Surely He Shall Deliver Thee from the Snare of the Fowler

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Psalm 91:3

God delivers His people from the snare of the fowler in two senses. From, and out of. First, He delivers them from the snare-does not let them enter it; and secondly, if they should be caught therein, He delivers them out of it. The first promise is the most precious to some; the second is the best to others.

‘He shall deliver thee from the snare.’ How? Trouble is often the means whereby God delivers us. God knows that our backsliding will soon end in our destruction, and He in mercy sends the rod. We say, ‘Lord, why is this?’ not knowing that our trouble has been the means of delivering us from far greater evil. Many have been thus saved from ruin by their sorrows and their crosses; these have frightened the birds from the net. At other times, God keeps His people from the snare of the fowler by giving them great spiritual strength, so that when they are tempted to do evil they say, ‘How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’

But what a blessed thing it is that if the believer shall, in an evil hour, come into the net, yet God will bring him out of it! O backslider, be cast down, but do not despair. Wanderer though thou hast been, hear what thy Redeemer saith-‘Return, O backsliding children; I will have mercy upon you.’ But you say you cannot return, for you are a captive. Then listen to the promise-‘Surely He shall deliver thee out of the snare of the fowler.’ Thou shalt yet be brought out of all evil into which thou hast fallen, and though thou shalt never cease to repent of thy ways, yet He that hath loved thee will not cast thee away; He will receive thee, and give thee joy and gladness, that the bones which He has broken may rejoice. No bird of paradise shall die in the fowler’s net.

1.24a

Weekly Links (4/1/2011)

by Stephen Rodgers

My apologies to everyone, but due to getting blindsided by some personal issues, the Weekly Links for this week has been cancelled.  If all goes well, it should be back to normal next week.

In the meantime, I would recommend that you take the opportunity to check out recent church announcements, the Peacemaker series, and/or the Recommended Resources page.  I’m sure you’ll find something of value there, especially if you haven’t been able to keep up lately.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.  See you next week!

Pro Rege

LBC Weekly SPARK – March 31, 2011

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC family and friends,

I hope you are doing well and walking in the Lord! Thanks to everyone who prayed for me, Mike Chon, Cesar Vigil-Ruiz, and John Kim during our trip to Argentina. The time with the church in Tucuman was a tremendous blessing. On Friday evening, we had a time to fellowship with the men of the church over asado, and Pastor John taught on the topic of leadership. On Saturday evening, the entire church came together and I had the opportunity to preach on denying yourself and taking up the cross daily from Luke 9:23. On Sunday morning, we gathered for worship and John preached again on the topic of spiritual maturity. Then on Sunday evening, we had our last church meeting where I preached from Colossians 1 and reconciliation in Christ. Cesar did a tremendous job translating for us.

On Saturday afternoon, we had an opportunity to sit down for lunch with the leadership of the church and field some questions. It was exciting to see how much they have all grown and to hear the kinds of questions they were asking about ministry. It is obvious that they want to build their ministry in a God-glorifying way and to seek how to honor Him with their work. On Monday, the four of us had a chance to talk with Pastor Jorge about various issues concerning our missions philosophy and to map out a general plan for the future.

All in all, it was probably the most profitable time down in Argentina, but it was also the most exhausting. At least twice we were up past 3:00am meeting and preparing. Since most of the church members work late, the meetings generally did not begin until late in the evening. That Friday evening, we did not start eating dinner until about 10:00pm and did not finish the evening meeting until about 1:00am! Still, what an amazing time with IBM Tucuman!

When we arrived back in Buenos Aires, before leaving for home, we were also able to meet up with Eduardo and Matias Buldain. This was also a tremendously encouraging time, and we all felt as though our hearts were knit as one. We are so thankful for our brothers in Christ and are excited about what God has been doing through them in their ministry.

Let us continue to pray for the work in Argentina. It is still very difficult and those committed to the gospel of repentance and faith face great opposition both from outside the church and from within. What we are thankful for are these ministries that are committed to growing in their knowledge of the Word and to serving Christ with all their hearts.

