Weekly Links (2/18/2011)

A gospel which is only about the moment of conversion but does not extend to every moment of life in Christ is too small. A gospel that gets your sins forgiven but offers no power for transformation is too small. A gospel that isolates one of the benefits of union with Christ and ignores all the others is too small. A gospel that must be measured by your own moral conduct, social conscience, or religious experience is too small. A gospel that rearranges the components of your life but does not put you personally in the presence of God is too small. (Fred Sanders, The Deep Things of God. HT: Jared Wilson)

by Stephen Rodgers

And by the way, that book is good.  Really, really good.

And that brings us to the links for the week…

  • First of all, I was interested to see this article appear in the Wall Street Journal of all places.  In a piece entitled “Where Have All the Presbyterians Gone?” the WSJ explores how denominational churches and attendance is shrinking, while non-denominational churches and attendance are actually growing.  It’s an interesting read. (WEB)
  • I was stunned at how well John Piper broke down the difference between God’s moral will and His sovereign will in this article.  I’ve tried to explain that to dozens of people, and sometimes I think I just confused them more.  So if you’re one of the people that I’ve confused, go read Piper!  (WEB)
  • All of you should know that as a church we are going through The Peacemaker by Ken Sande as part of our Sunday morning classes.  What you might not know, is that Peacemaker Ministries has a blog. They typically only post about two articles a week, but they are always good to reflect on.  (WEB)
  • And speaking of peacemaking…I know when we talk about it, most people realize (correctly) that we are talking about conflict resolution.  But do you also realize that we are discussing evangelism? Andy Naselli (quoting from J. Mack Stiles’ book) has the details over at his blog.  (WEB)
  • And here’s some food for thought for our current and future seminarians: CJ Mahaney interviews James MacDonald on pursuing pastoral ministry.  (VIDEO)

Alright folks, that’s it for this week.  I’ll update the Recommend Resources when I get a chance and let you know what I add.

See you Sunday!

Pro Rege

Single Life Ministry Update

by David Ahn

This past fall represented a time of transition for the Single Life ministry at Lighthouse Bible Church, as it resumed after summer hiatus under the leadership of Pastor Patrick after previously being led by Pastor John. It also saw many actively serving single adults leaving to join the church plant or to join staff of the other ministries such as College Life and Youth Group (which I propose should be renamed HighLighters) as all three bible studies are held concurrently on Friday evenings.

Thankfully, God has used these changes to grow the singles ministry. In place of many of the familiar faces that have left for married life, San Jose, and other staff ministries, God has brought many newcomers into our midst and has given opportunities for new people to step up and serve. I am consistently amazed and challenged to see newcomers who are so eager to commit and invest in their spiritual walks when the world sees single life as a time to enjoy worldly pleasures and delay the maturing process. They often come from a variety of backgrounds: some are transplants from vibrant, healthy churches; some are recommitting after wayward college years; and some are newly seeking the gospel. However, all are exposed to the universal truth of God’s Word faithfully preached and the love of Christ’s Body.

The structure of our Friday night ministry has not changed dramatically, and still consists of an opening time of musical worship, welcoming announcements, and then a teaching time. New since the fall has been RAP groups, which is a dedicated time after the teaching for us to “lyrically freestyle” (aka “RAP”…reflection, application, and prayer) about the sermon, so that we can have some time to actively digest the truths that Pastor Patrick shared that night. Lastly, people are encouraged to spend time hanging out in the midst of refreshments and games.

I think most of the single adults would agree with me when I say that Friday Night Bible Study comes at a challenging time, when most of us have just completed a grueling workweek and are eager to usher in the weekend. Sometimes it seems almost counterintuitive to cap off the week by going to a bible study when our flesh yearns to kick back and “chillax.” However, I also believe that most would agree with me when I say that I often end up leaving Friday Night Bible Study more rejuvenated than before after having been challenged and encouraged by the gathering of believers.

