusual punishment, each time his eyes would glaze over. And once in my lack of love and impatience, I was physically rough in breaking up another fight. I had had it. I never saw him again after that day. The next time I saw him was through the glass at LA county downtown. When he was released several years later, he was a brother in Christ and never the same. His old “friends” found him and beat him down. He never fought back, but was telling them to believe in Jesus. They left him alone after that. And now he’s making his mom, sister, and church family proud. His repentance (not penance) is one of the best things I’ve ever seen. I had to repent too, and thank the Lord for having mercy on me too.
4. The Incredible Beauty of Modern Reformation – Most of the beautiful things I see on a regular basis is the power of God’s Word at work in the lives of church members as they grow in spiritual maturity. Fresh affections that come from satisfied spiritual hunger, and the reformation that occurs from replacing pockets of bad theology from ever increasingly being gripped by sound doctrine, are those subtle but happy moments for me in ministry. I get invigorated when I see shy members, ordinary believers like me, be bold in sharing their faith. I’ll take godliness over giftedness, character over charisma, and faithfulness over reputation any day and every day. Youthful arrogance being gradually stripped away and clothed with humility are nothing short of supernatural. Growing together makes it even more picturesque and drops us to our knees before our King. The way a brother or sister lights up in understanding and strengthened faith from a regular Bible study time, or when members pray in the parking lot, or the way we’re all humbled by trials to bring about greater Christlikeness (Romans 8:29) are signposts of God’s faithfulness and the promise of more to come.
5. The Incredible Beauty of Gospel Relationship – The church, the Body, a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, sojourners and exiles, gospel ambassadors, God’s adopted children, joint heirs, from every tribe, nation, and tongue, every socio-economic background, united under one Lord, one faith, one baptism, called and set apart, sinful folk who would otherwise never think about coming together, under the constant barrage of Satan’s devious machinations, but preserved and victorious by God’s sovereign supremacy! There are threats within and without. There are scandals and failures and church splits, but far less than our depravity would gladly manufacture. It’s a glorious and awesome sight to see the true church of Jesus Christ march on in loving unity. I have witnessed much personal failure in my own life, but God never fails!

Obviously, there’s a lot more that could be said and added to the endless list of beautiful and powerful things our God does. I invite you to share those things with someone and mutually encourage each other in them. Whether they are as mundane as shepherding a disobedient toddler on a Tuesday morning or as grand as large scale revival in answer to prayer, may we see God’s greatness and goodness at display and then live accordingly as people of certain hope. And as we walk with our Savior-King, fight the good fight, run the race set before each of us, may we see the sunshine of God’s gracious work especially in the rigors of our life and ministry. I have often struggled with my lack of success in the realm of my pastoral ministry. I get depressed by long seasons that appear to bear little fruit compared to others despite the hard labor and repeated sacrifices. We live in a world that judges on the results, and how we get there seems to matter very little. It’s hard on me, my family especially, and the people who have fought in the trenches with me the longest. But I don’t always see, am able to see, or am even meant to see everything the Lord is actually doing. The first year of LBCOC often seemed like a continual fight to the death for joy. It was hard to see or hear much that was encouraging on top of criticisms and exhaustion and inadequacy, but hindsight is usually 20/20 especially for a half-empty proud dude like me. And I’ve seen God was actively at work in the last year in many more ways than I was able to previously see. Recently, in the face of many hard realities, I was humbled by the fact I get to do what I get to do, for any length of time I get to do it for His glory. When our joy is to be a servant of the King, we become happy for any assignment He gives. I don’t know what’s next, but I know our good and great God, is going to show us something more beautiful than we could ever have imagined, even if it never comes to look like what we imagined it to be. Let’s continue in that adventure by faith, trusting our Father’s wise bestowment.

Faithfulness in “little things” is a great thing. 1 Corinthians 15:58 exhorts, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

by Pastor John Kim

Looking back on my life for the past fifty years, God has truly been gracious and merciful in not only saving me from eternal condemnation, but in providing the hope and the ability to take that grace and mercy and learn to show it to others. But one thing that I continue to find challenging, and at times even struggle to do consistently, is the practice of true forgiveness.

It’s easy to sound like you have forgiven someone who has offended you or hurt you deeply. There are ways to couch your words carefully, to sound noble or humble or whatever it takes to soften the tone so that the edges are smoothed, to come across in a way that appears godly. But deep down the ever-beckoning hand of painful memories and the enticing pull of bitterness and resentment make genuine forgiveness a daily battle.

There are debates as to what constitutes proper forgiveness, how to deal with following up on forgiveness, and what proper restoration and reconciliation looks like. So I am well aware that many questions can be raised about the application of forgiveness. But I would like to take a moment to ask for a more significant consideration before the application – do you truly take to heart the forgiveness you have received in Christ, and is that forgiveness reflected in your life in such a way that it magnifies Christ?

