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LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Why are we so easily fooled?

That is the question that was on my mind all day yesterday. Why is it that so many people believe so many things they see on social media? Why do we so quickly posture up in opposing camps and lob grenades at those with differing views? Why are so many people easily swayed to positions with no real validity and with which they have no real experience?

I did some research yesterday to help me answer these questions. I discovered an interesting fact. In many of the research papers I read, one fundamental reason was consistently given for why we are so easily fooled. It’s because we choose to believe things that support our pre-determined biases. We all lean towards bias validation, which refers to the selection of information that tends to support our existing beliefs. We are more likely to fall for fake news if we already agree with what is being said. Many researchers believe that bias validation is an evidence of a lack of critical thinking.

This same bias validation affects the way we interpret the truths of Scripture. It is exactly what happened in the churches of Galatia to whom the Apostle Paul was writing when he asked them this penetrating question.

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?(Galatians 3:1)

A careful study of two words in this questions reveals the reason these believers were persuaded to adopt false teaching as truth.

Foolish is a Greek word used only six times in the New Testament, and refers to a person who is intellectually dull and does not think through things well, but rather he makes choices based on his sensual desires. Paul used the same word when writing to Titus and said, “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures…” (Titus 3:3) The Galatian people were fooled by the fake teachers because they were not grounded in the truth of the Gospel and were subject to their sensual passions.   

The other word is bewitched,  and is a Greek word found only here in the Bible. It refers to being fascinated with false representations because they appeal to the need to fulfill sensual desires. These people were influenced by the fake teachings of immediate gratification.

These two words describe many Christians today as well. Many believers are spiritually dull, not grounded in the truth of the Gospel, and still driven by sensual passions. They are easily bewitched by teachers that offer them the pleasures and prosperity of the world. Just as they allow their political, economic, and lifestyle biases to be influenced by fake news, they also allow their sensual biases to be influenced by false teachers.

My friends, are you being foolish? Are you being bewitched? Are you making your decisions to follow certain spiritual teachers or teachings based on your desire to gratify your sensual desires? I implore you to return to the truth of Scripture, and build your life on the single and solid foundation of Jesus Christ. Do not be bewitched by anyone else. He is the ONLY truth.

Pastor John

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lifelink-devotions/id1559931973

LifeLink Devotional

Friday, July 2, 2021

The summer study called FREEDOM on the book of Galatians has been challenging so far. The belief that spiritual freedom is earned by our own worth and works is refuted by the Apostle Paul, and that upsets the proverbial apple cart of our value system. Today I have one final thought for this week before we meet together on Sunday for worship and the study of Galatians 2:15-21.

Have we truly put to death our own worth and works so that we might live by faith alone in Jesus Christ’s worth and work?

Paul puts a capstone on his teaching about justification by faith and not by works with this statement in Galatians 2:20.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

As you prepare to hear the word of the Lord on Sunday, think about the question above.

• Have I truly put to death my trust in my own worthiness to earn eternal life?
• Have I truly put to death my ability to do enough righteous works to earn the forgiveness of my sins?
• Is my hope to see Jesus face to face built in any way on the foundation of my personal value and performance so that God is required to grant me access to His presence?  
• Have I crucified my sin with Christ so that the life I now live is actually Christ living His life through me?
• Are the priorities and pursuits of my life determined by my faith in Jesus Christ?

Consider carefully.

Repent immediately.

Celebrate FREEDOM!

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, July 1, 2021

As I pulled onto the interstate yesterday morning, the car in front of me was not accelerating fast enough. I pulled into the left lane and got up to the speed limit. For a moment I was tempted to go faster and set the cruise control about four miles per hour over the limit. But then I noticed two dark vehicles parked in the median facing me. I set my cruise at 70.

The car behind me stayed behind me until we were over the next hill. He then accelerated to about 80 and zoomed past me. In his mind the threat of being caught for breaking the law was gone, so he could do as he pleased. I’m not sure if he ever did get caught, but I wondered what excuse he would use with the officer to justify his actions.

