JR's thoughts on Resurrection Sunday, 2008

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RISEN CHRIST

1 Corinthians 15:13-14 ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; ¹⁴ and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.

This thought really first occurred to me one afternoon when I was in the church office by myself working on some homework that I had assigned to me in one of my seminary classes. Of what I can recall (not everything’s crystal clear in my head), it had been a long week. Physically, I had been drained from the long commute to L.A. and back to S.D. coupled with the sleep that eluded me that week. Mentally, it was a draining week; studying Hebrew isn’t exactly a piece of cake for someone like me, who struggled with the subject of foreign languages more than any other subject in high school. Emotionally, it had been a stretch; leading small group, meeting up with guys, both in discipling and in being discipled, was tiring for my introverted personality (although I loved every minute of it). So there I was, a joyful yet exhausted pastoral intern, doing whatever he could to spur himself to keep on going for the rest of the afternoon when, for a second, I took a break and stepped back to take a look at my life. At this point, I realized that everything in my life – whether directly or indirectly – was related to ministry. Right then and there, the following words ran through my head: “If Jesus didn’t rise from the grave, I’m completely wasting my life.”

Now, as a pastor (part-time, interim, youth, but still pastor) those same lines ran through my head this weekend – this time with an even deeper impact. For now, everything in my life – EVERYTHING – has to do with ministry. As for my job, I work at the church and earn my living from nothing else. As for my education, I’m pursuing two master’s degrees – only one is in divinity (M. Div) and the other in biblical counseling (M.A.B.C.); biology is now replaced by Bible; chemistry replaced by Christology; physics replaced by Pneumatology; math replaced by ministry. As to driving, I commute 520 miles a week up to L.A. and back to S.D. to attend school. As to sleeping, I’ve had become friends with sleep deprivation to accommodate the driving schedule (although I’ve figured out ways to get more sleep this year). As to eating, I have to eat healthy to make sure that my body can stay not only alive, but awake, to endure the hardships of the work. As to where I live, I’ve had to give up moving back to Hawaii to stay in San Diego to continue to minister in church and pursue the degrees listed above. As for my summer vacations, they’re occupied by summer school and missions trips. As to my relationships with people, everything is devoted to stimulating (or being stimulated by) someone else to look to a crucified Savior. As recreation – well, there’s not much time for that anymore. As for the goal of life – I’ve had to give up pursuing self-glory and fame to instead pursue holiness in Christ-likeness. Everything has to do with church. Everything has to do with ministry. Everything has to do with Jesus.

And so, looking at this kind of a life from a more objective perspective, it’s safe to say that if Christ did not rise from the dead, my life would be one thing and one thing only – a waste. It’s absolutely foolish – FOOLISH I say – to live a life devoted to a crucified peasant carpenter who, after spending three years making what Jewish society at the time looked at as nothing short of outrageous claims of deity and being crucified for it, simply decayed in his tomb like any other man would. It would be absolutely ludicrous to give up an entire life that could be devoted to sensual pleasures of the world to follow a man who could not promise me anything better beyond what I see in the world. It would be nothing short of a waste to deny myself, take up my cross daily, and follow a man who did not rise from the dead. Had that stone not been moved, had that linen not been folded, had Peter and John looked into the grave and seen what they had expected, then get me out of pastoral ministry, for JR is swimming in a bed of lies.

Does it not make sense then, for me to say today that Resurrection Sunday (what we all know as Easter) means more to me than it ever did? The more and more I grow in faith, the harder and faster I pursue holiness, the greater the sacrifices to live this kind of a life become – and the more and more the credibility and purpose of my life depend on the historical fact that Jesus of Nazareth rose from His grave. The longer I walk with Christ, the greater the necessity of faith becomes, and the greater the hope I place in His resurrection. If Jesus did indeed rise from the grave, then my life is not a waste. It is not a life to be pitied, but one to be envied. If Jesus did indeed rise from the grave, then following Him this hard no longer becomes one of many options, but the only option. If Christ did indeed rise, then there is no other alternative than to persevere to eventually be in His presence for eternity.

The next time you treat Easter Sunday as simply another excuse to gather around with buddies for some food, ask yourself if you’ve really given it all to follow Jesus Christ. And if you have, then let the reality of the resurrected Christ renew your minds, encourage your hearts, and stimulate your being to live the life as a slave purchased by the blood of the risen King!

