Weekly Links (12/31/09)

by Stephen Rodgers

Alright, here’s the last weekly links of the year, and it’s a bit of doozy since last week we focused exclusively on Christmas. So, to round out the year, we have the following:

• David Doran has a brief but thoughtfli post on the relationship between Christ and glory.
• Mark Driscoll continues his interview of RC Sproli, asking him about his greatest battle, and the one thing he wishes he colid do over.
• Spurgeon reminds us what Scripture is.
• In light of the situation with Matt Chandler, I thought this sermon from John Piper was especially timely, dealing with the topic of suffering. It’s called Don’t Waste Your Cancer.
• Speaking of Matt Chandler, see what he deals with and why he argues with Mark Driscoll about who has the harder job.
• I know this is an issue that some in our congregation are dealing with, so I found it timely that over at the 9Marks blog they have an article on Trusting God Through Unemployment.
• Over at Irish Calvinist, there’s a thought-provoking post on using Google to identify idolatry in your life.
• The last link of the year is for those of you who want to spend more time in the Word next year. The ESV folks have published a variety of Bible-reading plans and ways to be reminded.

And since it’s an appropriate time for resolutions and resolve, I thought I’d try to pass along some great advice regarding how to live your life differently this year:

“You don’t have to know a lot of things for your life to make a lasting difference in the world. But you do have to know the few great things that matter, perhaps just one, and then be willing to live for them and die for them. The people that make a durable difference in the world are not the people who have mastered many things, but who have been mastered by one great thing. If you want your life to count, if you want the ripple effect of the pebbles you drop to become waves that reach the ends of the earth and roll on into eternity, you don’t need to have a high IQ. You don’t have to have good looks or riches or come from a fine family or a fine school. Instead you have to know a few great, majestic, unchanging, obvious, simple, glorious things—or one great all-embracing thing—and be set on fire by them.”

– John Piper, Don’t Waste Your Life

See you next year!

Pro Rege

Weekly Links – Christmas Edition (12/25/09)

by Stephen Rodgers

Merry Christmas Everyone! This week, since it is Christmas and all, I’m going to focus purely on a collection of Christmas links for you. I hope you enjoy them.

• In an interesting bit of Christmas triva, RC Sproul writes about why Christians being upset at “Christmas” being written as “X-Mas” may have misplaced their anger. He then follows that up with a post underscoring Christ as Savior in understanding the glory of Christmas.
• Frank Turk of TeamPyro fame has a rather penetrating post dealing with the subject of the wise men who came to worship Jesus. The parallels for our own lives are convicting to say the least. I would greatly encourage you to read what he’s written on the subject of coming to worship.
• CJ Mahaney reminds us all that before we can rightly celebrate Christmas (as it was meant to be celebrated), we must first be disturbed by what it means.
• Al Mohler writes to remind us that the Christmas story does not begin with the four gospels of the New Testament.
• And finally, Kevin DeYoung writes what could be considered the unabridged version of Al Mohler’s post (see above), in attempting to tackle the Christmas story from beginning to end. And yes, I saved this one for last because it requires not one, not two, not three, but four parts to tell that story.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Pro Rege

Editor’s Note: Beacon News (and Matt Chandler)

by Stephen Rodgers

Hey Everyone,

Just to let you know, I have been so encouraged by all of you visiting and reading the Beacon. I’ve had people thank me, challenge me, and seen conversations flying around on Facebook. And that makes it all worthwhile.

However, all this work doesn’t take place in a vaccuum. With Christmas here, the team needs a rest, I need a rest (mostly to work on other Beacon-related activities), and quite frankly, you all might need a rest to spend time with your families. And you should.

That’s why the Beacon is taking a two-week vacation (sort of). There won’t be any updates to the blog except for the Weekly Links feature (since I do that, and if I build up three weeks of links, it won’t be pretty). However, we should resume new LBC content on January 4th. And just to whet your appetite, there should be a big announcement then, so you don’t want to miss it!

Also, since I wrote my other post regarding Matt Chandler, I thought it appropriate to provide you with something of an update. Please keep him and his family in prayer.

Thanks again for making the first few months here at the Beacon a wonderful time.

