LifeLink Devotion for Friday, June 28, 2024

As we continue our study of the characteristics of a REAL church, we move from an emphasis on intake to outflow. For the last two days we have rejoiced in the presence and the power of Jesus Christ in us. Today the focus changes to the activity that is produced in us because of His presence and power. That activity is called witnessing.

Remember what Jesus said in Acts 1:8? “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Scary stuff isn’t it – to think that we are the witnesses to the reality of the presence and power of Jesus Christ to a world that in the majority does not accept Him. But that is the purpose for which God has left us on this earth following our conversion.

Let’s define what a witness is. The Greek word translated witness has a legal, historical, and ethical sense to it. Let me explain.

From a legal and historical position, a witness is one who has first-hand knowledge of event by having been a spectator of it, and is able to relate accurately what he knows to be true from that observation. In the book of Acts, when it came time to choose a twelfth Apostle to replace Judas, the requirements were that it had to be someone who had been a witness to the resurrection of Jesus. (Acts 1:21-22) That then becomes the basis for not only our qualification as a witness but also for the subject matter of our witnessing – it’s all about the resurrection of Jesus.

When we witness to another person who does not know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, the conversation must center on the one defining distinction of the Christian faith – the resurrection of Jesus. It’s liberating to think that all we have to talk about is the presence of Jesus. He is the risen Lord, and He lives within us. We are the witnesses to His resurrection. We don’t need to debate theology with people; we simply relate the resurrection power of His presence in us. Witnessing is not winning an argument or displaying superior knowledge. Witnessing is the outflow of the presence of Jesus Christ in us.

There is also an ethical sense to the word witness. There is a consistency and integrity to the witness, so that what they say is supported by how they act. In Thayer’s Greek Definitions of the New Testament he states that a witness is one who “after Christ’s example has proved the strength and genuineness of his faith in Christ by undergoing a violent death.” The word martus is the word from which we get the concept of a martyr – a person who is willing to die for what they believe.

There is a huge challenge for us in this. Are we willing to go to death to be a consistent witness to the resurrection presence and power of Jesus Christ in our lives? Are we willing to suffer any loss for the sake of gaining the glory of Christ’s physical presence because we are already living the reality of His spiritual presence?

In Hebrews 11 we find the description of faithful lives from the Old Testament. At the end there is a powerful statement. “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.”

What a life changing statement – “none of them received what had been promised.” None of them had the resurrection presence and power of Jesus dwelling in them, and yet they stood the ethical test of what they believed. Yet we who are now the recipients of the promise, with the resurrection power of Jesus Christ living in us, seem to be avoiding any pain and suffering by avoiding being a witness. Something is wrong. Something needs to change.

We must spend today considering this truth – to be a witness is to be a martyr: maybe not in physical death, but certainly in worldly dependence. We have the presence and the power of the resurrected Christ abiding in us. Let us shout aloud, “Death to self. Death to the world. Christ is Alive! I am alive in Him!”

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, June 27, 2024

For many people knowledge is power. See if any of these statements ring especially true to you.

1.      The more we can know the more we can control.

2.      The more we know the more we can predetermine outcomes.

3.      Planning requires knowledge, and life requires planning.

4.      Uncertainty is the characteristic of an unprepared person, and preparedness requires knowledge.

5.      I have a need to know.

6.      Knowledge brings security, and security brings peace.

These statements all have elements of truth in them, but they are not statements of faith. They are statements that would define the Apostles following the resurrection.

Acts 1:6-8 “So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The people asked Jesus, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” But Jesus refused to give them that knowledge, and instead told them that they were about to receive enough power to live without that knowledge while at the same time fulfilling an eternal purpose.

We must apply this instruction to both our personal lives and the life of our church. We have become far too concerned with knowing the outcome of every situation in our lives and in our churches. We refuse to take steps of faith because we have been trained by the world to walk by sight. What’s even worse is that we don’t even take the time to hear the voice of God telling us which steps of faith to take because we are so busy trying to figure everything out in our own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

When asked the question about the timing of His plan to restore the kingdom, Jesus simply responded with “You don’t have a need to know, you only need the power to be my witnesses.” This power is promised – we will receive it. It is so complete that when it comes upon us, it fully accomplishes its purpose in us – we will be witnesses. It is so fulfilling in us that we never need to question our lack of knowledge about the completion of the purpose – we just keep doing the work the power has equipped us to do.

