Weekly Links (11/30/2012)

Be confident in expecting great things from God, for though you may be unworthy, and grace will show you your own unworthiness, yet you stand upon the righteousness of Christ. (Walter Marshall, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification)

by Richard Shin

It seems this week is full of shorter gems rather than long series. Regardless, I hope your soul is rejuvenated.

Short and sweet. Enjoy the blessed weekend.

Coram Deo

Fireflies Update: From the Heart of a New Mom

by Mabel Tse

I’ve had the privilege of serving in the Fireflies’ Ministry since 2005.  For the past seven years, the Fireflies’ Ministry has gone through many changes and it’s been so neat watching God shape this ministry.  I initially joined nursery because I love children of all ages and wanted to practice sharing the gospel with infants and toddlers.  It’s been such a humbling experience, to say the least.  At times, I found myself focusing too much on how cute the babies were and how I just wanted to have fun with them, rather than seeing them as lost souls in need of hearing God’s truth.  It’s so easy to get caught up in the external behavior rather than addressing the heart issues.

Since having Abigail, I’m thankful to have another perspective towards nursery… the perspective of a parent dropping their child off into the care of others.  It is difficult letting go and trusting someone else with someone so precious to you.  One of the things I love about nursery is that we have ladies from all walks of life… from collegians to singles, from married ladies without children to married ladies with children.  Recently there have been a lot of ladies who have stepped down from staff but God has provided many more ladies who’ve joined.  I can understand how with so many new faces, it might make it more difficult letting go of your child.  But the thing that reassures me is knowing the commitment that the Fireflies’ staff has to sharing the Gospel to our little ones and focusing on addressing the heart.

I’m thankful that Fireflies provides opportunities for infants and toddlers to learn about God.  It’s also wonderful seeing the ladies on our staff encourage one another and learn from one another.  This ministry is not only an opportunity to teach infants and toddlers but also an informal discipleship ministry between the ladies on staff.  Within our staff, I’ve witnessed many conversations where collegians will ask singles and married ladies questions on how to be a godly woman.  I’ve seen how the older women took on Titus 2:3-5 roles and made the most of opportunities to teach the younger women how to love children.  Likewise, I’ve heard from many singles and married ladies about how encouraged they are after talking with the collegians and experiencing their zeal and passion for God.

God continues to bless the Fireflies’ Ministry with more children…by the end of this year, there will be twenty new babies!! Despite all the new changes, the goal of Fireflies staff remains the same…planting seeds of truth in the hearts of the little ones and ultimately praying that God will bless them with salvation.  Let us continue to pray for the Fireflies’ Ministry to pass on God’s Word to the youngest members of our congregation and pray for the salvation of these souls!

Teach Us to Pray

by Elder Mike Chon

When I read through the gospels I can’t help but imagine the amazing experience the disciples must have had as they walked alongside Jesus. They were privy to all that Jesus taught publicly and privately as well as witnessing His great miracles throughout His ministry. So when they were given the opportunity to ask Jesus to teach them something, they asked for something that most of us would never have asked. In Luke 11:1, one of the disciples asked Jesus “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” It is astounding that out of everything they experienced and saw, they wanted to learn how to pray. They didn’t ask to teach us to heal, they didn’t ask to teach us to teach with authority. Instead they asked for something that many of us take for granted: to pray.

Throughout Scripture we read that Jesus went off to pray, including this moment when the disciple asked Him to teach them to pray. I can only imagine that throughout His ministry, Jesus was frequently spending time in prayer. But what was it that the disciples saw in Jesus’ praying that caused one of them to ask Him to teach them to pray? What is so difficult about talking to God that they needed instruction from Jesus on prayer? Is there really a right way to pray? Is prayer a means to give a list of requests to God for Him to answer? As amazing as it was for the disciple to ask for this request, Jesus’ answer was even more amazing.

Instead of directing them to the Psalms where we find God-centered prayers or giving them another example of someone else’s prayers, He teaches them what is commonly known as the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4). The Lord’s Prayer was a model for prayer and not something that we are commanded to strictly repeat. I believe that in this prayer we find what most of us are missing in our own prayers. Jesus begins the Lord’s Prayer with “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” The word “hallowed” means to honor as holy or to set apart. We are to pray to God for Him to cause His name to be honored as holy and set apart in this world and in our life. This is the first petition that is given and it should be the priority of our prayers since everything we do should be to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). When we think about praying, usually we believe that it is OUR turn to request OUR needs so that OUR life can be improved for OUR sake. Prayer is not given to us to make our lives better in this world, but ultimately it is to hallow God’s name, to magnify the Creator, and to glorify the Redeemer. So whether we are praying for someone’s salvation or for someone’s health, our desire would be that God’s name be hallowed. No matter what the answer to our prayers may be, may our greatest desire be that God’s name be hallowed in that situation or circumstance. Do you find joy when God’s answer is not to take away an illness so that His name would be hallowed? Do you find joy in a life full of trials and disappointments if it means that God would be most glorified in it? When the all-knowing, all-good God doesn’t answer a prayer the way we want because it won’t hallow His name, are you satisfied? May the thoughts of God and His glory preoccupy our thoughts and have priority in our prayers. May we not be satisfied with superficial self-centered prayers, but instead our prayers seek to glorify and magnify the name of our God.

