LifeLink Devotional

Monday, May 11, 2020

It was such a blessing to be able to sit in my car yesterday with my wife and enjoy our drive-in church service at Calvary. Pastor Josh brought out some meaningful truths from the story of Moses’ mother. I was especially blessed to hear him rise up and praise his own mother for those qualities at the end of the sermon.

This Sunday we will return to our study of the Gospel of John. Each day this week, as we have been doing for the last several weeks, we will go treasure hunting for precious gems of truth from the Scripture that will be the basis for the upcoming sermon. Today I want to make a personal challenge to you from John 1:43-45.

“The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

Philip is the fourth man that Jesus calls to follow Him. Then, just like Andrew, he goes and finds another man to come and join them. When Andrew found his brother Peter, he made a simple statement that he had found the Messiah. But when Philip finds Nathanael, he goes into much more detail. He tells Nathanael that he had found the One person to whom the Old Testament Scriptures pointed. He declares that the Law of Moses and the writings of the prophets all declared that the Son of God was coming. They describe Him as Messiah, Prophet, King, and so much more. Philip is so full of the knowledge of the Old Testament that he is immediately able to confirm that Jesus fulfills everything spoken.

Here’s my point to ponder for today.

When someone asks me to tell them the purpose of the Old Testament, can I show them how it all points to Jesus?

If you have your doubts, let me help you. This is just a minimal start, but maybe it will motivate you to find more.

• From the Law of Moses –
  • Deuteronomy 18:18-19 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.
• From the Prophets –
  • Isaiah 52:13-15 Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand. (See also Isaiah 53)
  • Daniel 7:13-14 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

There are multiple prophecies about Christ in the Psalms, in Micah, in Zechariah, and more. In fact, the entire Old Testament is a massive prophecy of God’s redemptive plan that would be fulfilled in Jesus. It is worth your time to study it and understand the Scripture in that context.

Philip did. Maybe that’s why the Holy Spirit chose him to be the one to explain the prophets to the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. I think the Holy Spirit is ready to use each one of us as a witness to Christ if we will dedicate ourselves to studying His Word.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Friday, May 8, 2020

Sunday is Mother’s Day, and Pastor Josh will be leading the service and preaching a Mother’s Day sermon at our drive-in church. We will continue our study of the remainder of the first chapter of John’s Gospel on May 17. We will also continue our daily deep dive into the weekly passages of John so we can find more pearls of wisdom from the Holy Spirit. I hope you are finding these daily treasure hunts profitable.

Jesus now has three men who have taken an interest in Him and His mission. John, a fisherman, who would become the intimate friend of Jesus and the author of this Gospel. Andrew, also a fisherman, and his brother and fishing partner Simon, now named Peter after meeting Jesus.

Andrew and Peter are identified in Matthew 4:18-19 as the first two disciples officially called by Jesus to leave everything and follow Jesus.

“While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

What would you do at this point? Jesus, who they have been told is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, has invited you to leave your family business, and all its assets and income, and follow Him who knows where. What would you do?

Well not only did Andrew and Simon choose to leave everything and follow Jesus, a little further down the beach brothers James and John do the same thing. What could have been so compelling about the life of Jesus that grown men would leave their careers and families to follow Him?

That last question is significant for every one of us, but it is not the most important question. Here’s the question that causes me to pause and reflect on my life. What is so uncompelling about the life of Jesus that I would choose to hang on to what I have rather than fully follow Him?

The reason the second question is more important than the first is because of our actual experience with Jesus. We have chosen to follow Him with conditions. Jesus plus a good job. Jesus plus financial security. Jesus plus family. Jesus plus recreation and fun. What is so trivial about the life of Jesus that we continue to choose the trivial over the eternal?

That’s worth pondering today.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, May 7, 2020

How does knowing someone change you? I guess there are a lot of undefined specifics that need to be known before we can answer that question. One such specific is to identify the person we know. I know a lot of people, but they have not changed my life simply because I know them. Other people have had negative impacts on my life, seemingly making it worse, yet God always uses it for my development. Other people have truly made my life more enjoyable. But some people, like my wife, have had a major impact on who I have become.

When you think about relationships, good ones have a reciprocal affect. We influence others, and they influence us. The most meaningful of all relationships begin with an understanding of personal identity.

Our relationship with Jesus is the same. It is most meaningful when we understand His identity, and when we accept the identity He gives us. Let’s pick up the story of Andrew introducing his brother Simon to Jesus.

John 1:41-42 He (Andrew) first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). ⁴²  He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).

