Weekly Links (7/19/2013)

Truly to grasp that the eternal God, our Maker and Judge, has out of inexpressible grace sent his Son to die the odious death of an abominated criminal in order that we might be forgiven and reconciled to him; that this wise plan was effected by sinful leaders who thought they were controlling events and who were operating out of selfish expediency, while in fact God was bringing about his own good, redemptive purposes; that our only hope of life in the presence of this holy and loving God lies in casting ourselves without reserve on his mercy, receiving in faith the gift of forgiveness purchased at inestimable cost — none of this is possible apart from the work of the Spirit. (D. A. Carson)

by Richard Shin

We got another great set for you guys. Enjoy!

  • I remember listening to Thabiti Anyabwile’s sermon on racial categories through the T4G recordings and being powerfully moved. In the aftermath of the Zimmerman trial decision, it was good to be reminded of this through Jesse Johnson’s summary here.
  • Does it rub against you the wrong way to think you labor for an eternal reward? Tim Challies has an article on this that hopefully helps you.
  • BiblicalTraining.org has released an iOS app for their website. It has a lot of great material ready to be listened to straight from your Apple device. To get a preview of their offerings, check out their website here. It looks like they’re developing an Android version as well.
  • Isaac Adams shares a story about the experience he underwent as a son of an elder who was excommunicated from the church. That’s all I’ll say; you just gotta go read it.
  • Marc Cortez shares three mistakes Christians often make when talking about the sovereignty of God.
  • In anticipation of Desiring God’s 2013 National Conference, many around the blogosphere are pumping out a lot of content on C.S. Lewis. They’re also doing a series of “small talks” at the conference. You can find Tim Keller and John Piper speak on Lewis here. You can find some audio clips of C.S. Lewis here. You can hear Lewis give the radio addresses that eventually became the book Mere Christianity.
  • [Updated] Last but certainly not least, here’s a very encouraging article on three men who are keeping themselves accountable for their struggle with homosexuality. You want to read this.

Coram Deo

Reflections on Lumos

By Elisabeth Ko

I was probably not the best student at church when I was a youth. It was a dreadful thing to go to church on Sunday mornings, and all I could think of during the sermon was how much longer I would have to sit there until the service was over. In middle school and high school, my small group leaders had to bribe me with food in order to convince me to stay and talk about the sermon that morning. Even then, I would not be that attentive, giving shallow answers and not putting much thought into the message we had heard just minutes ago. During retreats, I was busy trying to make excuses so that I did not have to participate in various activities and games.

This is probably why I get so encouraged and amazed when I see the youth at Lumos today. First of all, we do not have to bribe them to make them stay after the message in order to catch their attention or keep them focused. They are eager to learn, ready to open up their Bibles and start absorbing whatever is being taught. When we ask questions about the sermon, they try to give much thought into what they are sharing, and think of ways to apply what they have learned into their lives.

We adults think we are busy with our lives with work and ministries, but the youth are just as busy, if not busier. I was surprised to learn how little they were available (learn how difficult it was to match their availability) because they are so busy with school, extracurricular activities, and homework. They often come on Friday nights as tired as the staff. Yet, they keep their excitement when it comes to learning about God’s word. Even when the messages go until late at night, they do not complain, but stay attentive, or try their best to stay attentive, and are very much willing to share about the message during small group.

I may be biased in saying this since I’ve been in only two Youth Groups my entire life, but I would have to say that LBC is blessed to have Lumos youth. Especially in this day and age, when teenagers are bombarded with social media that lure them into sinful, worldly living, it is truly a blessing to have youth who passionately desire to learn about God’s word and live according to His wisdom. Josh Liu and Cesar Ruiz have been going over Romans and 1 John, respectively, which are both rich with the gospel message and application for Christian living. This can be quite intimidating even to adults, but the youth actually desire to be challenged in their walks, reflecting on whether if their faith is genuine and their lives are pleasing to the Lord. They understand that they are not perfect and that their hearts can be deceitful. They see their sins and desire to be changed and transformed. They recognize that following the things of this world is futile and foolish. They try to keep Christ as their priority in life. When I witness their lives and testimonies, I am constantly reminded of 1 Timothy 4:12. The youth know that being a youth does not excuse them from living a responsible life. It has been a joy to be able walk alongside them and to take part in pursuing holiness by both teaching and learning from them.

