This Weekend's Message: When He Appears

Human beings have an obsession with the end of the world. Whether this preoccupation manifests in our interest in post-apocalyptic movies and books or in the Mayan calendar, we find great interest in this subject.

Not surprisingly, then, the subject of Christ’s return captures our interest. When will it be? What will it be like? What events will precede it? These questions have been asked and debated for centuries. They preoccupy us. In fact, too often they distract us from two much more important questions:
    (1) What will be the result of Christ’s return?
    (2) How can I prepare for Christ’s return?

We have just finished celebrating the first coming of Christ. This Sunday, we will take time to anticipate his second coming, and to talk about how we can appropriately prepare for it.

Dan

This Weekend's Message: This is Love

John Lennon once said, “It matters not who you love, where you love, why you love, when you love, or how you love. It matters only that you love.” While he said this a number of decades ago, this statement reflects the sentiment of our age. We shouldn’t fight because we should love. We shouldn’t exclude because we should love. We shouldn’t judge because we should love. If we would just love one another, everything would be fixed.

In the Bible, God does not disagree with John Lennon on the primacy of love. However, God does disagree that it is unimportant why we love or how we love. And Lennon’s statement makes a significant assumption. It assumes that we even have the capability of living a life of love. After all, very few people would disagree with the sentiment of loving other people, but our world is not as a result free from wars or judgment or prejudice. While it may be true that our greatest human need is to love and to be loved, Lennon’s statement does very little to equip us to live lives of love.

So, how do we get love? How do we experience it, and how do we find the power to give it?

Dan

Reaching Out: LBF Global Update from Thailand

By Carol Hawkins, Missions Coordinator 

Tim and I – worship co-leaders at the annual missions conference
in Thailand.

I recently attended a missions conference in Thailand and was able to spend a few days visiting Pete and Mary Quesenberry and Amanda Rana before the start of the conference. They live in the city of Chiang Rai in northern Thailand. It is always a joy to see our own missionaries and be in their part of the world, experiencing the environment they live and work in. Pete, who is a veterinarian, trains nationals in caring for their farm animals, as well as training leaders among the minority people groups in that region. Mary helps with administrative responsibilities at the Chiang Rai International Christian School. They both have done a great deal to get the school started and accredited. All three of their adult children now live in different parts of the world, so they have an empty nest.

Amanda (Mandy), is teaching in the Chiang Rai International Christian School. This is her second year at the school and this year she is teaching a class of very energetic 6th grade boys. Her students come from various countries, so she is enjoying the diversity in her classroom and what there is to be learned from each one. I’m so glad I was able to spend time with them.

Mandy Rana, Pete & Mary Quesenberry, and I met at a McDonalds in Chiang Mai.

My role at the missions conference was to lead worship each morning. That was such a joy to my heart – singing praises to the Lord with missionaries from various countries. They don’t often have the opportunity to worship corporately, so it was thrilling to lead them. And it was a good reminder that we in the U.S. may take for granted the opportunity we have to worship openly and with other believers. 

Spending time with missionaries is such a blessing. I had many opportunities to learn from them about their service and what it’s like to live in a foreign country. It’s exciting to take a trip and visit other countries, but living there brings many challenges. One young woman I spoke with shared that living in a foreign culture makes her more tired than in the U.S. because she’s always on her guard trying to remember the “cultural rules.” There’s always a danger of making mistakes in language or offending someone because of a lack of understanding of the culture. The learning curve is huge when everything is new and very different from what you’re used to. Just doing regular errands – like we do everyday – can be exhausting. She gave me a new perspective on the importance of understanding and fitting into the culture. When a missionary moves to a foreign country to share the light of Christ, it’s critically important to be able to understand who the people are, how they live, what’s important to them, and much, much more. The missionary must learn to fit into their world – not vice versa.

Mandy Rana, Pete & Mary Quesenberry, and I met at a McDonalds in Chiang Mai.

I share all of this with you because I think it’s important for us in the U.S. to try to get into the “shoes” of our missionaries by understanding as best as we’re able what it might be like for them. It’s not like you just pick up your life and move it around the world and it’s all the same as before. It’s very different and takes some real adjustments.

Let’s remember to pray for our missionaries who are serving in different parts of the world. They are part of our LBF family and they are so encouraged to have you praying for them. And, I’d be delighted to share their contact information if you’d like to send an email. Please let me know.