He Is Precious

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From 1 Peter 2:7

As all the rivers run into the sea, so all delights centre in our Beloved. The glances of His eyes outshine the sun: the beauties of His face are fairer than the choicest flowers: no fragrance is like the breath of His mouth. Gems of the mine, and pearls from the sea, are worthless things when measured by His preciousness. Peter tells us that Jesus is precious, but he did not and could not tell us how precious, nor could any of us compute the value of God’s unspeakable gift. Words cannot set forth the preciousness of the Lord Jesus to His people, nor fully tell how essential He is to their satisfaction and happiness.

Believer, have you not found in the midst of plenty a sore famine if your Lord has been absent? The sun was shining, but Christ had hidden Himself, and all the world was black to you; or it was night, and since the bright and morning star was gone, no other star could yield you so much as a ray of light. What a howling wilderness is this world without our Lord! If once He hideth Himself from us, withered are the flowers of our garden; our pleasant fruits decay; the birds suspend their songs, and a tempest overturns our hopes. All earth’s candles cannot make daylight if the Sun of Righteousness be eclipsed. He is the soul of our soul, the light of our light, the life of our life. Dear reader, what wouldst thou do in the world without Him, when thou wakest up and lookest forward to the day’s battle? What wouldst thou do at night, when thou comest home jaded and weary, if there were no door of fellowship between thee and Christ?

Blessed be His name, He will not suffer us to try our lot without Him, for Jesus never forsakes His own. Yet, let the thought of what life would be without Him enhance His preciousness.

3.1p

Weekly Links (11/23/2012)

For now I live with disability.
Disability still says ugly things to me.
Disability is a part of this broken sin filled world.
But God has so many beautiful things to say.
And so I’m filled with hope.
God’s words grow louder and louder in my life.
The glory of his grace and mercy grow stronger and stronger.
I need to listen to his words.
I want to listen to his words.
God’s words change everything.
God’s beautiful words have changed my life.
And that is how I live with disability. (Krista Horning, “Testimony of God’s Good Design“)

by Richard Shin

Welcome back to another edition of Weekly Links. I hope you had a wonderful time with or without your family, with or without Thanksgiving food. And now that Thanksgiving Day has come and gone, I know all of you were looking forward to the next few days with immense anticipation for cheap Christian resources:

  • Tim Challies has done a phenomenal job (as usual) of collecting many of these resources. He is updating them on some basis throughout the weekend; so I would encourage you to visit it again.
  • Westminster Bookstore  is having a sale of 70% off on Tim Keller’s new book, Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work.
  • If you haven’t seen it before, now’s a great time to peruse monergism.com for a list of free ebooks. Their collection is steadily increasing.
Because thanksgiving shouldn’t be about just one day out of the year, here are some posts to keep you even-keeled:
  • Do you complain? Perhaps you feel entitled. Well, you’re not, says God in James 1:17, Psalm 85:12, John 3:27, and 1 Corinthians 4:7.
  • Do you have tension with extended family members? Or perhaps with some of your immediate family members? Russell Moore offers some great, biblical advice on how to behave as Christians with your family.
  • And yet there is an example in Scripture when God hates thanksgiving. When is that? Find out here.
  • To conclude this series on Thanksgiving, David Matthis shares a few words on the true story of Thanksgiving.

And here are some articles to complement some of the thanksgiving frenzy:

  • Obamacare is in full effect as the federal courts rejected Hobby Lobby’s request to halt the enforcement of distributing abortion pills as part of their health care coverage. And because of this, they will have to pay hefty fines in order to make amends with the government. Now is the time to pray for our nation, not just the government but for the individuals who make up this nation.
  • I pointed you to the Desiring God’s conference on disability before, and I would be remiss if I didn’t point you to the recordings.  I want to point you particularly to the testimony of Krista Horning that is so encouraging to hear. I included her closing statement at the top for good measure.
  • While some of us may cringe at the words “Wesleyan theology,” there is perhaps a lesser known aspect to the legacy of John Wesley: his failed marriage. And to give a model to emulate, Jonathan Edwards’ marriage is given as an example.
  • Do you ever get anxious? If you do, I would encourage you to read through Paul Tautges’ series on fighting anxiety. He begins with a two-parter on God’s prescription for anxiety here and here. Then he describes how we ought to pray. And then he tops it off with some biblical wisdom on how to fight anxiety in the long term.