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:31)

Before we think about how the practice of forgiveness affects us, do we see how forgiveness reflects our relationship with God? In Christ we have received the forgiveness of sins (Eph. 1:7), just as we have been lavished with the riches of His grace in Christ. We have been reconciled to God through Christ, and are called to be ambassadors of reconciliation just as we have been called to shine the light of the gospel of Christ in this dark world. But all too often that light is dimmed because of the failure of Christians to love one another as Christ has loved us (John 13:34-35), and this is particularly seen in the refusal to seek peace and reconciliation, which at its heart is the issue of unwillingness to forgive and ask for forgiveness.

If God was willing to forgive us of all our sins and restore us to a right relationship with Him, it is difficult to reconcile with Scripture the attitude that many have in withholding forgiveness or the unwillingness to ask for forgiveness. Either way, there is something truly wrong when one is willing to justify and excuse themselves from dealing with forgiveness.

Withholding forgiveness is an act of sheer arrogance and pride: that one would judge himself or herself to have a greater authority and right than God in turning their back on someone due to an offense, and be unwilling to grant mercy and grace when as a Christian you have been forgiven infinitely more so than any person could sin against you. Now this never excuses or justifies the sins that someone would commit against you. Sin is always wrong and always an offense against the glory of God and must be taken seriously. But we are not the one at the center of the issue. It must always be Christ, and if Christ truly reigns in your life as Lord and Savior and the love of Christ controls you (2 Cor. 5:14-15), then to live for Him is the greater priority and to walk in a manner worthy of our calling (Eph. 4:1) would behoove us to reflect the work of Christ in our hearts by showing the kindness of God that lead us to repentance, by the tender-heart of God in being long-suffering and patient and gentle toward us in bringing us back to Him, and by the super-abounding grace of God that is most magnanimously revealed in His forgiveness granted to us because of the cross of Christ. When our hearts are filled with the Holy Spirit so that we might truly appreciate and even be in awe and wonder at the love with which we have been loved, it would be most appropriate and fitting in bearing witness of the gospel in our lives that forgiveness would be genuinely and truly granted toward those who have sinned against us.

But this is obviously difficult to practice if the love of Christ does not control you. We are not talking about a robotic, mindless control that obligates your or coerces you to do that which you do not want to do. If the love of Christ truly controls you, then you will know that it is only because of the love of Christ shown to you that you have not only the forgiveness of your sins but the hope and promise of eternal life that secures you forever, that no one can separate you from the love of God in Christ and therefore there is nothing that anyone can do to take that away. If I am truly secure and assured in the love of Christ, there is no risk too high, no offense too hard, no hurt too painful, no sin that is unforgivable and through the power of the Holy Spirit in accordance to God’s Word, I can and will be able to grant a true and genuine forgiveness toward my brother or sister in Christ.

There is also the issue of asking for forgiveness when you are the one who has sinned against someone. There are those who are unwilling to admit that they have done wrong and confess their sins and ask for forgiveness from the one they have offended. This too is act of pride and folly because it reflects a heart that is first and foremost rebellious toward God in showing a lack of humility and genuine mourning over sin. Many times this is seen in either denying there was ever an issue, in shifting blame, or even in just running away from those that they need to seek forgiveness and reconciliation. Unresolved conflicts have left a trail of broken relationships for many, and it is sad to see that there are those who are insistent on leaving things unresolved instead of seeking peace as much as we can (Rom. 12:18). But if we are the children of God, we will be a people characterized by a poverty of spirit, a mourning over sin, a gentle and meek spirit, and those who hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness to prevail. The mercy of God is made evident in a purity of heart that seeks God’s face and a commitment to peacemaking – all these are evidences of God’s people (Matt. 5:3-9) and are fitting when describing the kind of person who will be humble enough to admit their faults, confess their sins, and humbly ask for forgiveness.

If we as God’s people can commit ourselves to showing that we are a forgiven people by being a forgiving people, our testimony would be a powerful one because it would point to the Savior who makes it all possible. We will not forgive and ask for forgiveness on our own because our pride is to great and our will rebels and fights against it. But when we are submitted to the loving Lordship of Christ over our lives, when our hearts are filled with the Holy Spirit producing the fruit that manifests the reality of our salvation (Gal 5:22-23), when we are trusting in the sovereignty of God the Father that He will work all things out for good (Rom. 8:28), then we can both extend forgiveness and ask for forgiveness to His glory. I truly believe that this would transform our churches in ways that would be absolutely amazing.

This is my prayer for all the Lighthouse churches: that the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ would shine brightly through the ministry of forgiving one another. I hope and pray that those of you who are struggling with issues of forgiveness will take your eyes off yourselves, take your eyes off others, and instead fix your eyes on Christ. Remember the cross, the love that held Him there to save us. Remember that He endured the pain and suffering that we deserved so that we would be forgiven. Let that love then motivate you and guide you to be the child of God that is distinguished by a life of forgiving and asking for forgiveness and I trust God will use our humble lives and our churches for the sake of His kingdom.

by Pastor Jim Kang

The fundamental reason churches exist is to glorify God. And one of the ways churches can glorify God is through corporate worship. However, how should the church worship? What should be done in worship? Even more fundamentally, what is worship? What is corporate worship? What should drive the corporate worship?

