by Paul Lu

When Pastor Rocky invited me, along with our pastors, to register for the Shepherds’ Conference, I immediately jumped at the opportunity. I’d heard of it, but never had the opportunity to attend one. A few months passed by, and March 9th came. Pastor Mako had found a nice Airbnb for us. Just the thought of being able to spend three days with the pastors was enough reason for me to get excited about.

If you thought this conference was all about excellent sermons and spiritual nourishment, you’d be only partially correct. Sure, there were plenty of take-aways that equipped pastors to be who they are called to be, but it was much more than that. Grace Church made sure we were well-fed and well-read – not only did they feed us well, we also received an entire box of free books! In addition, there were two bookstores on campus, plus a huge book fair to read and buy to your heart’s content.

One of the highlights for me was the times for praise and worship. Bob Kauflin from Sovereign Grace Music was not only leading worship, he was worshiping with us. Although his voice and piano skills were outstanding, they didn’t matter as much as the way he exuded a spirit of worship. Throughout the three days of corporate worship, I learned that you don’t need a large team to have good worship. In fact, the team was just Bob and his piano. It was the multitude of voices rising out of worshipful hearts that stirred my soul — 3,500 men from 83 countries around the world singing praises to the one God and King — a preview of the Day we all look forward to.

I went to the Shepherds’ Conference expecting to be changed by the messages. Instead, it was the experience of brotherly love that spoke to me the most. On the first evening, brother Stuart Jung graciously treated us to a nice dinner as we enjoyed conversations around the table. When we arrived at the Airbnb, I noticed several pastors volunteering, even insisting to sleep in the living room instead of the comfortable beds. If you got there late, you had to sleep in one of the bedrooms. After we had all showered, I saw our pastors calling their wives and children, spending as much time as needed to care for them and pray with them. On our last day, as we prepared to leave, several of our pastors spent their gift certificates to buy presents for their wives and children. Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

There’s much more to be said about the 2022 Shepherds’ Conference, but suffice it to say that the love shown to us by Grace Church, the power of corporate worship, and the brotherly love shown by our pastors far surpassed any knowledge or wisdom that was preached to me. “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (I Cor. 13:13).

On Sunday, February 27, Pastor John MacArthur preached at Evergreen Church. Hear more from Pastor Rocky as he reflects on that Sunday.

How did you think Pastor John’s sharing at our church went?

The entire Lord’s Day when Pastor John visited our church was amazing! Our Lord continues to show His hesed love for Evergreen Church by bringing gifts like Pastor John to encourage us. Out of his incredibly busy schedule, he preached the Word and took the time to share his personal thoughts with us. People have shared with me that the interview portion of the day felt like our entire church family was able to pull up a chair beside the pastor and hear him share his insights as an older brother. It was fun to hear about his family and the insights that he learned through football. On a personal level, Sharla and the children were super encouraged to have Pastor John take the time to visit our church since I have shared on many occasions with them on how the Lord has been caring for our church through people like him.

Was there any significance to what Pastor John preached (Psalm 19) in relation to where the Lord is leading our church?

It was quite significant for Psalm 19 to be preached as it is one of the signature portions of Scripture that proclaims how God speaks to His people. Pastor John delivered a clear exposition of Psalm 19. Psalm 19:1-6 says that God communicates to all people on a general level through His Creation. Psalm 19:7-14 says that God gives specific revelation to His people. Specific revelation is where God give His own testimony to who He is and how one comes to a saving relationship with Him. In other words, creation may declare in a general sense that a divine creator exists, but the Bible is God’s only reliable testimony to who He is. The Bible is the only inerrant, authoritative and sufficient Word from God. Psalm 19 tells us that we are on the correct path as we emphasize God’s Word in everything that we do.

Why do you believe this was an emblematic moment for our church?

As I think about Pastor John, his commitment to the faithful ministry of God’s Word comes to mind. Therefore, his visit was significant for us as his visit was emblematic of what our Lord is doing at Evergreen Church. The ministry of the Word of God is foundational to the discipleship of our church. Since discipleship is the central theme of the church, this was a foundational teaching on what the church is to focus on. God’s Word is a “Discipleship Essential.”  “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42) To put it in another way, one cannot grow as a disciple without God’s Word. Therefore, anyone who is with Evergreen Church on the Lord’s Day comes away with a strong emphasis on God’s Word. The Bible is being taught during the Sunday School Hour from 9-10am. The Lord’s Day Service is loaded with God’s Word as we read the Word during our public reading of Scripture. We sing the Word as the praise music is loaded with doctrine. We pray the Word as leaders pray according to God’s Word and we preach the Word as we are committed to expository preaching. Expository preaching is the commitment to preach the God intended meaning of the biblical text for the building up of the Body of Christ. Therefore, the preaching of Psalm 19 was incredibly significant to our church.

