Editor’s Note #2: August 2010

by Stephen Rodgers

Hey Everyone,

I’m writing this from the Mellwigs’ kitchen table in the Czech Republic to let you know that due to an unfortunate combination of events, we’re not going to post any new articles this week. However, the plan is that we will just pick it up next week like nothing ever happened.

However, since we have the “related posts” section at the bottom of each article, I thought that this might be a good time to draw your attention to some articles in the archive that would be a good springboard for exploring.

  • First of all, there’s an entire category on the subject of missions.
  • Or you could use the search box on the right to search for various words like Czech, missions, or Meinolf.
  • And last but not least, did you know that we have three sermons by Meinolf in our sermon archive? You should check those out if you haven’t heard them before; they’re “gweat!”

Enjoy everyone, and we’ll see you when we get back!

Pro Rege

Update: Some people have noted that it’s difficult to find Meinolf’s sermons. So, ease of access, let me list them for you here:

  1. Missions in the 21st Century
  2. Two Reasons for Missions
  3. Get Ready to be Involved in Missions

There Is Laid Up for Me a Crown of Righteousness

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From 2 Timothy 4:8

Doubting one! thou hast often said, ‘I fear I shall never enter heaven.’ Fear not! all the people of God shall enter there. I love the quaint saying of a dying man, who exclaimed, ‘I have no fear of going home; I have sent all before me; God’s finger is on the latch of my door, and I am ready for Him to enter.’ ‘But,’ said one, ‘are you not afraid lest you should miss your inheritance?’ ‘Nay,’ said he, ‘nay; there is one crown in heaven which the angel Gabriel could not wear, it will fit no head but mine. There is one throne in heaven which Paul the apostle could not fill; it was made for me, and I shall have it.’

O Christian, what a joyous thought! thy portion is secure; ‘there remaineth a rest.’ ‘But cannot I forfeit it?’ No, it is entailed. If I be a child of God I shall not lose it. It is mine as securely as if I were there. Come with me, believer, and let us sit upon the top of Nebo, and view the goodly land, even Canaan. Seest thou that little river of death glistening in the sunlight, and across it dost thou see the pinnacles of the eternal city? Dost thou mark the pleasant country, and all its joyous inhabitants? Know, then, that if thou couldst fly across thou wouldst see written upon one of its many mansions, ‘This remaineth for such a one; preserved for him only. He shall be caught up to dwell for ever with God.’ Poor doubting one, see the fair inheritance; it is thine.

If thou believest in the Lord Jesus, if thou hast repented of sin, if thou hast been renewed in heart, thou art one of the Lord’s people, and there is a place reserved for thee, a crown laid up for thee, a harp specially provided for thee. No one else shall have thy portion, it is reserved in heaven for thee, and thou shalt have it ere long, for there shall be no vacant thrones in glory when all the chosen are gathered in.

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Weekly Links (8/20/2010)

by Stephen Rodgers

Sorry for the late update, I had some issues with work that kept me from updating as planned. But without further ado…

  • Continuing their interview with Randy Alcorn, the folks over at the Resurgence ask the question Is There a Connection Between Birth Control and Abortion?
  • Kevin DeYoung wrote an excellent series on rebuke, which Andy Naselli gave a great overview of. I’ll link you to Naselli, since he gives you all the links in one place, and provides some other related articles and resources.
  • Every member at our church is familiar with the Peacemaker Pledge, but did you know that Peacemaker ministries has a lot of other free resources? If not, you might want to check them out.
  • You know how much I love theological journals, so rejoice with me that the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has put all their back issues online for free! Justin Taylor has some recommended articles to get you started. There are some amazing authors there: Carl Henry, Al Mohler, DA Carson, Mark Dever, John Piper, Douglas Moo…I’m looking forward to delving into it.
  • So on a topic that calls for less rejoicing than free journals…Joe Thorn has a good series on common myths about Hell. And in the same vein, RC Sproul has a insightful comment on the worst thing about Hell.
  • Last but not least, I’m getting ready to re-read a lot of books by CS Lewis, and I appreciated what Jared Wilson had to say on his “gospel wakefulness.”

Pro Rege

Photography Ministry Update

by Chris Cho

Since the launching of the Photography Ministry, there have been constant pictures of the events documented and updated on SmugMug. Officially launching the ministry enabled more professional task handling, which in turn resulted in vast improvements of the event coverage and the photo quality. Thankfully, new members have joined the team: Andrew Lin and Christina Chon who help out eagerly on many events. Because of the departure of the San Jose team, the Photography Ministry decreased in number; however, it won’t be affecting the quality of the photos due to the improvement of the photo-taking skills of the team.