Peter meets Jesus. When his brother told him that they had found the Messiah, Peter took a step of faith by following Andrew to where Jesus was. He accepted the identity of Jesus. Then, the first words from Jesus to Simon declare that he has a new identity. He will now be called “Rock.” He would need to grow into that identity, but Jesus declared it from the start of their relationship. This is who you are now that you know who I am.

There is an ordained sequence to establishing relationship with Jesus. FIRST, we accept His identity. He is the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God, the Lamb of God, the Savior, the Redeemer, the Holy One, the Eternal Word. SECOND, we accept our new identity in Christ. We repent of all past identities, all searches for significance, all activities designed to validate ourselves, and all attempts to discover the meaning of life. We choose to accept the identity Christ gives us.

Have you done that? It’s not easy. We want to believe we know who Jesus is, but we have a hard time believing who Jesus says we are. We are God’s children, loved by the Father and precious in His sight, redeemed, set free, chosen by God, no longer sinners but saints, joint-heirs with Jesus, and so much more. Here’s how the Rock describes us:

1 Peter 2:9-10 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

This fundamental truth of relationship with Jesus is the first point of attack of our enemy. He tempts us to question our identity in Christ, and to look to the world to supplement our value with what we think Jesus can’t provide. So we get on our knees and go back to the foundation of relationship. We affirm that we know who Jesus is, and we accept who He says we are. This is the key to following Jesus.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Is knowing who someone is different than knowing them? Of course. I know who many people are, like politicians and sports heroes, but I don’t personally know any of them. But if I did know them, and interact with them, I would certainly talk about it.

Many times the Bible doesn’t give us as many details as we would like. The story of the interaction between Jesus and His first two followers is one of them. We pick up the story from John 1 right after Jesus asked these two men what they were seeking.

John 1:38-41  And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).

A lot is left to our imagination. These two men were invited to stay with Jesus from about 4:00 PM on into the evening. I wonder what they talked about? Everything would be speculation if it were not for the next thing that happened. Andrew, one of the men, left where they were staying and went out to find His brother Simon. When he found him, he made a statement that indicates what he had learned during his short time with Jesus.

“We have found the Messiah.”

Obviously, during that time with Jesus, Andrew heard enough about Him to establish His identity. Jesus was already moving the disciples from the what to the Who.

When Andrew found Simon, he did not report any details about where they met Jesus, where they stayed, what they had for dinner, or anything else that happened. He reported only on the Who.

“We have found the Messiah.”

There’s our lesson for today. How long does it take other people who meet us to discover that we are followers of Jesus? How much time do we spend establishing rapport based on what we like, what we do, or what we need, rather than on Who we know? Why does it take so long, after meeting Jesus, to start telling others we have met Him and are beginning to know Him?

Imagine how many people could be affected by Jesus if your life were as deeply affected by Christ as was Andrew’s. And Andrew had only known Jesus less than 24 hours.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

The emphasis the we put on words in a sentence can change the meaning of the entire sentence. For example, read the following two questions with the emphasis on the capitalized word.

• What do you WANT?
• What do YOU want?

The first question is a legitimate attempt to gather information. The second is a rude statement of derision.

When John the Baptizer introduced two of his disciples to the Lamb of God, they began to follow Him. When Jesus became aware of their presence, He turned to them and asked, “What do you WANT?” His actual words were, “What are you seeking?”

John 1:35-38  “The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?”

The more I study about the life of Jesus, the more interested I am in the questions He asked than I am the answer He gave to questions asked of Him. Jesus intentionally asked questions. Some cut to the core of man’s heart. Some questions were designed to open doors for future teaching. Most if not all of His questions met each person at the level of their understanding.

Jesus asked these two future disciples what they were seeking? That seems out of context to me. These two men had just been told that Jesus is the Lamb of God. Wouldn’t the appropriate question be, “Who are you seeking?” Shouldn’t Jesus have used this opportunity to make sure these guys are true seekers of the Messiah, and willing to be committed to His cause?

Nope!

Jesus knew that in our human nature the what is much more important to us than the who, so that’s where he started. And He did it with out any hint of derision. He didn’t say, “What do YOU want?” His response to their answer proves it. They said they wanted to know where He was staying. He showed them. He invited them to stay with Him. He accepted them.

How about you? Is the what still more important than the who? Jesus understands, and will accept you. He will invite you in. You can stay with Him. But if you choose to follow Him, He will move you from the what to the who. Who Jesus is will become far more important to you than what Jesus can do.

Two years later, Jesus would ask these same disciples and the ten others who people said He was. After they answered with the world’s perspective, He asked them, “Who do YOU say that I am?” Their response was that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. The Who exceeded the what.