What benefit do you see in allowing guest preachers, such as Pastor John MacArthur, to preach at our church?

We are just getting started as we are coming out of two years of COVID-19, and we will begin to see what it feels like to be a member of Evergreen Church.

Pastor John has been faithfully pastoring Grace Community Church for over 50 years, and it is amazing to see their commitment to build up one another through the ministry of the Word and prayer. The benefits from hearing from people like Pastor John are numerous.

First, he is able help paint the picture of what the future could look like some day. As he shared with us, he is looking backwards upon his life as he is in his 80’s and he can recognize the providential moments in his life that has led up to where he is at today. It takes time and patience to see how the invisible hand of the Lord is moving. We are just getting started and it helps to hear from role models who are further down the road. “The Work of the Word” was preached at Pastor John’s 50th anniversary and it provides a picture of what faithful Bible exposition over the course of a lifetime yields.

Second, he was able to encourage us by letting us know how difficult it was for him in his initial years at Grace Community Church in 1969. This is a reminder that Gospel ministry is always filled with challenges. There are always unique challenges when there is a transition in leadership, but the challenges were multiplied due to the COVID-19 season. Therefore, we should expect challenges in the life of the church and understand that it is a part of the process.

Third, he is a living picture of finishing strong. Finishing well is the genuine desire of all followers of Jesus Christ. Paul said that he had fought the good fight and finished the course that was set before him, and a crown of righteousness was waiting for him in Heaven (2 Timothy 4:6-8). A picture is worth a thousand words, and we all need to formulate the vision of a Christian Champion.

Fourth, it is good to see the greater Body of Christ to see more of Christ. This is how the one anothers functions in the greater Body of Christ. Our aim is Christlikeness, and it is helpful to see. It is a great reminder that we are not alone and there are many faithful likeminded brothers and sisters outside of our local church.

Are there any guest preachers lined up the church can possibly look forward to hearing in the future?

The Lord has provided other people from outside of our local church who have come alongside us, and some have agreed to preach on the Lord’s Day. However, I will keep it a surprise for now.

Dear Friends,

A LOT has happened since my last letter to you (November 2021). I’ll try to briefly share the biggest highlights and prayer requests with you.

I am getting married!

In God’s providence while I was learning how to coach American football and attending Evergreen, a wonderful sister from Petropavlovsk (a town in Northern Kazakhstan) joined my church in Almaty! She came about 2 weeks after I left in August. Her name is Vera [means “faith” in Russian], and her former pastor recommended her to join our church after she moved to Almaty for work.

No one at my church told me about a new girl (mind you, we only have 24 members!) and I was surprised after meeting her for the first time in November. That first Sunday Vera won me over with 2 things: she sang like an angel (she is a musician) and made the best plum cake I’ve ever had! That Sunday one of our members had a birthday so many folks brought some desserts – and Vera’s cake made it to the top of my list!

I asked her out in mid-December and proposed 2 months later. Lord willing, we’ll get married on March 26. I have never met anyone who loves so sacrificially like Vera! We went to visit my mom in Oskemen (Eastern Kazakhstan) a couple of weeks ago, and my mom absolutely loved Vera! She calls her “my little daughter”, and Vera calls her “mom”. My eyes are swelling with tears as I type this, because in the past mom was radically against interracial marriages, and that she fell in love with an ethnically Russian fiancée is solely God’s miracle!

Please pray that together we’d bring God many times more glory than we would have apart! I hope that in the future you’ll get a chance to meet Vera in person. Also pray for the wedding – we expect dozens of our friends and relatives who’ve never stepped into a church building – pray for the gospel to be preached clearly and for the conversion of many!

Ministry.

Church.

Our church is doing well in the midst of some hard things. We went through riots in January, and one of our members (a young single lady Aisulu) lost her dad to illness in December. Then in January her grandmother died, and a month ago her mom was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. The church has been faithfully ministering to Aisulu and her family. Among other things we spent dozens of hours reading and explaining the Scriptures to Aisulu’s mom. About 2 weeks ago she professed her faith in Christ! She said that God used the pain and suffering to save her – and she immediately started sharing her faith with the relatives.

I am again crying as I type this. Mrs. Lena is such an example of courage and quiet spirit to me and to our whole church! Never even once she complained against God… Last Sunday our church voted her into our membership. About a dozen of us went to her home and baptized her there. Lena’s legs stopped responding which is why we held baptism in her room.

I don’t know how long she’ll last on this side of heaven, but I pray that God would use this frail sister to save many! In our minds it is the strong and confident preachers whom God should use to draw many to faith, but God so often chooses to use the unlikely vessels mightily to get all the glory. Please pray for our dear sister Lena! And for Aisulu (her daughter) – she’s been deeply depressed and has been having suicidal thoughts. Other sisters are taking turns staying at their apartment to serve them. Aisulu doesn’t have any siblings – church is her last family here…

I started preaching through Revelation. Lord willing, I will be preaching on the seven seals this coming Sunday. This book brings so much certainty and comfort in the middle of chaos: The Lamb won! Christ rules over everything and He’s the One who gives suffering to His church for their purification. Please pray that I preach faithfully and that the Lord would use His word to build up His church.

Football.

By God’s grace our team (The Almaty Horde) has been growing both in numbers and quality. After most of our veteran players left and we shrunk to just 5-6 guys in November, we have been slowly recruiting new players and now have 15-18 guys. We are dealing with the challenge of training new recruits but it’s a great problem to have.

I focus primarily on coaching [3 practices a week] but I also decided to play one more season. It will take some time to build up the new guys and we don’t have anyone to fill in the position of safety.

Every Saturday morning before practice I share a quick word from the book of Proverbs with my team. Please pray that God uses His word to change their lives. Two 2 guys started attending our church on a semi-regular base (Rustam [RB, LB] & his wife Olya; and Turgyt [CB]). Several others came to our Christmas service. Pray for the conversions!

Also, I expect about 30 people, related to my team (current and former players with their wives/girlfriends; I also invited some players from other teams) to come to the wedding – pray that God softens their hearts to receive the gospel!

I am very excited about the future of our team! Unfortunately, due to the unrest in our region the coaches from LA won’t come this spring to run a camp for us but hopefully they will later this year. Pray for that!

Christian publishing.

As you know my main job is Christian publishing. Our ministry is located in Samara, Russia, and I manage it remotely. Last year has been tremendous for us. I think that we’ve become the largest Christian publishing company (not like there are too many others) in the former USSR, having distributed around 30000 books. I couldn’t have imagined that God would bless us in such a way back when we started Good News Publishing in my kitchen in 2019 😊

Please pray that God continues to use us to reshape the theological landscape of the former USSR! God blessed us with awesome partners like Desiring God, 9Marks, Master’s seminary, and others – and we hope to produce tons of solid theological resources in the following decades.

War in Ukraine.

I’ve been in Ukraine half a dozen times. I’ve travelled all over it, preached and taught there. We have a player from Ukraine in our team (he works for an agricultural company in Kazakhstan). I have close friends and ministry partners across Ukraine – and I couldn’t sleep well for a week since Putin attacked it. Almost all my friends stayed in Ukraine and are now either serving as volunteers or hiding in bomb shelters.

Tragically many (if not most) Russians (not only in Russia, but even in Kazakhstan) trust Putin’s narrative that Ukraine is ruled by the Nazis and that the Russian army is there to liberate the Ukrainians.

Please pray that God would stop Putin in his madness! And pray that He’d draw millions of people to Christ both in Ukraine and Russia! Also pray for the unity around the gospel of Christ’s church across the borders – there is much bitterness among Christians in Russia and Ukraine.

Coming to LA soon.

I was planning on coming to LA in January for a small conference for international Christian publishers, but my flight was canceled due to the riots in Almaty.

Please pray that I’ll be able to come this time for the Shepherd’s conference. Our team and partners from Russia and Ukraine won’t be able to come because all flights were canceled, so I will be representing our ministries alone.

I hope to see many of you on the Lord’s Day on March 13!