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are the announcements for this week:

  1. Regional Flocks. Don’t forget that our regularly scheduled weekly meetings will be on hold this week due to flocks, which meet on March 30-April 2 at various homes throughout the community. More information about flocks can be found on the church website. If you do not currently attend a flock and don’t know which one to attend, please contact Peter Lim (peterlim@yahoo.com).
  2. Men’s Breakfast. This Saturday, April 2, at 7:00am, we will be having a men’s breakfast fellowship at the church. Come out as we discuss what it means to be a man of God and enjoy a time of prayer together. Food and drinks will be provided. Please email Pastor Patrick if you plan on attending so we can prepare adequately for the morning.
  3. Communion. As this weekend is the first Sunday of the month we will be taking communion together during the worship service. Please come with your hearts prepared for this time.
  4. End Times Bible Study. Part three of our four part end times Bible study will be this Sunday evening from 6:00-8:00pm at the church. This weekend, we will be focusing on a biblical understanding of the tribulation. We will specifically address why the seven year tribulation should be understood literally and why we teach that the rapture will occur before the tribulation. The last Bible study of the series will be on Sunday, April 17.
  5. Premarital. For those involved in the premarital class, we will meet again this Tuesday evening at 7:30pm at Pastor Patrick’s home. Please come with your homework completed and discussed.
  6. Members Meeting. Our next members meeting will be on Sunday, April 10 at 4:45pm. All members are encouraged to attend. As always, dinner will be provided.
  7. Good Friday Service. On Friday, April 22, we will not be meeting in our regular Friday night Bible studies. Instead, we will have a joint service at the church to observe Good Friday. Service will begin at 6:30pm.
  8. Resurrection Sunday. On Sunday, April 24, we will be celebrating Resurrection Sunday with a special breakfast fellowship at 7:30am. Service will begin at 9:00am as usual. This is a great opportunity to invite family and friends to church to hear the message of the gospel.
  9. LBC Banquet. The annual All-Church Banquet will be on Sunday, May 22, at 4:45pm, at the church. The cost for tickets is only $35/adult (children 0-12 are free)! This is a wonderful time to reflect on the Lord’s kindness this past year to the church. Please mark your calendars!
  10. Vacation Bible School. VBS will be from June 20-24 this year, from 9:00am-5:00pm each day. Please mark your calendars! You can talk to Josh Liu or Abram Kim for more details or for registration. Also, VBS staff applications are available from Josh Liu.
  11. Argentina Missions Trip. This year’s Argentina Missions trip is tentatively scheduled for July 6-21. Each year we go to Tucuman, to work alongside Iglesia Biblica Misionera (Missionary Bible Church) for a weeklong evangelistic campaign. We will also be providing biblical training and teaching for the church in general and specialized meetings. For those who are interested in applying for the Argentina trip, applications will be available this Sunday, April 3 (due April 17). All applicants must have been members of Lighthouse in good standing for at least one year. You must also have a valid US passport that is good through at least November 2011. Whether or not you will be going to Argentina this summer, please prayerfully consider how you can help support the work we are doing down there.

Peacemaking for Families (Grace Life)

by Randy Sarmiento

Recently in GraceLife we have been going through the book Peacemaking for Families by Ken Sade and Tom Raabe. It is always great to have a tool that will point us back to God, and His will for the families.

We are a very young couple that have been married for only a little over a year, and have a 7 month-old daughter. To be honest, before this study we really did not challenge each other spiritually. Like many other Christian couples, when we got married we made the assumption that it would be at least a little bit easier to share what is in our hearts and what we are struggling with. We thought marriage would dissolve many of the communication problems that we had during dating. You know, since we are now joined together as one before God. But soon enough, the realization that “sinner plus sinner equals conflict” came. It’s not that we fight a lot or even come into conflict much, but the fact is that we do, and will get into it. Now the question being asked is, “How do we handle it?”

