Blog: June 2023

As our 2023 VBS and Waypoint ministries are now in the rear-view mirror, we come to a key fork in the road:  will we retain what we’ve taught and learned?  Children and teens and parents and volunteer helpers and the rest of us:  let’s take the truths from Waypoint and VBS and lock them down in our hearts. Waypoint 2023:  Our theme verse was Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every­thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all ...

Last week, based on Matthew 15:1-20, I said the Pharisees had a “math problem.”  They had trouble with addition and subtraction.  These religious leaders were adding “the tradition of the elders” to Scripture, and they were also subtracting “the commandment of God” from their teaching.  Bad math.  Serious spiritual errors. The Lord speaks stern words to anyone who would either add to or subtract from his revealed word:  “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:  if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the ...

Summer is upon us, so let’s pause and make sure we’re really ready for all that the season brings.  I don’t mean ready with sun-screen or a new BBQ grill, but with spiritual resolve to grow strong in Jesus during this odd season.  Here are a couple challenges: Don’t “bail” on the church—you need your church family and they need you all year round.  Baseball is seasonal; so are garden­ing and golf and surfing.  But being the body of Christ is not seasonal. Don’t take a vacation from your regular spiritual practices—from reading Scripture ...

If you're following our 2023-2024 Two-Year Bible Reading Plan (which available is on this page), right now you're in the thick of the conquest narratives:  God commands Joshua to lead the Israelites to enter the land of the Canaanites and slaughter its inhabitants.  The destruction of the city of Jericho may be the best known example of this (ch. 6). It is sobering and disturbing to read such passages.  What are we to make of this part of the biblical storyline?  What does the Book of Joshua teach us about the nature of God?  And how are ...

With Waypoint and VBS now upon us, our Prayer Gathering group took time this week to read Bible passages that would help us see the next generation the way that God sees them. One text was Deuteronomy 6:7:  “You shall teach them [i.e., truths from and about God] diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” I was especially struck by the ordinariness here:  talk with your kids about God when you “sit” or “walk,” “lie down” or “rise”; ...

Sunday, Sept. 10: NO Sunday School Worship Service, 10:30 a.m., Sanctuary All-Church Picnic, 11:45 a.m., plan to stay for lunch! Sunday, Sept. 17: Return to our regular schedule: Worship Services, 8:30 & 11:00 a.m. Sunday School for all ages, 10:00 a.m.

In the Gospel accounts of Jesus calming the storm, we learn that Jesus' disciples experienced tremendous fear. Their fear was so great, they believed they would perish in the storm. Yet, Jesus experienced the same violent storm, and rather than quake in fear, He slept. The disciples’ fear emerged from a lack of faith in the One who slept in the boat. While they worried about their circumstances and allowed fear to overtake their hearts, Jesus remained confident in His control over all things–including the raging sea. Not a drop of an ocean ...

Adult Summer Sunday School 2023 9:30-10:15 a.m. - Fellowship Hall - Goshen Baptist Church Come join the conversation!   Elders’ Series:  Our Shared Identity:  Understanding Goshen’s Place among the Streams of Church Tradition (June 11, 18, 25): June 11, “Fundamentalism,” Russ Nixon June 18, “Mainline Protestantism,” Darrel Tedrow June 25, “Postmodernism,” Paul Yeung Great Christian Books Series (July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30): July 2, Life Together, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer – overview by Mark Boyer July 9, Christianity and ...

In the aftermath of the passing of Tim Keller, John Piper shared about his most recent interactions with Keller.  And the upshot was to put a spotlight on Jesus’ words in Luke 10:20: “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” In the context, Jesus is hearing reports from his disciples upon their return from a mission assignment.  He had sent them out two by two (v 1) to pray (v 2) and speak God’s peace to the people (v 5).  They were to beware of ...