But we as the staff must understand that whatever growth we witness in them is all due to the grace of God, not a result of our works and effort. I have learned this over and over again throughout the times that I’ve served in Youth Group. I have come to realize more and more that there is so much we can do, but it is God who gives the growth. Yes, the youth have the desire to grow and they are attentive to our teaching, but that will not be possible without God working in their hearts (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). The staff is simply called to plant and water the seed, that is, the gospel, in the youth. In the end, even in times when it seems like our work is mounting to nothing, we must patiently trust in God, that He will work in them regardless of whether we will see the fruit or not.

Like other youth staffers, I also would like to encourage the church to get to know the youth and reach out to them. They can be shy at first, but they will surely be encouraged by your initiative/intentionality, and I am sure you will have plenty of opportunities to be encouraged by them.

Argentina Missions 2013 – Journal #4

by Pastor Patrick

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Today was our last full day in Tucuman, which means that it was our last day with the members of the church in general. When we leave for Buenos Aires tomorrow, some people will come to see us off, but we had to say goodbye to most of the church tonight. The day began with another 9:30am pick up from the church. Stephanie and Charis stayed back at the hotel because Charis was still feeling sick. The rest of the team headed back to the Catholic retreat site to meet up with the church.

In the morning session, I gave a message about the everyday practical ramifications of the gospel. The reception we have had to the teaching has been really encouraging. Many people have shared about how they have been challenged by the messages and are seeking already to put the principles into practice.

After the morning session, we had a long break before lunch. The men and ladies started their respective soccer games again, but most of the attention was at the volleyball court where a team of Americans and Argentines were assembled. Eugene, Roger, and I got to play with three of the Argentine guys and it was total domination. The church tried to put together teams strategically to overthrow our reign on the court, but they were unsuccessful. I suppose I should mention that it certainly helped that the net was pretty low, but even still, it was fun.

For lunch, the kitchen prepared rice with a savory meat sauce. It was muy rico especially with “the ministry” (a.k.a. Tabasco and Sriracha). Eugene Park and I have been sitting with a number of the young youth girls and getting to know them. It was fun today helping them practice their English and getting them to try hot sauce.

After lunch, we enjoyed more free time full of sports, great conversations, and an impromptu children’s program hosted by Josh Liu. Josh taught the children about the difference between “God’s way” choices and “my way” choices. It was a good time to help the kids understand the sinful condition of their hearts and to present the hope of the gospel which is the only way their hearts could change. After the teaching time, there was a wild and very loud time of games.

For the evening program, we split up the adults and the young singles once again. Josh Liu preached to the singles about “Treasuring Christ’s Sacrifice” from Philippians 2:5-11. It was a lesson about living a life that reflects a heart for the gospel. Afterwards, Ryan and Stephanie split up the young men and women and addressed significant contemporary issues and developing a biblical mindset. I had a chance to preach about conflict resolution and the Peacemaker Pledge. One of my goals was to really make today’s sermons as practical as possible so that the people would know what they could begin doing as a result of what they had learned.

After the evening program, Pastor Jorge led the group in a time of appreciation for the interpreters and for our team. Little children were sent out from the kitchen with small gifts for each one of us. It was really a great time of encouragement. Many people expressed their thanks and how much the weekend helped them in their walk with Christ. Even the translators told us how much they appreciated the lessons they learned while they translated for us. The evening ended with many hugs and kisses and seemingly endless picture taking, but it was the perfect ending to a wonderful weekend.

Argentina Missions 2013 – Journal #3

by Pastor Patrick

Saturday, July 13, 2013

The team got an earlier start this morning since the plan was to spend the entire day at a place across town. Pastor Jorge came to pick us up around 9:30am and we met up with the church at a Catholic-owned retreat site. We began the morning with worship and Josh Liu taught from Luke 10:38-42 about the priorities of Martha and Mary. It was a nice time of worship together and another opportunity to instruct the church continuing on the theme of “First Love.”

After the morning worship time, lunch was served. Today, it was meat loaf with a side of rice. It’s been a lot of fun watching the locals try Tabasco sauce and Sriracha. Some of them have really taken to spicy food, but others have definitely been repulsed by the heat. Once lunch was over, we had an afternoon of free time and sports.

