Weekly Links (5/6/2011)

The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one’s ‘own’, or ‘real’ life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life – the life God is sending one day by day: what one calls one’s ‘real life’ is a phantom of one’s own imagination. (CS Lewis, Yours, Jack: Spiritual Direction from CS Lewis. HT: Trevin Wax)

by Stephen Rodgers

Alright…it was a rather hectic week (hence the quote), but here are a number of resources you won’t want to miss:

  • Themelios 36.1 is out.  Among other great articles, there are a couple of interesting ones on the Trinity, if that’s interesting to you. (WEB/PDF)
  • The latest edition of the 9Marks eJournal is out as well, and it’s on the subject of Church Membership. If you’re looking for a particular issue/topic, please note that I have updated our own topical index of the journal to be current as well. (WEB)
  • For those of you who follow John Piper’s tweets, this is the website that he was so enamored with this week. (WEB)
  • It’s a new month, and that means that christianaudio.com has a new free audio book!  This month, they’re giving away Tim Challies new book, The Next Story. There’s been quite a bit of buzz about this title, and this is your chance to get the audio version at no cost. (MP3)
  • This sermon jam from Ravi Zacharias has been particularly encouraging to me this week.  I commend it to you. (VIDEO)

That’s it for now folks.  Have a great week!

Pro Rege

Grace Life Update

by Thomas and Karen Fong

We’ve been married since January and are enjoying married life and all that comes with it. In our short time being married, Grace Life has been a great help to us. In second hour, we are currently going through Peacemaking for Families by Ken Sande and Tom Raabe. As we intertwine our lives, we are finding areas where we differ in how we handle and approach things.

Since marriage is the joining of two sinners, there are bound to be conflicts and disagreements. Ours is no different. As single adults, decisions were a bit easier and less complicated because we didn’t have the other half to consider or consult. There are times when we differ in point of views, how we react, the approach we take, and struggle with selfishness. It has been hard dealing with disagreements and conflicts when both of us are escapists. It has been very helpful to be reminded that conflicts tear apart our relationship with each other, but most importantly with God. As escapists, it’s easy to think about ourselves and forget about the other party and see that the conflict can affect their worship to God. One thing we’ve been reminding each other as we encounter conflicts is that it’s a great opportunity for us to glorify God, serve each other and grow in Christ-likeness when we seek reconciliation to restore our relationship with God and each other. It’s been helpful reminding each other that it is also a time to be challenged and to grow together.

It’s also been humbling to constantly see how sinful our hearts are and how unforgiving we can be. We’ve been convicted of what forgiveness truly is, not only in our marriage relationship, but with family and friends as well. It’s so easy to just say “I forgive you,” but allow our actions, thoughts, and heart to dwell on the offenses. Sande and Raabe describes it very well,

“Forgiveness is not a feeling, not forgetting, not excusing. It is an act of the will, a decision not to think or talk about what someone has done. It is an active process involving a conscious choice and a deliberate course of action. It is the canceling of a debt that your spouse has incurred because of improper behavior or words. It brings us back together after an offense has separated us from each other.“ (p.85)

We’ve been challenged and convicted to actively decide to not dwell or talk about the other’s offenses, but to dwell on the positive. Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.” This is the Replacement Principle and it’s a great reminder for us when struggling with an inability to forgive.

Grace Life has been a great source of encouragement for us as it has confirmed things we have been doing well in our communication and conflict resolution as well as teaching us other ways to help us effectively resolve our conflicts, negotiate, and come to creative and adequate options. We look forward to the upcoming chapters of the book and are excited for the challenges it brings.

Be Bold, Not Proud!

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Editor’s Note: This post was originally posted on April 13, 2006 on the Shine the Light! blog.  We have since incorporated all that content into the Beacon, and you can even find the original version of this post here.  Pastor Patrick has kindly agreed to help take you on a bit of a tour of some of those articles, in the hope that you will be encouraged to explore that content yourself.  Enjoy!