One thing the book reminds us is that through biblical ways to resolve conflict you can encourage your spouse and family members. In this way you can think of conflict as an opportunity to glorify God and serve others.

Another point that the book has helped us in is the realization of idols in our lives. Idols could start out to be desires for honorable and good things, but then they can turn into demands that must be met. We realized that this is something that could easily sneak up on us and cause conflict.  We know that we have to constantly examine our hearts and motives, because it may very well turn into actions and words that may not glorify God.

Consciously we needed to watch ourselves so that we may be an example to our daughter, even in her infancy. Prayerfully we hope that someday she will come to the saving knowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord. So we do not want our actions and words to be a hindrance to the testimony of God’s love and grace.

Personally for me, the book has reminded me that conflict tears apart relationships, and forgiveness is the restoration of a relationship made whole again.  With God and us, we were in conflict with Him due to our sin, and yet He had restored our relationship with Him by the blood of His Son. I also realized that my mentality is that if something is broken I need to fix it as fast as I possibly can. The same thing goes with problematic situations and especially when I think that someone else is clearly wrong and I am right. But after reading the first 5 chapters of the book and being pointed back to scripture, I realized and remembered that I can’t do anything apart from God, that I am not in control, and I have to first submit to God.

As much as I would like to think that I am a strong and knowledgeable person, the more I read God’s word, the more I realize how weak I am and how much I don’t know. It’s quite humbling. I truly need to grow up and be, “quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. (James 1:19)”

We all know that relationships are hard, and at times marriage can be even harder, but everyday I still thank God for the huge blessing of my wife and daughter. Once again, I am reminded of the sinner that I am, and how much I fall short of His Glory. But because of His actions of love, through His Son Jesus Christ, I am overwhelmed of the fact that I am even given the opportunity to lead and teach them. Having a family is truly grace on its own.

I look forward to the rest of the book in hopes that it will continue to be an eye-opener of how to biblically handle conflict situations.

Peacemaker Update #1

by Stephen Rodgers

Because Cesar is still on the trip to Argentina with Pastor John, Pastor Patrick, and Mike, there won’t be a new Peacemaker article for you this week.  However, I wanted to very briefly remind you of the Peacemaker-related resources that we have made available so far:

  • Previous articles in the series by both Stephen and Cesar can be found here.
  • The audio files for the Peacemaking for Families class that Pastor Patrick has been doing can be found here.  The audio files for the Peacemaker class Peter, Mike, and Stephen have been doing can be found here.
  • A series of articles and handouts illustrating and explaining the key points of the book are available for free from Peacemaker Ministries here.
  • And last but not least, the Peacemaker Ministries blog entitled Route 5:9 can be found here.

We’ll continue our series of in-depth reviews of each chapter next week.  Thanks for your patience.

Thank You Lighthouse Bible Church!

by Elder Mike Chon

I couldn’t imagine almost twelve years ago when I began attending the home bible studies that our church would be what it is today. God has definitely been faithful to shape and mold our church through all the blessings and trials that we have experienced over the years. It has been a blessing to witness God’s faithfulness in using trials to help our church grow to be more like Christ (James 1:2-4) and how many of you have endured through trials to God’s glory. As I reflected on our church, I cannot help but to give thanks to God for you all (1 Thess. 1:2-3).

There is no other place I would rather be than at Lighthouse Bible Church (San Diego or San Jose).Today so many people move around so many times because of so many reasons that it is difficult to find people and families that stay in one area for more than five years. Likewise some people may think that it doesn’t matter if you change churches multiple times as long as the sermons are good and the people are nice. The problem of this type of thinking is that the church never becomes anything more than a place where you seek to get your needs met and to grow individually (which is not a biblical concept). In addition to that, the church never becomes a family where we relate to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. That’s why I am so thankful for Lighthouse Bible Church which has become a true family over the years. We have rejoiced with those that have been blessed and grieved with those that suffer (1 Cor. 12:26). I have never experienced a church that truly cares for their brothers and sisters as our church does. We have had church members go through very difficult times and have various needs, and immediately you have come to give support and meet the needs of your fellow brother or sister. Even in my own life and the life of my family, many of you have come to help when we needed assistance and support. When you say that you will help in any way that we need, I know and trust that those words are not mere words. Our church is what it is today because of the people that have been so faithful and committed to the Word of God and to Christ’s bride, the church. I am so thankful for you and my heart rejoices and is overwhelmed by your example of love and care for one another.