Pro Rege

Weekly Links (12/18/09)

by Stephen Rodgers

Following the trend from last week, we’ve got fewer links than usual, which should give you time to really think about the ones we have. So without further ado, here we go:

• Over at the A Different Story, there’s a great article on the dangers of anonymity in Christian community.
• Mark Driscoll’s interview of RC Sproul continues; this week, he asks RC “How do you prepare yourself for ministry?” Find a pre-sem guy and ask him if he’s watched this yet; if he says no, you can give him a disapproving look. Really, you can, and you should.
• Also on the Resurgence, there’s a great article entitled “Jesus is for Losers.” If you don’t think this applies to you, you may have missed the Gospel.
• This one’s for Pastor John. Over at the Grateful to the Dead blog, there’s a great overview article on how Jonathan Edwards was kicked out of his own church. And before you ask, this is for PJ because he loves Edwards, NOT because we want him gone. Don’t even go there.
• Some days you just need to get back to fundamentals. Over at the Straight Up blog, James MacDonald has an article on How to Benefit from the Bible.
• For my more economically/mathematically/statistically/operationally-minded brothers and sisters, the Swerve blog has reposted a series of three articles that are great for starting to think about resource allocation in the church. Don’t be scared, they’re short, simple, and just designed to prompt thought. So hit up the introductory article, then check out the Cost vs. Excellence article, and finally read the Cost vs. Effectiveness article.
• And last but not least, the Ligonier blog has a neat article reminding us that to be called to God is to be called to a struggle. Check it out and remind yourself what it means to struggle with God Biblically.

See you Sunday!

Pro Rege

What’s Up Bro?

by Elder Peter Lim

Here in America, people frequently greet each other as a brother or simply as “bro”. It’s a common greeting especially between friends who have known each other for a long time. Sometimes it’s even used to greet a stranger when one wants to convey a sense of friendliness. Of course there’s nothing wrong with being friendly but as a Christian, the title of “brother” is a precious one. It brings to mind the preciousness of what Jesus accomplished on the cross that made it possible for us to have a common Father in God. (1 Cor 8:11)

To call someone a brother who is not a Christian cheapens the precious relationship that Christians have with one another. For Christians, a servant can call his master a brother. A man who has been deeply hurt and offended can truly forgive enough to call him a brother. A murderer can become a brother of those he once sought to kill. A man would rather suffer loss of property or rights rather than take his brother to court (1 Cor. 6:6). In fact it’s impossible for anyone to say that they love God if they don’t love their brother (1 John 4:20). Hating a brother is as bad as murdering a brother (1 John 3:15).

This is why I never use the term “brother” when referring to people in general. I wouldn’t want to bestow that title to someone who may not consider Jesus to be precious. On the other hand, whenever I do use this term, you can be sure that it’s something that I have thought through. Brothers (and sisters!) are precious. Jesus died for them. They deserve my deepest affections and service and love, no matter how badly we’ve been hurt in the past. Life is too short to live with grudges and bitterness.

Brothers, hurting each other during this lifetime is an eventual certainty, especially the longer we work with one another because we are all prideful sinners. This is why we must be especially slow to anger, and quick to forgive. Do you have broken/strained/difficult relationships with your brothers? Humble yourself and seek out peace. For the glory of God it will be worth it.

Living Theology #5 – The Clarity of Scripture

by Garrett Glende

For the past several weeks we have looked at different characteristics of the Bible: its cannon, authority, and inerrancy. In chapter 6 of Grudem’s Systematic Theology the question of the clarity of Scripture is addressed. You should have noticed by now that there is a purposeful ordering of these chapters, as the book begins with a foundation built on the Word of God. Grudem deliberately introduces these topics first so that we would be prepared to study the rest of the issues with a proper bibliology. This is necessary because we must think rightly about the source of our doctrinal convictions. Our beliefs about God will hold no weight if they are not firmly tied to a high view of His word. That being said, the topic addressed this week bears even more importance, for if Scripture is not clear about what it says, how can we be sure about any belief we have at all?

Thankfully, we can be sure of God’s character as revealed in Scripture because the Bible itself attests to its clarity. Grudem says, “The clarity of Scripture means that the Bible is written in such a way that its teachings are able to be understood by all who will read it seeking God’s help and being willing to follow it.” This doctrine is also known as the perspicuity of Scripture. This conclusion can be made by looking to Jesus’ understanding of the Old Testament. He often rebuked the Jewish people for not understanding or misinterpreting what was written for them (Matthew 12:3, 5; 21:42). Christ expected that the people would be able to comprehend the Old Testament for themselves and He blamed them, not the Scriptures, for their misunderstanding. There was no leeway given to the Jews because a certain aspect of Scripture was unclear on any point. Moreover, God commands His people to have His word on their hearts and to teach it to their children (Deut. 6:6-7), implying that God’s word is clear enough to be understood and taught to others. Discussion of the Scriptures was to be a daily part of life for the Jew, but this would not be possible if it were limited in its clarity. Even when we get into the New Testament writings, although Peter admits that some of Paul’s writings are difficult to understand, there is never any sense that one cannot ever come to a conclusion. Paul even wrote predominantly to a Gentile audience who knew little about Jewish culture, but he still expected that the churches would understand him. As the church age has progressed and we now live in a culture much unlike the one of the Bible, God’s truth remains the same in its clarity and usefulness to our lives.