One issue that I have been intending to address on this blog is something that has caused some unfortunate confusion and misunderstanding in the church. Being a graduate of The Master’s Seminary, I understand that there is a perception (and sadly sometimes warranted) that “Master’s guys” have a knack for preaching cold, rigid theology in a domineering, blunt, and even arrogant way. John alluded to this in his previous entry that there is a certain unavoidable stigma that comes with being a TMS alumnus. I am, therefore, thankful that John elaborated on Lighthouse’s commitment to preach the truth of God in love. Paul refers to speaking truth in love in 1 Timothy 1:5 where he writes, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” The relationship of love and truth is also the theme of much of the epistles of John. John writes, “Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love” (2 John 3).

Truth taught without the temperance of love is cold, impersonal, and oftentimes unnecessarily offensive. Love without the standard and foundation of truth is misguided, shallow, and oftentimes misleading. In order to love in a godly way, one must know and be committed to the truth about love as it is revealed in the Word of God. In order to preach the truth in a godly way, one must also understand and sincerely work to apply God’s heart of love.

I suppose the issue that arises from this discussion is where conviction plays a role in our communication of beliefs. Unfortunately, when one speaks out of conviction it is frequently misunderstood as bold arrogance. However, in 1 Thessalonians 2:2, Paul states, “…we had the boldness in our God to speak to you…” While Paul characterizes his instruction as boldness, his life was at the same time indisputably characterized by humility (cf. 2 Cor 12:11). If we take a closer look at what is intended in 1 Thessalonians 2, it helps to provide a greater understanding of how one can be bold in proclamation and yet remain humble. While it is unfortunate that conviction and boldness are misinterpreted as arrogance, it is equally or even more unfortunate that some with good reason to have conviction cannot communicate their convictions with “humble boldness.”

How can Paul say that he and his partners in ministry had boldness to speak? First, he understood that the authority behind what he communicated was not found in himself but in God. I have often thought that one of the keys to true humility is giving credit to the right people and not undeservedly taking credit for oneself. Notice that Paul qualifies his boldness by saying that it is “in our God.” Outside of the revealed truth of God, Paul had no grounds for speaking with boldness. Isn’t it true that when we speak with boldness without first being quick to hear the Word and fully contemplating what the Bible says about a matter we discover that our bold assertions are actually foolishness? Paul’s only claim to boldness came in God (cf. 2 Cor 10:17). Only by thinking God’s thoughts after Him and speaking God’s words could he speak with boldness. This actually says less about the character of Paul than it does the character of Paul’s God. He understood that without God he was reduced to nothing.

Second, and this is certainly related, Paul understood that the source of the message itself was from God. The instruction that Paul bore was “the gospel of God” (1 Thess 2:2). It is God’s gospel. This is the reason Paul states, “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Cor 4:5). To be committed to anything else than preaching the true gospel of Christ is futility and focusing on peripherals at best. This is the same instruction that Paul gave to Timothy, “Preach the Word!” (2 Tim 4:2). Don’t preach useless words (2 Tim 2:14)! Don’t preach worldly and empty chatter (2 Tim 2:16)! Don’t preach useless speculation (2 Tim 2:23)! Don’t preach deceptive messages (2 Tim 3:13)! Don’t preach ear tickling stories (2 Tim 4:3)! Don’t preach according to the desires of men (2 Tim 4:3)! Don’t preach myths (2 Tim 4:4)! Preach the unadulterated gospel of God!

It is possible to speak conviction with boldness and yet to maintain a spirit of humility. Of course much of this is dependent upon whether the one who speaks backs his words with a lifestyle of humility. In any case, one must not be too quick to judge someone as arrogant because he speaks with confidence or boldness. Of course even when something is spoken properly from proper motives and with proper means, one’s message still may not be received the way it was truly intended. This places even more responsibility upon the one who speaks with conviction to make sure that truth is indeed spoken and colored with godly love.

SC 2011 – Reflections #4

by Ryan Short and Randy Tsuchiyama

Editor’s Note: Pastor Patrick wanted to do a series here on the Beacon that encouraged the attendees of the Shepherds Conference to share their thoughts with the church. This is the third part in that series. And if you are interesting in listening to the messages, you can download them all for free.