That is the goal of following Jesus – to move from the what to the Who. The world wants the what. The world seeks only benefits. But Jesus asks us “Who do YOU say I am?” Jesus wants us to move from personal benefits to permanent relationship.

So what are you seeking? Personal benefits or permanent relationship?

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Monday, May 4, 2020

Every year one of the highlights of the golf season is to be able to help the Good news Jail & Prison Ministry raise funds for their annual budget. We do so by seeking sponsors for a four-person team of golfers that will represent Calvary in a golf tournament. In addition to seeking financial sponsors for this great ministry, we need to select a team that can carry on the tradition of championships Calvary has won over the years, even though it’s been a few years since we won as other teams have upped their game.

There are specific things I look for in team members. They even have nicknames. We need a Bomber, who can hit their drives a long way with accuracy. We need Mr. Clutch, who can hit any shot or sink any putt under pressure. We need Mr. Consistency, who can always put us in position so the Bomber can truly bomb. And we need Mr. Encouragement, who can always help us maintain a positive outlook when we don’t perform up to our expectations.

It helps when putting a team together to define the team objectives and have a specific function in mind for each team member that facilitates the accomplishment of the goal. I hope your favorite football team understood that and was able to do it in the recent draft.

This week in our study of the Gospel of John, we see Jesus beginning the formation of His team that will be assembled to accomplish His objectives (John 1:35-42). The first thing I find interesting about John’s account of the first three disciples is that each one of them came to Him with a desire to be chosen. Of course, Jesus is God, so He had a pre-determined plan of who those men would be. Yet each man, led by the Holy Spirit’s influence in his own heart, sought out Jesus.

Two were directed to Jesus by John the Baptizer. One came at the invitation of his brother. All three came based on the knowledge of who Jesus was. John the Baptizer identified Jesus to the first two as the Lamb of God, so they followed. The third man, Simon, at his first meeting with Jesus, was confronted with the infinite knowledge of God. Jesus knew His name and his father’s name. Then Jesus, in a bold statement of team goals and specific personal function for him, gave Simon the name Cephas, or Peter.

When Jesus put together His team, He knew exactly who the team needed to accomplish the ultimate goal of redemption and the continued mission of the Gospel to the world. That’s why Jesus also chose you. Jesus has invited you to play a specific role on His team. He has identified your position on the team, recognized your natural skills and abilities, and then supernaturally equipped you with His gifts through the power of the Holy Spirit. You are ready to become a champion for the cause of Christ.

Get off the bench. You are a starter. The team needs you. You play a significant role in Christ’s mission. Put on your uniform – the Armor of God – and join the championship drive.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Friday, May 1, 2020

For weeks I had sat in church and listened to the pastor talk about heaven. Each week, following the sermon, there was an invitation given for people to raise their hand if they wanted to know how to be saved from their sin. Each week, from my front row seat, I raised my hand, and each week the pastor never saw me.

Then one day, while playing my favorite sport, I made a terrible mistake. I broke a rule. I sinned, and the result of that sin was serious injury to another person. I knew I needed forgiveness, but I had no hope of ever being forgiven.

When I confessed my sin to my mother, she directed my attention to Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. I went from being overwhelmed with the guilt and shame of what I had done, to being forgiven forever by Jesus because He sacrificed Himself to pay for all my sin.

This was the scene in Israel when John the Baptizer had come preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sin, and the coming Kingdom of God. Crowds of people came to hear his message, each one longing to be forgiven so they could see the Kingdom of God. Each one longing for a Messiah.

Finally, in God’s perfect timing, the day arrived for the Son of God to be revealed. John the Baptizer directed their attention to the One who was sent from God.

John 1:29 “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Every single one of us has lived a similar story. We have broken God’s rules. We have sinned. We may have even caused serious injury to others. We have certainly hurt them with our words. We have little hope of ever being forgiven and set free from the guilt and shame of it all.

But there is hope. You can be forgiven. God has provided a lamb as the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice for your sin. The lamb is Jesus, and He will save you. Here’s how the Apostle Peter describes this hope.

1 Peter 1:18-21 …you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, will take away your sin and give you hope. Confess your sin to Christ. Believe that Jesus died and rose again and has the power to grant you eternal life. Receive the forgiveness Jesus offers. Put your faith and hope in the Lamb of God.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, April 30, 2020

As the Apostle John introduces us to Christ, he uses the testimony of the forerunner of Christ, John the Baptizer, to reveal a significant and vital truth for us to grasp. It is a truth that will be carried throughout the Gospel.

Religious tradition means nothing without spiritual transformation.

Look at the testimony of John the Baptizer as he responds to the religious establishment’s questions.