I hope that whets your post-Thanksgiving appetite for a bit. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Coram Deo

FOF #7: The Person and Ministry of the Holy Spirit

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever.” (John 14:16)

by Pastor Patrick Cho

There are many unique aspects of biblical Christianity. Perhaps you’ve heard of the simplistic cliché that all other religions teach “do,” while Christianity teaches “done.” In other words, other religions teach that we need to do good things in order to have any hope in the life to come, whereas Christianity teaches that Christ has done it for us. It may be that the most unique aspect of Christianity has to do with God Himself. Certainly ours is not the only monotheistic religion in the world, but the Bible teaches that God is in three Persons.

You won’t find a verse that uses the word “Trinity,” per se. It is not a biblical term, but the evidence is clear. There are verses that speak about God the Father (John 6:27; 8:41; 20:17). There are verses that refer to Jesus Christ as God, but distinct from the Father (Matt. 4:7; John 1:1-2; Titus 2:13; 2 Pet. 1:1). There are also verses that speak of the Holy Spirit as God, but distinct from God the Father and God the Son (Gen. 1:2; Ezek. 11:5; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 3:17-18). Still there are verses that clearly teach that we worship and serve one God (Deut. 6:4; 1 Tim. 1:17; James 2:19).

While there is a lot of attention given to the first two Persons of the Trinity, sadly in comparison, very little good material is written about the Holy Spirit. This is most likely the reason there is so much misunderstanding about who He is and what He is like. Some people think of the Holy Spirit as some impersonal force (perhaps similar to the force in Star Wars). They refer to the Spirit as “it.” “It” is everywhere and does its thing, but we can’t really get to know it. But the Bible teaches that the Spirit is a Person of the Trinity. Jesus Himself referred to the Spirit as “He” (John 14:16-17).

The Holy Spirit is said to have a mind (Rom. 8:27), and He searches everything, even the depths of God (1 Cor. 2:10). The only way we can come to know divine things is because the Spirit knows the thoughts of God (1 Cor. 2:11). The Spirit is also described as experiencing emotion in that He can be grieved (Eph. 4:30). And there are passages in Scripture that teach of the Spirit’s will. He sets apart Barnabas and Saul for ministry in the first missionary journey (Acts 13:2). He even intercedes for believers according to the will of God (Rom. 8:27).

The Holy Spirit is particularly involved in the salvation of sinful people. He is the one who works in our hearts to bring conviction about our sin, the righteousness of God, and our impending judgment (John 16:7-8). And Jesus teaches that it is by the Spirit that believers are born into God’s kingdom (John 3:5-8). The believer is then sealed by the Spirit, which means that the believer’s salvation is secure, and the Spirit Himself serves as the believer’s guarantee of eternal glory (Eph. 1:13-14).

Besides all this, it is in the power of the Spirit that every believer lives. Without the assistance of God, we would still be powerless to live for Him and bring Him glory, but the Spirit of God dwells within the believer (Rom. 8:9). As Christians read and study God’s Word, it is the Spirit that brings true understanding (1 Cor. 2:12-13). As believers yield themselves more and more to the Spirit’s control (Eph. 5:18), they will see more spiritual fruit in their lives (Gal. 5:22-23).

So, biblically, the Holy Spirit is very significant. It is definitely worthwhile to take time to learn as much as possible about the third Person of the Trinity. In fact, you can even pray to the Spirit to help you understand God’s truth! Not to live according to the Spirit is to live according to the flesh. Our goal as believers is to live in dependence upon Him in obedience to His Word to the glory of God.

Awake, O North Wind; and Come, Thou South…

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Song of Solomon 4:16

Anything is better than the dead calm of indifference. Our souls may wisely desire the north wind of trouble if that alone can be sanctified to the drawing forth of the perfume of our graces. So long as it cannot be said, ‘The Lord was not in the wind,’ we will not shrink from the most wintry blast that ever blew upon plants of grace. Did not the spouse in this verse humbly submit herself to the reproofs of her Beloved; only entreating Him to send forth His grace in some form, and making no stipulation as to the peculiar manner in which it should come? Did she not, like ourselves, become so utterly weary of deadness and unholy calm that she sighed for any visitation which would brace her to action?