This Weekend's Message: Good News of Great Joy

Every year people celebrate Christmas through the giving and receiving of gifts, and chances are you have been looking to give a meaning gift to friend or loved one. Well what if I told you that God himself has given you a gift? This week we are unwrapping the Christmas story to discover that gift and its significance. This year we would like you to receive a gift that comes only from God himself.

Matt Sasso

Are You Showing Up to Prom Without a Date?

By Phil Shahbaz, Pastor of Community Life 

Prior to our time at LBF, and prior to having four kids at the same time, my wife and I attended a fantastic church in the Los Angeles area. This church is renowned for its incredible worship, its grace-centered approach to teaching, and its wonderfully service-centered approach to the community.

We came and went to this church every Sunday for five years. In five years, we did not create one new relationship with anybody at the church. At the time, it was frustrating. Personally, I always felt like I was showing up to prom every Sunday without a date. I was confused as to why so many folks at the church seemed so close to one another. Looking back, I now understand that it wasn’t the church’s fault; it was ours. Outside of Sunday service, we were not involved at all. Specifically, we simply decided that we didn’t have time to join a small group. As a result, we had no interaction with anyone at the church. It’s difficult to make friends when you simply show up on Sunday, listen, and leave.

What I didn’t understand at the time was that joining a small group at a church is one of the primary reasons people create relationships, stay connected to their church, enjoy their church, and grow spiritually. Sure, there are other ways to feel satisfied with your church experience outside of joining a small group, but you can pick any church in the country that you would consider healthy and behind it you will likely find a small group program that is thriving.

In August, LBF announced its new mission statement: “We exist to passionately pursue LIFE in Jesus and lead our neighbors to do the same.” As part of this new mission, we also announced that our efforts would be focused on three primary areas: learning the Bible, LIFE Groups, and service. LIFE Groups – it’s what LBF now refers to as our small group program. Our LIFE Group program is designed so that each of us can learn God’s word on Sunday, then continue to explore and discuss what we learned from Sunday’s message with a small group of people.

Our hope is that when we gather together with our small group, we are able to practice giving and receiving grace to one another (2 Corinthians 13-14), giving and receiving mercy to one another (1 Timothy 1:16), and giving and receiving compassion to one another (Ephesians 4:32). If we can reflect Christ to one another through grace, mercy, and compassion, we are able to create a safe environment that allows us to confess our sins and burdens to one another (James 5:16). Ultimately, we are able to live LIFE together as part of authentic Christian community.

No one knows the value of the LIFE Group more then Larry Osborne, lead pastor at North Coast Church in San Diego. In his book, Sticky Church, he writes, “The ultimate goal of a sermon-based small group is simply to Velcro people to the two things they will need most when faced with a need-to-know or need-to-grow situation: the Bible and other Christians” (p. 43). Pastor Osborne reminds us that the weekly small group encourages us to keep the Bible as our foundation and other Christians as our support – authentic Christian community. It’s important to note that close to 6,000 people attend Pastor Osborne’s church. Eighty percent of those who attend, participate in a life group.

At LBF, we have roughly 533 individuals participating in the LIFE Group program. Out of these 533 individuals, some are involved in more than one group (although we have not compiled the exact data). These 533 individuals participate in the LBF LIFE Group program as part of 44 individual groups. Of these 44 groups, 26 are traditional LIFE Groups hosted at a home, seven are women’s groups, four are specialty groups, four are support groups, and three are men’s groups. Not all of these groups use our message-based curriculum, but most do. Altogether, roughly half of the adults (or more) that attend Sunday morning services at LBF are involved in a small group Bible study as part of the LIFE Group program at LBF.

These numbers are profoundly encouraging! They are not North Coast numbers, but we are not trying to be like North Coast. We are Life Bible Fellowship Church. In addition to our LIFE Group program, we participate through dozens of other programs and events such as the Harvest Party, Thanksgiving Serve, the Car Show, and men’s and women’s retreats, to name a few. We are the kind of church that gives more than 400 turkeys when the goal is 400. We are truly an active participant in God’s Kingdom.