In REAL people and in the REAL church, knowledge does not produce power; the presence of God produces power. As individuals and as a church we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the fullness of God abides in us. We experience the presence of God, and we are equipped with the power of God to accomplish His eternal purpose of being witnesses to the resurrected Christ. We do not know the answer to how long we must wait for His return, but we do have the power to do His work until He does. By faith, let’s step out boldly to accomplish God’s purpose.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Life has been extremely busy lately. It seems like I always have something that is taking me away from just spending quality time with my wife. That’s why this week is so nice because we are on a long trip together.  In my old age I have realized something incredible – all I really want is her presence, and that’s all she ever wants from me. Just knowing she is always there for me is all I need to motivate every other aspect of my day. What is most meaningful and most memorable to me is her presence.

Just like it should be with our Lord.

When we get up every morning and plan our day, do we spend some time in the presence of the Lord, or do we need something special to happen during the day to think that God is present?

When we make our plans to go to church on Sunday, what are we really looking for? Special music? A special guest speaker? A special time of worship? A special attraction within the service like a drama or testimony? Or is the simple yet incredible presence of God sufficient?

In two New Testament passages the Apostle Paul makes a wonderful point about the Body of Christ  – wherever it is, God is present.

Colossians 1:27 “To the saints God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

1 Corinthians 3:16 “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”

Wherever two or more of the saints are gathered in the Name of Jesus, God dwells there. But wait, there’s more. He’s not just present, He lives there. He is active and moving and working.  When two Christians come together for any purpose, God has an eternal investment in that moment.

WOW! That should change our perspective on fellowship and the church. It certainly should change our attitudes of me-ism: those attitudes that demand something special for ourselves for the event to have had any lasting impact or significance. What has happened to our relationship with God when we demand something bigger and better to prove its significance? What happened to the true test of maturity and security in a relationship – presence?

Denise has always desired my presence more than any activity.  I have learned the value of that. Take away all the trips and gifts and special events, but do not take away your presence from me.

Can we say that about our relationship with God? Can we honestly say to God, “Take away all of the music, all of the preaching, all of the ministries of the church, and all of the special events, but do not take away Your presence from me?”

That was David’s prayer following the confession of his sin of adultery in which he wanted something more special than what he already had. He said in Psalms 51:10-12, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

Let this be true of us in our spiritual lives – there is nothing more special than God’s presence. That alone is what sustains us.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, June 25, 2024

What would REAL Church look like if Jesus was truly the Head of it? I think it would be warm, caring, loving, and serving. For the next several days I would like us to be reminded of the characteristics of a “REAL” church as we discover in the New Testament.

The book of Acts in the Bible is the book of the continuing work of Jesus Christ on the earth through His Holy Spirit. In the past centuries, the book was called The Acts of the Apostles, but this is not an accurate title, and should be called The Continuing Acts of Jesus Christ. In Acts 1:1-5 we read this:

“In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Notice how Luke, the author of Acts, states clearly that in his previous book, the Gospel of Luke, he wrote about what Jesus “began to do.” The book of Acts is Luke’s declaration of what Jesus continues to do, even though now He does His work through His Spirit in us while He himself sits on the throne in heaven.

I want to share a summary statement of Acts chapter 1 with you, and then break it down into its individual parts over the next few days. Here is the summary:

A  REAL church is one that is focused on the presence of Jesus Christ, is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, is passionate about fulfilling God’s purpose of proclaiming Jesus Christ to the world, is expecting the promised return of Jesus Christ to establish His kingdom, and is constantly in prayer.

For today, let’s get the following points firmly planted in our memory banks.

1.      Presence of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:1-5)

2.      Power of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8)

3.      Passion to serve Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8)

4.      Purpose of proclaiming Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8)

5.      Promised return of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:11)

6.      Praying intimately with Jesus Christ (Acts 1:14, 24)

The church will only be as real as each individual in the church, and that makes each one of us significant. We must evaluate our lives with these six characteristics and be willing to become REAL people so we can have REAL church.

Beginning tomorrow we will look at each of these characteristic of a REAL church in detail. For today, reflect on the total package and ask God to prepare your heart for the cultivating work of the Holy Spirit.