Yet she desires the warm south wind of comfort, too, the smiles of divine love, the joy of the Redeemer’s presence; these are often mightily effectual to arouse our sluggish life. She desires either one or the other, or both; so that she may but be able to delight her Beloved with the spices of her garden. She cannot endure to be unprofitable, nor can we.

How cheering a thought that Jesus can find comfort in our poor feeble graces. Can it be? It seems far too good to be true. Well may we court trial or even death itself if we shall thereby be aided to make glad Immanuel’s heart. O that our heart were crushed to atoms if only by such bruising our sweet Lord Jesus could be glorified. Graces unexercised are as sweet perfumes slumbering in the cups of the flowers: the wisdom of the great Husbandman overrules diverse and opposite causes to produce the one desired result, and makes both affliction and consolation draw forth the grateful odours of faith, love, patience, hope, resignation, joy, and the other fair flowers of the garden. May we know by sweet experience, what this means.

3.1a

Weekly Links (11/16/2012)

It was come to this: either we must die eternally, or the Son of God must spill his blood; either we, or God’s own Son must suffer God’s wrath, one of the two; either miserable worms of the dust that had deserved it, or the glorious, amiable, beautiful, and innocent Son of God.

The fall of man brought it to this; it must be determined one way or t’other and it was determined, by the strangely free and boundless grace of God, that this his own Son should die that the offending worms might be freed, and set at liberty from their punishment, and that justice might make them happy. Here is grace indeed; well may we shout, “Grace, grace!” at this.

And beside, God did not do this for friends, but for enemies and haters of him. He did not do it for loyal subjects, but for rebels; he did not do it for those that were his children, but for the children of the devil; he did not do it for those that were excellent, but for those that were more hateful than toads or vipers; he did not do it for those that could be any way profitable or advantageous to him, but for those that were so weak, that instead of profiting God, they were not able in the least to help themselves.

God has given even fallen man such a gift, that He has left nothing for man to do that he may be happy, but only to receive what is given him. Though he has sinned, yet God requires no amends to be made by him; He requires of him no restoration; if they will receive His Son of Him, He requires neither money nor price; he is to do no penance in order to be forgiven. God offers to save him for nothing, only if he will receive salvation as it is offered; that is, freely through Christ, by faith in Him. (Jonathan Edwards, “Glorious Grace“)

By Richard Shin

There is a lot of great resources for you to enjoy this weekend and the weeks to come. Go, go, go!

  • First, Trusting God by Jerry Bridges is currently free in the Amazon bookstore for the Kindle edition. I don’t know how long this deal will last, so you should take advantage of it now.
  • There has been a lot of talk about Rachel Held Evans’ book called A Year of Biblical Womanhood, where Evans dedicates a year out of her life to obey the Biblical commands towards women literally. It’s one thing for a guy in the complementarian camp to critique the book; it’s quite another for a woman to do so in the same light. So here‘s a review by Mary Kassian, a council member of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and the author of Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild. 
  • Tabletalk magazine just began releasing their magazines in digital format. It’s currently available on the iPad, and soon to be released for the Kindle Fire and Android tablets.
  • Back in 1987, Virginia Stem Owens published an article that sheds a little light unto why people hate the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Andy Naselli reproduced it on his blog, and it’s quite fascinating.
  • Michael Kruger, the author of the fantastic Canon Revisited, has a series on 10 Misconceptions about the New Testament Canon. He is done with 9 out of the 10, but these are great articles to read through for a variety of purposes. And as a bonus, here’s the transcript of his interview with Apologetics 315.
  • Nathan Busenitz at the Cripplegate makes a case for why Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers and the Beacon‘s most regular contributor, was a cessationist.
  • R.C. Sproul is doing a weekly series on the TULIP of Calvinism. You can find the introduction to the series here. This is a great introduction to understanding the doctrines of grace.
  • Dr. Albert Mohler has a new book out called The Conviction to Lead. He writes an introduction to his book on his blog here, and Adrian Warnock has a review of it here.

That should be enough for you to munch on this weekend.

Coram Deo

Single Life Bonfire

by Tim Paik

The Single Life Ministry has a special event every month to promote fellowship and encourage the body. Last month, we kicked off our first event of the school year, the Single Life Bonfire. The Bonfire is an annual event, held on the shores of Mission Bay.

Our night started, as many things as Lighthouse do, with food. The menu consisted of Tijuana-style hot dogs and various sides. Tijuana-style hot dogs are hot links wrapped in bacon and covered in grilled peppers and onions. Personally, I love the idea of anything wrapped in bacon, but healthier alternatives were available for the pork-averse. Regardless of our dietary choices, we all talked and ate. Some played with the various sporting equipment that we had brought.

