Christian Students Unite

Calling All Perfectionists

2006-08-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

Calling All Perfectionists
By Armando Aguilar and Rebecca Maes

You know who you are: the frantic and determined, the methodical and uncompromising. You run at life full force, never letting up, resolved to get it right…but not just right, perfect. Leaving no stone unturned, no detail unattended, no person off the hook, you are convinced that if managed perfectly, life can turn out just as you planned.

Most of us are not extreme perfectionists, demanding an ultimate utopian existence. It takes a special kind of obsession, perhaps one on speed, to supply the excessive amounts of energy required to attend to every detail of life. Yes, most of us settle for tamer diligence, tempering our control tendencies to a few very specific areas of life: work, relationships, hobbies, religion, etc.

The perfectionist disposition believes: By my own power, intelligence, skills or manipulation, I can perfect all that is under my control.

Whether you are a mild manipulator or a severe compulsionist there is something you need to know: perfection is out of your reach. It is unachievable, not possible, not even feasible. You are ordering an entrée that is not even on the menu!

Only Jesus is perfect. Everything He sets His mind to do, He does with the utmost excellence and satisfaction. From creating this complex universe to living a sinless life to conquering death, He did it all well. He did it all perfectly.

As His followers, having placed our complete faith and trust in his work for us on the cross, we are promised to be like Him someday. One day our transformation will be complete and we will be wholly remade in His image (Romans 8:29). Then, and only then, will we be perfect.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that, “(God) has put eternity into man’s heart…” We know that we were made for more than this life. Civilizations throughout history have built traditions and religions on the fear that there is something, someone waiting to meet their spirits after this physical life is over. Unfortunately, perfectionists have lived and died by codes they believed would win them eternity, but really only earned damnation.

Paul poignantly comments, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect…” (Philippians 3:12). In humility, Paul admitted that he is a work in progress, pressing “toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:14). He knew his dismal condition on this earth fell far short of perfection, but he was not defeated by his state.

God has given mankind an eternal perspective so that we would seek for truth…seek Him. As long as we live according to our fleshly nature in a fallen world, in the midst of a depraved mankind, perfection is impossible. It is only through Christ that we have hope beyond this desperately flawed existence. Death, by God’s grace, puts an end to our futile struggle for perfection and finally places utopia within our reach. Instead of attempting to make heaven a place on earth, we should look forward to being released from this confining existence!

Eternity is our only hope. And more than eternity, glorification is our only hope. When Jesus returns for His church, He will make all things right. He will make all things perfect. Gloriously, He will transform the fallen, substandard, and evil into the beautiful, outstanding, and righteous. Heaven will be a place of no tears, no suffering, no dying and no mistakes...but life before heaven will never achieve this heavenly potential. Until we are set free, we must learn to live with less than perfection.

Dear perfectionist, embrace reality. You are not perfect and neither is anyone around you. Let yourself off the hook, and let everyone else off too. Remember Paul’s words: “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5). Transfer your expectation from that which cannot deliver to the only One who can. Know that perfection is waiting for you one day...someday...but not today.

Who is to Blame for Muslim Violence?

2006-05-04T10:26:00.000-07:00

When a man walks onto a bus knowing that a minute later he will be dead along with dozens of innocent people, one asks the question, “Who is to blame for this atrocious action?” Is it the man’s fault that he made the decision to massacre these people or is it the situation that he grew up in that made him the way he is?

For over a decade, certain groups of people believe that Israel is to blame for terror committed against Israelis by Palestinian Muslims. After all, what else are the Palestinians supposed to do? For some people, it is the victims of Islamic violence responsible for that violence.

Let’s look back to 9/11. Thousands of Americans were killed by Islamic terrorists and the justification for this action, some people will say, is because the U.S. has been treating the Middle East terrible for too long.

Who is to blame when Muslim rioters looted for a month in France? The answer for the Left would be France because they do not know how to incorporate immigrants.

A great way to understand the moral differences between conservatives and liberals is to ask who is to blame for acts of evil crimes committed against innocent people. Most conservatives will blame the perpetrator while most liberals blame either the victims group or the circumstances.

My last example will be the L.A. riots where a vast majority of blacks set fire to stores and murdered innocent employees and owners in certain sections of the city. Who is to blame for this atrocity? Are we supposed to understand the anger of these people when looking at America’s racism? If we do the latter, America will justify every evil action done by criminals and immediately blame the unfortunate socioeconomic and other circumstances of the person’s life.