We all seek to justify our actions in one way or another. We are driven by a strong desire to be declared right, even when we know we are wrong. So in order not to be wrong, we change the standard of right by rewriting the law to suit us. We argue with the true law because we believe we deserve a better law, one that better meets our needs and serves our purposes. Somehow we are convinced that our attempts to justify breaking the law will result in being excused from the consequences, and the officer will let us off without even so much as a warning.

Such is the case in our relationship with God. He is the standard of righteousness. When we fall short of God’s perfect righteous standard, and we all do, we seek to justify ourselves with actions and excuses we think will satisfy God and remove the consequences. But think about that for a moment. If we believe we can justify falling short of the perfect standard, then we also have to believe that the perfect standard is negotiable. And if it is negotiable, then we have declared ourselves to be equal with God. Only the Author of the law has the right to declare someone innocent or guilty, and that’s why we seek to write our own laws. It’s the only way for us to justify ourselves.

But Paul declares we are incapable of achieving a right standing with God. He says that the works of the law can never justify anyone. In fact, in one verse he says it three times.

Galatians 2:16 “…yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”

When I spend time with my grandchildren I get to see a reflection of my own attempts to justify myself. When being corrected, a child will make excuses for their choices and attempt to justify what they did. They so want to be right. So do I. So do you. But we must never rewrite the standards. There is a perfect standard of right made visible and knowable to us in Jesus Christ. We can never measure up to it, but we can possess it.  God made it possible for us to have a righteous standing with Him. “For our sake God made Jesus to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Jesus we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

It’s time to end your efforts to justify yourself. They only lead to death. Accept the righteousness of Christ as your own, and live.

Pastor John

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lifelink-devotions/id1559931973

LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

What would it take for you to renounce your heritage, your upbringing, your value system, and your loyalties? For example, imagine being born into a Wisconsin family that for generations has supported the Packers. What would it take for you to become a Chicago Bears fan?

I hear the shouting already. “I WOULD NEVER! THERE’S NOTHING THAT COULD EVER MAKE ME CHANGE!”

Now you can relate to the Apostle Paul. Yet something motivated him to renounce his national heritage, his values, and his loyalties. That something is actually a someone named Jesus.

Prior to meeting Jesus, Paul was convinced that obedience to and defending the Jewish law and traditions was the way to become right before God. But everything changed when he met Jesus and discovered an Old Testament truth found in Habakkuk 2:4.

“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.”

When the Apostle Paul met Jesus, his life was transformed by the truth that our religion, our heritage, or our works cannot earn us a right standing with God. Only faith in Jesus can justify us before the Father. Only the standing Jesus has before the Father is valid, so only those who are in Jesus can have the same standing.

This truth was so important the Old Testament passage is quoted in three New Testament books that teach the truth of justification by faith and not by works. Look them up: Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; and Hebrews 10:38.

Here’s how Paul declared the truth to us in Galatians 2:16.

“…yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”

Look carefully at Paul’s words. “So we also have believed in Christ Jesus.” When Paul was confronted with the truth of being made right by grace and not by works, he immediately renounced his past, switched his loyalty, and became a believer in Jesus.

What would it take for you to renounce your national and religious heritage? What would drive you to abandon your value system? What could possibly make you drop your loyalties to people, politics, possessions, or purpose? There’s only one answer – JESUS. He is the truth and the only truth, and when we believe Him, everything changes.

Pastor John

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lifelink-devotions/id1559931973

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

I was an outsider. Yet despite the incredible grace shown to me to accept me as one of their own, I messed it up. My insecurities led me to believe that I could not be accepted for who I was. Unfortunately, the façade I wore put my acceptance in real danger. In fact, for many years, I believed the appearance of acceptance was their façade. 

My wife and I just returned from a trip to North Dakota.  We were there for three reasons. First, to see Denise’s ninety year old mother. She’s doing great. Second, to celebrate the 125^th plus 1 anniversary of the only remaining city band in the entire state of North Dakota.  They are phenomenal.  The concerts they held were amazing. The whole town of 300 probably doubled in size as we celebrated. I even got to see my High School band director.  Third, I was there for my 50^th High School class reunion.  After the initial shock of my age wore off, we had a fabulous time reminiscing.