These are important questions that churches cannot afford to ignore. Hence, the purpose in this series of posts is to bring some clarity by raising simple journalistic questions, namely, who, why, when, where, what, and how in regards to worship. So far in the series, in addition to the introduction, two questions were answered:

• Who should worship God?
• Why worship corporately?

In this post the question of when is addressed.

When to Worship Corporately?

Certainly, individuals can worship God by praying, singing, reading, or listening to God’s word on their own at any time. But there is a time when individuals of God’s redeemed come together corporately to worship their creator and redeemer. And that takes place on the first day of the week, which God’s people have affectionately called historically the Lord’s Day.

The reason Christians congregate corporately to worship God on the first day of the week is Jesus Christ was resurrected from his grave on the first day of the week (Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1). The resurrection of Jesus Christ is central to Christian faith. Hence, it is central to Christian worship. So when Christians gather to worship, it is to remember and celebrate in light of that glorious event in God’s redemptive history.

Moreover, historically, the Protestant churches have always valued the importance of corporate worship on the Lord’s Day. For instance, according to Question 103 of the Heidelberg Catechism (written in 1563) asks: What does God require in the fourth commandment? The replied answer states:

In the first place, God wills that the ministry of the Gospel and schools be maintained, and that I, especially on the day of rest, diligently attend church to learn the Word of God, to use the Holy Sacraments, to call publicly upon the Lord, and to give Christian alms. In the second place, that all the days of my life I rest from my evil works, allow the Lord to work in me by His Spirit, and thus begin in this life the everlasting Sabbath.

Also, the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) written in 1646 states:

As it is of the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in his Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment, binding all men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him: which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week; and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week, which in Scripture is called the Lord’s Day, and is to be continued to the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath (21.7).

The Baptists were no different. According to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith (LBCF) states:

As it is of the law of nature, that, in general a proportion of time, by God’s appointment, be set apart for the worship of God, so by his Word, in a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment, binding all men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him: which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week; and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week, which in Scripture is called the Lord’s Day, and is to be continued to the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath, the observation of the last day of the week being abolished (22.7).

That particular confession of LBCF is almost identical to WCF, but the Baptists have inclusions at the end that states explicitly that the old covenant Sabbath has been abolished – i.e., “the observation of the last day of the week being abolished.”

Some Applications

Worshiping God requires giving our best, not our leftovers. That implies priority and preparation. One writer suggests the following:

We need to plan ahead. We know the importance of planning ahead because we do this regularly for the other days of the week. If we want a successful holiday outing with friends, we will often have to think about it in advance. If we want to be ready for a meeting with an important client, we will need to order some events ahead of time.

We often need to give thought to the next day if it is to run smoothly, and this is no less true for the day when, in a special way, we meet with each other and with the Lord. We need to prepare our hearts, reminding ourselves why we need and want to worship the Lord. Furthermore, we need to order our many tasks. For it is a known fact in the Christian community that if we do not carefully attend to our work on six days of the week, we will not easily find rest on the remaining day.

To put it negatively, if we neglect proper preparation, instead of finding rest in Christ, and refreshment in the fellowship of God’s people, we will find ourselves taking our work to church. But if we have focused on our work, and if we have taken the time to take stock of our week, then we will find our minds much more free on Sunday morning, afternoon, or evening. We will be less likely to be reviewing our own words and thoughts in the middle of the worship service, and more likely to focus on God’s Word, thinking his thoughts after him. Rest is principally defined as non-work in the Decalogue and elsewhere, but work and rest need to be tied together in our thinking, just as they are in the Scriptures.[1]

[1= Chad Van Dixhoorn, Confessing the Faith (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth, 2014), 293-294.

by Pastor Mark Chin

How exactly are we to measure the success of our church, our ministry, our pastor, our careers, our families, our parenting, or our lives? How are we to know whether a given ministry is on the right track? In 2013, the then chief financial officer of Apple, Peter Oppenheimer used the metric of the iPhone’s market share in the Japan smartphone market to herald the global success of Apple.[1] The success of Apple’s leadership, direction, investment, and path had been validated by its # 1 ranking in sales and market share in a market traditionally resistant to non-Japanese consumer products.

For the past two thousand years – Christendom has frequently used similar metrics to gauge the health and success of a given church or ministry. For years, the Billy Graham Crusades were heralded as a success by virtue of the number of people who walked down the aisles in response to the invitation to accept Jesus into their hearts. The Shepherd’s Conference, a conference for pastors hosted by Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA, recently boasted of having over 5500 men from around the world in attendance. In the history of the church there has rarely been an era where visible size, name recognition, or sphere of influence in the world was not a measure of success – a measurable and objective affirmation that someone must be doing something right. Such trends beg the question – how do we measure the success of our church, our ministries, our marriages, our families, or our relationships? On a given Sunday or in a given ministry, how do we determine whether the outcome of our service has been successful? How did men like William Carey or Hudson Taylor measure the success of their ministries, especially during the difficult early years where resistance was high and converts were few? The sad pattern of Christendom in the West has been its alternation between using the metrics of the world or defensively appealing to the argument that there is no objective measurement for success in the Kingdom.