It was a real blessing being able to sit and chat during the free time with numerous people from the church. Still, it was heart breaking to hear of some who had fallen away from the faith to pursue the things of the world. Some parents also shared about difficulties and struggles they have been having with children who have been getting drunk or taking drugs. One mother in particular recently became a Christian and now is living with a family who doesn’t believe. Her husband refuses to listen to her especially when she shares the gospel, and her children don’t want to live at home. Instead they want to be with their friends taking drugs and drinking. It was so painful trying to encourage her to persevere in faith and prove to be a godly example of Christian character to her family.

Free time also meant we had time for soccer and volleyball. The men asked if I wanted to play soccer, but I tried to express how “unfortunate” it was and how “disappointed” I was that I didn’t wear the right clothes for sports. I watched them play for a little while and then headed up to play a few games of volleyball. The ladies in the adjacent field also had a game of soccer going, and it was pretty fun watching them all run around celebrating in an exaggerated way after every goal. After one goal, one of them even paraded around the entire field holding a water bottle as if it was a trophy.

After the free time, we met for the evening session. I preached to the adults about the responsibilities of parenting from Colossians 3:20, and especially about implementing loving and godly discipline with their children. I was overcome with emotion as the various parents came to mind who shared about the struggles they were having with their children. I just told the group that I would preach as long as was necessary because of the importance of the topic. Afterward, we even had a brief time of Q&A.

At the same time as the evening session, Josh Liu took the singles and youth to talk about “The Judgment of God” from Romans 2:1-5. Originally, Ryan and Stephanie McAdams were going to help with a split session between the guys and gals to provide testimony and instruction for the young adults, but Charis had become ill and so the family returned to the hotel. Instead, Roger Alcaraz shared with the guys about the consequences of the choices made in life and also about God-honoring repentance. Grace Alcaraz spoke to the ladies about modesty.

When the evening session ended, we had dinner together. Dinner consisted of pasta in tomato sauce with chunks of beef. They served this with bread. It was a very filling meal and super tasty. I resolved to exercise self-control and refuse seconds, and this became very difficult when I found out they were serving large chunks of steak along with the pasta for seconds. But with the Lord’s enabling, I was able to resist. Eugene Park and I had a great time conversing with two youth gals over dinner, one who was very new to the church. The new gal, Ana, mentioned that she had heard a lot about our team and how she was glad to finally meet us in person.

After dinner, we had more time to interact with the members of the church. It’s hard to believe that we only have one more full day with the church before heading off to Buenos Aires! Time really has passed by very quickly. Please pray for little Charis as she recovers from her illness. Please pray for the team that we would make good use of the time we have left with the church. And please pray that God would accomplish much good in the church through the teaching times and fellowship.

Argentina Missions 2013 – Journal #2

by Pastor Patrick

Friday, July 12, 2013

The team was happy to sleep in this morning since our transport didn’t arrive until 10:00 am. We got to spend most of the day together with the Ahualle family at their home. As usual, Norma prepared a delicious late breakfast and lunch for us, and we all had as much asado (gloriously fatty beef rib meat) as we could handle. We were joined by Beto and Liliana Barrionuevo and their family. Beto serves as one of the leaders of the church. I was thankful for some wonderful conversations with Pastor Jorge and Liliana about ministry in general. It was a great time of mutual encouragement.

After lunch, we spent the siesta (afternoon break) back at the hotel where we could rest up for the long evening. We headed back to the church around 6:30pm for the first of two general sessions together. After Eugene Park introduced some new songs to the church, Roger Alcaraz gave the first of the sermons from 1 Peter 3:13-16 entitled “A Living Testimony that Speaks.” We took about a twenty minute intermission with coffee and facturas (pastries), and met again for the second session. There was more singing and then I was able to preach from 2 Corinthians 3:18 about “Making God Big.”

After the evening sessions, we cleared out the room and got it set up for dinner. Dinner was served around 11:00pm. This has been typical for times in Argentina. It’s amazing how late people stay up (and the kids, too!), but it was a great time of fellowship together. For dessert, the servers from the kitchen brought out oranges. Immediately, Eugene Park suspected we would engage in our traditional orange peel fight, and of course we did. We enjoyed a wonderful and long day of ministry, encouragement, and fellowship with our brothers and sisters here in Tucuman. Praise the Lord!