I want to say thank you especially to those that have taken steps to gently confront the leaders because of your love for the church. We are definitely not above being kept accountable. Thank you for your desire to see God glorified in our lives and the church and your willingness to approach us with your concerns regarding issues in our lives as well as the ministry. I am thankful that you came with humble and gentle hearts to correct us as well as support us in the process. Those that have been faithful to carry out the peacemaker pledge with us as well as others in the church have brought great joy to our hearts since it reveals to us that your desire is first and foremost for God’s glory. It is truly a joy to serve along you as a fellow slave of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Even in a church full of sinners I can honestly say that there is no other place I would rather be than at Lighthouse Bible Church. I want to thank you for being a church that loves Christ and His church. Let us continue to “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). Thank you!

We Will Remember Thy Love More Than Wine

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Song of Solomon 1:4

Jesus will not let His people forget His love. If all the love they have enjoyed should be forgotten, He will visit them with fresh love. ‘Do you forget my cross?’ says He, ‘I will cause you to remember it; for at My table I will manifest Myself anew to you. Do you forget at I did for you in the council-chamber of eternity? I will remind you of it, for you shall need a counsellor, and shall find Me ready at your call.’

Mothers do not let their children forget them. If the boy has gone to Australia, and does not write home, his mother writes-‘Has John forgotten his mother?’ Then there comes back a sweet epistle, which proves that the gentle reminder was not in vain. So is it with Jesus, He says to us, ‘Remember Me,’ and our response is, ‘We will remember Thy love.’

We will remember Thy love and its matchless history. It is ancient as the glory which Thou hadst with the Father before the world was. We remember, O Jesus, Thine eternal love when Thou didst become our Surety, and espouse us as Thy betrothed. We remember the love which suggested the sacrifice of Thyself, the love which, until the fulness of time, mused over that sacrifice, and long for the hour whereof in the volume of the book it was written of Thee, ‘Lo, I come.’ We remember Thy love, O Jesus as it was manifest to us in Thy holy life, from the manger of Bethlehem to the garden of Gethsemane. We track Thee from the cradle to the grave-for every word and deed of Thine was love-and we rejoice in Thy love, which death did not exhaust; Thy love which shone resplendent in Thy resurrection. We remember that burning fire of love which will never let Thee hold Thy peace until Thy chosen ones be all safely housed, until Zion be glorified, and Jerusalem settled on her everlasting foundations of light and love in heaven.

1.23p

Weekly Links (3/25/2011)

If we don’t know that there is such a person as God, we don’t know the first thing (the most important thing) about ourselves, each other and our world. This is because…the most important truths about us and them, is that we have been created by the Lord, and utterly depend upon him for our continued existence. (Alvin Plantinga, Warranted Christian Belief)

by Stephen Rodgers

Since we already had one edition of the Weekly Links already this week, I figured I’d keep this one rather short for you, and just point out some resources you might not be aware of.

  • First of all, christianaudio.com is giving away audio copies of John Piper’s Jesus: The Only Way to God for FREE until 3/31.  This is in addition to the regular free book for March, which is RC Sproul’s The Holiness of God. Download both.  You won’t regret it. (AUDIO)
  • Furthermore, the audio files for the 2011 Shepherds’ Conference are now available. And yes, they are free as well.  You’ve heard Pastor Patrick preach on what he thoughtalready, but this is your chance to hear them all (all 35 of them!) for yourself.  (AUDIO)
  • And last but not least, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his book Desiring God, John Piper is going to preach through the book.  If you’ve never read this book before, this is a great time to do it, and get guidance from Pastor Piper as he goes through it again.  DG has a link explaining the details and offering discounted copies of the book if you’re interested.  (WEB)

That’s it for now.  Make sure you read the latest SPARK so that you know what’s happening at church.