In John 15, it is worth noting that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is most explicit that God has a very objective metric for measuring success in ministry. The context of John 15 is the night of Judas’ betrayal. Jesus has just finished celebrating the Passover Feast with His eleven remaining disciples. Judas has already departed to arrange His arrest by the soldiers of the High Priest – the Temple Guard. Soon He will be arrested, tortured, and crucified. Yet the primary focus of Jesus, the Good Shepherd who gives His life for His sheep, is not Himself – His comfort or His pain – but rather His beloved disciples. Having washed their feet, having fed them, He now prepares them for the future ministry of the Gospel. One of the ways He does so is by pointing out how God will measure the success of their lives and their ministry as His disciples. “ I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit” John 15:1,2.

As Jesus instructs them on the source and measure of success in ministry, He shows them that it is ultimately the Word of God and NOT the opinion/experience of man that provides the true measure of success for any Gospel ministry. The specific objective metric of success provided by God’s Word is NOT market share, customer satisfaction, or profitability – but rather it is the metric of biblical fruitfulness. A ministry or life that is successful in the eyes of God is a ministry or life that is fruitful in the same way the life and ministry of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s was, is, and continues to be fruitful. “By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples,” John 15:8.

This, of course, begs the question: In what way was the life and ministry of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, fruitful? Was it fruitful by virtue of how many people attended His sermons or how much market share the Gospel could claim in the market place of world religions? It helps to see that Jesus’ use of the fruit metaphor in John 15 was not something that Jesus pulled out of thin air. Rather it is an image that Jesus, the Living Word of God, had used repeatedly throughout Scripture, beginning in the very first chapter of Genesis. “And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth’” Gen 1:28.

Frequently, the command, “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth …” is interpreted primarily as biological procreation – filling the earth with children. However, such an interpretation is grossly reductionist and modern, failing to honor and account for the God and the context of the first divine command and mandate given to man. The God of Genesis 1 is the sovereign Creator of the universe who has created all things for His glory – the visible manifestation of His infinite goodness and greatness. The context of Genesis 1:28 is the account of God creating man, male and female, in the image of His glory and the account of His blessing man for that purpose, doing so by the authority and power of His inerrant, sufficient, and living Word. Fruit and fruitfulness is the product of God’s will, God’s Word, God’s creative work and His gift of new life, God’s blessing, and God’s command. The fruit that is yielded from God’s blessing and command in our lives is the gift of God that multiplies and fills the earth with the gift of His life and the image of His glory. When we are shown the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, in contrast to the deeds of the flesh, we are shown objective evidences of the presence of Christ’s Spirit and new life in Christ that bears the image of God’s glory. This is the fruit of the cross that God commands us to fill the world with, by virtue of faith in Christ and the new life He alone can give to sinners dying in their sin. It is a fruit that blesses and gives life to others and that, in time, provides the seed for more fruit.

How exactly are we to measure the success of our church, our ministry, our pastor, our careers, our families, our parenting, or our lives? God’s objective measure is the fruit of the cross, the fruit of His Spirit, the fruit of faith and faithfulness that are the gift and blessing of His infinite grace and mercy to sinners like us. This of course, begs the question, what is the fruit of our lives, our marriages, our families, our ministries, and our church?

[1] http://www.cnet.com/news/a-measure-of-apples-success-oppenheimer-cites-japan/ downloaded March 11,2015.

by Pastor Patrick Cho

When a young child reads through the Bible or learns the accounts of Scripture from their parents or in Sunday School, oftentimes unfortunately the lessons do not venture beyond understanding the basic facts of a narrative. What happened? Who was involved? When and where did this take place? But most of the time when reading through Scripture, the real “meaty” goodness of devotional quality comes from asking deeper questions. How did things unfold? Why did it happen? How could things have ended differently?

There are many Christians who are exposed to solid biblical teaching regularly, and yet they struggle to find real meaning in anything they read on their own. Perhaps this comes from far too great a dependence on others to provide instruction. They will only derive devotional quality if it is spoon fed to them in easy to swallow morsels. This should not be so. The Scriptures clearly teach us that the same Spirit of God grants understanding of His Word (1 Cor. 2:12-13). Studying the Bible is not reserved exclusively for the “experts.” Any believer should be able to have a deep and satisfying time in the Word.