We are responsible for our own actions, not a radical group that we have submitted our ideology to.

We do not know where and when the next Islamic attack will occur. All we can know is that some people will find reasons to hold the targeted group largely responsible.

--Armando
armando@csulb.net

Islam's View of the Cross of Christ

2006-04-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

For those who are unaware, Muslims believe that Jesus existed for a different reason than the belief of Christians. The impact of His life was acknowledged but divides with the Christian over the death of Jesus and was it means.

Most Muslims are taught that Jesus was not crucified. In Sura 4, verses 157-159, provides the basis for the denial of the crucifixion:

"And because of their saying: We slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Allah's messenger. They slew him not nor crucified, but it appeared so unto them; and lo! those who disagree concerning it are in doubt therefore; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture; they slew him not for certain. But Allah took him up unto Himself. Allah is ever Might, Wise. There is not on e of the People of the Scripture [Jews] but will believe in him before his death, and on the Day of Resurrection he will be a witness against them."

We must remember that this was written by the Prophet Muhammad, who was born in AD 571. There were witnesses that had reported that Jesus died by crucifixion including non-Christian historians who had no reason to fabricate the death of Christ. The crucifixion of Christ was common knowledge in the last part of the first century. It was not questioned.

Let's think about this for a second. If the death of Jesus did not occur through crucifixion, this hoax must have been created immediately since Christians were speaking and teaching about the power of Christs suffering and death as a means of salvation. This message was even preached in Jerusalem! To the Jewish leaders of that time, this type of preaching was considered blasphemy, since Christians claimed that Jesus was the Son of God (Mark 14:61-64).

Christian express their faith on the fact that Jesus was publicly tried, condemned, executed, and raise from the dead. Everyone in Jerusalem knew that Jesus had been crucified, and many had watched him die. These skeptics could have brought this false information to Pilate the governor or Herod the king or to the Jewish Council and gotten proof that he had not been condemned or crucified the way Christians said he was. But no one did that.

Paul, who was a contemporary of Jesus, said, "Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures...he was buried...he was raised on the third day...then he appeared to more than five hundred brother at one time, most of whom are still alive."
(1 Corinthians 15:3-6).

John Piper writes about the validity of the crucifixion:
"Why did Paul say 'most of whom are still alive'? Because he was not afraid to have his claims put to the test. he knew they could be verified by eyewitnesses. In other words, Christianity was spreading druing the very decades when eyewitnesses could have most easily proved it false. But the basic claims stood the test. The events had happened."

--Armando

Islam, Muhammad, Jesus, & Parakletos

2006-03-31T14:33:00.000-08:00

Here are some facts about Islam that I think would be helpful for everyone to understand. If you are reading and are a Muslim, I hope that you would be challenge by what is said and examine the Qur’an and Christian theology and history and see if what I am writing is true. If you are reading this and you profess to be a Christian, I would say to you as well that just because you claim to be Christians is no guarantee in itself that you are a genuine Christian with your sins forgiven or that you are on your way to heaven.

Here are some quick facts about the Qur’an.
-- Qur’an is considered Islam’s “holy book” composed of 114 “suras” or chapters.
-- Muslims regard the Qur’an as the infallible Word of God.
-- The author of the Qur’an was Muhammad (about A.D. 570) wrote about the revelations of Allah around A.D. 610.
-- The view of Jesus as Lord and the representations of the Trinity are considered heresy to Islam. Sura 4, “Women”, verse 171 says, “The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, was no more than God’s apostle…So believe in God [Allah] and his apostles and do not say: ‘Three.’ Forbear, and it shall be better for you. God is but one God. God forbid that he should have a son!”

What did Muhammad teach about his relation to Jesus? Did he see himself as superior to Jesus? According to Sura 61, “Battle Array”, verse 6, Muhammad does state that Jesus taught that, “an apostle…will come after me whose name is Ahmad [Muhammad].” Christ taught something completely different in that God the Holy Spirit who he called the Comforter (John 14:16-17) whom he could send from the Father, would come after him. This Comforter (parakletos) would come and glorify him, Jesus the Christ. The word “parakletos” is very important because Muhammad must have confused the Greek word “parakletos” with “periklytos”, which translates to mean “famed, praised”. As some of you know, Muhammad could not read. Muhammad taught that Jesus teaches that he, Muhammad, was to be the last and “seal” of God’s prophets.

