LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Are you afraid of the dark? Maybe a better question is, are you afraid of what might be sneaking up on you in the dark? Children and adults alike need a nightlight on so we can have a connection to life. Even then, the darkness can overwhelm us and we hide in fear.

In the beginning, according to Genesis 1 in the Bible, when God created the heavens and the earth, darkness covered everything like a blanket pulled over the head of a scared child. Then God said, “Let there be light.”  No sun yet. No moon. Just light, emanating from the nature of God. God created the physical scientific phenomenon of light within the context of creation so His eternal light could be seen. Light was needed so life could be seen.

Some four thousand years later, John writes that Jesus is God (John 1:1 the WORD was God), and that He created all things (verse 3). Then John states that In Jesus is live, and His life is the light of all mankind.

John 1:4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

Fascinating. At creation, God, in Jesus Christ, created light so we could see His life. Now, in His incarnation, Jesus brings life so we can see the light of God’s glory. In the physical realm, light makes life possible. In the spiritual realm, life makes light possible.

Do you remember a time when you were afraid of the dark, and you cried out to Mommy to conquer your fear? I do. I remember early on when Mom would open the bedroom door and let the hallway light filter into the room, and she would say, it’s okay John, I’m here.

As time went on, and I learned to trust that she was there, the times of fear were conquered with a simple statement from her from the hallway without the door being opened. The light of her life was enough to calm me, even though the darkness in the room remained.

John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The life of Jesus shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it. When you see the life of Jesus, you have experienced the light of God that removes all fear. His life is the light you desire, and when you have His life, you are always in the light.

Here’s how the Apostle John further explains this in his first letter to Christians.

1 John 1:1-7 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Seek the life of Jesus, and you will discover light in the darkness.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Monday, April 20,2020

As we dive into our study of the Gospel of John, let me forewarn you that there is a lot to consider, and that these brief devotional thoughts are meant to stimulate your own study, not to completely unpack every subject. It is my desire each day to bring you one trickle of truth that will spring forth into streams of living water, like an artesian well in your mind.

You have heard it said that “actions speak louder than words.” However, actions alone are not able to define a person unless words have been spoken to which the actions can be compared. When actions alone are considered, there can be no context of motivation or purpose, and the potential for false assumptions is high.

When the world was created, everything in it declared the glory of God.

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1)

However, man’s observations of the activity of God were not sufficient to understand the His relational attributes, and without such understanding man made false assumptions about God and became lost in sin.

“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.” (Romans 1:19-20,28)

By simply seeing the activity of God’s power and Deity in creation, mankind was not sufficiently informed about God to become believers in God. Instead, people became gods unto themselves. It was vital that God reveal Himself fully to mankind. He needed to speak to us in a way that would reveal who He is.

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God, and the WORD was God.”

John identifies Jesus as the WORD. According to the author of Hebrews, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” (Hebrews 1:1-3a)

Jesus is God’s spoken WORD to us. He is the One who reveals to us the fullness of God. He is the exact representation of God’s nature so that we can know God and relate to Him. When God wanted to speak to us, He gave us His WORD.

People desire to know God, and God has made it possible by revealing himself to us in His eternal Son Jesus. When the activity of God became visible in the WORD of God, then we were privileged to see the fullness of God.

In Christ Jesus, the Word of God and the activity of God are always in agreement. God always says what He means, and does what He says. Sounds like a good goal for our lives.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Friday, April 17,2020

Do you have a nickname? I have had several. They ranged from fun to hurtful. I have been called Skinny (that was a long time ago), Gork, Trumpet (based on the disproportionate size of my nose when I was skinny), Honey, PJ, Old Man, and most recently, Boomer. I have forgiven those who gave me the hurtful ones.

Nicknames are generally given because they describe some characteristic or quality of a person’s life.

When the Apostle John and his brother James began to follow Jesus, they were given a nickname by Christ. Boanerges, or in English, the Sons of Thunder. This name did not describe their father, but it described the two of them.

The word Boanerges is translated as commotion. These two young disciples were identified by Jesus as brothers who caused a commotion.