How can we get more from the Bible? There are many beneficial principles to consider, but perhaps the most helpful is the principle of meditation. One huge, glaring problem is the lack of time spent to really think through what we are reading. The more I think about what has helped me in my study of God’s Word (and my devotion to God) the more I come back to the idea of meditation and realize that it involves a factor of time. Think about how often the psalmist recollects the time he spends meditating on the Word of God. From the NASB translation, eight times in Psalm 119 the psalmist employs the verb “to meditate” (vv. 15, 23, 27, 48, 78, 97, 99, 148). The one who maximizes his time in the Word is the one who spends time thinking on what he has read. He meditates day and night (Ps. 1:2). He meditates on his bed (Ps. 4:4). He even meditates through the night (Ps. 63:6). It is his meditation all day long (Ps. 119:97).

This is consistent with the commandment of God to His people, “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deut. 6:6-9). In order to make sure you don’t lose sight of who God is, what He is like, and what He requires of you, you need to spend time meditating on His Word so that it is “on your heart.” Going back to the analogy of spiritual morsels, the diligent student of the Word allows time to chew on each thought and to slowly digest them until they become a part of himself and incorporated into his life.

Here are fifteen questions to consider as you read in order to help you get the most out of God’s Word:

1. What does the passage reveal about God? What is He like and how does He act?
2. In what ways do you appreciate and esteem God more because of what you read? How might you pray these thoughts back to God in worship?
3. Why does God act the way that He does? In your opinion, how could God have responded differently? Why didn’t He respond that way? What does this say about the difference between God and you?
4. What does the passage teach regarding right and wrong, good and evil, obedience and sin?
5. What are some things the passage reveals about man?
6. From what you read, how do you need to grow? What does God want from you?
7. What areas in your life need the most improvement based on what you read? What are some things you tend to do that need to change?
8. How can you think differently based on what you read? In what ways are you prone to think differently than what the passage reveals?
9. What sins need to be confessed to the Lord in response to what you read? Be specific.
10. How does this passage challenge your beliefs? Do you find it easy or difficult to trust what the passage says? Why?
11. What, if anything, does the passage explicitly command? Is the command intended as a general call for obedience or was it intended for a particular audience in that day?
12. In what other ways might the passage apply in your life specifically? How can you implement the application of this passage today? Again, be specific.
13. If you read about a person in Scripture, in what ways does that person serve as an example of faith or a warning regarding disobedience?
14. What did you learn from the passage that you did not know before? If it is a passage you have read before, is there something you noticed this time that you did not notice before?
15. How might you encourage someone else and be a blessing to others from what you read today?

by Pastor James Lee

Ephesians 4:15 says that God’s people are called to “speak the truth in love.” John 1:14 says that our Lord Jesus Himself is: ”the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Evangelism is a “both/and”, not an “either/or”, of truth and grace. We love on people, but we uniquely love on them with the truth, ultimately regarding what they need, not merely what they want or “feel” they need. John Piper challenged the hellish idea of withholding gospel good via substitution:

“The essence of loving other humans is exalting the glory of God for their enjoyment. That’s what love is ultimately. You can define love in other kinds of lesser ways – doing good things for other people, laying down your life for people, meeting the needs of people, and if you don’t get to this point, it is aiming at, aiming at their seeing and savoring the joy to the glory of God, you don’t love them. If you don’t want the people to whom you do good to see more of God and enjoy more of God and live forever in the enjoyment of more of God, you don’t love them! The world will say you do, but you don’t, because you don’t care about the ultimate satisfaction of their souls forever in God.”

In Part 1, I began my broader, biblical argument that we need to debunk the popularized idea that one can evangelize without verbal proclamation, further perpetuated by a popular quote, that has been falsely attributed to St. Francis Assisi, which says, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.” Not really. Actually, just, “No!” There is no “if.” It is most necessary!

In Part 2, I began my refutation of the demon doctrine that says we have legitimately shared the gospel simply by performing acts of kindness. We did this by considering the most common prooftext used in support of the myth of non-verbal proclamation – Matthew 5:16, in which Jesus authoritatively declares, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” First, we don’t fail to shine because of darkness; we fail to shine because we refuse to shine. Second, it is not good works that save, but the good news that saves. In this last installment, let me continue arguing against non-verbal “evangelism” by stating:

3. Outside Verbal Proclamation, We Can Only Draw Attention to Ourselves, Not to God

Our good works can never be a method to save ourselves, let alone save others. The biblical pattern is twofold: God does all the saving through the means of His Word preached (Rom 10:17) and the sovereign work of His Spirit (John 3:7-8). Yes, good deeds should adorn our evangelistic words, and be the loving overflow of our new life in Christ. And there’s an exhortation for all of us in spurring each other on toward love and good deeds, because our practice does not always line up well with our profession. As a result, we should walk the talk, we should be credible in our witness, but the essential matter is making clear the message, not the messenger. In regards to the unadulterated gospel, the message is independently true of the messenger. So “boasting” about one’s works is really no better than the one who shares the gospel yet boasts about himself in sharing the gospel. In fact, one might suggest, it’s worse? Because in the latter, the message is declared, and in the former, the message is not declared at all. It’s why, despite the evil motives and hurtful rivalry from men who sought to afflict him while in prison, that Paul could happily declare in Philippians 1:18, “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice!” The word “good” in Greek, which qualifies “works” in Matthew 5:16, is kalos, which speaks not of quality, which is important, but it speaks of the attractiveness or beauty God is working in us. And the divine purpose of our shining is not to draw attention to ourselves, but to God who is responsible for the good works in our lives. But without the gospel being proclaimed, our good works do not magnify God’s grace and power in the sight of those who suppress the truth in righteousness… but us?! It should be our evangelistic happiness when the attention is drawn to Christ, and our unhappiness when our good deeds stop short of an unbeliever’s interaction with Jesus. Jesus declared that the result of our good works should be glory to the Father, but that can’t happen without God being known, the gospel being proclaimed. Our prayer should be as David’s in Psalm 115:1, “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, But to Your name give glory.” Soli Deo Gloria!