Your brother,
Arman

On Discipleship Sunday, 2/20, Kellen Hiroto from Malawi and partner ministry, Bright Vision, shared how discipleship is happening in Malawi through his family's ministry and how our support of Bright Vision is resulting in discipleship. Here is his testimony:

This morning I’d like to teach you two phrases in Chichewa (language of the Chewa tribe in Malawi), and frame my sharing around these two thoughts:

First is Kupanga Ophunzira- “Discipleship” or “Making disciples”

It warms my heart that as you walk into the church, we are met with reminders of what we as Christians are all about making disciples.  What’s so encouraging is that’s not just signage!  I had the privilege of joining the pastors and staff in their meetings this past Tuesday, and a consistent theme that ran through those meetings (in talking about preaching, biblical counseling, planning for service) was how all of these decisions center on faithfully making disciples of Jesus Christ.  I came out of the morning refreshed and excited, catching glimpses into how Evergreen as a local church body is seeking to do that here in the San Gabriel Valley.

As missionaries in Malawi, our hearts are for discipleship, really in three different contexts: Christian Education, serving in our local church, and Bright Vision Orphan Care.  In the context of my work as a lecturer and coach at African Bible College, the classroom is a means to disciple students, teaching courses like Romans, John and Apologetics or even Curriculum Development and Leadership.  What I want to do is help students center their lives on the Bible, develop a Christian worldview and be equipped to lead in both secular work and Christian ministry.  Coaching the soccer team is discipleship, creating a culture in our program that glorifies God and builds men of integrity and humility.

I serve on the Elder team of our local church in Malawi, and our desire is to see a healthy body of believers growing in Christ-likeness together.  That takes many forms, walking through premarital counseling for a young couple, figuring out how we facilitate fellowship at a church picnic, how we help people understand God’s sovereignty during COVID, confronting the sin of self-will and pride as we counsel a young leader, or offering encouragement to an older woman who has just lost her husband.  All of these are opportunities to see people follow Jesus, day-by-day submitting themselves to His Word and seeking to follow Him with every part of their lives.

The Hiroto Family

The second phrase is Zikomo Kwambiri- “Thank you very much.”

Thank you for being a part of the work that has been happening at Bright Vision over these many years (all the way back to 2008) sponsoring our feeding program and Christmas Celebration, building our kitchen and toilets, helping us purchase land to grow food.  Malawi is one of the poorest nations in the world, and the village of Chamadenga struggles under desperate poverty.  We’re working to meet many of these physical needs by providing early-childhood nutrition in nursery school, sponsoring kids in secondary school, building homes for children living with grandparents, providing jobs so parents can support their families (just this past weekend we had 747 kids come to our feeding program. But all of this is a means to see people come to hear the Gospel, to know and love Christ, and follow Him.  One of the exciting developments over the last few years has been having our students being trained as Christian leaders for the Malawian context and joining us in ministry at Bright Vision.  They’re being trained for work in this context and in many ways are so much more effective than we are.  They may come for the day to visit homes or live at Bright Vision for six weeks as an intern. So ZIKOMO KWAMBIRI for being important partners to Bright Vision and a continued encouragement to our work.

To close I’d like to offer an encouragement and three questions.  When Jesus gives The Great Commission to His disciples in Matthew 28:18-20 “Go and make disciples of all nations”, that call was not just for pastors and missionaries, it is for all those who would call themselves followers of Christ.  So let me ask:

- How are you being discipled right now, growing in your maturity and being equipped to serve?

- How are you involved in discipling others towards Christ-likeness here at Evergreen?

- How could you be involved in the discipleship of the nations through global missions — whether going, sending, supporting, praying?

I hope that you are encouraged that Evergreen is involved in that around the world and that likeminded brothers and sisters are pursuing this with you, in Malawi. 

By Pastor Rocky

As Evergreen Church prepares to hear from special guest Pastor John MacArthur this Sunday, 2/27, we thought it would be great for Pastor Rocky to share more about his relationship with Pastor John MacArthur and how much of an encouragement Pastor John MacArthur has been to him personally and to our church.

2014 - Personal Visit

Please share how you first got to know Pastor John MacArthur?

Providentially, our Lord was providing a mentor and friend for me as He would know that I would be called into pastoral ministry. In the 2000’s, I had known about Pastor John MacArthur because someone had gifted me a MacArthur Study Bible and I was listening to “Grace to You” on the radio. Back in 2009, when I served as a coach at the University of Southern California (USC), a portion of my recruiting area was in the San Fernando Valley. Therefore, I decided to stop by Grace Community Church to drop off a copy of our “Marriage Pyramid” that Sharla and I had developed. Weeks later, Pastor John wrote me telling me how he liked it because it was biblical. Providence would move our family to coach for the Seattle Seahawks in 2010 and in 2012 the Ligonier’s Westcoast Conference happened to be held in Seattle and John MacArthur was one of the speakers. Since he is a football guy, I decided to extend an invitation to visit our Seattle Seahawks training facility. Troy and I were able to give him and Steve Lawson a tour of our training facility. From that point on, he has graciously allowed me to contact him for advice or for a visit. In fact, in 2016, as we were wrestling over the decision to enter full time pastoral ministry, I had consulted him about how to discern the call of the preacher.