Pastor John  

LifeLink Devotions for Monday, June 24, 2024

In our last devotional we asked some questions that dug deep into our attitudes about church. You may have discovered some things that may be hindering the natural growth of your church that is being facilitated by the Holy Spirit.

Today let’s discover some things we can do to have a better attitude about what Jesus meant when He said that He would build His church. Here’s one major attitude adjustment that may be needed: the church does not exist to meet your individual needs: the church exists to glorify God by the sharing of the Good News of Jesus Christ to a lost world so that the Kingdom of God grows. That means every church is designed by the Head of the church to grow. But that means we must change some attitudes so they match the following criteria.

1.      You may not be personally acquainted with everyone who attends.  That’s why we encourage small groups where people can do life together and provide the intimacy we all desire.

2.      You may be crowded in your building for a while, but remember the parable of the mustard seed. Jesus intends for more birds to show up.

3.      You may have to develop new ministries and use a variety of methods to reach the most number of people. Here’s what the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.  For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

4.      We must accept all newcomers who sincerely seek to follow Jesus, and no one will be considered an outsider.

5.      We will be blessed with new workers. Those who already lead ministries will be able to train up new leaders, and those who are currently not serving in any ministry will be motivated by the Spirit of God to begin serving. 

Friends, let’s make sure that we are not the ingrown toenails of our church. Let’s ask God to give us the Spirit of Christ to reach out and serve rather than to be served.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Friday, June 21, 2024

One of the most painful conditions I can think of is an ingrown toenail. I remember as a young adult, as a result of having injured my toe in a basketball game, going to the doctor to have an ingrown toenail surgically removed. I waited so long as I could before going, but the pain was just unbearable. I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t work. It affected every part of my being.

Our bodies, and every part of them, were designed to grow up and to grow out, not to grow in. Imagine how dysfunctional we would be if our fingers grew in instead of out. Or if our lungs collapsed instead of expanded. We function at full capacity when we are fully extended. We even do stretching exercises to make sure we have full range of motion. We do not want our effectiveness to be limited by a lack of mobility.

Matthew 13:31-33  “He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.” He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

One of the most painful conditions known to the Body of Christ is the ingrown Christian. These people cause the church to become ineffective, forcing the energy of the body to be redirected from outreach to internal care. It may be a sin in their life that is causing the spiritual infection, but it is more likely an attitude of selfishness (which is still sin) about the purpose of the church that is causing the pain. Here’s a test you can take to determine if you are an ingrown Christian. Respond to each statement honestly with a yes or a no.

Do you need to be acquainted with everyone in my church?

Do you want your church to be one big happy family?

Do you hope the church is not crowded when you go for worship?

Do you hope the music in church is always the style that you prefer?

Do you hope the church has programs to meet all of your needs?

Do you hope the church can meet all the spiritual needs of your kids?

Do you hope your church never has any problems?

Do you believe outsiders and newcomers tend to not understand us and therefore cause problems?

Do you think your church has enough ministries in place?

Do you believe that adding new ministries will overload those already working hard?

Do you believe that the people who have always been in charge should stay in charge no matter how many new people come?

A “yes” answer to ANY of these questions is the start of an ingrown attitude that will infect the rest of the Body and cause the church to become ineffective. When these attitudes persist, the church will not extend itself to a lost world and will not function at full capacity in the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish the Great Commission, because individuals within the church are not living out the Great Commandment. They are more in love with themselves and their own needs than they are in love with God and their Savior, Jesus Christ.

Please carefully review each of these questions. In our next devotional we will see some attitude adjustments we must make if we are to see the Body of Christ grow.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, June 20, 2024

Today is the last day of our study on wisdom for living. I trust it is not the last day of wisdom, but just the beginning of an ongoing pursuit of how God desires us to live our lives.

Solomon ends his discourse to his son in the same way he started it – with a challenge to fear God. Let’s go back and review how this study started.

Proverbs 22:17-21 “Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach,for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips.So that your trust may be in the LORD, I teach you today, even you. Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge, teaching you true and reliable words, so that you can give sound answers to him who sent you?”

Solomon ends his discourse to his son this way in Proverbs 24:21-22 .

