Blog: September 2018

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, ...

We’re into a sermon series on “Walking in the Truth,” which includes a review of our church’s Statement of Faith (see link on this page).  You might say we’re inspecting our “super­structure.”  At home we all want sturdy floor joists and rafters; with­out them the house collapses.  So too, there are truth structures which are foundational for Christian faith and life. We get a feel for the urgency of holding fast to God’s truth from the Apostle Paul’s final farewell to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20.  He reminds these church leaders, “I did ...

We've started in on our journey together "Walking in the Truth." And, first things first, last Sunday I was stressing that God's written revelation, the Bible, is our primary and necessary source of saving truth. Now when it comes to the Bible, we cannot be nourished spiritually without truly feeding on the Word (i.e., God's truth doesn't get into our hearts and minds by osmosis).  We need to study Scripture--individually, and with others. Bible study involves observation, interpreta­tion, and application.  The starting point is always ...

Tomorrow we begin a sermon series on our core beliefs, “Walking in the Truth.” And right off the bat I’ll be emphasizing our statement about Scripture—here it is (from our GBC Statement of Faith): “The Word of God. We believe all Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the verbally inspired Word of God, inerrant in the original writings, complete as the revelation of God’s will for salvation, and the supreme and final authority in all matters to which they speak.” So we’re starting with this assertion about the Bible.  But maybe ...