Blog: November 2021

In research, there is a common practice used to measure data: the pre-test and post-test. The pre-test is a baseline, assessing the state of something prior to experimental factors being introduced. As is suggested by the name, this happens prior to the experiment. The post-test is a comparison, designed to compare the outcome of the experiment to the pre-test results in order to assess change. As the name suggests, the post-test comes after the experiment. In the life of Job, we find a man who goes through the most traumatic experiences ...

Friends, Advent begins tomorrow, Sunday, November 28!  As we step into this season of anticipation, I encourage you to consider the following Advent resources to supplement your Bible reading this Christmas season.  Of course, there are many other fine materials one could make use of—these are just a few I’ve appreciated. (By the way, click here for our overview of the Advent season at Goshen.) Desiring God has just published a new Advent devotional by John Piper (with free PDF), Good News of Great Joy: 25 Devotional Readings for ...

Church steeples are one of those things you see all the time, yet they may never really come to the forefront of your mind.  And by the way, Goshen has a terrific steeple—but are you “listening” to what it says?  Yes, steeples talk.  So what’s the big idea?  What ideas and aims have driven church architecture over the centuries to adorn worship buildings with these tall, pointed fixtures? Church steeples have had two primary functions.  First, historically they’ve served as a visual signal to direct the people of a given village or region ...

Messiah’s Arrival “Advent” means appearing, arrival, coming.  At Christmas we celebrate that God came into our world—baby Jesus born 2,000 years ago was the Son of God, God with us.  Think of it:  the God who made all that is (from the macro to the micro) and who made us came to live among us, to rescue us—like a Good Shepherd chasing down his wandering sheep!  “The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). Lighting a series of Advent Candles marks time—the four Sundays before Christmas.  It’s like a countdown, counting the ...

The story of Joseph is packed full of moments that resonate with us. Maybe you were the favorite child or the favorite child’s sibling. Some people resonate with being cast away from family or being undeservingly welcomed into a new family. Some resonate with finding favor with an enemy or showing favor to an enemy. In Joseph’s story, we can see ourselves and our need for Jesus in so many ways. On at least four occasions in Joseph’s journey, others gave him tremendous blessings. Though Joseph lost some of these earthly treasures, he ...

Gratitude to God is a theme woven all through the Psalms.  As we approach Thanksgiving, let me highlight a few of these passages. Psalm 57: Notice in v 1 that David wrote this prayer “when he fled from Saul, in the cave.”  The backdrop is in 1 Samuel 24:  David, running for his life, hides in a cave while King Saul and 3,000 soldiers try to hunt him down.  And yet, amidst the terror of that scene, David is not terrorized.  To be sure, he calls on God for mercy and protection.  But he also yearns to see the Lord exalted “above the heavens”; ...

Jacob’s journey in Genesis is one of unexpected and undeserved blessing after blessing. With a name that literally means he cheats, Jacob was unlikely to receive the privilege and opportunity God gave him. Jacob was a cheater, a liar, and a deceiver. He was quiet and not strongly gifted. And he was gullible, too. We cannot miss that the deceiver was deceived at times too—easily convinced by his mother and tricked by his uncle. But God would work through Jacob when no circumstances or characteristics made it seem possible. In Genesis ...

Our Sunday Seminar, “Loving God with All Your Mind,” concluded this past week with a good discussion around questions like:  How can we help each other follow James 1:19 (be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger)? Poor listening and hasty talking disrupt sound thinking.  As the body of Christ, we love each other well and honor our Head when we help one another think straight.  And notice that the challenge isn’t just how each believer can honor Jesus personally (crucial as that is!), but how we can shape a church culture of wise, ...

It’s been said that when a word or phrase is repeated in the Bible, we ought to pay close attention. In Genesis 22, Abraham repeated one phrase three times: “Here I am.” Abraham first used “Here I am” on his journey when God called his name. Abraham’s eager response to God shows that he was ready and expectant to hear from God. Abraham then used this phrase in response to his son, Isaac. On the journey to the place of sacrifice, Isaac called out to his father and Abraham responded, “Here I am.” Even though Abraham was surely wrestling ...

Our Fall Focus on Missions brought guest preach­ers to us who issued a number of challenges from God’s Word.  (If you missed either message, go to our YouTube page to listen.) Mark from Interserve USA was with us on Oct. 24, and he spoke on “Our Great Missionary God” (John 4).  He asked us what grade we’d give the church for missions, given that in 2,000 years only 58% of the “nations” (i.e., people groups) have been reached.  Jesus commissions us to make disciples among ALL people groups (Matt. 28:18-20), yet 42% have no gospel witness.  ...

We marvel at stories with two characters who are total opposites of each other. This is why so many stories feature some form of a noble hero and an immoral villain. The contrast of character and conduct is what drives the tension of the story. In Genesis 14, we find two completely opposite kings: the king of Sodom and the king of Salem. One sought to get; the other sought to give. One sought to curse; the other sought to bless. One sought to take life; the other sought to give life. These two rulers illustrate the spirit of the world and ...