“Fear the LORD and the king, my son,  and do not join with the rebellious, for those two will send sudden destruction upon them, and who knows what calamities they can bring?”

The purpose for Solomon’s teaching was to develop trust in the Lord, which is based on a healthy fear of the Lord. Let me try to illustrate in a simple way.

I get afraid when I am up high in an unsteady position. I don’t like to fall. I’m sure none of us enjoys the thought of falling from any height. But for me, it’s more than just a fear. I get unnerved. I doubt my ability to make good decisions. I go into a mild panic attack. My heart races: I really am afraid. I’m afraid that the ladder I am about to climb will fall over. I am convinced before I even get part way up that if I go any higher it will tip over and I will fall. I get down and I look at the ladder. I check its stability. I know it is solid. I know the ladder has held me before, and that if I remain inside its boundaries it will hold me again. If I use it correctly it can be trusted. When I focus on the trustworthiness of the ladder my fears are somewhat relieved and I can do the job. So I climb again.

One of the scariest Bible stories for me as a child was the story of Jacob’s dream of the ladder going up into heaven with all the angels on it. Now you know why it scared me so much. I thought my journey to heaven had to be like that, and I couldn’t stand to think about going up that high on a ladder. But at the top of the ladder stands Jesus, and when my eyes are focused on Him and how trustworthy and faithful He is, my fears are relieved. My fear has increased my trust.

Solomon says at the beginning, “So that your trust may be in the LORD, I teach you today.” Solomon says at the end, “Fear the LORD.” Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom; trust in God is the application of wisdom. In between we have discovered many practical ways to grow in wisdom. Now at the end we are put to the test – how well will we trust in God’s wisdom by not joining with the rebellious? Before you answer that, think carefully about how we tend to join with the rebellious: maybe not in actual rebellious actions, but what about in our attitudes and conversations? How do our minds still conform to the rebellious world’s system in the ways we think? How influenced are we by our political and social environments? How have we, as the Apostle John puts it, “taken the mark of the beast” by becoming dependant upon the world’s system and not on God alone?

We have come full circle in this study, and the circle of wisdom goes on, taking us from fear to trust to fear to trust. Let the circle grow, but keep it intact. Stay within the boundaries of wisdom. It is far better to fear the LORD in a trusting relationship than to fear the destruction of the LORD by breaking relationship through rebellion.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Today’s wisdom passage is hard for me, because in my human nature I tend to rejoice when people who have done wrong get their just rewards.

Proverbs 24:17-18 “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him.”

You must know what I mean and have felt the same way about certain people. For example, as you’re driving down the interstate, a sports car races past you going at least 85 mph. What’s the first thought in your head? I’ll bet it’s what mine is – “I hope there’s a highway patrol up ahead and he gets stopped.” Two miles up the road we see the flashing lights ahead, and we think another thought – “I hope it’s that sports car guy.” We drive by, and when we see that it is, we smile and think – “good, you got caught.”

If our thoughts at such a time go beyond just being thankful that we have police to keep our roads safe, and they move to rejoicing over someone else’s misfortune (even though they made the choice to speed and deserved the consequences), then we are not acting in God’s wisdom. God’s wisdom is defined in James 3:17, which says, “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”  I cannot in any way justify my feelings of revenge or rejoicing over someone else’s misfortune when I read this description of wisdom.

What is my heart thinking when I wish harm on another person? What kind of spiritual dysfunction exists in my mind when I am happy to see a sinner suffer? How carnal have my attitudes become when I devise ways to see justice enforced upon other people? How un-like Christ do I appear when I love conflict more than peace, self more than surrender, and justice more than mercy? How self-centered I truly am when I desire consequences for the actions of others but seek to avoid consequences for my own choices? Oh that the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ toward enemies and sinners overwhelm us with sincere compassion for those who need to be shown the path of wisdom and righteousness.

