The Body of Christ

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to preach about the basis behind the unity of the church as it is stated in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13. Just as the body has many different types of parts, but they all come together to make one body, so it is with the church. The various members of the church with all their different spiritual gifts, abilities, and talents come to serve together as one symbiotic whole.

I particularly appreciated that Paul writes in vs. 12, "so it is with Christ." He does not say, "...so it is with the church," or even "...so it is with the body of Christ." He makes the point that the church is the physical representation of Christ on earth. When the members come together to serve in the church, they are fulfilling their role as part of Christ's body. In other words, to be committed to the church is to show one's commitment to Christ Himself.

Paul writes in vs. 13 that the church is made one by God's Spirit in whom we have been baptized by Christ (cf. Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 2:33). By being baptized in the Spirit, we are made one body in Christ. It does not matter whether we are Jew or Gentile, slaves or free; if we are in Christ, we are one body. Paul is clear to indicate that all the believers at Corinth had received this baptism. It was not a second work of grace in their lives but came as a result of their salvation. When they were saved, they were baptized in the Spirit and made part of the body of Christ. This is a profound statement. In a real sense, church membership came as part of the package when they became Christian!

Not only have we been immersed in the Spirit, but Paul concludes that we have been made to drink of that Spirit as well. By this, Paul is referring to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Not only do we have the external support of the body of Christ having been baptized in the Spirit, but we also have the Spirit's internal influence as well! Certainly this is great cause for rejoicing for the believer. We who were completely void of the Spirit before coming to know Christ now have the Spirit's influence around us and within us. It bears witness to the fact that when God saves an individual, He does not withhold His blessing (cf. Luke 11:13).

The following passages in 1 Corinthians 12 go into the practical outworkings of this unity and are very applicable for the church, so I can't wait to get into those passages in the coming messages.

Mission to Tucuman 2009

God has blessed us tremendously with the opportunities to represent Him not only here in San Diego, but to other parts of the world, namely in Ostrava, Czech Republic and Tucuman, Argentina. Our family has been to Ostrava almost every year since 2000, not counting the year we didn't send a team in 2002 and the year Angela had Olivia (2005). So this year was quite different as we have always looked forward to spending time with our precious friends and partners in ministry, the Mellwigs and the rest of the church in Ostrava. In fact, this year was all the more difficult not to go since Meinolf, Martina, and Anika came to visit earlier this year and we were able to spend some quality time together. So it was with a measure of sadness and a sense of uncertainty in what to expect that our family planned to go to Tucuman with our team from Lighthouse.

By all accounts we have much to be thankful in the past four trips before this year. Though it has been at times challenging and even controversial due to some doctrinal and philosophical issues, this past March found Patrick and myself flying over to Tucuman to work out these issues with Pastor Jorge. Much to our joy, we were able to communicate and clarify these issues, especially since it related to the essence of the gospel and how to present it. So it was with much anticipationg that we looked forward to this summer's trip as I felt it was important to go as a family to both experience what was taking place in Tucuman as well as to give a strong show of support to Pastor Jorge and the church.

It was definitely different from our trips to the Czech Republic. For starters, it was winter down in Argentina and it had to be the coldest winter, even by their standards. The evenings would sometimes drop below freezing and we were not prepared with any winter clothing so it was pretty cold. But what warmed us was the welcoming spirit and the overwhelming love that the church showed. From the very beginning when we drove to the "salon" (the rented meeting room that was to be our headquarters for the trip), it was a constant reminder of how great the love we share in Christ can be. From the Argentine cheek kiss to the many conversations we were able to have (assisted by some wonderful translators), the whole week was a whirlwind of activity as we would breeze in and out of the salon, meeting with the church, going door to door in the barrios, to playing soccer and volleyball at the park. It obviously would be difficult to describe it all here but suffice it to say that the whole trip was really a blessing in so many ways.

There were some challenges along the way with Kara and Alyssa getting sick, digestive issues with various team members, the famous "black boogers" from all the stuff flying around in the air. The swine flu initially caused some difficulties for us because many things were being affected, including the ability to gather in large groups as well as some of our original translators being unable to participate due to restrictions. But God worked everything out marvelously to His glory.