Remember The Poor

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Galatians 2:10

Why does God allow so many of His children to be poor? He could make them all rich if He pleased; He could lay bags of gold at their doors; He could send them a large annual income; or He could scatter round their houses abundance of provisions, as once he made the quails lie in heaps round the camp of Israel, and rained bread out of heaven to feed them. There is no necessity that they should be poor, except that He sees it to be best. ‘The cattle upon a thousand hills are His’-He could supply them; He could make the richest, the greatest, and the mightiest bring all their power and riches to the feet of His children, for the hearts of all men are in His control. But He does not choose to do so; He allows them to suffer want, He allows them to pine in penury and obscurity. Why is this?

There are many reasons: one is, to give us, who are favoured with enough, an opportunity of showing our love to Jesus. We show our love to Christ when we sing of Him and when we pray to Him; but if there were no sons of need in the world we should lose the sweet privilege of evidencing our love, by ministering in alms-giving to His poorer brethren; He has ordained that thus we should prove that our love standeth not in word only, but in deed and in truth. If we truly love Christ, we shall care for those who are loved by Him. Those who are dear to Him will be dear to us. Let us then look upon it not as a duty but as a privilege to relieve the poor of the Lord’s flock-remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’ Surely this assurance is sweet enough, and this motive strong enough to lead us to help others with a willing hand and a loving heart-recollecting that all we do for His people is graciously accepted by Christ as done to Himself.

3.17a

Argentina Missions 2013 – Journal #1

by Pastor Patrick

Thursday, July 11, 2013

It really is great being back in Tucuman and being able to see everyone from the church! After a long day of travel, we arrived in Tucuman to familiar faces and loving embraces. We began the day at Lighthouse early in the morning. The team met at 6:30am to load up the van and prepare for our departure. Members of the church came by around 7:00am, and it was an encouraging time of prayer and send off. We drove up to LAX without facing any major traffic and were pleased to learn that our flight out to Houston would be departing on time.

Once in Houston, we enjoyed a leisurely layover and had a chance to grab dinner at the airport. Unfortunately, our flight to Buenos Aires was delayed by about an hour, but this was far better than previous years where flights were cancelled altogether! Once in the air, the team was pleased to find that the entertainment system onboard was pretty high tech. (There were over 200 movies to choose from!) We landed over an hour after our scheduled arrival time which made us rush from the international airport to the local airport for the last leg of our trip to Tucuman.

The scene at the local airport in Buenos Aires was pretty crazy. There were two extremely long lines that basically filled the terminal. We were sure there was some strike or crisis going on, but a local friend who met us at the airport assured us that this was normal for Argentina. We patiently made it through the line to the counter only to find that the airline bumped us to a later flight because we were too late for the one we were assigned to. Still, we were relieved to have received our boarding passes and checked our luggage without a hitch and without any exorbitant luggage fees. When we arrived in Tucuman, we were about two hours later than expected, but the team arrived safely and we had all our luggage. It was great to arrive at least on our scheduled date especially since that was something the team was praying for. We knew our time this year in Tucuman would be significantly shorter, so we didn’t want to spend the night at the airport like in previous years. Praise God for His provision!

We were taken to our hotel and quickly checked in and dropped off our luggage. From there, we visited a house in one of the local barrios where we were served empanadas. Needless to say, we were very happy about the meal. From dinner, we were transported to the church building where we found the members worshipping together and awaiting our arrival.

Pastor Jorge took some time to introduce our team, and we got a good laugh out of Eugene Park’s rock star status in Tucuman. What an ovation! After our team introductions, I had the opportunity to preach from Revelation 2:1-7 about the Christian’s “First Love.” Many people shared that they were encouraged and blessed by the message. Afterwards there was a time of fellowship over coffee and cake, and our team members were able to catch up with all the familiar faces here at Iglesia Biblica Misionera in Tucuman.

We are now back at the hotel after a very long day! The team is washing up and looking forward to some much needed rest. We wanted to thank everyone for their prayers and support. There is much work that needs to be done in this country and in this city. The believers here are not accustomed to expository preaching. Churches are full of people hungering for God’s truth. Praise God for Pastor Jorge and his ministry. We are thankful for his commitment to the gospel and the work he does to shepherd the flock tirelessly in Tucuman.

Weekly Links (7/12/2013)

We never feel Christ to be a reality until we feel him to be a necessity. (Austin Phelps)

by Richard Shin

I think this is a terrific set of links. Have fun!