As we sat around in a circle after the banquet, we read our senior class wills and prophecies.  We wondered who wrote them. When I saw mine, I was embarrassed. I decided before I read it out loud, as everyone else was doing, I would address the gathering.  I told them I had waited fifty years to share this with all of them. I expressed how much I appreciated the grace they had extended to me when they accepted me as a friend when I moved to their town in October of my senior year. Most of them had been classmates since Kindergarten. I was the outsider, but they gave me a chance to be one of them.

Then I apologized for not accepting their grace. I explained how my insecurities had created a façade based on my perceptions of what it would take to earn their acceptance. I didn’t believe I could ever fit in if I didn’t earn my way in, and all the things I did misrepresented who I really was. I confessed to them how wrong I had been.  

Whether it meant anything to them or not after all these years, it was liberating for me. I was finally able to express what I had learned about grace and acceptance from Jesus Christ.  He does not require anything from us, but freely grants acceptance based on our faith in who He is.  My insecurities were actually a distrust in the character of my classmates in the same way that our belief that we must earn our acceptance by Jesus is a distrust of His grace. I was so very glad I could tell my classmates the truth that I have died to that belief, and the life I now live I live for Christ who gave His life for me.

That’s what the Apostle Paul told the Galatian believers “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”  Galatians 2:20-21 

We are accepted by Christ because of who He is and what He did, not because of who we try to be and what we are able to do to earn acceptance. I was an outsider to Jesus too, but by grace He has accepted me.

If only I had known that in October of 1971.

But I know it now. I hope all my classmates do to.

Pastor John

In six days I will be joining my high school classmates to celebrate our 50th anniversary of graduating. OH MY!

I’m taking a break from writing to enjoy the trip and recover from the shock of reality that has set in.

LifeLink Devotionals will return Tuesday, June 29.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Friday, June 18, 2021

I am thrilled to be a pastor, serving my Lord and Savior by boldly proclaiming and living out the Gospel in my life. I am thankful that His grace covers me in all the times when I falter and my choices are tainted with personal ambition and preference. I am thankful for the conviction of the Holy Spirit who trains me to deny myself and take up the cross of Jesus Christ daily. I am thankful for His call on my life, the enabling of His Holy Spirit to answer the call, and the provision of persevering faith to finish the race.

However, I am troubled by an apparent contradiction I see between the people in the churches described in the New Testament and the people in church today. Here’s what bothers me. It all stems from these verses in Galatians 1:22-24.

“And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.  They only were hearing it said, ‘He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.’  And they glorified God because of me.”

In those New Testament churches, the people glorified God because the Gospel was being preached. They were completely united in a common mission, with no strings attached.

In today’s church I see people attaching strings to the Gospel. Worship music is a string. Leadership style is a string. Even friendships and fellowship are strings. People move from one church to another, many times for the wrong reasons. God is not glorified by such activity. When our personal preferences or past hurts become the determining factor in selection of a place to worship God, then we are not really worshiping God. Instead, we are worshiping the gratification of self. God is not glorified by this.

The glory of God is in the Gospel. Whether preached by a life-long follower of Jesus or a converted convict, the Gospel alone is to be honored. When our preferences for musical worship, for Bible translations, for lifestyle choices, or for relationships carry equal weight with the Gospel in determining our place to serve Jesus Christ, then we are not glorifying God.

I am troubled by what I see and experience in today’s church. I can only imagine what Jesus feels when we claim to worship Him alone, but with strings attached.

Pastor John

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lifelink-devotions/id1559931973

LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, June 17, 2021

When the Apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Galatian people, he was under attack. There were false teachers who were attempting to discredit him of teaching a made-up gospel. They were accusing him of being misled by other teachers who were unfaithful to the traditions of the Jewish faith. They did not believe that he was qualified to be an Apostle.

Paul does several things to declare his credibility as an Apostle:

1. He tells them that what he is teaching did not come from other teachers,  He testifies that the truth he teaches was not made up by man, nor did he learn it from men. What he is preaching is of divine origin.
2. Paul reminds them that his past was one of complete devotion to the Jewish traditions, but when He met Jesus his loyalties were immediately changed. The transforming power of Jesus Christ in his life resulted in a determination to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the rest of his life.
3. He declares that he received the Gospel directly from Jesus Christ, in the same way all the other Apostles did. This means that after his conversion to Christ, Paul spent three years in the wilderness being taught the truths and principles of the kingdom of God by Jesus directly. His qualifications as an Apostle were equal to all the others.
4. Then he renounces any idea that he was trained for the Gospel ministry by any person. No one could accuse Paul of being influenced by anyone other than Christ.