It was also an opportunity for me to step back and allow others to step up and serve. Angela had been to Argentina 23 years ago when she was in college on a short term trip and returning with a husband and four daughters had to be a bit surreal. But it was great to see how she was able to minister to all the women of the church, constantly being asked to meet up with many of the ladies throughout the week. Even our daughters were able to participate, especially Jenna and Kara, going out door to door, sharing testimonies and getting to know the youth of the church. Alyssa made a number of friends as the girls from the church who were her age welcomed her and wanted to play with her immediately. Olivia was quite the popular figure as she was embraced (literally) by everyone.

The team did a great job as there were times that I was unable to fully participate due to being a bit sick myself as well as in watching the kids in the mornings. I would have to say that each member of the team did a great job in not only being cooperative but in being flexible with the many schedule changes, delays, postponements, and other adventures that we all faced.

The church in Tucuman did an incredible job in serving out team. There was a team that prepared meals for us each day, lunch and dinner. The meals were great, including the famous empanadas a number of times as well as other dishes that I had never seen. There was plenty of beef all throughout the trip. We were able to enjoy a couple of asado bbqs, courtesy of the master asado chef Marcello Espeche. It was a joy to see him growing and rejoicing in his restored marriage and ministry in the church.

I had the opportunity to preach many times, to share the gospel, and to encourage the members of the church. Looking back it seems like it went by so quickly but it really was a full trip. I can see how God was so faithful to provide for us in every way, from the prayer and financial support to orchestrating all the details in such a way that worked out best.

Please pray for the church in Tucuman. Pray for Pastor Jorge, Norma and Josue as they are in the position to provide leadership and support for the church. Pray for leadership to develop in the church as their church planting efforts are dependent on the nurturing of more leaders to help provide shepherding and teaching. Pray for the young people of the church to grow strong in the Lord and provide hope for their future. Pray for Carlos and Sylvia Espeche as they suffered a miscarriage a few months ago and have had difficulty in being able to conceive. Marcello (Carlos' father) was really broken over this and asked that we as a church family pray for them since he knows our prayers meant so much for him when he was struggling. Pray for little baby Mariono Gabriel who had surgery today for some medical conditions that have been difficult. Pray for the translators who have been facing much difficulties due to doctrinal differences and ministry philosophy differences in their churches. Pray also for our church to continue in reaching out to places such as Tucuman so that we can fulfill the Great Commission faithfully to God's glory.

Report night is coming in September....

The Good News of the Gospel

The good news of the gospel is good because it not only brings us to salvation in proclaiming the death of Christ on our behalf but it continues to be good in providing the basis for our obedience and following Christ, both individually and corporately as a church. The past few months have been humbling and encouraging, for I have found that the neglect of the gospel has lead many down the road to legalism and a pharisaical attitude, including myself. It is easy to use a performance mentality in gauging spirituality, both in my own life as well as in others. Yet the mindset that says we need to try and earn God's favor through our hard work and labor for the sake of the kingdom can lead to a works mentality that contradicts the foundation of living by grace through faith. We are not only saved by grace through faith in our justification, we are also continually to walk in grace through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. As Jerry Bridges notes, "Your worse days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace." This is indeed comforting news for those of us who are so performance oriented that we can go from one extreme to the other. We feel good about ourselves when we are doing well with all our spiritual disciplines and maintaining a high level of activity. We then feel bad about ourselves when we miss our quiet times and go through prolonged periods of spiritual lethargy. While Romans 6 reminds us not to abuse grace, we must remember to also consider that we forget about grace as we live out the Christian life.

The reminder to "preach the gospel to yourself" has been something that I have heard before, but it has not been so prominent as it has become now. The gospel must be central to my life's purpose and message. I am called to live in a manner worthy of the gospel and I am to partner with fellow believers for the sake of the gospel (Philippians 1:27). If this is so, then the gospel needs to be constantly on my mind from my waking moments to the time I go to bed.

It is no surprise to see the apostle Paul so focused on the cross of Christ. One of my favorite verses since high school has been 1 Corinthians 2:2 - "For I determined to know nothing among you except Christ and him crucified." This verse has been revived in my heart and I see how easy it is for me to then walk in the flesh when I forget to fix my eyes on Christ (Hebrews 12:2).