We must note that the Gospels make it very apparent that Jesus taught that revelational history reached its climax and finality in him (Heb 1:1-2) and also that his apostles completed God’s revelatory activity (II Tim 3:16-17).

I will again write more on another day. I would like each of you reading to remember that we must evangelize the Muslim world by every appropriate means possible. Remember that this can be accomplished by the grace and power of God. If I were in a Muslim country today, speaking out against Muhammad and Islam is punishable by death. Nevertheless, the biblical Christ is the Muslim’s only hope of heaven, and the church must evangelize the Muslim world without hesitation.

--Armando

Islam, The Hadith, & The Gospel of Jesus Christ

2006-03-28T12:05:00.000-08:00

Over the last few months, I have written about the fallacy of the L.A. Church of Christ, Mormonism, & Jehovah’s Witness. These “off-branches” of Christianity are far from the truth of what true Christianity actually entails. Now I would like to avert our attention towards other false beliefs and religions that teach a completely different view on God. We’ll start by taking a look at Islam and what Christians can do in order to witness to a Muslim and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

One of the important views of Islam is the understanding of the hadith, which are the traditions of Muhammad. Other than the hadith, the Qur’an scriptures are of higher authority than the hadith for Muslims. The hadith contains thousands of records of the words and deeds of Muhammad and were recorded over a 200 year period after Muhammad’s death. These recordings had no eyewitnesses present or friends of eyewitness to account for Muhammad’s words unlike the Gospel which accounts of the life and teaching of Christ which was witnessed by thousands. The hadith was complied by al-Bukhari, who died in AD 870, which was 238 years after Muhammad’s death.

In sharing the Gospel with a Muslim, we must understand three truths that the Qur’an affirms: (1) God’s words and revelations cannot be altered. (2) Previous revelations were given to the Jews and the Christians: the Taurat (Torah), the Zabur (Psalms), and the Injil (Gospel). (3) These three revelations were still present with the Jews and the Christians during Muhammad’s lifetime (the hadith also affirms this fact).

What does this all mean? Simply this, if the Judeo-Christian scriptures were present – and uncorrupted – during Muhammad’s day, then we can express to Muslims, based on the authority of both the Qur’an and the hadith, to read the bible and read about the previous revelations about God and about Jesus’ claims of deity.

Sexual Temptation?

2006-01-26T12:01:00.000-08:00

There are certain disciplines that we must follow or else we will slide into sin through temptations. Our pride can definitely get in the way and keep us from having fellowship with our Father. In short, we are increased and Christ is decreased. How do we learn to stray from this idolatry and weaken our own pride and propagate humility?

Are some of you having struggles in your relationship and/or are being tempted with sexual sin?

I know that I sometimes forget about the severity of my own sin. The seriousness of our sin is nothing to take lightly.

Psalm 130:3-4... "If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared."

I really like this quote I read a while ago from William Law, "We may justly condemn ourselves as the greatest sinners we know, because we know
more of the folly of our own heart than we do of other people's...Therefore every sinner knows more of the aggravations of his own guilt than he does of other people's, and consequently may justly look upon himself to be the greatest sinner that he knows."

The easiest way to meet the need for self-esteem in people is to tell them that "God loves you". But a closer look at the Gospel reveals that the true meaning, "grace for sinners and deliverance for the sinned-against" has been dumbed-down to "unconditional acceptance for the victims of others lack of acceptance". We must remember that the Gospel is much more than unconditional love. God accepts us just as Christ is. He bears the curse that you and I deserve. He does not accept me "as I am" but "as I am in Jesus Christ". Do you see the difference? We must stray away from the idea that we are in charge of our own salvation...which is a common idea that Christians may not be aware they are doing.

"The cross becomes simply a demonstration that God loves me. It loses its force as the substitutionary atonement by the perfect Lamb in my place, who invites my repentance for heart-pervading sin!" -David Powlison

Why have I not talked about specific sexual sin and relationships? Knowing these truths first will better equip you to recognize not only your sexual sin but other sins as well. It all points to the Gospel and salvation! A better knowledge of the substitutional sacrifice Christ has done for us will continue to draw us closer and closer to the Father and He will be the source of conquering sin in our lives. Christ is so much bigger than our own sin, so much bigger than Satan!