2017 - Q&A at The Master’s University

How were you able to maintain a relationship with Pastor John MacArthur over the years?

Providence would keep connecting both of us. In 2017, another Ligonier’s conference was hosted at Evergreen Baptist Church and we were able to meet up in the office in between his sessions. During our visit, he had asked me if I had any formal ministry training. I told him that I had begun an online master’s degree in theology while I was coaching. He would extend an invitation for me to sit in the Doctor of Ministry in Expository Preaching program at the Master’s Seminary. Therefore, I audited the program since the summer of 2017 and officially enrolled in the summer of 2021. Being able to be on the campus of the seminary on a regular basis has helped deepen my relationship with Pastor John as well as other leaders of Grace Community Church.

How has Pastor John MacArthur been an encouragement personally to you? To the church?

I can trace back the hand of the Lord moving providentially in my life through the people He has surrounded me with. Even at an early age, I always looked for role models in my life. During my formative years, the Lord provided great role models for me through my own father and mother, the greatest influences in my life. Sharla’s parents have always been a positive model for me as they are an example of generosity. As I began my football journey, the Lord provided the greatest coaching influences. I could not have asked for a better football mentor in Coach Pete Carroll and the other assistants as they have left a massive imprint upon me that would shape the way I approach challenges. Relationships with outside coaching influences such as Coach John Wooden served as a unique source of encouragement to me during my USC days.

It is true that the Lord equips the called. Since calling me to serve Him in a pastoral role, I have been provided a great role model in pastoral ministry through Pastor John. He is always available for a question, but the greatest encouragement that Pastor John has been to me on a personal level is the mutual friendship that we share. As a man who has gone the way before me, he understands my joys and pains. Looking at his life provides me with perspective.

The church can be encouraged by knowing how the Lord is caring for His church by equipping me with so much support from the Body.

2020 - Shepherd’s Conference with Evergreen Pastoral Staff

 What do you respect most about Pastor John MacArthur as a person?

When I think of Pastor John, his enduring commitment to be an expositor of God’s Word comes to mind. This is what our Lord calls His under shepherds to be about. However, the thing that I respect the most about Pastor John is that he is a genuine man of God. As a person he genuinely reflects what he teaches. I love him as preacher, but I love him more as a person. As I get to spend time with him in informal settings, I can see the work of the Word in his life. He reminds those around him what the Apostle Paul said to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:5, “the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart.” He genuinely loves Christ, and people. As I have gotten to know him and see him interact with his family and other church members, I can see the love of Christ in him. The word “encouraging” come to mind as I see him interacting with people. He is one of the most gracious and generous people that I have had an opportunity to know.

Please share how it came about that Pastor John MacArthur is going to preach at our church on Sunday, 2/27.

Pastor John had wanted to preach at our church for a few years, but the COVID-19 season hit and things got very busy for him. Last Monday, I woke up thinking that I should check in with him to see if he would be able to fill the pulpit this year. He responded and asked if February 27th would work. He apologized for the short notice but would explain to me that this may be the only time in the foreseeable future, as the elders of Grace Community Church had given him that week off from preaching so he could prepare for the Shepherd’s Conference (takes place in early March for the equipping of pastors).  Instead of resting, he has made a special effort to serve our local church.

What are your hopes for Pastor John MacArthur’s time with Evergreen on Sunday, 2/27?

The Lord loves His church at Evergreen! He has shown His great love and care by providing people to encourage and equip us. My biggest hope for Pastor John’s visit is that our Lord will be glorified by our people being able to see His providential care for us by providing a unique gift to the church like Pastor John MacArthur. I am eager to hear God’s Word preached by him from our pulpit that Tommy Yamada built for our church, and I am excited for our people to see how our Lord has been working behind the scenes to care for us. For the investments he has intentionally made in us, I am hoping that Pastor John leaves feeling the affection and appreciation that Evergreen Church has for him. This will be a significant moment in the life of our church family.