There have been concerns about the selection of the photos uploaded on the website. It is inevitable that the photos might not be the most pleasing to the one whose photos are taken. If anyone is offended by the photos on SmugMug, it is crucial to let the team know as soon as possible; it is likely for others to feel the same way about certain photos. There is a strict self-examination among the team members before uploading the photos online. We first focus on what glorifies God the most through these photos while protecting the reputation of the church and members, especially our elders. But it can be difficult to define something being “fun” from something being “offensive”. The last thing the team wants is stumbling the church members due to the photos taken from the events. Communication between the photographers and members are very important. We as a team want you to feel comfortable when the photos are taken. So please talk to us and “smile” when there is a camera pointing at you.

I thought this would be a great time to introduce some of the team members as photographers, and I would like to highlight some of the distinctive styles of the team members. First, I like to introduce the most active yet former member of the team, James Lim. As a professional part-time wedding photographer, James has encouraged the members of the team to take the ministry more seriously. He challenged many of the team members to seek the ways to improve the photo quality while not losing focus on why we are serving in the ministry. He is the most influential member at criticizing the photos and make suggestions to improve the quality. His strong point as a photographer is that he can frame the photos that convey a unique perspective not found from other team members. His distinctive style enables viewers to distinguish his photos from the rest of the members’. He mainly serves in the video ministry these days but he always helps the photography ministry members by giving advice.

Courtney Chow, who is a member of San Jose church plant team, has left the team; however, her unique style is worthy of being mentioned. Her style as a photographer is very different from the rest of the members due to her use of bright natural light to highlight the object (in photography jargon, over-exposed). Her photos, therefore, convey the style popularly used in wedding photography. Her photos are also easy for the viewers to distinguish from the rest of the members.

Last but not least, Chris Cho, myself (hopefully you may not feel uncomfortable referring myself in third person), is a photographer who fell in love with heavy photo processing that shows neither blemishes nor imperfections in the photos. However, this can be skipped occasionally when he is busy with other stuff while the deadline for uploading photos has passed. Then the most natural and almost non-post-processed photos can be seen on SmugMug. He is not very photogenic, which results in him avoiding cameras while asking people to smile in front of his camera. His photos can be easily identified because of his use of vintage style filters on pretty much all of his photos uploaded on SmugMug.

There are many more members who are not mentioned in this update faithfully serve in the ministry to glorify God. They are precious gifts from God. They serve the body and carry out the Great Commission. On the next update, the styles of the others members will be mentioned.

Our goal as a team is to serve the body of Christ faithfully while using our passion for photography to benefit the church. Our focus is on Christ and carrying out the MVP of our church. One request from the photography ministry to the church members is to get to know the photographers in the church. It is natural for photographers to take pictures of people whom they are comfortable with. This results in absence of many members in the event photos despite their participation. So please talk to the photographers and they will appreciate it very much.

Editor’s Note: In case you missed it earlier in the article, you can check out all the LBC photos on the SmugMug page.

Living Theology #34 – Adoption

by Garrett Glende

Last week we looked at what happens in justification, the act of God in which we are declared righteous before Him. As tremendous as this doctrine may be, it still does not secure us all the benefits of Christ’s redemptive work. Justification only deals with our relationship with God in a legal sense, but the personal aspect of redemption comes when God adopts us into His family.

Throughout the Bible, we are told that God saves sinners into His own family and calls them sons and daughters. In other places, those who believe in Him are said to be “children of God.” John writes, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God” (1 John 3:1). The distinctive nature of adoption is that God initiates an intimate relationship with sinners. In this verse John is directly connecting the love of God to our adoption. Thus, adoption is first and foremost an act of love by God. There is no work done by us in this process. Just as a human family adopts a child, God is the one who initiates the work and sees it through. Grudem calls God’s part as Father “the role that conveys the highest privileges of fellowship with God for eternity.” While He is still our creator, judge, and Lord, the reality of God as our Father is what allows us to take part in a vast amount of blessings.