Those who argue against the clarity of the Bible often bring up 1 Corinthians 2:14, where Paul writes that “the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” However, this verse describes the inability of the unregenerate to discern spiritual truths, not the overall ambiguity of Scripture. It is obvious that a non-believer is able to understand what the Bible says in an academic sense, but they are not spiritually affected by what they learn. Only those who have been born again through the Spirit are able to be transformed at the heart.

In a world where there is much religious confusion, the Bible sheds light on the truth (Psalm 119:105, 2 Peter 1:19). Thus, instead of adding to the conundrum of philosophical and religious thought peddled by many, Scripture enlightens us, revealing clearly what is true about God and the way of salvation. We can turn there knowing that we will not leave without gaining further insight into the knowledge of our Creator. So what do we do when we come to something in the Bible that we just can’t make sense of? It’s not as if the Bible reads like a children’s novel, so what do we do with the hard parts? Grudem points out two reasons for our misunderstanding of the text. First, he writes, we could be “seeking to make affirmations where Scripture itself is silent.” Some common places where this may occur could be in making many practical decisions, such as music style or church size. In this case, it would be wise to stay away from any dogmatic stances, seeing that Scripture does not explicitly mention such issues. Secondly, our misunderstanding could be due to our own inadequacies in study, not the ambiguity of the Bible. We could have simply not read carefully enough or put aside the time necessary for comprehension.

The perspicuity of Scripture particularly applies to us especially in dealing with difficult subjects. When we wish to study controversial issues that there is much debate over such as miraculous sign gifts, the extent of the atonement, or end times prophecy, we can know that Scripture speaks clearly on such topics. Our approach in dealing with this should be one that sees comprehension as possible. We should not see the difficult road ahead, throw up our hands, and leave it to the seminary professors to decide the issue for us. There is no special society that alone can interpret Scripture correctly. We are all members of a royal priesthood, given the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Scriptures for us (1 Peter 2:9). With the proper prayer, dedication on the Spirit, and diligence in study, we are able to understand God’s word for ourselves.

Music Ministry

by Eugene Park

The music ministry at Lighthouse is a wide ranging ministry. My role is to oversee the whole ministry and make sure that everything in the ministry, from top down, represents solid Biblical worship. The one element that most people equate with the music ministry is the Sunday praise team. But there are other bands that serve the church as well. There’s the college praise team led by Tim Yu and the singles praise team led by Peter Park. These teams work hard in being excellent in their ministry. What most people don’t know is that we also have Abram Kim who is in charge of the children’s praise ministry. While there isn’t a full band, it’s still an important ministry because it’s an opportunity to teach the children God’s Word through music.

The music ministry also extends to the choir/vocal ensemble/singing group (depending on how big the group is). While the choir might be more “performance” based, it is still our desire to sing music that is biblically accurate that points the listener to Christ. This group sings for special events like the Christmas Concert and Resurrection Sunday and maybe one or two more times during the year.

Perhaps once every two months I like to have a time of praise through the singing of hymns. This is where the orchestra comes in. The orchestra provides the musical accompaniment for the congregation as we sing songs that generations have sung in the church.

Sometimes finding people to fulfill roles in this ministry is hard. People need to have the right heart in serving in this ministry, but they also need to have musical skill as well. You wouldn’t just throw anyone up on stage to preach, so why would you throw anyone up there to play/sing? So that’s challenging because sometimes people want to join the ministry playing an instrument and/or singing, but I have to gently tell them that perhaps they should try to find another area to serve.

Despite the hard work that is involved in this ministry, I consider it a joy to serve in this way.