As we celebrate our 10th anniversary at Lighthouse, I would like to again reiterate what was preached this past Sunday. The mission of Lighthouse - to make disciples of Christ, is no less than a call to go and proclaim the gospel, making disciples who will then be baptized and taught to live in light of the gospel for the rest of their days. The vision of Lighthouse - to plant churches, gives us the goal of taking the gospel ministry, both for the purpose of evangelism and edification, to places where there is a need for the gospel to be made known. The passion of Lighthouse - to love God and people, can only be truly experienced when the gospel is driving our loving so that it really is the love of Christ that both motivates us and energizes us to love in the way God defines true love.

The gospel is precious - don't let it become something that you think is so basic that you are not in need of preaching it to yourselves daily. My prayer is that the gospel would become the beacon of your heart, your mind, your mouth, and the unifying factor in all your relationships so that Christ might receive all the glory.

Church Planting and the Call to Discipleship

You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

~2 Timothy 2:1-3

I recall once reading the words of a man who said that at the heart of Christian ministry is the ministry of discipleship. In fact, he argued that calling oneself a Christian is synonymous to saying that one is a disciple maker. As a youth pastor and one who strives for the ministry of the church, I could not agree more strongly.

When I first became a Christian, I saw discipleship as a strange thing. When friends would tell me that they were being “discipled” by some other older guy, I would get these strange pictures in my head of an older man reading his Bible to a younger man in the middle of some lake wearing a tunic and sandals as if to emulate scenes from Jesus’ talking to His disciples in a boat along the Sea of Galilee. The world “discipleship” conjured up all of these strange pictures consisting of nothing more than old-fashioned fishing nets. It was not until I myself began to be discipled by Peter Park that I received the true picture of what Christian discipleship truly looks like. Every week, for over a year, Peter would pick me up (either from school or home), take me out of some restaurant, sit down with me for an hour (sometimes two), and teach me how to follow Christ. He would listen to me share my greatest struggles with him, and in the most loving, caring, and sympathetic way, he would firmly admonish me and encourage me to turn from my sinful habits and instead live life in a God-honoring manner. He would get beneath the externals, and probe the desires of my heart, and work from there. Rather than simply correcting me, he would teach me from the Bible and from his own life how to practically live out my own. Peter’s discipleship relationship with me was not that of a boss lecturing his employee in a meeting, or a professor teaching his student in a classroom; it was the investment of his heart into mine, founded in a relationship based on true fellowship in Christ. I knew that when we would meet up, that I would have something new to work on and chew on for the next week. It was Peter’s investment in me that compelled me to devote my entire life endeavors to the making of disciples. Hence, a few months after we first met, I sent my application to The Master’s Seminary.

The preaching of God’s Word is the foundation of the doctrine from which the church takes root. But it is through discipleship that a church will be reproduced. When Christ discipled His apostles, He did more than preach to them; He lived with them and poured His life into theirs. Through all the time He spent with them, He imprinted His convictions and passions into their hearts, with all patience and compassion and firmness. This is the example by which the mandate to make disciples is to be accomplished. A disciple is made when an older, mature man or woman of God attaches himself to a younger, less experienced believer in order to teach him or her to walk in the manner with which Christ walked. It requires one’s time. It requires one’s energy. It requires one’s resources. It requires one’s heart. It requires one’s soul. Is this not why Paul, upon writing to the Thessalonians, expressed, “We were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives”?

This has several implications. First, discipleship implies that one must be strong in the grace of God. It is not something that one engages himself in apart from God’s power and apart from the knowledge of God’s love and mercy in his life. Second, discipleship implies that one must first be a disciple and continue to be discipled. I understand that I’m constantly in need of teaching and instruction, and have actively sought to attach myself to older men who can continue to guide and encourage me in the faith. Every Christian ought to seek discipleship from an older Christian; a refusal to do this is nothing less than pride. Third, this implies that discipleship requires a focus on teaching. Without the aspect of teaching someone how to honor God and be like Christ, discipleship would be nothing more than hanging out. It also implies that discipleship must continue on; one must disciple another with the purpose of raising up someone who will eventually be able to do the same to others.