From an overall evaluation, what was at least one thing that was encouraging to you from the Shepherds Conference?

This was my second time at the conference, and something that I looked forward to a lot this time was the time I would have to spend with some of the older men at church. Specifically this time I was able to meet and get to know Steve Lim and Breck Yoo a lot better. It is such a blessing to hear from older men and learn from their wisdom. (Ryan Short)

One thing that was particularly encouraging from the Shepherds’ Conference, was the hospitality that was shown from the host families. Not only did the host families provide us a place to stay, they went out of their way to make sure any needs that we had were met. One family hosted all of the people from both LBCSD and LBCSJ for a time of food and fellowship. The care that was shown was amazing seeing that a lot of the families had kids and still had to worry about sending their kids to school and taking care of them as well. Throughout the entire time, it never felt like that we were a burden to the families that we were staying with. (Randy Tsuchiyama)

What was at least one thing from the messages that was particularly helpful or challenging for you?

Something that was specifically helpful for me from the messages was from session 7 with Nathan Busenitz. He preached from Philippians 4:11 about Paul’s example of contentment. Nathan challenged us to put off the sin of discontentment. Nathan showed that three ways in which Paul demonstrated his contentment in three ways. Firstly, Paul’s contentment was characterized by patience, secondly, contentment was something that Paul learned, it was not automatic, and thirdly, Paul’s contentment was not dependent on circumstance. This message helped me by reminding me that my circumstances should not determine how content I am, but that I should find my hope in Christ through all struggles and trials. (Ryan Short)

In a sermon given by Steve Lawson, he talked about the famine described in Amos 8. In the sermon, the famine was shown to not be a famine of food and ultimately a famine of the word of God. I was challenged by the fact that this famine occurs in the church and that this is something that you can see in the world today. Understanding that the Truth of God must be brought to everyone was something that was very sobering. Even though our church is committed to the preaching of the Word of God, we still need to be aware of the importance of the preaching of the Word and the lack of the Word being preached everywhere else. There is a sense of importance that is instilled by knowing this. (Randy Tsuchiyama)

What was at least one lesson that challenged you in regards to your service at LBC? How will you take this and apply it to ministry here in San Diego?

One lesson that I learned that will affect my ministry at LBC is from Bill Shannon’s seminar on Transforming Truth. Specifically what was helpful from this seminar was the reminder that my goal in ministry must be the salvation and sanctification of people’s souls for the worship of Christ. If I just teach doctrine but do not challenge people’s hearts to repent from sin and to love Christ with all their heart then I have failed in my ministry. Specifically as I serve in College Life, I want to do a better job of helping my small group grow in their love for Christ and not just learn for the sake of learning. (Ryan Short)

One lesson that I learned from the conference was from one of the breakout sessions. It was concerning counseling the faint-hearted. From that time, I was able to understand how to counsel people a lot better. I feel that the session really challenged me to really consider who I am counseling and the need to thoroughly understand the circumstances that they are going through. I was challenged to think through not just the circumstances but the need to have an understanding of the person that I am counseling as well. It can get easy to treat everyone exactly the same though they may have completely different experiences. Though it may seem obvious, this is a challenge for me. This breakout session helped me to change the way that I handle counseling situations. (Randy Tsuchiyama)

Your Heavenly Father

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Matthew 6:26

God’s people are doubly His children, they are His offspring by creation, and they are His sons by adoption in Christ. Hence they are privileged to call Him, ‘Our Father which art in heaven.’

Father! Oh, what precious word is that. Here is authority: ‘If I be a Father, where is mine honour?’ If ye be sons, where is your obedience? Here is affection mingled with authority; an authority which does not provoke rebellion; an obedience demanded which is most cheerfully rendered-which would not be withheld even if it might. The obedience which God’s children yield to Him must be loving obedience. Do not go about the service of God as slaves to their taskmaster’s toil, but run in the way of His commands because it is your Father’s way. Yield your bodies as instruments of righteousness, because righteousness is your Father’s will, and His will should be the will of His child.