I Timothy 1:15... "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all."

God bless you guys!

'hungry?' Wrap Up

2005-11-01T17:15:00.000-08:00

I would personally like to thank everyone for a great event this past Wednesday. Everyone came with a servants heart and helped feed over 400 Cal State Long Beach students.

Here are some folks I would like to thank:
Simon Bardone: Our speaker for the evening. You preach it man!
Catalyst: You guys rocked the house. The lyrics of your songs are inspiring
John, Debbie, & the rest of KCCC: Thanks for sticking around
Mark & David of Christian Students Unite: Thanks for your overall help. Love you guys!
Karla Goddu: Thank you for consistently & faithfully praying that the Lord will transform lives at CSULB.
Elliot and the rest of AACF: Thanks for helping out with the food. You guys rock!
James Davis: Thanks for helping out with clean-up.

Thanks again for everyone who helped out and was a part of the event. I received dozens of encouraging e-mails and people who were impacted form the event. Unification will create influence and I am pleased to be serving with each of you.

God Bless you guys!

--Armando
armando@csulb.net

Understanding Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

2005-11-01T11:57:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid, my understanding of Dia de los Muertos was very slim. All I saw were people dressed up like skeletons and fancy clothes to recognize those kids and adults who has passed away. Now that I'm a little bit older, I see that this is something more than just a remeberance day for the deceased.

The origins of Dia de los Muertos stem from prehispanic Mexico. The ancestors were a regular part of the community and were well respected. The living had the ability to speak to the deceased ancestors and obeyed the guidance of a particular ancestor. The offering of human sacrifices was believed to help sustain the universe. After death, each soul was guided by a dog through several steps in order to arrive at Mictlán, the place of the dead.

Mictlán had several different areas to accommodate the dead, depending on how they died. These areas were for the following people: babies, women who had died while giving birth, warriors, victims of drowning, etc.

The dead would return to visit their family members and friends in order to help them, give them counsel, and to sometimes to rebuke them.

The Spaniards came around and change day to fit a more Catholic perspective.

It needs to be known that the origin of Dia de los Muertos has absolutely nothing to do with the death, resurrection, and/or life of Jesus Christ. I understand that we are to remember those you have passed away, but to pray to the dead and create idols is where the line has to be drawn.

A simple look into the scriptures will show that we are to pray and receive guidance from Jesus Christ and no one else.

1 Timothy 2:5-6
"For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus!"

Romans 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord!"

We should not put our hope & trust in deceased ancestors but in the love and reality of Christ's life, death, & resurrection. He rose from the dead and defeated death. His shed blood can cleanse us of ALL sin. Forget all your arguments, repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ, and be saved from God's wrath. Read & understand the scriptures, He will never let you down!

--Armando
armando@csulb.net

Courtship :: Dating (Relationships)

2005-10-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

There is HUGE debate about the method of building a relationship with the opposite sex. Our culture teaches that we are to engage in multiple dating relationships as though it were normal. The fact is that the current modern dating methods has only been around for less than a century.

Now I know that we would all agree that our purpose in our lives is to seek and serve God. This is also true in the area of relationships. We must understand what God's plan for relationships is, and then follow it. But what is dating and how do I get over this idea in the realm of 'biblical dating'...some people call it courtship.

Today's modern dating scene usually consist of hiding all your flaws to give a false impression of yourself, in hopes of keeping your partner attracted to you. This type of dating is all about self-gratification, meaning that you date to satisfy your own needs. On the other hand, courtship is about open exploration of each others lives leading up to marriage. It is an honest process that involves the parents heavily.

Here is where dating becomes dangerous, such things like kissing, intimate hugging, sex and raising children are recognized as sacred to our partner and subject only to marriage. I realize that everyone has a different view of what is right and wrong, but in doing these act we engage in rampant emotional promiscuity, giving pieces of our hearts away until one wonders what will be left for that special, life-long partner.

When we are focused on His principles and having pleasure in making God a number one priority, we will wind up having a very satisfying and pleasant marriage. The Book of Ruth provides an excellent examples of courtship at work. Flirting will only make a contract that you are not willing to fulfill while you are only attempting to increase your own value, even at the expense of the other person.