But when the gospel is not proclaimed, and all the watching world sees is our good deeds apart from the gospel, there isn’t anything distinctively Christian about them, anything to point people to Christ through them. As I argued in Part 2, then surely the Mormons and the Buddhists and our non-believing friends who serve the 3rd world through the Peace Corps or donate blood at the local ballpark, must be saving people too? No, that is not the case. We can’t say that, we should not say that. That’s obvious. So, there’s perhaps something more insidious going on in the hearts of those who perpetuate the myth of non-verbal evangelism. In fact, let me suggest that fear of rejection prevents many believers from evangelizing by shifting attention from Jesus to themselves. When supposedly people are big and God is small, man-centered fear and anxiety, then trumps Christ-centered trust and obedience. Conversely, let me suggest that’s one of the reasons why many people, being deceived by their hearts (Jeremiah 17:9), will justify their non-evangelism by saying they “evangelize” with their good deeds. They want to salve a guilty conscience, cover their disobedience, substitute external obedience elsewhere for heart obedience everywhere. In order to avoid evangelism, they’ll justify it with church ministry or philanthropy or sincerity or some past performance. In that vein, God admonished King Saul through His prophet in 1 Samuel 15:22-23, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD?” If you tell your son to mow the lawn, and he brings you a coke that you never asked for, as a bribe to not mow the lawn, do you call that obedience? No. But, that’s why people prefer the self-justification of good works, rather than the heart-obedience of evangelism. Not because good deeds are always easy, they’re not. But it’s easier to give our money than our life, it’s easier to rely on one’s legalistic “righteousness” than to admit our unrighteousness, it’s easier to physically feed the homeless than to spiritually confront fellow sinners, it’s easier to teach a Sunday School class than to share the gospel with our next door neighbor, it’s easier to pick a time for a few hours a few times a year than to devote every opportunity in every place to the Great Commission. If given a choice, we’d prefer that which is less daunting, over what is more needful. And part of the problem, is that we actually think we have a “choice” in which aspects of the Lord’s will applies to us, rather than to stop our excuses, repent, trust, and obey. The more God-centered a direction we’re growing, the less “self” will be in the equation, be it self-anxiety or self-boasting.

We’re not the message, just the messengers. But the messenger has a moral responsibility and spiritual stewardship to make clear the message of God, from God. Our job is not to draw attention to ourselves, but to the message, and our lives will either cause people to consider the message and hear the message and test the message, or our lives will tempt the watching world to disregard it, ignore it, trivialize it, and dismiss it. We can’t cause people to ultimately reject the message, but we can poorly communicate the message, or worse: not communicate it at all. Let me encourage all of us this way. Too many of us have accepted the myth that successful evangelism is only when people accept Christ. No, our success or failure in evangelism is measured not by converts, but by our obedience or disobedience. The results are ultimately all up to God, thus we rejoice and submit to the truth that God does, in fact, deserve all the glory! No kudos for us; we’re only doing our privileged duty. Paul declared in 1 Corinthians 9:16, “For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” Evangelism is an act of worship, glad submission to the Lordship of Christ, and the fruit of growing in Christlikeness.

4. Shining is An Internal Reality With External Effects

Out of the heart proceeds life or death. We’re shown credible when we speak! Verily, verily, we’re shown credible when we speak! And to be ashamed of verbally proclaiming the gospel is, at some heart-breaking level, to discredit the gospel and dishonor Christ. It is to declare by our example that the gospel doesn’t have the glad grip on us we claim. Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” Paul says it’s the omnipotent power of God, not the power of man. If we don’t believe it enough to share it, then why would anyone else? If we don’t stand in humbled awe to obey Him in proclaiming the message, why should they believe? Of course, we shouldn’t be mucking up the message, if our lives don’t back up what we preach. In some sense, perhaps it’s better to say nothing, only for the immediate moment, if our lives are a total and willful contradiction. On the other hand, we shouldn’t wait until we’re all cleaned up before we tell others about Jesus. After all, we’re sinners speaking to other sinners, and the fact we speak as fellow sinners lends credibility, clarity and consistency to our proclamation and the power of God in His message. We must live out what we believe, not just morally, as many Christians erroneously limit it to, but also theologically. Charles Spurgeon said, “We must have the truth burnt into our souls, or it will not burn on our lips.”