Father!-Here is a kingly attribute so sweetly veiled in love, that the King’s crown is forgotten in the King’s face, and His sceptre becomes, not a rod of iron, but a silver sceptre of mercy-the sceptre indeed seems to be forgotten in the tender hand of Him who wields it. Father!-Here is honour and love. How great is a Father’s love to his children! That which friendship cannot do, and mere benevolence will not attempt, a father’s heart and hand must do for his sons. They are his offspring, he must bless them; they are his children, he must show himself strong in their defence. If an earthly father watches over his children with unceasing love and care, how much more does our heavenly Father?

Abba, Father! He who can say this, hath uttered better music than cherubim or seraphim can reach. There is heaven in the depth of that word-Father! There is all I can ask; all my necessities can demand; all my wishes can desire. I have all in all to all eternity when I can say, ‘Father.’

1.26a

Weekly Links (4/29/2011)

At our last ‘summit’ I noted in passing that Paul’s central concern theologically is ‘salvation in Christ’. But this is a phrase that needs unpacking. First, the supposition of ‘salvation in Christ’ is the triadic nature of God, since it is predicated on the love of God the Father, is effected through the death and resurrection of Christ the Son, and is made effective through the Spirit of God who is also the Spirit of the Son. Second, the goal of salvation is not simply the saving of individuals and fitting them for heaven, as it were, but the creation of a people for God’s name, reconstituted by a new covenant. Third, the framework of God’s ‘salvation in Christ’ is thoroughly eschatological, meaning that Christ’s death and resurrection and the gift of the Spirit mark the turning of the ages, whereby God has set in motion the new creation, in which all things eventually will be made new. Fourth, the means of ‘salvation in Christ’ is Christ’s death on the cross and his subsequent  resurrection in which death itself has been defeated. (Gordon Fee, “Paul and the Metaphors for Salvation: Some Reflections on Pauline Soteriology”. HT: Nick Norelli)

by Stephen Rodgers

So…I have some good news, and some great news for you this week.

The good news is, that due to a computer issue involving the creation of secure passwords…and consequently being temporarily without access to anything…there is no new edition of the Weekly Links.

The great news is, that if you haven’t had a chance yet to read over the special edition of the Weekly Links that we did for Holy Week/Good Friday/Easter…this is your chance to do so.

Trust me, it’s subject matter well worth reflecting on.

Thanks for your patience!

Pro Rege

Single Life Update

by Andrea Lem

Fridays are days that I always look forward to because 1) not only does Friday mean the weekend is here, but 2) it also means that I get to fellowship with other brothers and sisters that I haven’t seen during the week. In Singles, we have the opportunity to fellowship through receiving challenging teaching and of course, through the delicious refreshments and accompanying conversations. Not to say that I don’t enjoy the refreshments and chatting with others, but at this point in Singles this year, I have grown even more appreciative for the biblically-sound teaching that we’ve been getting each week.

On Friday nights, Pastor Patrick has been going through the book of Colossians with us, dissecting each verse piece by piece with in-depth explanations. In Colossians, Paul writes to the church in Colossae to warn of heretical teaching and encourages the Colossians to stand firm in Christ and their salvation through Him. During the last couple of weeks in Singles, I’ve been particularly encouraged by Paul’s writing and his love for the church and its people. After all, if he didn’t love them, why would he even bother writing this letter to them? Reading and studying Colossians has highlighted for me Christ’s love through Paul and it challenges me to desire to love the church and its people in the same way.