Yet as we participate, we want to focus more on Jesus himself. We want to realize our focus by studying God’s word on Sunday, reflecting on God’s word as part of a LIFE Group, and serving our community. In December, we are beginning LIFE Group sign-ups for the winter quarter. We will have several new groups in addition to some openings in our existing groups. If you are already involved, our hope is that you will encourage others to get involved. If you are not yet involved, our hope is that you will give it a shot.

My wife and I didn’t give it a shot at our old church, but we did at LBF. Our LIFE Group has not only helped us create new friendships, but it has been an incredible source of encouragement and support in our lives. And when I go to church on Sunday, I feel like I finally have a date to prom.

Don’t show up to the prom without a date. Go to lbfchurch.com to sign up for a group.

Advent is Coming. Are You Ready?

By Amanda Bixler, Worship Coordinator 

Well, whether you are ready for it or not, the holiday season is upon us! And as much as this season is about family, festive lights, gatherings, gifts, and warm drinks in Starbucks holiday cups, it is also a time to celebrate the birth and coming of a Messiah, Jesus. In fact, that’s exactly what the term Advent means – ‘coming’ in Latin. The season of Advent is literally a time to wait and celebrate Jesus coming to this world in love and setting up camp amongst us. One biblical translation even writes, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood” (John 1:14, The Message). This is a season that is set aside in the Christian calendar as a time to expectantly wait and actively prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Often times there are specific advent readings and themes of hope, peace, joy and love that are associated with the month of December and specifically the four weeks leading up to Christmas. Traditionally, Advent is an eager and hopeful time of the year where we countdown to the 25th, trade our traditional calendars for Advent ones, and read scripture passages that lead up to the birth of our Savior.

We are so excited for this season and the ways we get to celebrate Jesus’ birth in Worship Island! November was a heavily focused month on thankfulness – being thankful to God of all that he has done for us and given to us. Continuing on that momentum, each weekend in December will be focused on a different aspect of the biblical Christmas narrative and why we are thankful for Jesus coming. These weekends leading up to Christmas will be a time to read through the Christmas story, learn more about each person involved in Jesus’ birth, and how they all interacted with one another. Our first through fourth graders will have the opportunity to really engage with the Christmas narrative and hopefully encounter Jesus in a new way.

Our desire is that this journey through the Christmas story and celebration of Jesus’ birth would not just be something that happens in Worship Island on Sunday mornings. As you sign in your children each week, we will have packets available with supplemental advent information and scripture readings that we hope you will partake in with your children. It has been our experience that when families engage in worship together through the reading of scripture and discussion, a deep richness occurs. Our prayer is that as we all enter into this exciting, busy, and joyous season of Advent, we would all be drawn closer to the heart of God and to the reality that Jesus came and lived among us.

This Weekend's Message: Christ, Our Peace

In 2001 U2 released a song called “Peace on Earth.” Here are the opening lyrics:
Heaven on Earth 
We need it now 
I’m sick of all of this 
Hanging around 
Sick of sorrow 
Sick of pain 
Sick of hearing again and again 
That’s there’s gonna be 
Peace on Earth 

This song powerfully reflects two truths. First of all, it reflects the longing of every human heart for peace on earth. It is no wonder that so many Christmas songs repeat the angel’s announcement of “peace on earth and goodwill to men.” Every politician presents policies that are meant to promote greater peace and harmony on the earth. We all want peace on earth. But the second truth that this song reflects is that we have become cynical about the possibility of peace on earth. It sounds like a nice idea, but the angel’s announcement seems more and more out of touch with reality. It was announced 2,000 years ago, and yet it seems no closer to reality today.

The Bible does not present a pie in the sky idea that human beings can overcome their differences and attain peace on earth. At the same time, the Bible does not present a pessimistic idea that peace on earth will never happen. Our longing for peace will be fulfilled. But it will not happen because of the President or the UN or a new Middle East policy. Peace is an exclusive gift that is offered to the world through the very first Christmas.

Dan

Children’s Christmas Choir to Perform at LBF & Upland Rehab and Care Center

By Laurie Baiz, Director of Children’s Ministry 

Our Children’s Christmas Choir has been rehearsing for a month now and they are sounding great! We have about 30 children this year participating and we are all excited to praise God during this wonderful holiday season.

The choir will be performing during all three services on Sunday, December 16 and Sunday, December 23.

They will also be going off-site to Upland Rehab and Care Center on December 2 and 9 to spread the holiday cheer to our community.

 We are all very excited and looking forward to these great events!