True love is a commitment to increasing the other person's value.

--Armando
armando@csulb.net

Trying to Understand Homosexuality

2005-10-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

There are a number of churches in the Long Beach area and the country that embrace homosexuality. The "come as you are" routine is being applied to church pastors and the leadership of these churches.

The main defense these churches use come from 2 Samuel 1:26 where David and Johathan had a relationship that surpassed the love of women. Is this referring to sexual love? I don't think it is. This was about a special friendship that was different from a sexual relationship. According to the Levitical law, David and Jonathan would have been stoned from commiting these acts (Lev 18:22; 20:13).

Genesis 2:18-25
And the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him..."

When God created Adam a partner for Adam, He created Eve, not another Adam. The immediate question that popped in my mind was "What was the reason why God made two sexes."

I think that if God had intended both homosexual and heterosexual marriage, He would have designed our bodies to allow reproduction through both means. It would be healthy and natural both ways, too. Then I think about the super-high risk of homosexual male have of disease. Check out Romans 1:24-32. I'll only focus on 1:26-27

Romans 1:26-27
That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relationships with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men and, as a result, suffered within themselves the penalty they so richly deserved.

Now for a crazy verse:
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Don't you know that those who do wrong will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, who are idol worshipers, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, abusers, and swindlers--none of these will have a share in the Kingdom of God.

There are other verses that indicate that these passions and acts are unnatural, shameful, & contrary to doctrine and deny entrance to the Kingdom of God. The church has no choice but to uphold this idea. The church exists to save people, not to bless what is clearly not of God.

Now this seems crazy, right? I mean, how can someone say that about two people who have such deep emotions for each other? Are emotions a sufficient basis for marriage?

Just because an emotion is deep or powerful does not justify acting upon it. For example, I'm an alcoholic. I loved alcohol. I still love alcohol. It's a deep emotional desire that I have that is powerful and addictive. But I've recognized that it is ultimately terribly destructive to my body and mind. I don't deny that many homosexuals feel deeply for their partners, but I must say that no matter how deep the feelings, what they have cannot be a marriage in God's sight, according to scripture.

Does that mean that I feel like I'm better than everyone else by saying these things about homosexuals? Of course not. In fact, I do have some friends that are openly gay and we can still remain friends. I also have straight friends that are living together and are continuing "playing" husband & wife without "being" husband & wife. I have to understand that a sin is a sin whether it's addiction, murder, the love of money, lust (whether homosexual or not), etc.

--Armando
armando@csulb.net

The Daily 49er

2005-09-29T15:11:00.000-07:00

We made the front page of the student newspaper. There has not been a more positive article about Christian Students Unite and I would like to thank those who made the decision to put the article in the paper. Here is the article verbatim. If you would like to see the paper in full, please visit The Daily 49er website.

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Christian student groups unite for rejuvenation

By Krystle Ralston
Daily Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer

Various organizations on campus provide guidance, peace and understanding about Christianity. All these groups came together for one night of music and teaching for students here at Cal State Long Beach Wednesday.

Different Christian groups on campus came together on Unity Night to inform new students about these ministries. There are eight groups involved in Christian Students Unite, the organization hosting the event: Campus Crusade for Christ, American Asian Christian Fellowship, Navigators at Long Beach State, Beach Student Ministries, Every Nation Ministries, Korea Campus Crusade for Christ, Impact and Chinese Christian Fellowship.

The theme for the night was John 12:32, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself.” This passage from the Bible reflected the mission the night hoped to accomplish: to bring people together, whether or not they were religious.

The evening featured live music by the Every Nation music team, games and a sermon given by Don Allen, a Navigators youth group leader. His speech was one many college students could relate to: searching for happiness.

Allen quoted Luke 2:10, frequently used at Christmas services in church: “I bring you good tidings of great joy. A savior has been born in the city of David who is Christ the Lord.” He touched on the fact that not many people use the word “joy” in their vocabularies. People use the words happy, pleasure and content, but don’t use the word that means pure and true happiness. He related the search to his own experiences as a freshman in college living a lifestyle that brought him further and further down.

“What the world wants is not at the bottom of a glass,” Allen said.
At the end of his sermon he offered the opportunity to pray and speak with youth group leaders, and many students responded.