Another thing that I’ve been encouraged by and reminded of is how central the gospel is in my life as a believer. Oftentimes, with the busyness of life and just day to day things, it’s easy to be distracted from the gospel. But from this study in Colossians, Paul is constantly pointing the Colossians back to the gospel and the truth of it. The last two sermons – “The Tremendously Awesome Salvation We Have in Christ” – were taken from Colossians 2: 11-14 have been such a blessing. Pastor Patrick exposited each of the four verses in such detail that it helped me to understand what Paul was saying even more. From verses 11-14, I was reminded that before Christ, I was dead. Completely dead. But, out of His tremendous love for me, God has forgiven me of my sins and I have been baptized and spiritually circumcised to be identified as one of his own. And I didn’t do anything to deserve this forgiveness. I was completely dead before but because of God and his love, I’ve been completely forgiven and completely alive now. This is a “basic” truth but the more I meditate on it, the more I am in awe of God.

Now, that begs the question, what does that mean for my life? It’s easy to keep this all as head knowledge as I go through each day. But from the sermons, I’ve really been challenged to seek to take this knowledge and actually apply it in my life. I’ve been reflecting and asking myself questions such as, “Who am I living for? For God? Or for me?,” “How does a gospel-centered life look everyday, all the time?,” etc. I’ve been thinking about how it affects not just the big things in life but also the little decisions and actions that I make each day. Seeking to apply these things won’t be easy as I’m sure sins will continuously be confronted. But that just drives me all the more to depend on my God and to pray for His strength and guidance, which barely touches on what the Singles’ Retreat was about (Please feel free to come talk to me or any other Single about what our retreat was about!). So, if I had to wrap everything into a sentence or two, I’d say that being a part of Singles is a tremendous blessing as I continue to learn and seek to live as a follower of Christ, who desires to glorify God through complete dependence on Him.

Peacemaker Chapter 7: Just Between the Two of You

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Editor’s Note: You can listen to the class and download the handout.

If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. (Matthew 18:15)

Coming to the 3rd G of Peacemaking — Gently Restore — we start with the issue that comes up between two people, and learning, as well as discerning, when to confront another about a sin issue.

Restoring Means More than Confronting

Looking at the above verse on its own could tempt people to think direct confrontation with another is the right way of addressing sin in another person’s life. However, upon examining the context of where this verse is found, Jesus speaks of restoring, not solely condemning, in dealing with a lost sheep and the reaction that follows once found. This is the mindset that Jesus wants us to adopt when we do confront others in sin: have the heart of a shepherd in pointing out the sin that leads them to wander away from God, and to bring them back. This is the same type of love Christ shows to each and every sinner who is brought back to God by His life, death and resurrection.
Scripture does mention direct confrontation as being necessary to address sin, but it isn’t the primary way of doing so, or even the common way of going about it:

Instead, [the Bible] calls us to use a wide spectrum of activities to minister to others, including confessing, teaching, instructing, reasoning with, showing, encouraging, correcting, warning, admonishing, or rebuking (Matt. 5:23-24; Luke 17:3; Acts 17:17; 1 Thess. 5:14; 2 Tim. 2:24; 4:2). (pp.144-5)

Instead, we need to depend on God in asking Him for wisdom for how best to approach one another and at what time is most appropriate to do so.

Sooner or Later, Face-to-Face

Some people believe it best to approach someone in private before involving other people. That might not always be the case; it might be best to bring other people into the conflict before meeting with them personally. Genesis 32-33, 50:15-16, 1 Samuel 25:18-35, 2 Samuel 14:1-23, and Acts 9:26-27 are cases in point where others are involved before a private encounter. The focus must be on meeting the needs of others:

[W]e should always show respect for the concerns, traditions, limitations, and special needs of others and ask God to show us how to communicate with them in the way that is most appropriate and helpful to them (Phil. 2:3-4). (p.147)

Generally, we want there to be genuine reconciliation to take place, and in some cases, face-to-face meetings are crucial to that end. This is shown in three ways (p.147):

  1. “Many of the passages related to restoring relationships clearly contemplate a direct conversation between the conflicting parties (see Matt. 5:23-24; 18:15; Luke 17:3).”
  2. “Scripture provides many examples of marvelous reconciliation that came about after personal meetings between people who had wronged each other, including Jacob and Esau (Genesis 33:6-12), Joseph and his brothers (45:1-5; 50:15-21), and Paul and the apostles (Acts 9:27-28).”
  3. “[T]he Bible also gives examples of disastrous results when the involvement of intermediaries allowed the parties to delay or avoid personal meetings involving genuine confession and forgiveness.”