Living Theology – Conclusion

by Garrett Glende

John Calvin wrote in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, “True and substantial wisdom principally consists of two parts, the knowledge of God and of ourselves.” A.W. Tozer wrote that “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” These are the reasons why I decided to begin this series in the first place. Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are all theologians. We all have ideas about who God is, what He has done, and how He acts. We also believe certain things about ourselves, our nature, and our purpose. There are none who are able to escape that fact that he or she is a theologian. This series was about theology, but theology does not end in our brains, it ends in our actions and in our daily lives. How we live exposes what we really believe. This is why I’ve tried to tie in personal application points at the end of every article. As a wrap up for the series, I think it would be good to share about what I’ve learned from reading Grudem’s book and writing the articles, as well as some thoughts on the importance of theology in general.

One thing that I knew before opening up Systematic Theology was that there would be a few points of disagreement between myself and Grudem and I was interested to see exactly how this would play out, particularly as it related to how I would convey these doctrines through the articles. I had JR’s help with the chapters at the beginning of the book, but once I moved up to San Jose last year, our times together dwindled. So when I came across things that seemed a little off to me, I really had to examine them against what the Bible said. I tried to do this as best I could, but at the same time it was very difficult to disagree with someone who has the type of credentials that Dr. Grudem does. I already held convictions, but I have not even come close to the type of work that he has accomplished. Having said this, I still believe that we both have the same Holy Spirit working in us and illuminating our hearts, thus he is no more capable of understanding truth than I am in that sense. Through this, I learned that learning theology requires humility. It’s neither humble nor honest of me to dismiss another viewpoint without taking the time to consider it.

Through this study I’ve also gained a firmer grasp on the Bible’s teachings and how doctrines are developed. I think it’s very easy to make claims about what you believe, but it’s another issue to defend it from Scripture. Grudem’s work is thoroughly Scriptural and there are many references to Bible passages. This was helpful particularly in the areas of the Old Testament that I was less familiar with. He showed that the Bible has a clear and consistent message about who God is, regardless of the time period. After reading through each chapter and reporting back, I can definitely say that the Bible is clear about what it teaches and that God wants us to know Him for who He really is.

That said, theology would be a worthless study if there is no underlying relationship with God. Many people claim to know God, but perhaps they only know things about God. We cannot mistake knowledge for a relationship. There are probably plenty of atheists out there who know more about the Bible than I do, but it does them little good in the long run, as the truths they encounter in Scripture make no impact on their lives. But Christians are not immune to this either. Every time we open God’s word we are encountered with universal truth. If our eyes gloss over the words, only storing information in our heads and not our hearts, then we have become just like the Atheist. If there is no change in our lives, no outward evidence of God’s word within us, then we must take a step back and ask ourselves what role God is playing in our lives. He is so much more than an interesting topic to study (although He is infinitely interesting). He is our personal Savior and Lord and we have the privilege of knowing Him intimately. If we truly value this relationship, then theology will be immensely important to us, directing our hearts and minds to live in a manner worthy of the gospel. So please don’t make the excuse that theology is only for the “smart people” or for the pastors. No, it is for all of us. And if you’re intimidated by a big book like Grudem’s (which is really quite readable), then start small and work your way up. It’s well worth it, but be sure that what you read becomes what you live.

Lolly, Lolly, Lolly Get Your Adverbs Here!

by Elder Peter Lim

I grew up watching the Schoolhouse Rock series of animated snippets which taught me many lessons about the U.S. Government (“I’m Just a Bill”), Science, History, as well as English grammar (“Conjunction Junction, What’s Your Function”). The lessons on adverbs and adjectives remain vividly in my mind. Little did I know that these parts of a sentence would be so critical to understanding the heart behind the gospel message.

