I was once asked what it takes to serve the Lord over the course of four decades. I was reminded of what the Apostle Paul said near the end of his life and ministry, which applies to everyone, not just full-time servants.

He wrote to Timothy that “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” 2 Timothy 4:7.

Paul finished well because he was willing to fight for what was right in the sight of God. He was committed to persevering through whatever confronted him.  And, he always believed in what God could do.

In looking at Paul’s life, we also learn that in order to finish well, we have to make adjustments in life. Paul made adjustments throughout his ministry.

• In the beginning of this ministry, Paul had to settle things with Peter and the other Apostles and define his ministry.
• Near the beginning of his ministry, he planted churches.
• In the middle of his ministry, he defended the faith and problem-solved for the churches.
• Throughout his ministry, he overcame challenges to his apostleship.
• At the end of his ministry, he was imprisoned and adjusted by writing letters, which became a part of the New Testament.

Throughout the decades of our lives, we will need to make adjustments based upon our life stage and ministry assignment from the Lord (remember that everyone is a minister).

Keep in mind three things:

1.    Keep it biblical. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” In the words of the Psalmist, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

2.    Keep your priorities straight – faith first, family second and everything else thereafter.

3.    Keep open to the changes and transitions of life. For sure, things will change each decade of your life. In Luke 5:37-39, Jesus said, “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough.’”

It is my desire for our church family to always do well. We are in the midst of making the adjustments needed to continue to thrive as a church family. The Lord will lead the way.

Something to think about…

by Courtney Fukushima

If someone were to ask you, “What does discipleship mean to you?”, what would you say? Up until this past year and a half, I had always thought of discipleship as a “bonus option” or “extra credit” in the Christian walk of faith for those who chose to pursue it. However, the Lord changed my heart completely in this area, by graciously filling my life and heart with the one thing I thought I could do without in my walk with Him.

Around November 2015 I was surprised when God placed the first three discipleship relationships into my life. Today, I have been incredibly blessed to now have five amazing Junior High girls, and a mentor of my own to enter into this journey called discipleship with.

Although discipleship can take many forms, our ultimate example of true discipleship relationships can be found through God’s Word.

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). In order to be disciples of others, we must first be true disciples of Christ. By laying down our personal desires each day we allow a true journey with God to begin. Everyone has their own cross to carry, but no matter the size or weight I came to the realization that we do not have to carry it alone.

Similar to climbing up a high mountain, one rarely goes alone but brings at least one other to help him along the way; when one is tired, the other will pick him up. “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

God provides us with His Word, which leads us to create healthy relationships as well as build on and exercise our “Spiritual muscles” with one another. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Through my own discipler, I have grown to see with new eyes the depths of God’s Word and realize with amazement just how much He has already provided for us through the Scriptures.

Experiencing discipleship relationships with my girls along with a mentor of my own, I am constantly reminded of the love God has for His children. I love these girls, and yet God always reminds me that He loves them even MORE. I’ve learned throughout this past year-and-a-half why Jesus spoke so much about his 12 disciples. These men were an essential part of God’s work in His life, and companions to whom he entrusted and loved so much. Discipleship put very simply is holding one’s hand and connecting it to God’s. Sometimes the journey on the way there may throw hurdles at us, but honestly the best part is that we get to jump over them together. 

One of my favorite parts of discipleship relationships is that the core of the relationship is always Jesus. When a bond is held together by the love of Christ and the common goal to strive together in growing closer to Him, what things of this world could ever break that?

Especially in the midst of life’s busyness, I have always enjoyed and found so much restoration, rest, and fulfillment when I meet with my girls, as I hope they do as well. Despite any age gap, I believe that talking about your walks with God and just going through life together with the support from one another can place any relationship on a firm foundation.

A quote introduced to me by Kay Carey that continuously resonates with me is: “More time spent with fewer people produces a greater and longer lasting impact for God” (Ron Lee Davis). May we love one another deeply, speak in Truth, share each other’s burdens, and feel confident that we never have to walk this journey alone!

In this final blog about The Succession Story, I will share a few things (among many) that I learned during the journey.

God is trustworthy

I learned once again how faithful and good God is. When I accepted the challenge to find my successor, I knew that I was incapable of finding the right person on my own. I had no idea of how to even go about it. I was certain that God would have to do it and I would have to get out of the way.

I wasn’t sure I had the faith necessary to proceed. But then, I remembered the words of Jesus when He said, “…for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.” Matthew 17:20b

My faith was assuredly no larger than the size of a mustard seed. Even so, mountains could be moved because “with God all things are possible”. Matthew 19:26b

God’s timing is impeccable

Ecclesiastes 3:1a says, “There is an appointed time for everything.” I have always believed with all my heart that God has a timetable for everything under the sun. Believing it and living it are sometimes two very different things. I am forever trying not to get ahead of God and start operating on my own sense of timing, which isn’t a good thing because as a human being I tend to be impatient. I want most things done yesterday.