In conflicts like that of David and Absalom or Shechem and Dinah, God wants there to be a genuine relationship that has real, personal communication (look at Exodus 33:11). This can lead to real restored relationships, and meeting one on one can help foster that.

If Someone Has Something against You

In Matthew 5:23-24, “Jesus said to be reconciled if your brother has something against you, implying that the obligation exists whether or not you believe his complaint is legitimate.” (p.149) The most obvious reason why we are to do this is because Jesus commands us to. Also, your witness will be affected if you disobey this, not demonstrating to your nonChristian friends the power of the Gospel that you claim you believe. Having peace of mind in dealing with conflict will keep you from having doubts about your peace with God. The last reason to start this process of reconciliation is out of concern and love for your brother and his having peace with God as well. We must actively pursue peace as often as we can in dealing with misunderstandings or miscommunication (Rom. 12:18; cf. 14:13-19).

When Someone’s Sins Are Too Serious to Overlook

Luke 17:3 says, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.” Here are some cases where approaching the other personally and privately is best:

Is It Dishonoring God?

“If someone who professes to be a Christian is behaving in such a way that others are likely to think less of God, of his church, or of his Word, it may be necessary to talk with that person and urge him to change his behavior.” (p. 151)

Is It Damaging Your Relationship?

“If you are unable to forgive an offense—that is, if your feelings, thoughts, words, or actions toward another person have been altered for more than a short period of time—the offense is probably too serious to overlook.”

Is It Hurting Others?

If people are hurt directly (child abuse or drunk driving), or are being led astray by one’s behavior, in some cases where it gets Christians to take sides, it can lead to a disunity in the body and a disruption of peace that is not beneficial to the growth of others (Titus 3:10).

Is It Hurting the Offender?

“Finally, sin needs to be addressed when it is seriously harming the offender, either by direct damage (e.g., alcohol abuse) or by impairing his or her relationship with God or other people. Looking out for the well-being of other Christians, especially those in your own family or congregation, is a serious responsibility. Unfortunately, because many Christians have adopted the world’s view that everyone should be allowed to ‘do his own thing,’ some believers will do nothing, even when they see a brother or sister ensnared in serious sin.” (p. 152)

We should not be eager in showing someone their faults—that most likely means we aren’t the right people to do so. On the other side are those who refuse to ever confront anyone, citing “Do not judged, or you too will be judged” (Matthew 7:1), completely ignoring the context of Jesus’ condemnation of hypocritical judging, but not all forms of judgment, as you read on in v.5: “you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Another idea is when someone says, “Only God can judge me.” “But God often uses another persin to speak the words that a sinner needs to hear to see the need to repent (e.g., 2 Sam. 12:1-13; 2 Tim. 2:24-26.” (p.154)

What would be helpful is understanding whether one’s offense is serious enough to confront by looking at the words “caught” (Greek prolambano) and “restore” (Greek katartizo). If he is caught in a sin while being off guard or dragging him down, go to him. If his sin is affecting his spiritual growth or becoming less useful for God, go to him. Anything less than this should probably be overlooked, while praying that God would help bring about change in their life.

Special Considerations

Going to Non-Christians

Our concern for others does not change with regards to the state of belief one may or may not have. Scripture calls us to “live at peace with everyone” (Rom. 12:18). Most of what is covered can be applied with regards to a non-Christian. This could be a way of leading someone to faith in Christ.

Going to a Person in Authority

All sin, including leaders (1 Tim. 5:19-20). Doing so in a way that respects their authority is a major help in dealing with one’s sin, and may lead to them respecting you as well.

Dealing with Abuse

This can especially happen with those in authority above you. However, if it is a verbal or even physical abuse, it may be best to consult others and get them involved in dealing with the situation. If the person claims to be a Christian, it is the responsibility of the church to help and handle the situation as best they can. This includes calling the person to repentance, as well as confession of their sin, leading to some type of counseling, and possible legal consequences that they must deal with.

Go Tentatively and Repeatedly

Until you have heard the other side from the horses’ mouth, so to speak, don’t assume the one who complains to you is automatically in the right. Help with their sin, and see how they respond. If they do not come to repent of their sin, give them time, reevaluate what you suggested, and then address them again. Do it in a way where privately it can be done, and no dissension arises within the church. If it gets past that, consider whether it really is the right course to take in confronting them.

After the Log Is Out of Your Eye

A good thing to keep in mind, in dealing with Matthew 7:3-5, is that when you confess your sins, it makes it easier and more willing for others to ask for forgiveness as well. However that is not always the case. There are four ways to do so:

  1. You may simply overlook the offense.
  2. You may build on the other’s superficial confession.
  3. You may need to talk about the other person’s sin now.
  4. You may postpone confrontation until the appropriate time.

This speck-removal not only helps us to see the other clearly, it also allows us, as we take up our daily crosses, to be reminded how wonderfully God has created us, and lets us see God clearly, primarily through His Son who had died on the cross and is alive today.

LBC Weekly SPARK – April 26, 2011

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC Family and Friends,

I hope you all enjoyed Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday! What a great weekend it was at LBCSD! Everything was such an encouragement from the delicious breakfast to the musical performances to the children’s skit. Thanks to everyone who made the weekend so amazing! More than anything, praise God for all the new faces who came and were able to hear the gospel message. Let’s continue to pray that God would work in people’s hearts and bring them to saving faith.

There are still a lot of things going on around Lighthouse, but before we get to the announcements, I wanted to continue on in our series through The Trellis and the Vine, by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne. Chapter 4 is entitled “Is Every Christian a Vine Worker?” If the work of the vine involves proclaiming God’s truth in disciple making ministry, is this something that is only left to religious professionals? Or is this something in which every believer needs to be involved?

The authors address this question by presenting a few pointed truths. The basic premise is that the Bible does not describe different classes of disciples – those who give all to live for the Lord and do His work, and those who don’t. They write, “The call to discipleship is thus a call to confess our allegiance to Jesus in the face of a hostile world; to serve Him and His mission, whatever the cost.” This call is given to anyone who would confess Jesus as Lord.

The main passage the authors consider is Ephesians 4 where Paul instructs the church to speak truth to one another (v. 15). This is a wonderful passage to look at when considering what it means to be a part of God’s church. In vv. 11-12, Paul instructed the Ephesians that God appointed leaders in order to train believers to do the work of ministry. All believers were to be involved. It was not left to a special few. This work is what eventually brings the church to maturity and fullness in Christ (v. 13). The particular way this work needs to be done is by strengthening in faith to combat false teaching (v. 14) and speaking truth to build up the body (v. 15). As the different parts of the body are committed to this ministry to one another, the body builds itself up in love (v. 16). The authors conclude, “This can only mean that God wants all Christians to be speaking to each other regularly, urging and encouraging each other to stick with Christ.”

This does not mean that we all need to take turns preaching from the pulpit. The pulpit is not the only place that God’s truth is proclaimed. It should be proclaimed by you in many contexts to many people. It is proclaimed in evangelism as you steer everyday conversations to spiritual topics and as you help people understand their need of a Savior. It is proclaimed in the encouragement you give to each other by taking advantage of opportunities to talk about God’s Word and pray for one another. It is proclaimed in your hanging out when you make the most of the gathering by sharing with one another what you are learning from God’s Word instead of allowing the time to go by wasted on frivolous things.