“The law makes sin appear exceedingly sinful; the gospel makes sin feel exceedingly painful.” (Phil Johnson)

I love this quote by Phil Johnson because it conveys the sort of realization that only a genuine Christian would have. It would be easy for many people, especially those who have grown up in the church, to write the same thoughts without these underlined modifiers. They would still make sense and they would still be true. However, the word “exceedingly” adds a higher degree of understanding that conveys a heart that has truly experienced the grace of God. I thought it would be a good idea to expand on this thought to include some more indicators of a true Christian:

  • Heartfelt worship of God
  • Burning desire to pursue godliness
  • Anguishing regret over one’s own sin
  • Wretched low view of self
  • Loving obedience to Scripture
  • Humble understanding and enthusiastic agreement with the facts of the gospel

Try reading each one of these without the underlined adjectives. They still make sense, don’t they? However, what’s missing is the seriousness and the wretchedness and the passion which are inherently a part of an appropriate response to the gospel. How can we so coldly write the facts regarding our perfect God, the holy Creator who emptied Himself of His divine privilege to come and be made as a man, humbling Himself to the point of death on a cross? Worse, how can we live our lives as if sin isn’t so bad and doesn’t affect our relationship with God? Friends, we need to hate the sin in our lives more and more as we mature in Christ. May we never get to a point where we’re comfortable with where our lives are at and let us strive forward to excel still more toward godliness.

Recommended Resources Updated

by Stephen Rodgers

Just to let you know, the Recommended Resources page has been updated again.  Specifically, I’ve added in a Shopping section (to bring to your attention where some of the better deals are, and when they are likely to happen).  Also, I’ve updated the Software section with a new piece of software, as well as links to fantastic resources for preaching different books of the Bible (technically that’s not software, but I wasn’t sure where else to put it).

Thanks for reading!

Pro Rege

Turn Away Mine Eyes from Beholding Vanity…

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Psalm 119:37

There are divers kinds of vanity. The cap and bells of the fool, the mirth of the world, the dance, the lyre, and the cup of the dissolute, all these men know to be vanities; they wear upon their forefront their proper name and title. Far more treacherous are those equally vain things, the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. A man may follow vanity as truly in the counting-house as in the theatre. If he be spending his life in amassing wealth, he passes his days in a vain show. Unless we follow Christ, and make our God the great object of life, we only differ in appearance from the most frivolous.

It is clear that there is much need of the first prayer of our text. ‘Quicken Thou me in Thy way.’ The Psalmist confesses that he is dull, heavy, lumpy, all but dead. Perhaps, dear reader, you feel the same. We are so sluggish that the best motives cannot quicken us, apart from the Lord Himself. What! will not hell quicken me? Shall I think of sinners perishing, and yet not be awakened? Will not heaven quicken me? Can I think of the reward that awaiteth the righteous, and yet be cold? Will not death quicken me? Can I think of dying, and standing before my God, and yet be slothful in my Master’s service? Will not Christ’s love constrain me? Can I think of His dear wounds, can I sit at the foot of His cross, and not be stirred with fervency and zeal? It seems so!

No mere consideration can quicken us to zeal, but God Himself must do it, hence the cry, ‘Quicken Thou me.’ The Psalmist breathes out his whole soul in vehement pleadings: his body and his soul unite in prayer. ‘Turn away mine eyes,’ says the body: ‘Quicken Thou me,’ cries the soul. This is a fit prayer for every day. O Lord, hear it in my case this night.

1.20p

Weekly Links (2/11/2011)

Screwtape to Wormwood: “It sounds as if you supposed that argument was the way to keep him out of the Enemy’s clutches. That might have been so if he had lived a few centuries earlier. At that time the humans still knew pretty well when a thing was proved and when it was not; and if it was proved they really believed it. They still connected thinking with doing and were prepared to alter their way of life as the result of a chain of reasoning. But what with the weekly press and other such weapons we have largely altered that. Your man has been accustomed, ever since he was a boy, to have a dozen incompatible philosophies dancing about together inside his head. He doesn’t think of doctrines as primarily ‘true’ or ‘false’, but as ‘academic’ or ‘practical’, ‘outworn’ or ‘contemporary’, ‘conventional’ or ‘ruthless’. Jargon, not argument, is your best ally in keeping him from the Church.” (C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters. HT: AOM)

by Stephen Rodgers

Welcome back to another edition of the Weekly Links! So, assuming you’re ready to move on to the weekly links…