Some students who attended the event viewed it as a positive experience for new and returning students who wish to find a church youth group.
“This is a good way to meet other Christians, it encourages everyone to get involved in different events,” said Kristina Santos, a sophomore nursing major.

Armando Aguilar, the director of Campus Ministries, is very optimistic about the upcoming year.

“This is a great way for Christian students to get plugged into a church and meet new people. We don’t want to hide our love for Christ, we glorify him and want more and more people every day to do the same,” he said.

At the end of the night, Christian Students Unite collected an offering that goes directly to a fund through the Salvation Army for Hurricane Katrina victims.

Unity Night shared a strong message about making friends, getting involved in helping others and becoming closer to God in a way in which every student could relate.

“This night has made me feel so connected and rejuvenated, like I’ve found the foundation that I’ve been looking for,” said Rilee Allen, a freshman child development major.

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--Armando
armando@csulb.net

Wrap Up: Christian Students Unite

2005-09-15T14:33:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank each of you for coming out to Christian Students Unite. It was wonderful to see some familiar faces and even some new faces. I am looking forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for the Long Beach area in the upcoming years.

Unity creates revival. The goal is to start out with spiritual revival, which is believers that are active in spreading the Gospel through the study of scripture, street evangelism, & relational evangelism. It is my belief that spiritual revival will result in numerical revival, that is, people repenting and committing his or hers life to Jesus Christ.

I would like to encourage every person reading this blog to earnestly pray for where God is calling you. For some, God has already called those to serve Him in a particular ministry. For others, they may be wondering where God is calling them. Well all I can say is keep praying! Pray that God will have you used in a location where he can do the most damage...in a glorified way! Ask the Lord how you can be used in this time of revolution. Here is solid scripture:

"And when they [Peter & John] had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness!"
Acts 4:31

Our committment at Christian Students Unite is to make sure that you are plugged in, serving, & learning in a church or Christian organization. Feel free to contact us with how you would like to be used by God and we may be able to point you in a direction where the Lord can use you completely.

For more information, please visit www.csulb.net.

God Bless You Guys,
Armando
armando@csulb.net

Christian Students Unite::::Wed, Sept 14

2005-08-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

"If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all peoples to Myself." John 12:32

WHEN: Wednesday, September 14, 2005
WHERE: USU Ballroom, Cal State Long Beach
SPEAKER: Erik Thoennes

We are excited to lift up the sweet name of Jesus at Cal State Long Beach. Join us as we fellowship, praise, & learn more about what the Lord is doing here in the LOng Beach area. Christian organizations and churches in the Long Beach area will be in attendance as we praise Our Heavenly Father.

Christian Organizations involved:
Campus Crusade for Christ
Asian American Christian Fellowship
The Navigators
Beach Student Ministries
Every Campus Ministries
Korean Campus Crusade for Christ
IMPACT
Chinese Christian Fellowship

We hope you will join us! See you there!

For more information, please visit www.csulb.net.
Contact Armando
(310) 938-2300
armando@csulb.net

WHY "________" IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH CHRISTIAN STUDENTS UNITE

2005-07-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

As being a part of the ministry of Christian Students Unite over the last couple of years, I have come across an interesting question that I answer quite frequently, "How come Mormons (Latter Day Saints), Jehovah's Witnesses, or L.A. Church of Christ members not affiliated with Christian Students Unite? I thought they were all Christians?"

First off, let me mention that each of these different areas of belief either refer to a different Jesus or more necessities needed for salvation to occur. Christian Students Unite have core beliefs that each ministry involved must abide by or else the ministry will in no way be affiliated with Christian Students Unite. Our ideology must occur not only to educated the seeker but to celebrate the true meaning of The Father, Jesus, & Holy Spirit. A couple of these belief include the following [we suggest you look up these scriptures for yourself for further understanding]:

The Bible is the inspired, infallible, authoritative, and inerrant Word of God. (2 Timothy 3:15-17, 1 Peter 1:21). There one God, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:1, Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19, John 10:30).

Deity of Christ (John 10:33); His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23, Luke 1:34-35); His sinless life (Hebrews 4:15, 7:26); His Miracles (John 2:11); His vicarious and atoning death (1 Corinthians 15:3, Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 2:9); His resurrection (John 11:25, 1 Corinthians 15:4); His ascension to the right hand of the Father (Mark 16:19); His personal return to earth in power and glory (Acts 1:11, Revelation 19:11-16).