Consider the implications of having an Ephesians 4 mindset. If you are not actively involved in building up others by speaking truth to one another, the church’s growth will be stunted. Most people see the relationship between pastors and “lay people” as feeders and those being fed. Their main concern each week is, “Was I fed God’s Word?” Certainly, this is a good concern because you should be receiving a healthy portion of God’s Word each week, and the ministry of the pulpit is vital and necessary. But Paul reminds us that this is not where it should end. As important as the pulpit is, it is not sufficient. Every believer needs to be proclaiming God’s truth to evangelize the lost and edify the saints. Once you have been fed God’s Word and blessed by it, you need to seek to feed others and be a blessing. Growth will not happen otherwise. As we see the fullness of Christ as our goal, let us all run hard at achieving it in His strength.

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are the announcements for this week:

  1. FLOCKS. Don’t forget that this is flocks week, which means all our regularly scheduled midweek activities will be taking a break. This includes Kids’ Club, Youth, College, and Singles. Our regular Bible studies will resume next week. In order to prepare for flocks, you should complete a sermon response form. These can be downloaded from the flocks website. If you don’t have a flock and would like one, please contact Peter Lim (peterlim@yahoo.com).
  2. WOMEN’S SEMINAR. This Saturday is the women’s seminar that will be at the church from 9:00am to 12:30pm. If you are a lady, come out for this special time of teaching and fellowship. Breakfast will be served as well. Please RSVP with Christine Cho by Wednesday to reserve your spot (christinescho@gmail.com)!
  3. COMMUNION. This Sunday is the first Sunday of the month, which means we will be taking communion during our morning service. Please come having prepared your hearts for this time. In particular, if you are currently in a relational conflict with another member of the body, please make every effort to be at peace with one another in preparation for this time.
  4. ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND. This weekend marks Lighthouse Bible Church’s 12th anniversary as the church celebrated its inaugural Sunday on May 2, 1999. In honor of this special weekend, we will be having a special cake and punch reception after Sunday School. Please stick around for this time of fellowship.
  5. SISTER CONNECTION. Signups for Sister Connection will be taken for the month of May until the end of the school year. College Life sisters will either be paired up with a Single Life or Grace Life sister. If you would like to participate, please email sisterconnection@gmail.com or you can sign up after church or during affinity groups with Christine Cho/Mabel Tse (Grace Life), Andrea Lem/Jane Liou (singles) or Grace Lee/Deborah Wong (collegians). The last day to sign up is this Sunday, May 1!
  6. MEN’S BREAKFAST. Calling all men! We will be meeting once again on Saturday, May 7 from 7:00-9:00am for breakfast, fellowship, and prayer. All men are invited to attend in order to further study what the Bible says about manliness.
  7. TMS GRADUATION. As you may have heard, Pastor J. R. Cuevas of LBCSJ will be graduating from The Master’s Seminary on Sunday, May 15, at 6:00pm, at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley. We are planning on having a small party with refreshments afterwards. If you are interested in driving up to support Pastor J. R., please let Pastor Patrick know as soon as possible.
  8. LBC BANQUET AND VISION QUEST. On Sunday, May 22, we will be having our annual all-church banquet at 4:45pm, at the church. Signups are now being taken by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz on Sundays in the foyer. The cost for the banquet is only $35/adult ($100 max/family). Children 0-12 eat free! Don’t miss this annual tradition as we look back on the Lord’s faithfulness to the church this past year. We will also use this evening to recognize our high school and college graduates, so you won’t want to miss it!
  9. MEMBERSHIP CLASS. Our next membership class will be on Saturday, June 4, from 9:00am-12:00pm, and Sunday, June 5, from 1:00-4:00pm. Attendance at both classes is required. Please talk to Pastor Patrick for a membership application or for more information.
  10. VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL. VBS will be from June 20-24, from 9:00am-5:00pm each day. The theme for this year is “God Always Wins!” and every year it is a very special time for our kids. Registration is currently open. Talk to Josh Liu for more information (liu.joshuac@gmail.com).
  11. SUMMER MISSIONS. Please be in prayer for our summer missions teams as we prepare to go to the Czech Republic and Argentina this summer. The dates for the Czech trip are June 26-July 16, and the dates for the Argentina trip are July 6-21. There is a lot of work that needs to be done, so please keep the teams in prayer.