The succession journey was all about God’s timing. When you juxtapose my life, Rocky’s life and the life of our church, you can see very clearly how God brought everything together in the fullness of time, just as He brought His Son into the world at the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4).

Football and the Senior Pastorate

I learned that God can use any and every life experience as a training ground for ministry. The most effective means of training for ministry is not found in seminaries, but in the hallowed halls of life.

Moses was peacefully tending sheep in the land of Midian, Gideon was fearfully threshing wheat in a winepress in the land of Manasseh and Paul was zealously persecuting Christians in the city of Jerusalem when God called them into their ministry assignments. Their training ground was living life and learning life’s lessons.

Rocky Seto has been coaching football since graduating from the University of Southern California when God’s call intersected his life. It’s interesting that one of our church members, Andy Pearce, who is a missionary, said to me when he learned about Rocky being my successor that the skill set of a football coach is similar to the skill set necessary to be a senior pastor. He vocalized something I already believed.

If I weren’t a pastor I would be a coach. The sport I would have preferred to coach would have been football. It’s ironic that I am a pastor who would be a football coach and Rocky is a football coach who is to be a pastor.

There are so many more lessons to be learned and things for which to be grateful.

And, as is always the case it gives us something to think about…

Allow me to begin where I left off in my last blog about the Succession Story. God has been enormously good to our church family.

As I shared in the first blog regarding a succession plan, there are three distinct advantages to succession. First, there is the comfort of a settled succession. Secondly, there is the reassurance of a God-initiated succession. And, finally, there are tangible benefits of an overlapping transition.

We are currently developing the basics for a transition plan. There will be different components to the plan. Some of the components will be family settlement, congregational preparation, relationship building, skill development, theological acquisition, vision assessment and expansion.

As for me, God has given me guidance very early in the process of succession. The Lord directed me to the transition between John the Baptist and Jesus. John the Baptist said in John 3:30 when asked about Jesus, "He must increase, but I must decrease.” That is to be the theme of the transition for me. In the process of transition, God’s chosen Senior Pastor must increase and I must decrease.

What does that look like? Stay tuned and we will learn together.

Two final notes…

The question that is asked of me the most is about the date of my retirement, when the transition ends and a new beginning commences. My soft retirement date is May 1, 2020. I believe we will know much more clearly as the date draws near.

The second most asked question is what I am going to do after I retire. I know that I will need to leave my beloved church family for a season while Rocky gets established as God’s chosen senior leader. My heart’s desire is to continue serving the Lord in some way as He leads. I don’t plan to play golf every day.

One of the exciting things about all that is going on is the fact that the Lord knows what needs to happen and if we plan faithfully and trust in Him, His plans will be established and we will all rejoice at the outcome.

Like everything else, it is going to be a faith journey in which everyone will have a role.

Something to think about…

At the outset, let me state that I love Tim Keller and how he represents the Kingdom of God. I have never met the man. I have never spoken to the man. I don’t even agree with him on everything regarding the church or theology. But, he is a fellow servant of Christ with whom I feel a kinship when it comes to the reasons why they are denying him the Kuyper Award.

Quoting Christianity Today: 

“The most popular Reformed preacher and author in America today is not eligible to receive Princeton Theological Seminary’s annual award in Reformed theology and public witness.

The mainline seminary reversed its decision to honor Tim Keller with a prize named for neo-Calvinist theologian Abraham Kuyper following outcry over the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) pastor’s conservative positions.

Princeton president Craig Barnes announced the news in a letter released Wednesday morning.

Because the PCA conflicts with the seminary’s denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA), on women and LGBT clergy, leaders agreed not to award Keller the prize and thus affirm his differing stance. However, the school has still scheduled the Redeemer Presbyterian pastor to speak on mission at an annual conference hosted by its Kuyper Center for Public Theology in April.”

Original Source

In other words, Princeton Theological Seminary decided to Dis-Honor Tim Keller because of his positions on women and LGBT clergy. Both of Keller’s positions on these two controversial issues are based on the Word of God. It is ironic that a huge segment of Christendom opposes Keller’s stance in favor of conforming to the world of which the Apostle Paul warns us to be wary (Romans 12:2).

It seems to me that God’s favor and honor would rest with Tim Keller rather than those who would renege on awarding him their human honor. It is one of those times when it is more honorable to be dis-honored considering the position of those who are doing the dis-honoring.

I am reminded of what Peter and the apostles said when they were commanded to conform to man’s way. They said, “We must obey God rather than men.” 

We are confronted with the same choices today. When the situation warrants, we must always choose to obey God’s Word over the dictates of culture or worldly institutions.

As for Tim Keller, he has made it a habit to obey God rather than men. Even after the rescinding of the award, Keller acted in a Christ-like manner. He agreed to be the lead-off speaker at this year’s Kuyper Conference even though there will be no award ceremony.

As for me, I would rather be like Tim Keller because he is more like Jesus (he, meaning Keller, would probably shudder at this last sentence).

Some of our Branch Ministries are studying Keller’s book, Jesus The King, which we highly recommend.

Something to think about...