Here how Paul states it in Galatians 1:16b-17. 

…I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

Here’s my application point for today:

Are we being trained for Gospel ministry by the Holy Spirit of God, or do we take pride in how people and their methods of Bible Study have influenced us?

It is so easy to become enamored with the way certain people teach and preach. We are better known as a follower of our favorite author than we are of Jesus. We post and quote human teachers before we quote Scripture. We even have Facebook pages and small groups devoted to teachers and preachers. But what if all those resources were gone except for the Bible? Do we not understand that the teaching of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God is absolutely sufficient to train you for Gospel ministry?

We must stop honoring people. Granted, there are great Gospel authors and commentaries. But the Holy spirit alone is the revealer of truth to us. All others are simply seasoning. Don’t focus on what’s on the meat or on who cooked the meat. Focus on the meat!

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

How many conversions to Christ must we witness to be convinced that Jesus Christ can transform anyone from a terrorist to an evangelist?

I ask that question because I think there is a level of doubt in our hearts about the saving power of Jesus. The evidence for such a statement is found in the contrast between the level of fear and the intensity of prayer I see in people’s lives. We are more prone to protect ourselves from threats to our faith than we are to pray for those who threaten us.

Even though we say we believe in the transforming power of Jesus to rescue anyone from sin and make them His servant, we do not necessarily allow that belief to influence our attitudes and actions towards those who would persecute us. The Apostle Paul tells us his own story to remind us that it’s possible to go from a terrorist to an evangelist.

Galatians 1:13-14   “For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.”

The reason we do not grasp the full value of Paul’s conversion and apply it to those who oppose Christianity today may well be in our misunderstanding of grace. When we believe that man’s methods are responsible for man’s transformation, then we have ever right to be afraid. But when we believe that God’s grace is responsible for man’s transformation, then we trust the power of God to save anyone in the same way He saved us. If we believe we assisted God in saving us, then we will doubt the ability of others to save themselves. But when we fully trust the blood of Jesus Christ to save us apart from any work we do, then we will believe that anyone can be saved.

My friends, we must not live in fear of those who stand opposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must pray for their conversion to Christ. And if we have even the slightest doubt that they can be saved, then we must doubt that we are, for in God’s eyes we were all equally condemned by our sin and the cost of salvation was the same for all of us.

Start praying for the enemies of Jesus, especially those who claim to have religion.

Pastor John

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lifelink-devotions/id1559931973

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

When I was a boy, I didn’t like standing in a line while two appointed captains looked us over and chose those who were good enough to be on their teams. First, the captains were chosen because everyone agreed they were the best players. Already I am feeling inferior. Then, one by one, players were chosen based on their ability to bring victory to the team. As each was chosen, my confidence sank. The closer I got to being the last one chosen the more I felt like a necessary addition to the team that would only subtract from the team’s chances.

I remember the first time I was chosen to be the captain. My first selection was a friend who was consistently chosen last. Everyone laughed at me. It didn’t matter. Everyone deserves a chance to be first.

Life can feel like we were chosen last. Daily routines and circumstances sink our confidence into the murk of mundane mediocrity. People’s actions and reactions drain our energy and damage our endurance. Quitting the team seems like a viable option.

But then the marvel of our Maker shines through the darkness with eternal Light. Here’s how Paul describes it.

Galatians 1:15-16a  “But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me…”

Almighty, Eternal, Sovereign God saw me before I was ever in line and set me apart to be His.

He called my name, even though others seemed more qualified to be called. His call was not based on my qualifications, but was a response to His love and grace.

He revealed Jesus to me. He gave me His qualifications. He gave me His life. He gave me everything I needed to be a member of His victorious team.

WOW! My energy is restored. I am determined to endure to the end. I have been chosen first.

So have you.

Pastor John