For example, dear parents, if we’re not evangelizing lost people, then we’re teaching our children who observe our lives something contrary to our profession. We’re part of a generation where droves of our children (over 90%) are leaving the faith that they never owned because it didn’t seem their parents owned it either. Why? Ultimately, each of them rejected God on their own terms, to which there is no blameshifting, but that was grown in many cases in the soil of parental hypocrisy. If we don’t believe the gospel enough to share it, then why should our children believe it, let alone share it? That inconsistency is killing off an entire generation. And it doesn’t help that in my observation, many pastors and seminarians, also are not visible examples of personal evangelism outside the safe confines of their ministries to their own congregations. Not the results, but the faithfulness. In contrast, Andrew Murray lived an exceptionally holy life. Among those on whom his influence was the greatest were his own children and grandchildren. 5 of his 6 sons became ministers of the gospel and 4 of his daughters became minister’s wives. 10 grandsons became ministers and 13 grandchildren became missionaries. Be the real thing! God’s grace is spoken powerfully by fellow sinners whose lives are observably being transformed! We’re credible only if we speak, clear only if we speak, compassionate only if we speak, Christian only if we speak, consistent only if we speak, obedient only if we speak. Let us speak boldly and lovingly, and in so doing, we will see the Lord work, even if only for the sanctifying means it is for us, as we walk intimately with Him.

We have to be ready at all times to speak to every man! 1 Peter 3:15 says, “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.” That’s why I believe every Christian needs to be able to share the gospel on the spot, not “if”, but “when” called upon. There’s a Satan-inspired evangelically respectable sin, that in false humility seeks to simply pass that evangelistic readiness to ministry “professionals” or more “gifted” people. It’s why, in my opinion, cold-turkey evangelism is non-negotiable training and equipping for every Christian. We might not be as comfortable as others when it comes to street evangelism, or have the same opportunity or passion, but we can be faithful when an opportunity comes (even actively cultivate those very opportunities). We have to be ready at all times! We can’t be biased for some people and not others, and if we’re on missions, we don’t wait for people to come to us, we go to them.

As a personal principle, true maturity of church members is evidenced not when it gathers, but when it scatters. As a pastor, it means far less to me, regardless of all that you might be doing at church or are gifted at or all that you’ve learned thus far, if your character isn’t developing and your discipleship isn’t translating out into the marketplace, home, and the real world. Contrary to what many people think, as a painfully introverted person myself, let me suggest that street evangelism is not the hardest form of evangelism. Which is harder? Sharing the gospel with strangers or friends? Usually it’s easier with strangers because there’s more of a “cost” for us with people we already know. The hardest thing is most often the most neglected thing. Therefore, if we can’t do the easier, we’re already probably aren’t doing the harder. The heart to obey the Lord will surface regardless of the context it’s placed in. We should encourage genuine outreach wherever it exists, so this isn’t to lay down a guilt trip or nullify whatever gospel proclamation we’re engaging in or to wrongly establish one form of legitimate evangelism as being superior or preferred over any other equally legitimate expression. Nevertheless, it’s rarely ever the case, that one is sharing the gospel consistently, when one isn’t equipped and willing to share the gospel anywhere. This isn’t to say street witnessing is easy. It’s not. And the harder path isn’t always the best path, just ask any sinner who suffers badly because of some sin. But, avoiding the harder road when God calls you to it, isn’t wisdom, it’s disobedience. At the same time, for those of us who might be functionally limiting our evangelism to street witnessing, we have to go far beyond that. We have to learn to share gospel in every circumstance, including through ongoing friendships. And that takes patience and wisdom, as well as boldness and intentionality. Evangelism in the workplace or among fellow soccer moms, has nuances that are different than evangelism on a college campus or with a person sitting next to you at the bus stop.

In the end, we can’t be salty in the lives of others if we’re still stuck in the saltshaker. We can’t be light it if we’re locked up in the room with the shades closed or in some monastery. We have to love others, and we have speak words of gospel truth, in that love of others. John Stott commenting on Matthew 5:16 says it well, “It seems that good works is a general expression to cover everything a Christian says and does because he is a Christian, every outward and visible manifestation of his Christian faith. Since light is a common biblical symbol of truth, a Christian’s shining light must surely include his spoken testimony… Evangelism must be counted on as one of the good works by which our light shines and our Father is glorified.” Thus, we should be people who are kind, honest, compassionate to defend victims of abuse, quick to lend a hand to hurting strangers. We should tip very well, work excellently to the Lord at the office, and have lots of joy. Why? Because we’re genuinely following the Lord Jesus Christ and grateful for His grace! Yet, we don’t do good deeds as some method to save people. We do so, because we really do love them, as Christians. And in that, we might do so, to strategically draw their attention, for the opportunity to speak the gospel, but we do not replace verbal proclamation with some supposed “non-verbal gospel.” Good works flow from us because that’s what we’re saved for and prepared for (Ephesians 2:10). Again, we don’t do good works to get saved, we do good works because we’re saved. That demonstrates the reality of the message. The biggest hindrance to shining brightly for the gospel is not a failure to know apologetics better, not a failure to be more creative or funny, not any personal lack of eloquence, nor some failure to apply the right techniques. It’s not any of those things. You see, evangelism is not the whole of life or part of life, but the issue in evangelism is Christ Lord of your life! There are many things I regret, things I should have said, but didn’t say, things I shouldn’t have said, but said. Yet, I never ever have regretted sharing the gospel! Nor have you. Nor will you. But, there are also few things more regrettable… than not sharing the gospel. Let’s speak the gospel!