Two things strike me right away. First, John was the Apostle that Jesus loved and with whom He had an intimate, heart-level relationship. That gives hope to all of us who stir up commotion. Second, there must be a way to channel commotion into a positive outcome.

Commotion doesn’t necessarily have to always be a negative. Sometimes it’s good to stir the pot. James and John were apparently at the front of the line when it came time to stir. We generally designate Peter as that guy, but James and John were the ones Jesus identified with the qualities of thunder.

There is evidence in the Gospel of Luke that these two brothers were the instigators of getting things done.

Luke 9:51-56 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village.

The Sons of Thunder were ready to call down fire from heaven to punish those who rejected Jesus. Jesus rebukes them, but behind their impulsiveness is great faith. They believed in what Jesus was doing. They believed in His power. They were ready to take action based on their beliefs. They just needed direction in doing it correctly.

I wonder how many Sons of Thunder we have raised as Sons of Compliance? I wonder if at times our own God-given strengths of initiative and risk-taking are suppressed by social norms? I wonder if the Thunder has been replaced with snowflakes?

Jesus acknowledged the strengths of James and John, and then, without breaking their spirits, directed their strengths to serve a higher purpose.

Don’t minimize the strengths God has given you because you are trying to fit into culture. Rather, use your strengths for the cause of Christ. Honor Jesus with them. Become identified by the name Jesus has given you.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, April 16, 2020

There’s a belief problem in the world today. The problem is not due to the lack of belief. The seriousness of the problem lies in the chosen objects of belief. In fact, according to the modern philosophy of belief, belief itself is a sufficient object in which to believe. We have authorized belief in belief.

Matt Carter, in the Christ-Centered Commentary series, states, “It doesn’t matter who you believe or what you believe. All that matters is THAT you believe.” We believe in belief.

A few years ago, on the Oprah show, one guest, an atheist, described the sense of wonder she experienced when she stood at the edge of the ocean. Oprah’s response is eye-opening. “Well, I don’t call you an atheist then…I think if you believe in the awe and the wonder and mystery, then that is what god is…It’s not a bearded guy in the sky.”

We are being taught to believe in belief. After all, belief saves, right? Does it really matter what we believe?

That’s the subject we will address this Sunday as we start our series on the Gospel of John. Every well-written book has a foundational thesis. The Apostle John gives us his thesis – his purpose for writing – in John 20:30-31.

“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

The ONLY way to find life – eternal life – is by believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

I hear so many people make this statement. “I believe in God.” But belief in God DOES NOT SAVE ANYONE FROM SIN. The Scripture says that even the demons believe in God, yet they tremble. They have no connection with eternal life.

ONLY belief in Jesus Christ as the perfect Son of God who sacrificed His life for our sin will save us. Jesus became sin for us and suffered the wrath of God against sin on our behalf, so that we could become the righteousness of God by belief in Jesus Christ.

NO OTHER BELIEF BRINGS LIFE.

What do you believe? It’s a question of eternal consequence. Believe on Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Believe on anything else, including belief itself, and you will be lost in eternal death.

Please consider your belief system today, and choose to believe on the Name of Jesus ONLY!

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, 04.15.20

“I’m too old.”

I have started saying that more often than I should. It is my standard response when one of the young grandchildren open the game closet at our house and pull down the game TWISTER.

“I’m too old.”

However, I was encouraged today as I read about the Apostle John. At the age of around 80, as he prepared to write the Gospel he authored, he was the last remaining Apostle. By now, all the others had given their lives for the Gospel. The great persecution of the Christian brothers and sisters in Rome had taken place. Jerusalem had been overthrown and the temple destroyed some ten years earlier. John was most likely living in Ephesus serving in the church that the Apostle Paul had started.

As I read the history, I wondered if John ever said, “I’m too old to be of any further use to the Lord.” If he had ever made that statement, the Holy Spirit clearly answered with another assignment. “John, I want you to write down your understanding of the person of Jesus Christ and His mission to save the world from their sin.”