2008 Shepherds' Conference

The most impactful lesson learned from the Shepherds' Conference this year came from a seminar session taught by Rick Holland on "Preparing Your Heart for Preaching." What is funny is that I was actually intending to attend the seminar taught by Phil Johnson but was in the wrong room. Thankfully, there are no accidents with God and what I heard in Rick Holland's seminar was very much needed.

He didn't teach on anything that I didn't learn in seminary. It was going over the basics like praying for your sermon, meditating on your passage, and preaching from the heart. What was most convicting was how far I saw myself straying from these very basic principles. Rick Holland talked about how you can identify if you are being self-reliant by examining your preparation for preaching to see if you are not praying for your messages. This came at me like a stake through my heart.

I had a chance to thank him for his seminar later in the week and he was honestly surprised because I told him that his seminar was the most impactful thing for me from the week. I was glad that he also shared that much of what he taught on he received as a personal rebuke as well.

As pastors, it is easy to make excuses not to pray. The busyness of ministry sometimes drowns out the fundamentals that are vital. How could I possibly think I could preach week after week without depending on the Lord to teach His Word through me? No wonder ministry was becoming so burdensome! I'm so thankful for this year's Shepherds' Conference because it was like a soothing balm for my soul and in the Lord I found great refreshment. It is great to walk away with lessons that I am joyful in being able to apply.

Reflections on the Shepherds Conference 2008

Attending the Shepherds Conference at Grace Church each year with members of our church is always one of the highlights of the year. Over 3000 men come together from all over the nation as well as around the world to hear Christ-centered preaching that upholds the Scriptures and promotes the kind of unique fellowship that occurs when like-minded men gather together to worship, to be equipped, and to stimulate one another with God-honoring conversations.

This year was no different as 13 men from Lighthouse went and enjoyed the preaching of John MacArthur, Tom Pennington, Rick Holland, Al Mohler, Steve Lawson, and Phil Johnson. There were a number of seminar sessions taught by various members of the Grace Church pastoral staff and the Master's Seminary. The short breaks in between were filled with runs to the food stations starting from breakfast to afternoon snacks. The highlight at least from a meal viewpoint was when we got in line to receive our free books and then pickup an In-N-Out lunch. There were books, books, and more books - it's probably the only setting where you see the majority of the crowd interested in books. Getting to meet people from all over is also a highlight as there were over 1000 first time attenders who came to the conference. Running into the sanctuary to get a front row seat is always fun to watch as it is such a contrast from most churches on Sundays where the last rows fill up first.

You can hear the message from this past Sunday on the website audio - it was pretty much a highlight of the lessons learned. But one thing that I am always convicted of more than anything is this - I need to really be on my knees and pray so that I might study the Word of God with the help of the Holy Spirit so that I might proclaim the excellencies of the One who has granted us the gift of the Scriptures so that we might know His heart and live for His glory. It is a humbling task and one that I am always reminded of that I am so unworthy to be a herald for the King of kings and Lord of lords. As a slave, I have no other recourse than to submit my heart, soul, mind, and strength to serve my Master and to point people to Him. Having the mentality of a slave changes everything. Most people, if not all, will take offense to that term. But if you have Master who has shown grace to you, who has shown the extent of His love by having His Son take our place, who has granted to us all the riches in the heavenly places, who has called us to the highest life purpose one can have, that is, to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness so that He might be glorified, there is really nothing more that I can ask for as it is the most magnificent and transcendent purpose one can live for in this life for it extends to eternity.

I hope that you would just get a little glimpse of what it means to follow the Savior. It is not because we are so perfect or because we do it the right way all the time. More often than not we struggle with our human frailities and we stumble due to our proclivity to sin. But by the grace and mercy of our God, we have been granted power from above to be His witnesses, from our home to the remotest parts of the earth and we can and we will be able to experience the work of God in us and through us as we simply deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Let us fix our eyes on Him who loved us first and gave Himself up for us. Let us boast in nothing else than the cross, to know that the sacrifice made was the means by which we have been reconciled to God.

As we move to our new facilities soon, I hope that our excitement is more than just about a new facility. For sure, it is a tremendous gift from God. It is very exciting to have this opportunity. But even more so is the opportunity to love and follow our Savior each and every day as we know that God has promised to do abundantly beyond what we could ask or think. So let's band together as a family and turn San Diego upside down with the gospel according to Jesus and see His Name magnified to all the peoples for His glory alone.