Weekly Links (12/11/09)

by Stephen Rodgers

This week on the Beacon, we’ve got fewer links than usual, which should give you time to really think about the ones we have. So without further ado, here we go:

• Andy Naselli has a post up on his rather positive reaction to the Harry Potter books, along with a response to the numerous write-ins he got rebuking him for enjoying Harry Potter. He recommends a series of essays by Kevin Bauder in dealing with the topic of “The Christian and Fantasy Literature.”
• Tim Challies wraps up his series on leadership in the home with a post on how a Godly man provides.
• Mark Driscoll continues his interview with RC Sproul, this week asking him about his relationship with Alice Cooper.
• Taking a theme from John Piper, Jared Wilson has a post on the them of “Don’t Waste Your Calvinism.”
• Douglas Wilson has a post over at CREDENDAagenda regarding the Potency of Right Worship.
• Over at Evangel, Frank Turk has an interesting post up dealing with the idea of the intersection of God’s wrath and Christmas.
• And last but not least, over at the Irish Calvinist blog, Erik Raymond has a post up regarding how Your True Theology is Displayed not Merely Confessed.

Pro Rege

A Quiet Time of Discipleship

by Pastor JR Cuevas

If you abide in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine

The great men of the faith deemed it as the Christian soldier’s most important activity. It’s that activity in which a believer can experience strength, comfort, conviction, encouragement, and exhortation all at the same time. It’s that activity in which, when one is engaged in it regularly and intimately, he finds himself exhibiting a sustained joy and strength even through the most painful of afflictions. And it’s the one activity that, when you ask a seasoned pastor what the secret is to spiritual growth, you are counseled never to neglect. Yet, the failure to engage in this activity can lead to disastrous outcomes for even the believers whom we consider the strongest. It’s the activity that, though is ever so vital to the believer’s life, is so often neglected or pushed off to a more convenient time. I’m referring to the hub of the Christian life. I’m referring to the beliver’s time alone with God. I’m referring to the believer’s “quiet time.”

As a pastor, not only are constantly trying to help people fight their spiritual battles; you’re busy trying to fight your own. Now, it would be fair to conclude that people don’t always go through the same circumstances, and don’t always respond to those circumstances in the same way. But one thing is certain; a lack of growth and fervor in the beliver’s life can always be traced back to a lack of intimacy in his relationship with the Lord. And a lack of intimacy with the Lord can usually – if not always – be traced back to a consistent dryness in one’s quiet times. If this time with God is so crucial, then why is it that Christians of all walks of life – from the neophytes to the church leaders – find themselves struggling staying fervent and faithful in this particular area of their lives? Perhaps it’s because Satan understands the importance of it, and subtlely attacks it without the Christian knowing so. And perhaps he does it through seeping in faulty perspectives into the Christian’s mind as to how to approach his time of solitude, whether it be in the morning or evening.

Why is it that all Christians find it a struggle to maintain discipline in their times with God? Perhaps it’s because they view their quiet times as that and only that – a discipline. Time spent in the Word and in prayer is viewed simply as an exercise of the mind and heart with the same type of discipline with which one exhibits when he goes for a jog or diligently completes his homework assignments. I’m not here to say that having good quiet times doesn’t involve discipline. It does – and requires more so than other endeavors. For others, the quiet time is a “devotional” time – and just that. It is viewed simply as a time when a believer can channel the deepest of his emotions and desires towards God. Again, I’m not here to say that having a good quiet times doesn’t involve devotion, for it does indeed. Yet, while we often associate quiet times with the terms “discipline” and “devotion,” one must ask: how often do we associate quiet times with the word “discipleship?” Simply put, when was the last time you referred to the hour you spent reading your Bible and praying to God as the hour of the day when Christ was discipling you? That we don’t refer to quiet times as times of discipleship may be a result of our forgetting that the quiet time was meant to be a time in which two parties – not one – are present: you and God.

But the quiet time should be viewed one’s time of discipleship with the Lord because, simply put, that’s exactly what it is. Discipleship involved two parties – the discipler and the disciplee. The quality of the discipleship, then, depends on both – not just one – of them. The discipleship will not take place when one party is absent. The quiet time for the Christian, similarly, involved two parties – himself and God. For during those times, God is present with you and you alone – comforting you, convicting you, encouraging you, and teaching you to conform more like His Son through the power of His Spirit. The Word of God is in fact living and active, not dead and static. Consider this change in perspective: It’s not so much about what you’re reading as it is what He’s saying. It’s not so much about what you’re learning, as much as it is about what He’s teaching you. It’s not so much about your spending time with Him as much as it is His spending time with you. Let’s humbly face the reality that the quality of our quiet times depends not on our personal discipline and resolve as much as it depends on God’s faithfulness to opening up our hearts and inclining them to understand His Word. It’s not about our works as it is about His grace. It’s not so much about how we have focused our hearts on God as much as it is how He has inclined our hearts to want to listen to His Word. Thus, instead of asking yourself, “what did I read today,” ask yourself, “what did He tell me today, through His word?” Instead of asking, “how have I been praying,” start asking yourself, “how has God been answering my prayers?” View your reading Genesis as the time when God is reminding you of how things came to be. View your reading Proverbs as the time when God is imparting His wisdom onto you. View your time in 1 Peter as God’s letter to you to remain steadfast through times of affliction and persecution.