  • Since our annual missions trips are coming up (if you’re not familiar with them, here’s a great place to start reading), so I was particularly excited to see this article over at DG on 30 Ways to Stay Alive to Missions. (WEB)
  • Also, I know a lot of people are doing some shopping for books.  We all know places like Amazon and Christanbook.com have deals, but did you know that the Westminster Bookstore has a special section of “imperfect books?” Most of these are in pretty good condition; they just have a crease here or a scuff mark there.  And they discount them a little bit extra.  If you love books and love being frugal, this is a good place to start looking.  (WEBSITE)
  • Over at the Ligonier blog, Sinclair Ferguson wrote an article on discernment that I thought was particularly well-put.  You definitely should check that out. (WEB)
  • I’ve mentioned before that Jon Acuff can be rather hit-or-miss for me, but his three points of what to do when you encounter a confusing Bible passage were helpful.  And actually funny as well. (WEBSITE)
  • Back to the DG website, they have an very brief article that sets up a quote from John Frame on “avoiding smarty-pants theology.” The more I read Frame, the more I benefit from his insight into both the Scriptures and the human heart. (WEB)
  • This week, I have a special article for those in the Single’s Ministry (although honestly, anyone with a job will benefit from it).  Matt Perman offers a summary of a recent Tim Keller article on how both spiritual and secular jobs are God’s work. (WEB)

That’s all for now.  The Recommended Resources page should be updated sometime this weekend.  I’ll let you know when that happens.

See you Sunday!

Pro Rege

LBC Weekly SPARK – February 11, 2011

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC family and friends,

I hope you are doing well and walking in the Lord. I trust it has been a good week for you, but even if it hasn’t, this weekend will surely lift your spirits! Mission Bowl is one of the highlights of the year, and the ladies will be taking the field on Saturday! It will be particularly encouraging to watch as many new faces will be participating. I encourage you to come out to the Pep Rally tonight (2/11) and to the tournament tomorrow (2/12). It’s going to be a great time and a lot of fun!

Also, as this Monday is Valentine’s Day, let us take some time to remember God’s amazing love for us. This holiday may present some opportunities to share about that love with others.

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are the announcements for this week:

UPCOMING EVENTS

  1. Pep Rally. The Mission Bowl Pep Rally is at the church tonight at 6:30pm. Because of this event, the regularly scheduled Friday night Bible studies will be cancelled this week (Lumos, College Life, and Single Life). Come out to the Pep Rally and cheer on our teams! All are invited to participate!
  2. Ladies Mission Bowl. The ladies will be having their Mission Bowl tournament on Saturday, February 12 at UCSD’s Muir Field. There will be a time of worship at the church at 7:30am, and then the teams will head to UCSD at 9:00am. Especially as we are the host church, let’s be sure to come with a welcoming spirit and be examples of Christ’s love.
  3. “Fireproof.” This Sunday, as part of Care Month, we will be having two showings of the movie “Fireproof” at 1:30pm and 6:00pm. In order to serve our families, childcare will be provided for both showings. After each showing a few of our married couples will be sharing about the gospel and its impact on marriage. This is a great opportunity to invite family and friends to come and hear about God’s view of marriage.
  4. Membership Class. We will be having a two-part membership class on Saturday, February 19, from 9:00am-12:00pm, and on Sunday, February 20, from 1:00-4:00pm. Attendance is required for both classes. If you are interested in becoming a member, please contact Pastor Patrick for an application (pastorpatrick@gmail.com).
  5. College Retreat. The college group will be having their annual retreat from February 25-27 at Pine Valley Bible Camp. Our speaker this year is Pastor Dan Nah of Cornerstone Bible Church, and he will be speaking on the theme of “Scandalous Grace.” The cost to go is only $120. You can sign up with Ryan Short this Sunday in the foyer with a $50 non-refundable deposit!
  6. Single Life Ladies Appreciation Night. The singles will be having their biannual LAN on Saturday, February 19. This year, things will be a bit different as we will be serving an afternoon tea from 2:00-4:00pm at the church. Singles guys who are interested in helping plan this event should communicate with Eugene Park. Single gals who wish to attend should RSVP with Eugene Park (e1park@gmail.com).
  7. Single Life Retreat. The singles will be having their retreat on the weekend of March 18-20, at Pine Valley Bible Camp. Our speaker this year will be Pastor James Lee, who will be addressing the theme of “Dependence.” The cost is only $130 (including a $50 non-refundable deposit). You can sign up with Brian Song!
  8. GraceLife Picnic at the Park. On Saturday, February 26, from 11:00am-1:00pm, we will be having a GraceLife Picnic at the Park (Torrey Hills Community Park). This is an opportunity for families to spend an afternoon together in the sun while the kiddies play! Bring a lunch for your family as well as parky type fun things (e.g. kites, Frisbees, footballs, etc.). Talk to Pastor Patrick if you have any questions.