The absolute necessity of regeneration by the Holy Spirit for salvation because of the exceeding sinfulness (depravity) of the human nature, and that all are justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Christ, and that only by God's grace through faith alone are we saved (John 3:16-19, 5:24, Romans 3:23, 5:8-9, Ephesians 2:8-10, Titus 3:5).

The resurrection of both the saved and the lost; those who are saved unto the resurrection of eternal life, and those who are not unto the resurrection of eternal damnation (John 5:28-29).

Mormons (Latter Day Saints), Jehovah's Witnesses, & L.A. Church of Christ members have issues with some of these writings above. I'll go over these another time, but for now, I hope this inspired you to open up the scriptures and see for yourselves what an amazing God we serve!

--Armando
armando@csulb.net

FALSE - Mormonism (Latter Day Saints)

2005-07-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

The Mormons, also know as the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, is now the largest U.S. cult that boasts more than 7 million members worldwide, and over 40,000 full-time "missionaries". Mormonism was discovered by a boy name Joseph Smith Jr. in 1820. Supposedly, Joseph saw a vision at Palmyra, New York where God told him not to join any church, he said, because they were all wrong due to the corrupt professors & creeds. (The Pearl of Great Price, 1:18-19) Three years later, he claimed the angel "Moroni" visited him and led him to some golden plates written in Reformed Egyptian Hieroglyphics. After translating these plates through a pair of magical "spectacles", the Book of Mormon was born.

"The Book of Moromon", "Doctrines and Covenants", and "The Pearl of Great Price" are now considered by Mormons as equal authority with the Word of God. It is not the Christian church that is attacking Mormonism, but rather, Mormonism that has attacked the Christian church by believing & stating that "true Christianity" disappeared from the earth for over 1800 years until Joseph Smith enlightened us all. In contrary to biblical teachings they also believe in more than one God, that God is a literal man, that men can become gods, that Jesus was the spirit brother of Lucifer, not to mention salvation by works and not by grace (Isa. 43:10; Mark 12:29; John 4:24; John 1:1-14; Gal. 2:14-16; Eph. 2:8-9).

With this knowledge leads Christians to classify Mormonism as a non-Christian cult and its prophets, of course, are either deceieved or they are deceivers. These beliefs force Christian Students Unite to distance ourselves with the Mormon church. However, we do invite any member of this belief to be a part of our events to hear the TRUTH about Jesus Christ, the Living God, the One and Only.

--Armando
armando@csulb.net

FALSE - Jehovah's Witness

2005-07-22T07:41:00.000-07:00

Jehovah's Witnesses openly profess to believe in Jesus Christ, but what exactly is their view of Jesus?

After much research, we find that Jehovah's Witnesses teach a Jesus that is very different from the Jesus of the Bible. The core beliefs about Jesus is that they regard him as the first and only being directly created by Jehovah God (cf. John 1:1-3). They believe that Jehovah God has never had any personal contact with creation, but was indirectly responsible for the creation of all beings by empowering Jesus to bring the physical universe into existence.

Jehovah's Witnesses also deny that Jesus is God Almighty (cf. Phil 2:6-7). They make claims that Jesus is not all-powerful, not all-knowing, and not even all-present. In addition, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus should not be worshipped & prayers should not be addressed to Him (cf. Heb. 1:6; Acts 9:13-14). They believe that Jesus should not be honored in the same degree as God the Father.

This belief is a direct contradiciton to what Jesus proclaimed in John 5:23, when He said that it is God's will for all to honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Jehovah's Witnesses deny that Jesus rose bodily from the dead, instead, teach us that He rose in a "Spirit Body" (whatever that may be). Jesus' resurrection cannot be seen as a triumph over physical death when, in fact, this is the very opposite of what Scripture reveals (1 Cor. 15:54-55).

For these reasons, Jehovah's Witnesses cannot be regarded as true Christians & must be referred to as a cult. Jehovah's Witnesses claim to be Christian yet deny essential Christian doctrine. Christian Students Unite must distance themselves from this belief because we cannot compromise when it comes to the nature of God, and certainly not when it comes to the Lord Jesus Christ. We do, however, invite members of Jehovah's Witnesses to any of our events to hear about the true life of Jesus.