John 1:26,33  John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know…I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’

Religion is all about outward appearances. Jesus is all about spiritual transformation.

If you are trusting in what your religion can do to give you the appearance of righteousness, but have never had your heart and mind transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, then you have misplaced your faith on what cannot save you.

Later in the Gospel, overthrows religious traditions in the temple. Jesus will make bold statements about those who trust in religious laws, declaring they are sons of their father the Devil. In one of the other Gospels Jesus declares that those who put on the appearance of righteousness are like whitewashed tombs – clean on the outside but inside full of dead men’s bones.

My friend, in what are you trusting for your righteousness before God? Obedience to the law doesn’t grant righteousness, for none of us has ever in the past, nor can we ever from this point forward, keep the law completely. That fact makes us unrighteous. Conformity to religious ritual does not bring the righteousness of God. Those who declared and promoted such thinking were specifically judged by Jesus as dead in their sin.

Dear Friend, there is only one Hope for us. Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sin. He rose from the dead to provide eternal life for us. Put your faith in Jesus to make you righteous before God. At the moment of repentance from your old beliefs, and placing your trust in Jesus to save you, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit and be made a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). The Holy Spirit transforms you from the inside out. Every other option starts from the outside, and Jesus said that all such outside options are thieves and robbers seeking to destroy you.

Today, let go of your confidence in religion and its traditions. Grab hold of Jesus. Your life will be transformed.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Humility is a challenge. In fact, apart from the Holy Spirit, it is impossible. That’s why Scripture declares that from before his birth, while in his mother’s womb, John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit. I am challenged by the humility of John the Baptizer.

• Humility was modeled by his parents, who were not envious of Mary carrying the Messiah in her womb, but were satisfied and thrilled with the purpose God had chosen for their son.
  • Personal Application – Be humble by not comparing your child’s abilities and desires to anyone else. Be satisfied with God’s design of them and His purpose for them.
• John lived his entire life committed to God’s purpose, and was never distracted by the lure of worldly pleasure, treasure, or fame.
  • Personal Application – Be humble by staying focused on God’s purpose for your life, and trusting that He will provide everything you need to accomplish His mission. The world has nothing that can supplement what God will give you.
• Even when fame came, John continually pointed to Jesus.
  • Personal Application – be humble and never draw attention to yourself or your accomplishments. ALWAYS point to Jesus

John’s life constantly pointed to Jesus. Even when asked by authorities who he was, he pointed to Jesus. Even in the face pf persecution and certain death by beheading, he pointed to Jesus. John was simply and humbly a voice pointing people to Jesus.

John 1:23  He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

Will you be such a voice?

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

It was my first mission trip to the Philippines. It was before Facebook or any kind of video calling existed. When I landed in Davao, I had no idea how to recognize the people from the Bible College. I knew them by name, but I wasn’t about to shout names out in an airport.

As I exited the terminal and saw the crowd of people, it was immediately obvious who my contacts were. There in front of me was a group of 15 people, some holding the ends of a six-foot banner and others carrying small signs and leis. The banner read, in bi bold letters, WELCOME PASTOR JOHN VAN GORKOM.

Of course, they knew me right away because I was the only American in the airport. They surrounded me, placed the floral leis around my neck, and began a celebration of my arrival.

John the Baptist was in the same predicament when Jesus arrived on the scene. He was obeying God’s call to the mission of preaching repentance so people were prepared for the arrival of the Messiah. He was convinced that Messiah was coming, but he had no idea who the Messiah was.

John 1:31-34  “I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.  I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.  And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

Twice John the Baptizer admits that he was not able to identify the Messiah. I see a problem. I think it’s a common problem for many of us. We choose not to move ahead with things until we have all the answers. We stay where we are, doing what we are doing, but avoid stepping out in faith until everything has been revealed.

John says two important things about how we proceed when we are not fully in the know.

1. I am going to fulfill my purpose even if I can’t see how it turns out. God told John to baptize people with water, and by doing so the Messiah would be revealed. He didn’t understand it, but he obeyed.
2. God said to John that someone he baptizes would have the Spirit of God descend on Him and remain on Him, and that would identify Him as the Messiah.

Imagine what it must have been like for John the Baptizer. Every day he is preaching repentance, and people are coming forward to identify with his message by being baptized. With every baptism, as the person rises from the water, John looks to see if the Holy Spirit is descending.

I wonder how many days ended with disappointment for him? I wonder how many mornings he questioned his motivation to keep going? Or did the certainty of God’s words to him fill him with anticipation that this could be the day? Was he so driven by the purpose God had given him that he would not be discouraged or distracted from doing God’s will until his work was done?

Good questions for each of us to ponder today.

Pastor John