John ignored his age and took up the assignment.  As a result, we have the Gospel of John.  John was one of the few still living who had seen Jesus in the flesh. It would be easy for young believers—removed from Christ’s life, death, and resurrection by a generation and surrounded by a hostile government and unbelieving neighbors—to have doubts and second thoughts about their faith. Remember, this is after the terrible persecutions by Nero (a.d. 54-68) and the total destruction of Jerusalem (a.d. 70). The church had flourished under persecution, but believers needed reassurance of the truth of Christianity. John, the venerable eyewitness to all that Jesus had done and faithful follower of his Lord, would give that assurance through his personal account of the gospel story. (Life Application Bible Commentary)

Did you catch the incredible description of John’s life in the last sentence?  “…the venerable eyewitness to all that Jesus had done and faithful follower of his Lord…” That’s what I want to be no matter my age. I want to be someone worthy of respect based on faithful, unrelenting service to Jesus.

But wait, John wasn’t done yet. After writing his Gospel, and as it began to spread encouragement to the saints to love Christ above all else and serve Him faithfully, the Roman government banished him to a prison island so his influence would cease. By now John is at least 90 years old. Certainly too old to do anything else meaningful for the Gospel.

Haha. LOL. The Holy Spirit had other plans. Just as John had written His Gospel to explain the redemptive mission of Jesus to save us from our sins, the Holy spirit would now give him another assignment. John, write down how the mission of Christ to save sinners will be concluded in the judgment of sin and the eternal glorification of the saints. I will show you what is to come.

John accepted the assignment, and now we have the book of Revelation, declaring to us the victory we have in Christ because of His resurrection power.

Next time you are tempted to say, “I’m too old,” remember John, and accept whatever assignment the Holy Spirit has for you. Declare with me that you will be a “venerable eyewitness to all that Jesus has done and a faithful follower of the Lord.”

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

There are days when I have a very hard time understanding my grandchildren. That statement alone would elicit the response, “OK Boomer.” Just yesterday I was telling a story to a few of them in a video chat, and one of them interrupted me and asked, “When?” I said, “When what?’, to which came the response “When did I ask?”

It seems every time I talk to one of them there’s a new term I have to learn, and then I get it wrong when I use it the first time. I guess I amn’t vibin’ yet. (Yes, amn’t is now an official word in the van Gorkom dictionary.)

The more we hang around with people, the more we begin to adapt their style of communication. We begin using their words, and we may even develop their regional accent. Except with our former Worship Pastor James Alan. I never will talk like him. All Y’all won’t either.

One of the unique qualities of the Gospel of John is that the Apostle John’s personal vocabulary was obviously deeply influenced by his closeness to Jesus. John’s communication style was framed by the influence of his communion with the Lord. As one of my favorite old commentaries puts it, “There can be no doubt that the thoughts of Jesus had interpenetrated him. He was saturated with them, and they gave character to all his own meditations on the meaning of the Lord’s life.” (The Pulpit Commentary, Funk & Wagnalls, Co. 1883)

WOW! There’s a challenging thought for today. When people hear me speak, are they convinced that the thoughts of Jesus have so “interpenetrated” me that I am saturated with them and speak only what relates to Christ?

What would change about the way we communicate if we spent so much time with Jesus that our thoughts and speech were saturated with His words? Are we becoming saturated with Jesus? What would our world be like if the people who follow Jesus truly represented Him in word and deed?

That is only possible if we spend so much time with Him that His Holy Spirit interpenetrates every part of our being. The first thoughts we have in response to the circumstances of life are the thoughts of God’s goodness and sovereign control. The first thoughts we have when our value is attacked by people’s words are thoughts of grace and compassion. The first words out of our mouth when surprised with hurt or frustrated with failure are words of praise and thanksgiving.

What if every single event of life was seen in the light of Christ’s redemptive purpose to bring people to the cross for salvation? Are we willing to become that type of disciple: a disciple in love with the Lord and interpenetrated with His thoughts and words? If so, then begin today by spending intimate time with Him in Bible study and prayer, and decide that you will allow His influence to interpenetrate every part of your mind and soul.

Pastor John

LIFELINK DEVOTIONAL
Monday, April 13, 2020

Yesterday was amazing. The celebration of the resurrection was better than ever because for the first time in a month, Calvary joined together in a separated kind of way and had drive-in church. 35 cars with over 100 people honking their horns in a snow storm to celebrate Jesus Christ. I was extremely blessed.

I think what encouraged me the most was the two families who came with their newborn sons and celebrated their first church service in the car in a snowstorm. What a statement of their love for a Jesus, and their desire to start their child’s adventure of life by teaching them to follow Jesus.

Jesus is always calling people to follow Him. He called fishermen to do follow Him. He called tax collectors. He called those who had no notoriety. He called those who would eventually betray Him. Jesus is always calling people.

Next Sunday, we begin a sermon series on the Gospel of John. It will be a verse-by-verse study how we can know Jesus and follow Him. Each weekday, there will be a LIFELINK devotional to assist you in your study. Here’s the first few thoughts for you to consider.

John’s Gospel is significant because rather than being historical story-telling like Matthew, Mark, and Luke, his is a narrative of the heart of Jesus for people to follow Him.

So who was John? We know that he was one of the fishermen who followed Jesus. We also know that he was the disciple that Jesus loved. Not that he didn’t love all of them, but John and Jesus had a special bond that went beyond duty and activity. They had a relationship that thrived on emotional and spirituality intimacy. That’s why John was chosen to write the Gospel that best describes the heart of our Savior.

Relationships thrive when there is emotional and spiritual intimacy. Think about that in your own life. What qualifies someone to be your best friend? Is it duty? Activity? Or is it deep heart connections of understanding, compassion, forgiveness, and grace?

I think all of us long for relationships based on grace and truth. John declares grace and truth to be the most significant descriptions of Jesus when He was revealed to us.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
‭‭John‬ ‭1:14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

For today, reflect on your relationship with God your relationships with people. Are they defined by grace and truth? If not, what will you do to begin to develop the intimacy of deep relationships like that of Jesus and John, so that you can be known as a disciple Jesus loves?

Pastor John

LIFELINK DEVOTIONAL

Friday, April 10, 2020

Recently I have heard several people use the phrase, “Well, it’s in God’s hands now.” I have wanted to ask them, “When has it NOT been in God’s hands?” I wonder how many things there are in our lives that we say are in God’s hands, when what we really mean is that they are in our hands until we give up and lose control, and then they’re in God’s hands. I challenge us to consider that even then, we don’t really mean it. We still want to have a say in the solution.

Hanging on the cross, Jesus has completed the work the Father had given Him. He fully carried the weight of the world’s sin to the Judgement Seat of God and endured the full effects of God’s wrath. The payment for mankind’s redemption was almost complete. One thing remained: DEATH. Jesus said,

“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46)

This is the final statement that we have from Jesus on the cross. Everything had been completed and now it was time to dismiss His spirit. What an incredible statement of trust in the love of His Father. Jesus would commend His spirit (deposit for protection) to the Father for safe-keeping. No one took His life from Him. Jesus willingly gave His life for you and me, and He fully trusted the outcome to the Father.

John 10:17-18 “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

That’s quite a lesson of trust for us to learn. Think of all the things that are going wrong in your life today. Now think of how many of them you really trust God to manage? Turn those numbers into a ratio, and discover your trust level. Let’s say you determine you have 6 things wrong, but you have fully trusted only two of them to God. The other four you are still working to resolve in your own wisdom and strength. That’s 2 over six, or one-third. You trust rating is 33%. Are you satisfied with that?

Jesus commended, or deposited for protection, 100% of the outcome of His death to the Father. Not just a sickness, but DEATH. He fully deposited His very life to the hands of the Father. And look what happened. RESURRECTION and GLORY!

I wonder how much of the power of God would be displayed in our midst today if we raised our trust rating?