One of these privileges is that, as adopted sons and daughters, we get to be a part of a new spiritual family with our new brothers and sisters. This idea of a family should be at the center of our relationships within the local church body. We see this played out in the life of the church when Paul tells Timothy to “not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity” (1 Tim 5:1-2). The bond that has been created through our adoption into God’s family brings the whole body into deeper relationships with one another, even to the point where older men are treated like fathers and younger women are to be as sisters. Because we are all members of the same family, shouldn’t our interactions be distinct from those of the world? There should be a noticeable difference in the way that relationships within the church function. Being united in Christ and adopted by God, even the most opposite of people can experience deep Christian love and fellowship. The person who has nothing in common with us is still our brother or sister in Christ. We should love, serve, and genuinely care for this person because they are truly a part of our family. Sadly, this is not often the case, as the socially awkward and less personable people are left out and uncared for. We hear of another church member’s struggles, but our hearts do not grieve appropriately. A brother or sister experiences a great joy, but we fail to rejoice with them. Would this be the case if we truly saw them as members of our family? God has uniquely created and chosen each one of us to be a part of a local church and placed us in relationships with people for a reason. We now have a special opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others so that they would be encouraged in their Christian walks and learn to know and love God more. So the next time we all walk into church together, may we not forget that we are gathering with God’s family, our very own brothers and sisters.

Discipleship is Love

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Last time I wrote about how I was reminded of the important principle that discipleship is life on life. It is not reduced to a program in the church, but instead, every time you interact with someone else it becomes an opportunity to help them in the faith. Even in your casual conversations, you can encourage, teach, help, or counsel others. It is just a matter of whether you choose to take advantage of those opportunities or not.

Since then I have had a few conversations with different people about how difficult it is to make the commitment to someone else to walk through trials with them. This reminded me of another principle regarding discipleship that is just as important to remember: discipleship is love. Paul writes in Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” The idea behind the word “burden” is weight. When someone else has a great load to carry, it makes it much easier when another comes to help bear it. This is part of how we fulfill Christ’s command to love one another. But this is hard, and it requires a commitment of love. It is telling your brother or sister, “It doesn’t matter how deep of a pit you are in. We will climb out together no matter how long it takes.”

This principle is also expressed in 1 Thessalonians 5:14 where Paul writes, “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” The idea behind the word “help” is literally to tie yourself to another. It is like when a tree is too frail to straighten on its own and so you tie it to a stake for support. To help a brother or sister is to tie yourself to them until they have the strength to stand.

Sometimes growth is slow and so it requires time. Often other’s trials require patient and wise counseling from the Word. It is rarely easy. People are too often slow learners and growth can be painfully slow. This is why it is tremendously loving to say, “I will walk with you. We’ll do this together.” Discipleship is love.

Now here’s the thing for the believer: love is not an option. Christ does not leave it to us to decide whether we will love others or not. It is commanded of all believers that we commit to one another in love, just as Christ has loved us. If you are in Christ, you should be seeking out opportunities to love in this way. This is that agape love that serves others (cf. 1 Cor. 13:4-7) and is more than just a feeling or a thought (cf. 1 John 3:18). If we at LBC are going to pursue being a loving church, we need to make these kinds of commitments to one another in love.

Serve the Lord with Gladness

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Psalm 100:2

Delight in divine service is a token of acceptance. Those who serve God with a sad countenance, because they do what is unpleasant to them, are not serving Him at all; they bring the form of homage, but the life is absent. Our God requires no slaves to grace His throne; He is the Lord of the empire of love, and would have His servants dressed in the livery of joy. The angels of God serve Him with songs, not with groans; a murmur or a sigh would be a mutiny in their ranks. That obedience which is not voluntary is disobedience, for the Lord looketh at the heart, and if He seeth that we serve Him from force, and not because we love Him, He will reject our offering. Service coupled with cheerfulness is heart-service, and therefore true. Take away joyful willingness from the Christian, and you have removed the test of his sincerity. If a man be driven to battle, he is no patriot; but he who marches into the fray with flashing eye and beaming face, singing, ‘It is sweet for one’s country to die,’ proves himself to be sincere in his patriotism. Cheerfulness is the support of our strength; in the joy of the Lord are we strong. It acts as the remover of difficulties. It is to our service what oil is to the wheels of a railway carriage. Without oil the axle soon grows hot, and accidents occur; and if there be not a holy cheerfulness to oil our wheels, our spirits will be clogged with weariness. The man who is cheerful in his service of God, proves that obedience is his element; he can sing,

‘Make me to walk in Thy commands,
‘Tis a delightful road.’

Reader, let us put this question-do you serve the Lord with gladness? Let us show to the people of the world, who think our religion to be slavery, that it is to us a delight and a joy! Let our gladness proclaim that we serve a good Master.

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Editor’s Note: August 2010

by Stephen Rodgers

I just have a quick note for everyone related to some minor changes to the blog.