I say this passionately in light of the up-and-coming church plant in 2010. A year-and-a-half is not a long time to prepare for such a monumental event. Since the Sunday that the plan for the church-plant to San Jose was announced, I’ve been peppered with questions dealing with the logistical aspect of things: “Who’s going? Who’s staying? JR, are you going? JR, where do you want to go?” While I understand the need to get the practical aspect of things, I’m afraid that for those who constantly ask these questions, the focus has been shifted from where God may want our minds and hearts to focus on. Instead of asking, “Should I go or should I stay?” one should be asking, “Will I be ready to go or stay?” Should one ask himself the latter, he is in good hands, for he has a tangible goal in mind: to step it up spiritually. Regardless of if you go to San Jose or stay in San Diego, one common necessity remains: faithful men and women of God who are willing to give their lives for Christ’s church. In a year and a half, we’ll need warriors to both spearhead the church plant or hold down the fort in San Diego. Both will require that the men courageously step up in leadership. Both require that the women firmly support and complement that leadership. Both need men and women of God. Both need disciples of Christ.

Thus, as young men and women, we ought to dedicate our lives to disciple-making. It will be crucial in the next year and a half that each and every one of us devote our lives to both discipleship and being discipled. We need to start asking, “Am I living life today the way Christ Himself would live it, and am I dedicated today to the things that Christ would dedicate Himself to?” If you’re not, attach yourself to an older Christian and beg him or her to teach you how. If you are, attach yourself to a younger Christian and strive to teach him or her how. I am confident that if we all do this for the next year while relying on the strength provided by God’s grace, we will be better equipped to take the next step.

Shine the Light in San Jose

It's finally happening! After ten years of ministering in San Diego, Lighthouse is going to act on its Vision Statement and plant a church in the San Jose area. Even while typing these words, it seems a bit surreal. Most of the members at Lighthouse probably remember the spiel from their membership interview about how one day John would go up to the pulpit and announce that we are going to plant a church in some Podunk city in Oklahoma (not that Oklahoma is a bad place to live!).

But the day has come. The location is not Podunk, but San Jose, and the goal is summer of 2010. Make no mistake! This is going to require a lot of hard work and diligent planning if we are going to be able to get a team up to San Jose by then. When Lighthouse first began about ten years ago, there was an exciting buzz in the air. Everyone came out to everything. People were excited to be together and to be a part of the ministry. We knew that one day some of that would fade and that the "honeymoon" phase would eventually come to an end, but it was still exciting to be a part of that time. There was an intense commitment and consistency on the part of each member. If this church plant is going to succeed, it will require similar commitment and consistency on the part of all the members.

One of the most encouraging things about this new direction is the response we received from the members. There was a feeling of genuine excitement at the members meeting on Sunday. A few came and communicated their support afterwards and I appreciated their kind words. Most who talked to me promised that they would pray for me and the leadership. I appreciated that as well. Now is the time to make good on those promises. A year from now, hopefully we can all say that we have faithfully prayed for Lighthouse. We're going to have to pray.

We're also going to have to rethink our lives. For many, this will be a time of thoughtful reevaluation. Do you live your life as if it is the Lord's or do you manage your life as if you are in control? Are you holding on to what you have loosely or is your life in San Diego so precious to you that you would be unwilling to go anywhere else the Lord would lead? Of course, we can't have everyone go. Knowing that I am now preparing to be the new senior pastor at Lighthouse, I can confidently say, "You better not all go!" =) But we are going to need some to go. We are going to want families to go. That is going to require a bit of faith and may prove to be quite challenging for some.

This is an exciting time for the church, but it is a time when we particularly need to lean on the Lord for His guidance and strength. People may tell us we're crazy (that's what they said ten years ago), but we are determined to believe that God can do seemingly impossible things through us if we allow Him to. Honestly, I'm excited for the next church plant. Perhaps it'll be in three years. Maybe it'll be in five. But now that the ball is rolling for Lighthouse Bible Church of San Jose, there's no telling where the Lord might have us plant next. The Vision of LBC doesn't end with LBC San Jose. I'm confident this is just the beginning. We just need the members to be onboard. We need to constantly ask ourselves, "Do we really believe in the MVP of LBC?" enough to act on it.