WAV College Church
Contact: 4875 Viewridge Ave., San Diego 510-917-2093 www.wavcollege.church
Membership: 110
Pastor: John Ko
Age: 47
Born: Olney, MD
Formation: University of California-Berkeley; Biola University, La Mirada
Years in Full-time Ministry: 7
San Diego Reader: What is your favorite subject on which to preach?
Pastor John Ko: Time is short. Luke 12 tells the parable about the rich fool. It’s a message I preach to many college students, since that’s the focus of our ministry. The parable is about a man who hits it big, as if he played all the stock markets right, got the best job and was so successful in life. But the one thing he didn’t realize is that he had a short amount of time. Instead of thinking about the afterlife or God, he only thought about himself. It’s a reminder that we only have a short amount of time on earth and we should invest the time we have properly. This subject is particularly important for students, because college is the most formational time for a person to make decisions about their belief in God, their purpose, who they are and what their life is about.
SDR: What is the mission of your church?
PK: WAV stands for With a Vision. We’re part of a larger network called Acts 2 Network. Our vision is to launch lifelong Kingdom workers — those who will work in our church but can also work anywhere else, serving God in some intentional way — from every college we can. We believe in many kinds of ministries, but the college is where all those ministries start. Our network is called Acts 2, because Acts 2:42-47 is a picture of the early church operating as a close community. We want to build that kind of close community, one in which its members love one another and God, and share the gospel with others on college campuses. We have a lot of members who have graduated from college but decided to stay to help out. They’re volunteer staff, and they have day jobs, but they come to campus at night to mentor college students in life, career and spiritual things. We call it bilocational ministry.
SDR: What one book has had the greatest influence on your ministry?
PK: One book I go back to again and again is Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. He so plainly and elegantly explains chief spiritual principles with practical examples and explanations. His logic is tight and clear, and that resonates with a lot of college students.
SDR: Where do you when you die?
PK: The Bible is clear that there is a heaven and a hell, and we’ll all face God in judgment. Ultimately, where we go is not based on what we’ve done, on how good or bad we’ve been. None of us can meet God’s perfect standard, but if we put our trust in Jesus, since he is the one who paid the price for our sins, then he becomes our righteousness and we can live with God forever. Still, something is required on our part. We have to admit we’re sinners, confess our need for Christ, and receive his forgiveness. But that’s freely given to every person to choose. If they choose not to accept that gift, they are separated from God, which is called hell — eternal regret, “gnashing of teeth” is how it’s described. Hell is a separation from all that is good and lovely. God doesn’t punish us for having the wrong answer. Rather, we choose how we want to live, either with him or apart from him.
WAV College Church
Contact: 4875 Viewridge Ave., San Diego 510-917-2093 www.wavcollege.church
Membership: 110
Pastor: John Ko
Age: 47
Born: Olney, MD
Formation: University of California-Berkeley; Biola University, La Mirada
Years in Full-time Ministry: 7
San Diego Reader: What is your favorite subject on which to preach?
Pastor John Ko: Time is short. Luke 12 tells the parable about the rich fool. It’s a message I preach to many college students, since that’s the focus of our ministry. The parable is about a man who hits it big, as if he played all the stock markets right, got the best job and was so successful in life. But the one thing he didn’t realize is that he had a short amount of time. Instead of thinking about the afterlife or God, he only thought about himself. It’s a reminder that we only have a short amount of time on earth and we should invest the time we have properly. This subject is particularly important for students, because college is the most formational time for a person to make decisions about their belief in God, their purpose, who they are and what their life is about.
SDR: What is the mission of your church?
PK: WAV stands for With a Vision. We’re part of a larger network called Acts 2 Network. Our vision is to launch lifelong Kingdom workers — those who will work in our church but can also work anywhere else, serving God in some intentional way — from every college we can. We believe in many kinds of ministries, but the college is where all those ministries start. Our network is called Acts 2, because Acts 2:42-47 is a picture of the early church operating as a close community. We want to build that kind of close community, one in which its members love one another and God, and share the gospel with others on college campuses. We have a lot of members who have graduated from college but decided to stay to help out. They’re volunteer staff, and they have day jobs, but they come to campus at night to mentor college students in life, career and spiritual things. We call it bilocational ministry.
SDR: What one book has had the greatest influence on your ministry?
PK: One book I go back to again and again is Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. He so plainly and elegantly explains chief spiritual principles with practical examples and explanations. His logic is tight and clear, and that resonates with a lot of college students.
SDR: Where do you when you die?
PK: The Bible is clear that there is a heaven and a hell, and we’ll all face God in judgment. Ultimately, where we go is not based on what we’ve done, on how good or bad we’ve been. None of us can meet God’s perfect standard, but if we put our trust in Jesus, since he is the one who paid the price for our sins, then he becomes our righteousness and we can live with God forever. Still, something is required on our part. We have to admit we’re sinners, confess our need for Christ, and receive his forgiveness. But that’s freely given to every person to choose. If they choose not to accept that gift, they are separated from God, which is called hell — eternal regret, “gnashing of teeth” is how it’s described. Hell is a separation from all that is good and lovely. God doesn’t punish us for having the wrong answer. Rather, we choose how we want to live, either with him or apart from him.
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