  • Al Mohler writes an article on the great challenge of Christianity of our time: Islam. On that note, Zane Pratt has a list of ten things every Christian should know about Islam. And here‘s something that might help you out.
  • Ryan Anderson has really taken center stage on the same-sex marriage debate. You can read another Op-Ed piece by him here.
  • There is a project being started through Kickstarter on republishing 500 old Christian books. It’s a great idea, and you can still help contribute even if they’ve already met their goal. Check it out here.
  • I’m personally a big fan of Calvinism; so you can imagine my excitement when I found out about John Piper’s course on the five points of TULIP. You can check it out here.
  • “Sometimes it is less important to have the right answers than to have the right questions.” I find this remarkably true, and R.C. Sproul shares an example here.
  • Michael Patton says that Christianity is the most falsifiable religion in the world. Why? Find out here.
  • Crossway is coming out with a new type of Bible called the ESV Gospel Transformation Bible. If interested, you can pre-order it here.
  • Indeed, thank you, ESPN.

Hope these was good for you guys. Have a good weekend!

Coram Deo

 

Reflections from Fireflies

By Janet Shih

Even though I have been serving in the Fireflies ministry for the past 3 years, I always walk into the nursery room with great anticipation of what the morning will bring. With the recent baby boom, I have had to once hold two crying babies in my arms, while rocking another in their carrier with my foot. After each Sunday I serve in the nursery, I go home exhausted, wondering how parents do it all day long. Without fail, I go to work on Monday and wonder why my arms are sore… and quickly remember it’s because I spent a mere 2 hours picking up babies the day before.

Aside from the fun times and stories I have to share, this ministry is much more than babysitting. Each week, the toddlers and babies are taught different aspects of God’s character. As staff, we strive to demonstrate kindness, patience, and love towards them in a way that reflects Christ’s character. When I spend time with some of the older children, one thing that encourages me the most is when they understand the lesson and answer the teacher’s questions. Though correct responses to the lesson is no indication of a child’s salvation or even an adequate understanding of who God is, I know that they have not learned these things through a 5 minute lesson on Sunday mornings. It reveals to me the faithfulness of parents to raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, and their desire to pass on the greatness of God to their children. It is also a good reminder that there is nothing that I can do to change the hearts of these children, but it is the grace of God that will lead these little souls to an understanding of their sins before Him.

This ministry has seen a lot of changes in the past few years. We have had to change the structure of the rooms, as well as increase the number of staff serving each Sunday to accommodate the influx of babies. Through these changes, it has been a joy to see how other members—particularly collegians—have committed to serving in this ministry. The older women and seasoned moms are teaching younger women Titus 2 principles of how to love children. It is a great privilege to serve God in this way, and I look forward to seeing children come through this ministry, and move on to Sparklers, Sonlight, and Youth, and Lord willing, come to saving knowledge of Christ as their Lord and Savior!

Keep Back Thy Servant Also From Presumptuous Sins

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Psalm 19:13

Such was the prayer of the ‘man after God’s own heart.’ Did holy David need to pray thus? How needful, then, must such a prayer be for us babes in grace! It is as if he said, ‘Keep me back, or I shall rush headlong over the precipice of sin.’ Our evil nature, like an ill-tempered horse, is apt to run away. May the grace of God put the bridle upon it, and hold it in, that it rush not into mischief. What might not the best of us do if it were not for the checks which the Lord sets upon us both in providence and in grace!

The psalmist’s prayer is directed against the worst form of sin-that which is done with deliberation and wilfulness. Even the holiest need to be ‘kept back’ from the vilest transgressions. It is a solemn thing to find the apostle Paul warning saints against the most loathsome sins. ‘Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.’ What! do saints want warning against such sins as these? Yes, they do. The whitest robes, unless their purity be preserved by divine grace, will be defiled by the blackest spots.

Experienced Christian, boast not in your experience; you will trip yet if you look away from Him who is able to keep you from falling. Ye whose love is fervent, whose faith is constant, whose hopes are bright, say not, ‘We shall never sin,’ but rather cry, ‘Lead us not into temptation.’ There is enough tinder in the heart of the best of men to light a fire that shall burn to the lowest hell, unless God shall quench the sparks as they fall. Who would have dreamed that righteous Lot could be found drunken, and committing uncleanness? Hazael said, ‘Is Thy servant a dog, that he should do this thing?’ and we are very apt to use the same self-righteous question. May infinite wisdom cure us of the madness of self-confidence.

3.16p