See you Sunday!

Pro Rege

Surprised by Prayer

by Stephen Rodgers

First of all, apologies for the lateness of the article today. I didn’t know I was writing it until a few hours ago. I take small consolation in the fact that our beloved pastor has apparently been so overcome by his guilt in surprising me in this way, that he has fled the country.

No…not really. See me Sunday if you don’t get the joke. But let’s skip over that and move on to something more substantial: reflections on a particular aspect of the recent Singles Retreat. The theme of the retreat was “Dependence,” and if you haven’t yet read Pastor Patrick’s article that he wrote in response to the messages, I would commend it to you.

One of the messages was particular focused on prayer, particularly in regards to Romans 8:26-27. For those of you who aren’t as familiar with that passage, it speaks of how the Spirit intercedes on our behalf in our prayers. This passage sits at a nexus of several biblical themes: prayer (as the act of every believer, verse 26), the will of God (and how the Spirit will assist us in praying within it, verse 27), and even the work of each member of the trinity (in this passage, the Spirit intercedes before God on the behalf of the believer, just as Christ is said to do in Hebrews 2:17-18, 4:14-16, and 7:24-26).

When those messages are added to the media archive, I’ll be sure to include a link here. (Editor’s Note: they have been added). Meanwhile, I wanted to highlight three additional ways that we are dependent on God in prayer. These aren’t drawn from the retreat messages per se, but I think that all of them underscore our dependence on God.

  1. God is the object of our prayers. Prayers in and of themselves are objectively useless. They may impart some sort of subjective experience of catharsis, but part from a deity who can both hear and respond, they are nothing more than baseless utterances. But we know from Scripture that God does hear our prayers, and that He is the final arbiter of that which will be. In directing our prayers to Him we can have full confidence that they are anything but useless. He may not always answer in the way we would hope, but we know that this is due to our own lack of understanding rather than a limitation on His part.
  2. God is the model for our prayers. Prayer can seem nerve-wracking at times; after all, what do to you say to someone who has not only seen the birth of our entire universe, but actually spoke the words that birthed it? Thanking him for a good day or asking him to impart His divine blessing on your pizza can seem downright trivial. How much more confidence should we have then since He has given us instruction on how to pray to Him? From the instruction of the Lord’s prayer to the examples of the psalmists, Scripture is full of models of prayer that please God. We have nothing less than the very words of God to tell us how to have words with God.
  3. God is the answer to our prayers. In Matthew 21:16, Jesus identifies Himself as the object of the prayer of Psalm 8:2. Hebrews 1:8-12 identifies Jesus as the object of some prayers in the Psalms as well. This may seem obvious, but think for a moment of what it means that we have a God who came down to us. We already touched on the fact that God hears and responds to prayer. But in His plan for redemption, God didn’t simply manipulate a few events; He personally involved Himself in the story. He condescended to His own creation. And before He left, He told us that He would one day do so again, and in the meantime we still have access to Him.

As I mentioned before, the theme of the retreat was “Dependence,” and I think it was a theme that was hammered home over and over again. But as I reflect on God and His gift of prayer, I can’t help but realize how this common experience ties us together as Christians. The first instance of prayer in the Bible is recorded in Genesis: the book of beginnings. The last instance of prayer in the Bible is recorded in Revelation: the book of new beginnings. Somewhere in between those two are the entirety of a people called by God, who in turn call upon Him. From Adam and Abraham to Peter and Paul to you and me, the same God has heard us all.

I’m not sure you can follow that thought and not feel very, very small.

What seem our worst prayers may really be, in God’s eyes, our best. Those, I mean, which are least supported by devotional feeling. For these may come from a deeper level than feeling. God sometimes seems to speak to us most intimately when he catches us, as it were, off our guard. (CS Lewis, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer)