Blog: January 2018 — December 2018

We continued our journey through the Holy Land today with a visit to CAPERNAUM, in Galilee, which was the center of Jesus’ early ministry. We talked about the many that were healed by Jesus and shared the story of the paralytic healing and the faith of his friends that were determined to get him to Jesus by removing the roof and lowering him before Jesus.  We had a special time of prayer and anointing for healing for several members of our group. Our next stop was at the MOUNT OF BEATITUDES (Sermon on the Mount) where we were able to see a ...

In Making Sense of God, Tim Keller argues that “con­temp­orary secular­ity is not the absence of faith, but is instead based on a whole set of beliefs, including a number of highly contestable assumptions about the nature of proof and rationality itself” (p. 41).  So the human situa­tion does not involve secularism on the one side and religious belief on the other—all positions involve faith.  “To move from religion to secularism is not so much a loss of faith as a shift into a new set of beliefs and a new community of faith, one that draws ...

Dear Goshen Family, our last few days have been very busy, but it is so meaningful to walk where Jesus walked.  Wednesday we first drove to Caesarea by the sea to see the Roman ruins and then on to Nazareth where Jesus grew up.  We ate a traditional first century meal and learned about life in Jesus’ time.  In Cana of Galilee, Jim Flye led seven couples in a special ceremony to reaffirm our marriage commitments to one another.  God is so good!  Thank you so much for your prayers.

Dear praying friends, We arrived safely in Tel Aviv yesterday morning and are grateful for God’s traveling mercies. After overnight flights, we immediately met our guide and drove to Jaffa where we saw the harbor and shared the passages from the book of Jonah.  Just amazing to know we were in that ancient city and our guide took our group to a beautiful lookout over the city.  At each stop along the way he gives us more understanding about the religious and cultural history of the area.  We then drove up the coast to the city of Netanya ...

Over the next few weeks of the Gospel Project for Kids, kids will learn that God was still working out His plan to send Jesus into the world to rescue us from sin. Since the beginning, God wanted to bless and provide for His people. Genesis 11 records the generations between Noah and Abram. Noah’s son Shem had a family. Through Shem’s line, God would keep His promise to send a Savior. Shem’s seventh-great grandson was named Abram. Abram was born in Ur of the Chaldeans. Abram was in his homeland when God spoke to him. God told Abram: “Go out ...

      Goshen Baptist Church invites you to Trunk or Treat 2018.  Please join us on Sunday, October 28, from 3-5:00 p.m. for this free, family friendly event!  Bring a friend.

This Sunday our “Walking in the Truth” sermon series will take us to the section of the Goshen Statement of Faith about church and state.  As we turn to Scripture together for God’s guidance on this complex matter (looking at 1 Peter 2:13-17), I also want to recommend several resources on faith and politics provided by various Christian leaders. I’ve found these authors/teachers/pastors to be wise in handling the Word of God and applying it in relation to the delicate interplay of church and state.  Of course, I can’t endorse everything ...

Dear Goshen Family and Friends, In less than a week, on October 15, our team of 25 will be on our way to Israel.  We have been planning for this “Journey to Israel” for over a year and a half and now it is almost here. What an exciting time this will be--to walk where Jesus walked! We are planning to post some updates on the church blog every few days that will give you a glimpse into our travels as we visit Nazareth, Cana, and Capernaum; as we take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee; as we explore Jerusalem; as we pray in the Garden of ...

Why would we hear the story of Job while studying stories from Genesis? Most biblical authorities believe, based on subject matter and language, that Job was a contemporary to the patriarchs. Job fits chronologically into this period in history. Job was a wealthy man who loved God. At the beginning of the book, God allows Satan to test Job’s faithfulness. Job lost everything, and he asked God why these things were happening. God answered Job, and His response reveals that God alone is all-powerful, sovereign, and good. “Have you ever in ...

Last week I saw a fascinating commercial during a football game—it was for Pepsi.  The ad follows NFL fans from several different teams as they get ready for the game, and it also features a few big-name players like Dak Prescott and Antonio Brown.  The camera is on each person only for a second or so as they hum along with the NFL theme song tune.  During the half-minute ad, the music builds and the anticipation rises.  Just before the end a bunch of fans take their place on the couch to watch the big game, all smiles, and (of course) Pepsi ...