--Armando
armando@csulb.net

FALSE - L.A. Church of Christ (Boston Movement / Int'l Churches of Christ)

2005-07-20T23:01:00.000-07:00

Members of the International Churches of Christ (ICC, also known as the Boston Movement, the Boston Church of Christ, etc.) might resemble Christians who are on fire & excited about serving the Lord. The evangelical sound stems from the claim that the Bible is their only source for doctrine. ICC is on of the fastest growing heretical movements in the world.

Christian Students Unite has classified ICC as heretical due to denying one or more of the essential doctrine of the Christian faith. Among ICC’s doctrinal inconsistency are a works-oriented plan of salvation that is related to a heavy misunderstanding of grace and the rejection of the doctrine of original sin. While claiming to believe in salvation by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9) in Jesus Christ, in reality, certain necessary acts have been added as prerequisites for salvation. Joanne Ruhlad, a member of Countercult Ministry, specializes in the International Churches of Christ explains the process of salvation after being meeting all prerequisites, “after meeting all prerequisites, the prospective member’s eligibility for salvation then depends on the leadership determining if the candidate is ready for baptism. Ultimately then, receiving God’s grace in ICC depends on faith plus the completion of works, the presumptuousness of the leaders judging another’s heart, & water baptism.”

The meaning of water baptism plays a significant role in Christianity & the ICC. There are a number of scriptures that which are often cited by the ICC to prove that the Bible makes baptism mandatory for salvation. Some of the most common are Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, Mark 16:16, John 3:5, Romans 6:4, & 1 Peter 3:21.

An up-close examination of each of these scriptures in context will show that baptism is regularly associated with conversion and salvation, rather than absolutely required for salvation. When Christians say that baptism is not essential for salvation, we do not mean that God does not expect new Christians to be baptized. The reality is that He does. The Lord Jesus Christ, however, did command every Christian to be baptized. But baptism is not prerequisite to being born again or forgiveness of one’s sins. It is possible for some people who have not been baptized to be saved through faith in Jesus Christ. Cornelius’s family received the Holy Spirit and was manifesting the gifts of the Spirit after hearing the gospel but before being baptized (Acts 10:44-48).

The ICC, because of their extreme view about the essential doctrine of salvation, must be referred to as a cult. Like Jehovah's Witnesses & Mormonism, the ICC claims to be Christian and then deny core Christian doctrine. Christian Students Unite must keep distant from the ICC because we cannot compromise essential doctrine like salvation. We do, however, openly invite members of ICC to any of our event to help understand that salvation comes by grace through faith alone!

--Armando
armando@csulb.net

LOOKING FOR A CHURCH?

2005-07-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

Here is some information about some of the wonderful churches in the area. If you're new to the area or are just seeking some answers, these local churches will definitely be places that will give you an opportunity to grow with God both intellectually & spiritually. I included links to the website if you care to dig further. I hope this helps!
(All times are for Sunday unless specified otherwise)

Cornerstone Church
Time: 10:00am
Hill Classical Middle School
1100 Iroquois Ave.
Long Beach Ca. 90815
562.493.2731
Pastor Jerry Reub
www.Cornerstone-Church.info

Bethany Church
Traditional Service: 8:15am
Contemporary Service: 10:45am
Resonate(College): 7:00pm
2250 Clark Ave.
Long Beach Ca. 90815
562.597.2411
Pastor Matt Swaney:mswaney@bethanylb.org
www.BethanyLB.org

Parkcrest Church
Time: 8:30am, 10:00am, 11:30am
5950(College): 5:15pm & 7:00pm
3936 Woodruff Ave.
Long Beach Ca. 90808
562.421.9374
Pastor Roger Beard: Click Here
www.Parkcrest.org

We are working on a church network site that will be up shortly...but this will give you a great start!

--Armando
armando@csulb.net

WELCOME!

2005-07-14T20:44:00.000-07:00

Thank you for checking out our blog. It has come to my attention that there are a number of students who desire to know about some of the wonderful things the Lord is doing on this campus...you've come to the right place. We are updating our website frequently so make sure to come back regularly as your source for Christian events, ministry information, & growth materials that will guide your faith with Jesus Christ. Our goal is to assist each of you on your journey with Christ.
If you have any questions about anything, please do not hesistate to leave a response or e-mail me at armando@csulb.net!

God Bless!

--Armando