To conclude, I’m not denying the reality of personal commitment and faithfulness in cultivating a quiet time. But I am advocating a change in perspective for many of us – including myself. It’s time to start seeing this “hub” of the Christian life as a time of discipleship between God and you. Acknowledge Him. Revere Him. Depend on Him.

Living Theology #4 – Inerrancy

by Garrett Glende

Having looked at the doctrine of the authority of Scripture last week, we’ll now deal with a related issue, inerrancy. Grudem defines the inerrancy of Scripture to be the fact that “Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is false.” This idea is closely tied to the reality of Scripture being fully God’s word and authoritative. Were it not for the inspiration of Scripture, then there would be no basis to say that it is inerrant, for we would not be able to point to the truthfulness of God to defend its veracity. If the Bible has been written by mere men, then its words attesting to its authority hold no weight. However, we know that God has indeed inspired men to write down His word and we can say with confidence that all of His word is true.

There is often much misunderstanding about the specifics of inerrancy. It is many times confused with the word “infallibility,” which implies a less strict standard of truthfulness. While infallibility claims that all of Scripture pertaining only to “faith and practice” is true, inerrancy goes further, saying that the Bible speaks truthfully on all matters including faith and practice along with historical accounts. Proponents of inerrancy argue that the Bible does not limit itself in the extent of its truthfulness. Grudem points out that there are places in the New Testament where the author regards the smaller details of the Old Testament to be reliable, such as in Acts 24:14 where Paul claims to “worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets.” Everything in the Old Testament was written to be meaningful to us, according to Romans 15:4 where Paul writes, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” This includes even the smallest details that may not seem to matter much to us. From this evidence, we can come to a conclusion that the Bible speaks truth on all subjects that it speaks of. Inerrancy does not mean that the Bible is a complete source of knowledge to everything one would want to know. It will not teach you calculus. However, all knowledge that is included in Scripture is fully trustworthy.

The practical applications of this doctrine are similar to that of the authority of Scripture, following the line of thought that says we should submit to the Bible because it is authoritative and true. However, while we’re on the topic of the inherent truthfulness of Scripture, it seems appropriate to comment on an unsettling trend emerging (pun not intended) in today’s culture. More than ever, the idea of truth itself is being attacked and the idea that one can discover absolute truth in the Bible is seen as arrogant and intolerant. In my own experiences evangelizing on campus at UCSD I’ve found that many in my generation admire the tenets of religious pluralism, attempting to be welcoming to all beliefs, meanwhile sacrificing intellectual integrity. However, this mindset, although it may seem pleasant and gracious on the outside, often leads to a general apathy towards ultimate truth or an inconsistency in thought. “I accept all beliefs except those which contradict my own,” is essentially the attitude. Indeed, tolerance abounds. I’ve spoken to many students who, after hearing the gospel, simply say that “what is true for you works for you and what is true for me works for me.” To assert that there is no absolute truth is indeed a propositional truth claim. This seems to me to be an incredibly lazy and irresponsible outlook to have in dealing with concepts of such magnitude. The reality of it all is that the Bible is true for all people. Christ’s Lordship is not limited to those who believe that He is Lord. He is Savior of all the nations and there will be a day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:10-11).

On a more personal level, as we’ve been studying what it means to worship God in spirit and truth on Sundays, consider that the entire Bible is the truth of God. Jesus prays to the Father in John 17:17, asking that He “sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” We must worship God in light of the truth that He has revealed to us through His word. Since all of Scripture relates to us different truths about God, then we should study every part of it in order to worship God for all that He is. There are wonderful, sanctifying truths found in the crispy section of our Bibles, but do we even turn there? In putting aside these parts of Scripture we are inhibiting our own growth in holiness and limiting the source of truth that leads to our worship. The flow is simple: we must worship God in truth (John 4:23-24); God’s word is truth (John 17:17); all Scripture is God’s word (2 Timothy 3:16); and Scripture shows God to be holy, just, omniscient, loving, and merciful, so we worship Him because of these truths. We would do well to consider the inerrancy of Scripture in light of our own personal worship, as it should lead us to desire to praise God for all that is revealed to be true about Him.