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

  1. Prayer. Don’t forget to come to church a little early on Sunday for a time of corporate prayer in the sanctuary. The sanctuary will be open for prayer at 8:45am, and prayer requests will be projected on the wall. If you are out in the foyer talking with one another, I would encourage you to remind each other of this time and come in to pray for the church.
  2. Sunday School. Don’t forget that this Sunday is the beginning of the new Sunday School term. Fundamentals of the Faith (FOF1) will begin again on chapter 1. The new classes being offered are:

The Peacemaker (Peter Lim, Mike Chon, Stephen Rodgers)
Peacemaking for Families (Patrick Cho; for GraceLife)
Fundamentals of the Faith (Min Kim and Steve Preslar)

PRAYER NEEDS

  1. Please be in prayer for the elders to diligently prepare for teaching, to lead the church well, and to continually walk in uprightness and holiness.
  2. Please pray that the members of the church would walk in the fear of the Lord, not driven by the fear of man. Pray that decisions would be based upon the principles of God’s Word and not on emotions, feelings, or personal beliefs. Pray for an overall sense of godly wisdom for the church.
  3. Please pray for the preparation for summer missions.
  4. Please pray for our engaged and dating couples to maintain their relationships in holiness and purity.
  5. Please continue to pray for Erick Min and Alex Lim who are currently deployed with the military in Afghanistan. Pray for their spiritual wellbeing and that they would shine the light of the gospel while away. Please also pray for their safe return.
  6. Please pray for the events mentioned in the email above that they would bring glory to God. Pray especially for the Mission Bowl tournament that all the churches participating would have godly attitudes and would enjoy the fellowship more than the competition.

Staff Perspective (College)

by Teddy Yu

Hello, my name is Teddy Yu and God has richly blessed me and many others with the joy of serving on college staff and to intimately witness God at work in the lives of the collegians here at Lighthouse. College life is a critical time where many young men and women live away from family and begin to make many independent and important decisions. It is during this time that many decide a career path, develop lifelong habits, and even pursue a potential spouse. But more importantly, college ministry presents the unique opportunity to minister to many young men and women while they are ready and willing to listen to the Gospel. For it is during this time that they are in the process of forming convictions on matters of life and faith that will guide them through the rest of their lives.

So just as there is joy before the angels of God over each sinner that repents (Luke 15:10), it is our great joy to witness, by God’s grace, steady spiritual growth in the lives of each of the beloved collegians. It is a blessing to be used by God to encourage the collegians by being involved in their lives on a personal basis with weekly small groups, individual meet-ups, or even unexpected and sometimes late-night emergency phone calls. Even simple gestures of kindness such as providing a simple meal or chatting in the hallway at church or writing a quick encouragement note or praying faithfully for them can go a long way in encouraging the collegians. And while it can be humbling and intimidating at times, do not underestimate the influence of your counsel, teaching, and example of holiness, whether in a formal or informal role, to either build up or tear down the faith of the collegians.