Men, you're invited--come on out and watch Thursday Night Football:  EAGLES vs. GIANTS on October 11 at 8:20 p.m.  The game will be on the big screen in Fellowship Hall.  Join us, bring a friend, and bring your team spirit!

Following the flood, God commanded Noah in Genesis 9:1 to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” This command echoes the one given to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28. God intended the paradise of the garden to spread into the whole world, but sinful people had other desires. Genesis 10 accounts for the nations that spread out in the land after the flood (Gen. 10:32). The people moved east and settled in a valley. This story continues the cycle of distrust and disobedience to God. In Genesis 11:2, Scripture indicates that instead of ...

Do you have “ears to hear” God’s Word (Mark 4:9, 23)?  Are you listening?  Here are some ways to improve our spiritual perception: Schedule daily Bible reading.  Otherwise it won’t happen.  And don’t forget to read together (maybe at the dinner table). Take up God’s Word with a humble heart and teach­able spirit:  “Lord, show me the log in my own eye.” Receive God’s truth in community.  We need each other’s support to be good soil for the seed of the Word (Mark 4:8, 20).  No Christian is an island.  The Bible is for the church. Seek ...

Earlier this year Dave Thomas and a team of jazz musician friends recorded "Faithfulness," a collection including both vocal and instrumental hymn arrangements.  Songs featured on this new album are "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," "His Eye Is on the Sparrow," "Praise Him, Praise Him," "Holy, Holy, Holy," "Just As I Am," "Fairest Lord Jesus," and more. The band will be performing at Goshen on Sunday, October 21, at 7:00 p.m., with a reception to follow.  Dave is joined by musicians Paul Jost, Micah Jones, George Rabbai, and Larry Marshall. The ...

Adam and Eve left the garden to start a life out in the world. Despite the grief of their sins, imagine their joy as their family grew. With each birth, maybe Eve hoped this son would be the one to end the curse of sin, to crush the head of the snake. (Gen. 3:15) But Adam and Eve witnessed sin’s effects on their own children: Cain murdered Abel. Cain was not the Promised One, and neither was Abel. Some time later, Eve gave birth to another son, Seth. Seth lived 912 years. He saw the earth’s population grow as God sustained generation after ...

Christianity issues a call to faith—to put your trust in Jesus Christ for life, even eternal life.  But note:  Christian faith is reasonable.  The idea of “blind faith” or faith being contrary to rational thought—that’s a sloppy caricature and, quite simply, a false depiction of the biblical concept of faith.  There’s a vital logic that undergirds true faith. Consider the drift of Hebrews 11—all those stories of believers who lived “by faith,” trusting God in the victories and afflictions.  The point is to urge readers also to rely on the ...

As we continue to examine the key biblical footings on which our church stands (by means of the current sermon series, “Walking in the Truth”), let me encourage you to read and reflect on our GBC Statement of Faith.  It’s a very helpful summary of Bible teaching, and reading it (whether on your own or with family / friends) can help you keep your bearings amidst the bombardment of loud messages in today’s ever-active media. And here’s another way to review the key truths of the Christian faith:  get to know the New City Catechism.  This ...

Last week, kids learned that God created people to live with Him in a perfect relationship forever. This week, kids learn that Adam and Eve enjoyed all that was good in the garden of Eden. The Lord gave them only one restriction: “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” and the punishment for disobeying was severe: “You will certainly die” (Gen. 2:17). Before the fall, Adam and Eve enjoyed a loving, two-way relationship with God. The garden was a true paradise. God filled the garden with good gifts so that they ...

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). More to be desired are they [i.e., God’s words] than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb (Psalm 19:10). The Word of God is a priceless gift we have in our hands:  do you cherish it?  Do you go to the Scriptures for soul food?  Do you study and meditate, do you listen to the Lord and respond in prayer?  Is the Bible sweet to you—is it treasure?  There is more to the Christian life than joyfully ...

This coming Sunday we'll return to our regular schedule with Sunday School for all ages at 10:00 a.m.  And this includes a number of great study-and-discussion electives for adults.  Come join us as we explore God's Word and encourage each other on the journey of following Jesus!  Here's the line-up: Family Foundations, Family Life Center:  “Onward”—a video discussion series from Russell Moore about engaging the culture without losing the gospel, looking at our Christian presence in a secular society.  Leader Team:  Fraziers, ...