Thank you Jesus, for dying for our sins, and while you did, for teaching us to be forgiving, compassionate, and trusting.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, April 09, 2020

For me personally, the most significant aspect of studying the Bible is discovering the fulfillment of the Old testament symbols in the New Testament. One such symbol is the Passover. Do you remember the story from Exodus 22?

God is about to set the Israelites free from slavery to the Egyptian nation. The final plague upon Pharaoh and his people would be the death of the firstborn children in the land. This would include the Israelites, except for God’s provision of mercy. If any household sacrificed a lamb, and spread the blood of that lamb on the doorposts of their house, the angel of death would pass over that house and the firstborn child would be saved.

The timing of the death of Jesus was not coincidental. Jesus was crucified at the time of the killing of the Lambs for the Passover celebration in Jerusalem. Christ became the Passover Lamb, as noted by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:7.

“For Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed”

The innocent Lamb was slain for our sins, so that we might be rescued from certain death.

The sixth statement of Jesus from the cross is His recognition that his suffering is over and his task is completed. He has sufficiently carried the weight of man’s sin and sacrificially suffered the wrath of God against that sin. He cries out,

“It is finished.” John 19:30

What was finished? The redemption of sinful mankind. The sin that had separated every human being from eternal relationship with God could now be removed as a barrier by faith in the “FINISHED” work of Jesus on the cross. Mankind could now, by faith, become eternal children of God, never to be separated from Him again. Sin no longer has any power to separate because the ONE who paid for that sin is eternally accepted and restored to the throne as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. By faith in Jesus Christ, we are brought into a loving and eternal relationship with God, and nothing can ever separate us from Him.

What was finished? My redemption and reconciliation to God. Jesus did it! The Once-For-All Passover Lamb has been slain. His blood has been applied to my life. Death has been conquered. IT IS FINISHED!

Here are some verses to encourage you.

Psalm 109:26-27 Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to your steadfast love! Let them know that this is your hand; you, O LORD, have done it!

Psalm 22:30-31 It shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.

1 Corinthians 15:54-57 “Death is swallowed up in victory.”  “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:31-39  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, April 08, 2020

As we draw closer to Good Friday, I am made more aware of my flawed human nature by the fifth statement of Jesus from the cross. My normal response to pain and suffering is quite the opposite of Christ’s. You see, I tend to focus on my needs first, and then, once they are met, maybe I will focus on the needs of others.

Not so with Jesus. He has spoken four times from the cross already, and in the midst of His anguish every statement was of a spiritual nature. Twice He forgave others. He cared for the needs of others. He declared the need for spiritual intimacy with the Father. Until now, He had not asked one thing for relief of His physical needs.

I am deeply convicted by that. How much time is spent seeking the relief of our personal suffering, rather than seeking the strength of the Father to meet the needs of others? Now, finally, after showing compassion to others, Jesus says,

“I thirst.” John 19:28

Jesus is now most likely in shock. The wounds inflicted upon him in the scourging, the crowning with thorns, losing blood on the three-hour walk through the city of Jerusalem on the Via Dolorosa to Golgotha, and the nailing upon the cross are now taking their toll. Dehydration has set in. Jesus asks for a drink of water.

In that request, I am reminded of the time He asked for a drink of water when talking to a woman at a well. That request turned into an explanation by Jesus that He has living water to offer everyone.

“Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14).

In answer to His statement of thirst, the guards put a sponge soaked in sour wine (vinegar) to his mouth, and he drank it. Jesus drank what man had to offer. What a symbol of His death. He drank fully the bitterness of man’s attempts to satisfy God. If only those at the cross would have recognized that in His death He was providing them pure water from which springs eternal life.

Jesus took into Himself every form of man-made religion and ritual, and put it to death. Jesus took all of man’s efforts to earn the favor of God and crucified them in His body on the cross. There is nothing man can offer God except sour grapes.

But Jesus replaced all of man’s efforts with His sacrifice, and by faith in Who He is and what He did on the cross, we can be forgiven for any and every sin. Jesus took man’s best efforts and destroyed them by the power of the cross.

Colossians 2:13-15 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Are you thirsty? Come to Jesus for living water, and never thirst again.

Pastor  John