These personal relationships with the collegians make it all the sweeter to witness the spectacle of God’s powerful grace in their lives as they: hear the Gospel and respond in faithful repentance, grow in conviction of sin and submission to Christ, publicly identify themselves with Christ through baptism, commit to membership at Lighthouse, delight more in the faithful teaching of the Word, serve with humility, etc. And just as Paul rejoiced at proven of faith (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3; 1 Peter 1:6-7) so too do we rejoice as the collegians bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and continue to run hard in the worship of God after graduation. And especially for those who choose to stay in San Diego after graduation, it is a rich blessing to serve as co-laborers of Christ to bring glory to God together. It is to this end that we in the college ministry strive so that God would, by His grace, work in the hearts of the collegians to bring Him glory in all that they do.

Press on in the faith with perseverance collegians!

Living Theology #55 – The New Heaven and New Earth

by Garrett Glende

It’s fitting the last chapter in Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology is also the last chapter of all of history, the New Heaven and New Earth. Many Christians lack interest in Heaven because they don’t really know what to expect when they get there. Most of their theology has been informed by cartoons or jokes and not by the Bible’s teaching. Since it is the place where eternity will be spent for those who have trusted in Christ, it should be all the more interesting and meaningful to us today.

One of the common misconceptions about Heaven (in reference to the eternal state) is that it is a spiritual realm, where we have no bodies and we aimlessly float around on clouds. However, the Bible paints a much different picture of Heaven for us. We see from the testimony of the Scriptures that it is a physical place, where our souls will be united with our resurrected bodies and we will live in perfect fellowship with our Creator. These first two points are very important and we must understand that Heaven is an actual place where we will have real bodies. Throughout Scripture we read that there will be eating and drinking and working and singing for all eternity, so this must have some relation to a physical existence. We know that God will redeem our current sinful bodies into perfect resurrected ones. Paul writes of this in 1 Corinthians 15 and Romans 8, where he says that all creation awaits this renewal, “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Rom. 8:23). Further evidence to support this view of Heaven comes from the book of Revelation itself, where we see images of trees, a river, and a new city of Jerusalem with its specific dimensions. This New Heaven and New Earth are much different than what most people think of.

Perhaps the most wonderful thing about the eternal state is that we will be in the very presence of God. Revelation 22:5 says that we “will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” I love John’s words in Revelation 21:1-5:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

We will be His people and He will be our God. There will be no more pain or suffering or sin, for these former things will have passed. This is a new place, where sin does not exist and every action is pure. We will see God in all His glory and we will praise Him for all eternity.

To many of us this might seem like a distant thought, but we would do well to consider it deeply, even today. Since Heaven is an eternal state, Jesus urges his disciples, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:19-21). Everything that we accumulate here on Earth is going to burn. It’s either going to perish or be taken from us and we’ll never have it again. So we must store up our treasures in Heaven, where they will last for eternity. This passage in Matthew comes in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, just after Jesus had taught on the hypocrisy of those who pray and fast for everyone to see. These people have already received their reward, the praise of man, but those who are humbly come before God, only wanting to please Him, will receive heavenly rewards. The reality of the new creation should motivate us to live holy lives today. Peter also exhorts the church to live “lives of holiness and godliness,” for “all these things are thus to be dissolved” (2 Pet. 3:11). In his book called Holiness, JC Ryle calls Christians to live holy lives so that they will be prepared for Heaven. If we are living lives full of sin now, how will we know how to act when we are in Heaven where there is no sin? This means that we are to lay aside anything other than Christ that grasps for our heart’s affection. Invest in the things that will still be relevant in Heaven, the things that bring God glory.