  • I know a lot of people share articles via Facebook, Buzz, Twitter and whatnot, but not very many were using the links at the bottom of the articles to do so (heck, I wasn’t using them, and I post every Beacon article to my Facebook page). Since they weren’t getting use and were just taking up space, I’ve removed them. If you feel that there’s a need for a particular kind of share code, come talk to me.
  • The blog is getting a lot larger than it used to be. We’re currently at 600+ articles and climbing. To make it easier to delve into the archive, I’ve enabled some code to link to 5 articles that seem to be similar (mostly calculated by the recurrence of keywords in the content; we could filter by category, but that seemed unnecessary for now). These links will appear at the bottom of each article under the heading of “Probably Related Posts.” I’m hopeful that this will help you browse particular topics more easily, but please let me know if you spot anything strange.

Pro Rege

Weekly Links (8/13/2010)

by Stephen Rodgers

So we’ve got some good links today, but we’re going to limit it to three distinct topics: church, ethnicity, and Randy Alcorn.

Church

Over at the desiringGod blog they’ve been doing a series on the local church, with each article focusing on a different Bible passage that illustrates a different role or function of the church. All of them are worth the time it takes to read and reflect on them:

Ethnicity

Switching gears a bit, the Mars Hill Church blog has been doing a series that explores various aspects of Biblical manhood, and they posted a couple of articles that caught my eye because they specifically addressed Christianity from an Asian-American perspective. The first article dealt with comparing and contrasting the teachings of Christ and Confucius. (That’s probably going to appeal more to the folks of Chinese descent in our congregation, and might help in talking with unsaved family members). The second article posed ten questions for the Asian Christian man, relating to particular challenges that come up in that heritage or family background.

Let me know if either of those were useful. A while back, we covered desiringGod launching their Chinese website (complete with many Piper articles in Chinese). I know that many folks in our church are on the lookout for good resources for unbelieving family members, or good non-English resources.

Randy Alcorn

And last up, we have two more videos with Randy Alcorn for you. The first delves into How God Uses Evil for Good, and the second asks Are Young Pro-Life Evangelicals Inconsistant?

Enjoy!

Pro Rege

Fireflies Nursery Ministry Update – The Summer Months

by Lillian To

Fireflies is always changing! Every week our staff is rotating, the infants and toddlers are increasing in number; they grow in height and weight and at the end of each month before we switch out our Sunday school lesson the toddlers have developed a further understanding of God’s character.

This week, Fireflies, wanted to take some time to specifically highlight a few more of those significant changes in the life of the Fireflies ministry.

Nursery 1 (0-18 months)

We have been noticing the growing population on this side of Fireflies. And we can only anticipate even more growth as God continues to multiply the families in our church. To help accommodate some of those needs, Fireflies has purchased two new pack and plays with bassinets. This is for our infants so they can sleep while they are in Fireflies.

Nursery 2 (18-36 months)

During the month of June, we saw three of our Fireflies promoted into Sparklers (preschool ministry). This is always a significant time in the life of the child as he or she matures both physically and spiritually. We hope and pray that the seeds sown during Fireflies have fallen on good soil and that we will see these young ones come to know Christ as Lord and Savior!

Curriculum

For the summer months, the truth lessons and memory verses that have and will be covered are:

A project that we wanted to share with you is our MEMORY VERSE project. We’ve found that integrating music has been helpful in bible verse memorization. While we teach the reason for why we memorize scripture – I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you (Psalm 119:11) – and explain and illustrate each verse, we’ve also taught them the verse by singing it.

The Fireflies staff recently began work on making recordings of these verses and placed them online. Currently we have two of the verses online. This project is still in the works and we wanted to share that progress with you (Fireflies Media). We hope you enjoy it and can memorize God’s word with us too!

Staff

Lastly, our staff has been going through a lot of changes. This past year, the staff had been the biggest it has ever been at a little more than 35. However, in the months of May, June and July, we saw many of these ladies transition out as they moved home, started grad school, family transitions, or went on the church plant. Yet through it all we can only testify of God’s faithfulness as he continued to provide more staff to serve in Fireflies. We are excited for our newest staff and welcome them!!!

Although we are sad to see our former staff members leave, we can only anticipate how God will use each of them whether it is in a different region of California, Hawaii, across the country or on the church plant team; we know that God is with them wherever they go. Perhaps something we’ll hear in the coming months will be the start of another Fireflies ministry at LBCSJ!

With all the changes going on here in Fireflies, our personal lives, and in the life of our church, let us be reminded there is one thing that remains the same: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8). Let’s find refuge in that truth! Praise God!