As the sky darkened, our conversations naturally gravitated toward the fire. Eugene led us in a time of singing praises to God, and Pastor Patrick shared a devotional on Genesis 1. Afterward, we hung around the fire, cooking and eating delicious s’mores.

Looking back, I was blessed by the chance to fellowship and spend time with friends, new and old alike. We are a diverse group of people, but it is good to know that our common bond in Christ knits us together. Likewise, sometimes, it is just good to go outside and enjoy God’s creation. I look forward to continuing to meet with the Single Life ministry and sharing our lives together.

Signs of Spiritual Maturity #7: The Ministry of Presence

by Elder Peter Lim

Christianity is inherently social in nature. Not only are we to relate to God Himself, but we Christians are to relate to one another in much the same way: with love. This love manifests itself with all the “one anothers” found in the Bible. With the technology that’s available today, more and more interaction can take place without being in physical proximity to one another. Technology allows us to optimize certain aspects of communication through phone calls, email, text messaging, and even Facebook  However, even the most ardent fan of technology will readily admit that it’s a poor substitute for personal interaction in each other’s presence in real life. A sign of a maturing Christian is that he understands the importance of the ministry of presence.

The ministry of presence is a sacrificial act of inconveniencing oneself for the sake of others. Despite all the excuses that one could come up with, one’s presence at various church activities is an opportunity to minister and encourage others. Here are some self-centered excuses I came up with:

  • I’m too tired.
  • I don’t really want to be with people right now.
  • I don’t enjoy that activity. I’d rather do something else.
  • I shouldn’t be there if I’m going to have a bad attitude, right?
  • I don’t get anything out of it.
  • I can have a more profitable time reading/studying/listening to an on-line sermon by myself.

All of these reasons can be true and valid. All of us at some point will be unable to minister to others because we need to deal with our own weaknesses and needs. It’s reasonable that someone may rightfully feel like using some of these excuses but a mature Christian understands that their physical presence at an activity is also an opportunity to help and encourage others as well as themselves. Therefore, they will deliberately choose to inconvenience themselves and sacrifice their own desires in order to be a blessing to others. Because there are such a variety of people with varying degrees of capability, much grace needs to be shown when tempted to criticize someone else for their lack of ability to serve others. Obviously some are weaker than others.

It’s more difficult for:

  • Older People – As I am beginning to realize, old age affects the physical body and decreases in both energy level and strength to serve.
  • Lonely People – I’ve seldom been lonely in my life but It’s not difficult to see how someone who feels this way can require more care from others than they themselves are able to give. That should never be an excuse however, because the act of sacrificial care for others through the ministry of presence can also help themselves not be so lonely.
  • People in the Majority – What I mean by this is that a person who is in the “majority group,” that is someone who feels like they wouldn’t be missed since there are so many people like themselves, may feel like they aren’t needed. A mature “majority group” person would understand that they can always be looking for others to minister to. Or they can almost just enjoy whatever activity people are serving in and appreciate their efforts.
  • People in the Minority – A person in a “minority group” may feel like there aren’t other people to identify with. A mature person would magnify the commonality that we share in the gospel of Christ and diminish whatever artificial criteria people use to determine that they are in a minority group. These criteria can include ethnicity, station in life, common interests, and many others.
  • Busy People – Busy people always have an excuse not to serve in the ministry of presence. Sometimes this is true but oftentimes they fill their schedule with lesser priority activities. Perhaps it could be a lack of priority for serving others in this way or it could be too high of a priority given to selfish pursuits.
  • Poor People – Sometimes activities cost money which is difficult for a poorer person to afford. Hopefully, all church activities would include some provision for those in need. They should swallow their pride and ask for help when needed. They should also double-check their spending habits to make sure that they are being wise stewards of what God has entrusted them with.
  • Rich People – Just as the Bible warns that it’s difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of God, the same caution should be given to rich people in regards to their participation (or lack thereof) in church activities. They should be the first in line to help poorer people to be able to afford participation in church activities and be generous about it. They tend to understand the value of time and they may especially feel the sacrifice of time. However, they need to understand that simply giving money is no substitute for an active involvement in the lives of people.

I hope you all understand that I don’t write these things in order to accuse people. I’m able to write this article because these are the thoughts that I have had in regards to myself and my own weaknesses (except the lonely person one). These thoughts are meant to be for self-evaluation and not for use as ammunition to accuse someone else of not serving in the ministry of presence. It is never a waste for a mature believer to attend some church event because not only do you minister to others during that activity, but you get one step closer to opening another door with someone else who may need ministering to in the future, and who is now a little bit more comfortable approaching you.