Blog: November 2020

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, He appeared to His disciples over a 40-day period. At one point, He appeared to more than 500 people. During that time, Jesus taught about the kingdom of God. Some of them wondered if Jesus was finally going to overthrow the Roman government and set up His kingdom on earth. Jesus had a different plan for the disciples. He directed the Eleven to go to a mountain, where He appeared to them again. They worshiped Him, but some still doubted. (Matt. 28:17) On the mountain, Jesus gave His disciples the Great ...

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES Please take note of our plans for Christmas Eve--and come gather with us in person or join us from home via livestream: Services on Dec. 24 at 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. in the Family Life Center (if it's a toss up for you between 3:00 and 5:00, we'd like to nudge you to attend at 3:00--thanks) Family-friendly 45-minute services No childcare--stay together as a family Masks & distancing Services will be livestreamed If you're joining from home, gather 5 candles beforehand so you can share in the lighting of Advent ...

An essential ingredient of healthy Christian living is keeping things in balance.  And I mean the kind of balance that is attentive to all that the Bible teaches about faith and conduct, as opposed to a careless, selective approach that afflicts you with half-truths. For example, an impatient, incomplete (i.e., unbalanced) handling of Scripture can result in attachment to this world and a fixation with material gain and comfort.  Or it can lead to a disregard for the needs of this world and a preoccupation with the life to come. I’ve been ...

The disciples were devastated that Jesus had died. They believed that Jesus was the Messiah, but they had abandoned Him and Jesus was killed. How could He save anyone if He was dead? But now some people were reporting that Jesus was alive! Was it true? The disciples were talking about these things when Jesus stood among them. “Peace to you!” He said. Imagine how Jesus’ words might have calmed the disciples’ anxious hearts. Their Lord, whom they had deserted, didn’t show up to scold them for their failures or shame them for their lack of ...

Don’t walk into Thanksgiving unprepared.  Plan ahead to focus on Jesus.  Now that may seem obvious, but there are a lot of ways our thanks can get off track.  Like if it’s merely horizontal:  you thank me, I thank you, we’re all grateful to each other.  To be sure, horiz­ontal gratitude is good, but Christian thanksgiving is so much more. Or we can go off the rails by letting material things govern our gratitude:  thanks for food, clothes, jobs, health, homes, books, toys, etc.  Again, these are good things; it would be a shame not to be ...

Last night during our Wednesday Prayer Gathering, we were reading Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, and we were amazed by God’s grace at work in the life of Paul as a prisoner (1:13, 17).  And let me emphasize this:  whenever you read Philippians, with each verse remind yourself you’re hearing from God’s servant in chains (in fact, his life hangs in the balance, 1:20). Think about that.  We all know that our life circumstances can color what we say or how we say it.  So how would it affect our attitude if we were imprisoned for our faith in ...

Goshen Baptist Church welcomes you to our: 2020 Drive-Thru Christmas Thanks for joining us today!   Please tune your car radio station to 87.7 FM and keep your phone handy. Your first part of the Christmas drive-thru journey will be to visit our 7 Christmas stations. As you drive through our 7 Christmas stations keep an eye out for the following symbols. Let the station host know that you found it and receive a special card at each of the 7 stations. Here’s what you’re looking for:   Station #1 - STAR Station #2 - ...

Jesus’ death and resurrection should not have surprised the disciples. Sometimes Jesus spoke metaphorically about His death and resurrection. (See Matt. 12:39; Mark 14:58; John 2:19; 3:14-15.) Other times, Jesus plainly told the disciples that He would be betrayed, crucified, buried, and resurrected on the third day. (Matt. 17:12; Mark 8:31; Luke 9:22) In fact, Jesus had spoken so frequently of His death and resurrection, the chief priests and Pharisees asked Pilate to place guards at the tomb in case the disciples stole Jesus’ body. (See ...

2020 has been quite a year so far, wouldn’t you say?  God’s been reminding us that we’re not in charge of the world—including things like viruses.  He’s also been showing us that hardship is a place we discover our limits and his sufficiency—and that is good. It’s important for all who trust in Jesus to live out that faith by rest­ing in God’s presence, power, and purposes amidst all the troubles that come along.  Make time to recite Romans 8:28 daily:  “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who ...

The time between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning must have been dark hours for Jesus’ disciples. Fear, doubt, and confusion certainly overwhelmed their thoughts. Jesus, their Lord, was dead. He had been unjustly arrested, falsely accused, and severely beaten. Even worse, He had been killed in a horrible manner: by crucifixion. The story doesn’t end there. Jesus’ body was laid in a tomb. The tomb was sealed and guards watched over it. The Jews remembered Jesus’ claim that He would rise from the dead (John 2:19-21), and they made sure no ...

This Sunday the Gospel of Mark brings us to one of Jesus’ most climactic statements of purpose.  In 10:45 the eternal plan of the Triune God for the incarnation is revealed in stunning clarity.  Why did the Divine Son descend from glory, enter into human form, allow himself to be tempted in every way that we are (Hebrews 4:15), and endure unspeak­able suffering and a criminal’s death? “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). “Son of Man” (alluding to Daniel ...

Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection are the center of the gospel. Jesus accomplished the plan God had been working out throughout the Old Testament to bring salvation to sinners, and it happened in such an unlikely way. In the Book of Acts, Peter testified to the Israelites about Jesus’ death: “Though He was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail Him to a cross and kill Him” (Acts 2:23). Crucifixion was a horrific way to die. As you teach kids, rather than focus on the ...