We need not be ashamed! No need to be ashamed! No excuse for being ashamed! When you are tempted like I am to be ashamed of the gospel, and it’s very often for me, then preach the Word to yourself and remember His grace to you. As His ambassadors, we’re becoming like Him, and we are sure, in Christ, to prevail! The day is coming when darkness will be gone. We’re on the winning side! Let’s not act otherwise! Mark Dever weaves exhortation and encouragement into one biblical fabric, “We do not fail in our evangelism if we faithfully tell the gospel to someone who is not subsequently converted; we fail only if we do not faithfully tell the gospel at all.”

Therefore, strive for biblical success in simply being faithful to live in a manner worthy of the gospel. Obey your calling to herald the good news! Be ready, in season and out of season, “to preach the gospel at all times”, for it IS necessary, to use words.

Editor’s Note: This article is part 3 of an ongoing series by Pastor Jim Kang on corporate worship. Click the following links to find the previous articles: part 1 and part 2. 

by Pastor Jim Kang

Why Worship Corporately?

At the most basic level, worship is the duty of every creature to his creator by acknowledging that God is the sovereign creator and that we’re not. As his creation and as his image-bearers, we give thanks to God for creating us, providing for us, and protecting us from harms and from the world that is now damaged, rebels, and marred by sin and disobedient to their creator.

However, as a church we do not merely worship God at the most basic level – meaning simply because God is our creator. By the very definition of what a church is (i.e., the community of God’s redeemed), we worship God not simply because he is our creator, but more importantly, because God is our redeemer. Hence, for redeemed sinners, worship is the gospel-generated thankful expression of God’s redeemed, to their redeemer for exercising his sovereign grace and showing exclusive compassion for them.

In our individualistic American culture, many erroneously believe that worship is simply a personal and private matter. Hence, one can worship whenever, wherever, and however as long as the worshiper is “sincere.” However, the Bible points out overwhelmingly that one can worship sincerely, but be sincerely wrong. For instance, Cain in Genesis 4, and Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10. According to Westminster Confession of Faith:

The light of nature shows that there is a God, who has lordship and sovereignty over all, is good, and does good unto all, and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the might. But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by Himself, and so limited by His own revealed will, that He may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scripture (21.1).

While one can certainly worship God individually, private worship is severely limited in many ways. For example, how can one fulfill “one another” directives in Scripture, such as, Colossians 3:16? The Bible is written predominantly for corporate body, not for mere individual edification. For those who say that they don’t need to go to church to worship God or obey God, I often point them to Hebrews 13:17. And then I ask how they can fulfill such command when they are “worshipping” on their own.

All that to say, just as we were not created to be alone, we were not re-created to worship alone.

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Editor’s Note: Since Patrick is travelling, this week he wanted to point your attention to a Cripplegate article on self-pity. The article is linked at the end of his introduction below.

I know of many people who struggle with self pity and many don’t discern the sinful heart attitudes behind it. Ironically, self pity is a dangerous form of pride. At the heart of self pity is an unhealthy preoccupation with self (what one thinks of himself or what others think of him). One of the unfortunate byproducts of self pity is that it targets others to help feed the individual’s pride. An interaction might go something like this:

• Person 1 – “I hate myself.”
• Person 2 – “No, you’re wonderful and amazing.”

The fact is that if a person truly hated himself, he would not seek affirmation from others. He also would not care to feel better about himself or want better things for himself. He would actually want to hate himself and seek the worst for himself. Instead, those who struggle with self pity seek to improve their lives through other people’s compliments and they desire better for themselves. Many people who fall into this subtle form of pride become jealous of others because they feel like they deserve better or should have better things. They might reason: “Why don’t I have X? Why should they have X?” X could be physical beauty, attention, relationship, possessions, fulfillment, happiness, etc. The problem is not that a person with self pity loves himself too little, but that he loves himself too much. He is not satisfied or content with his life and believes he deserves better.

When you struggle with self pity, it is a sin that needs to be confessed to the Lord and repented of. Part of the putting off and putting on process of repentance includes getting the focus off of self and directing it towards the Lord and others. Instead of being so preoccupied with how awful your life is, it would be better to worship God and communicate how wonderful He is and to encourage others through your actions and speech.

A Self-Pity Refresher