Dale Carnegie, who wrote the book How To Win Friends and Influence People, says “You attract more flies with honey than with vinegar.” The simple point I would like to make today is this – We will attract more people to Christ by showing them the right and the good way they could live rather than by constantly pointing out to them the wrong and the bad way they are living. When we focus on sharing the good news, we become merciful. When we focus on voicing the bad news, we become judgmental. Wisdom is merciful and loving. Let’s “Be wise in the way we act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let our conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that we may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:5-6)

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, June 18, 2024

I can still remember the person who first told me about the future hope of heaven. He was a tall man with no hair, and he had an insatiable hunger for the Word of God. Every time I would go over to his house to visit he was studying his Bible. He was a retired preacher who still did evangelistic crusade ministry in churches, focusing on prophecy and the book of Revelation. I would go over to his house as a child because I loved to play in his back yard where a creek meandered through a grove of trees. I would climb out onto the branches of those trees that overhung the creek and just watch the water go by, looking for trout that would dart out after food as it passed by in the current.

I remember going into his house on one such visit and asking him what heaven would be like. Most of my questions were pretty childlike. “Would there be fishing in heaven?” “Will I be able to climb trees?” “Will I know people that I knew here on earth?” He was patient with me and directed my attention to the real joy of heaven, the presence of Jesus Christ. But he also gave me an assignment; read Revelation 21 and discover the wonder of the heavenly city.

I read the assignment, and as a result developed my own appetite for studying God’s Word, especially in the area of prophecy. For most of my childhood and my early adult years, it was the focus of most of my study and preaching. I know that I do not have all  the answers to prophecy, but I do know this – Jesus Christ is coming back, and it could be at any time.

Proverbs 24:14  “Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.”

Living with the expectation of Christ’s return changes my life in several ways:

1.      I am made more aware of the selfishness that exists in my life, and I am given a desire to renounce it for the sake of serving Jesus.

2.      I am made more aware that the greatest fulfillment of life comes from accomplishing God’s purpose for His glory, not my purpose for my advancement.

3.      I am made more aware of the interruptions that God brings into my life because God wants me to minister to the need of someone else so that they can see a visible example of His love.

4.      I do not question inconveniences or hardships, because they are not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in me when Jesus Christ returns.

5.      I am made more willing to sacrifice anything of this world for the sake of bringing one more person to Jesus for salvation, knowing that their life is the only treasure from this world that I can take into eternity.

6.      I am made more aware of the value of time and using it to the fullest for God’s purpose and not my own.

These are just a few of the ways that a constant expectation of the imminent return of Jesus Christ affects my life every day. I am so thankful to the man who developed the hunger in my life for Christ’s return. I still love him even though he is with the Lord right now. He died when I was about 20, but his heritage lives on in my heart. I will see him again, and I will know him, because we were connected at a spiritual heart level here on earth. I just want to thank him again for investing in my life.

Thank you, Dr. J.A. van Gorkom, my grandfather.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Monday, June 17, 2024

It’s the beginning of another week, and I have a question nagging at me that just won’t go away. I believe it is God’s question for all of us today, and for every day. It comes from the very heart of God and His concern for a lost world of people. Listen to these words of wisdom in the form of questions in Proverbs 24 verses 11-12.

“Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?”

My burning  question is this: “How many people over the weekend did I see through the eyes of God and recognize their hopeless condition of being led away to death by their sin?”

I saw lots of people. They seem to be everywhere. I saw normal people. I saw happy people. I saw angry people. I saw determined people. I saw distracted people. I saw people I would want to know better. I saw people I tried to avoid. I saw people in all kinds of situations going about their duties and recreation and calling it life.

I made judgments about people based on my perceptions of them. I responded to people in different ways because of those judgments. I saw their exterior and determined their worth and value, usually based on the return or hurt I would get from contact with them.

What I did not do very often was to see their heart from God’s perspective and realize that whatever was on the outside could be radically changed by the transforming power of Jesus in their heart. I noticed their physical condition without recognizing the spiritual need that caused it. I need to sit up and take notice from God’s perspective.

But then another question nags at me: “What will I do about it when I do see people through the eyes of God?”

It doesn’t do us any good to sit up and take notice if we keep on sitting. Taking notice of people’s spiritual condition puts us on the right track, but as Will Rogers once said, “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” Once I recognize the spiritual need in a person’s life, I must also recognize that I have already experienced the answer to that need, and that I now have the Power to give that answer away to others.

Yesterday as you worshipped in the gathering of your church, you were equipped in some way to better represent Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world of people. You will see many of those people every day. Will you see them through the eyes of God? How many of them will pass into a Christ-less eternity because we did nothing about it?

Pastor John