Blog: January 2021 — December 2021

The pressures in our day to turn inward, to look out for ourselves and our families, and to live by the principles of self-protection, are very great.  Between pandemic and political chaos and media rage and volatile financial markets and geopolitical angst (to name a few stimuli), we’re tempted to look with dread at the world, and then hunker down, hold the fort, and take care of our own. This is understandable.  But it is not Christian.  Note two things: First, Jesus calls his followers to walk by faith.  It’s true, if we’re honest ...

We love to measure the health, success, or sustainability of pretty much anything and everything. We measure our kids by their grades in school. We measure teams by their wins and losses. We measure people by their influence and following on social media. In a world obsessed with measuring “success,” we ought to be assessing in our own lives something we cannot see: our motivation. We can define motivation simply as the reason we do something. Motivation is the driving force behind the decisions we make. There is a reason for everything ...

“Love your stranger as yourself.” That’s a paraphrase of Leviticus 19:34, “You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt:  I am the Lord your God.” God’s people were taught not just to say “hi” to strangers in their midst, nor just to share a friendly chat with out­siders, but to love them! This same message echoes into the New Testament.  Did you know that the Greek word for “hospitality” combines the terms “stranger” and “love”?  ...

TRUNK OR TREAT 2021 Goshen Baptist Church invites you to join us for our annual Trunk or Treat event on Saturday, October 23, 1-3:00 p.m.  This is a family friendly, FREE event with food and fun for all ages.  Participants visit decorated car trunks and collect candy and prizes!  So put on your favorite costume, grab your friends and family, and meet us in the Family Life Center parking lot.  We look forward to seeing you at Trunk or Treat 2021! Trunk or Treat 2016 Trunk or Treat 2017 Trunk or Treat 2018

If you visit Ridley Creek State Park to do some hiking, it’s natural to follow the well-trodden pathways through the woods and over the hills.  But sometimes it’s good to go off the beaten trail. Same with reading Scripture.  Our trek through the Bible tends to follow a familiar route along well-known, much-loved verses.  Like Psalm 23 and Romans 8 and John 3 and Isaiah 53.  Such texts are glorious landmarks—no wonder the popular paths take us there.  But sometimes you need to go off the beaten trail. Our Prayer Gathering group left ...

Followers of Jesus need to know a thing or two about what’s going on in the world; it’s not good to be ignorant of current events.  And yet, we have to make sure we don’t drown in the constant flood of breaking news and social media outrage. In pursuit of this balance, it’s helpful to step back and ask just who or what we’re focusing on.  In reaction to turbulent times, are we turning attention inward, with a mindset of self-protection and even self-absorption?  What’s the focal point of your life? Remember, God tells us to “look up”—to ...

SUNDAY SEMINAR Teaching and Discussion on Current Issues Aim: The GBC Elders plan to offer a short Sunday Seminar series in the fall and spring during the Sunday School period, at which time our adult classes will come together for teaching and discussion on pressing topics Christians face in our current cultural moment.  These sessions will allow us to address key issues, invite input and discussion, and provide guidance for how we might react to, and interact with, major challenges of following Jesus in today’s world. Fall 2021 ...

"Right Here, Right Now:  Missions Begins Where You Are." That's our theme for the 2021 Fall Focus on Missions here at GBC. God's heart for the world fuels the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) to make disciples among all the people groups on earth, and that charge is not for someday, but right now; and not for somewhere, but right here.  For the church of Jesus Christ, missions begins where we are--right here, right now.  And our mission initiatives will involve sharing the truth of the Gospel and expressing the compassion of Christ to ...

Does the story of the fall surprise you? How could Adam and Eve—who had everything they needed—rebel against a loving God? Do you think you would have acted differently? Adam and Eve’s story is our story. Think about the last time you blatantly sinned. What lies were you believing in that moment? Satan wants us to believe the same lie that Eve believed: Maybe God is holding out on me. Maybe He isn’t good or loving. Maybe I would do a better job than Him. Do you ever wonder if you know better than God? Before the fall, Adam and Eve enjoyed ...

This Wednesday in our staff meeting and at prayer gathering, I drew attention to the visions of heaven given to the Apostle John that are recorded in Revelation 4, 5, and 7.  Picture it, there’s lowly John in exile on the island of Patmos (1:9), perhaps in chains, probably doing forced labor, when the angel of the Lord comes to walk him through a stunning, elaborate series of visions of what is to come (1:1, 19; 4:1) in this world and the next! In 4:1 John says, “After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven!”  The Apostle ...

On September 1st, Downingtown and Coatesville, PA experienced record flooding as a result of the remnants of Hurricane Ida. My family and I live in the borough of Downingtown, and praise be to God, we did not experience any flooding, but our neighborhood wasn’t as fortunate. Many lost their homes, businesses, churches, personal belongings and must now start over. But, what took place immediately after the flood waters receded was something that only the Lord could have orchestrated- the local Church stepped into action and for days, ...

Our student ministry has restarted a week ago and we already have been having a great time reconnecting to each other, engaging in games, and reengaging with the Bible.   During our first youth group, we read the parable in Matthew 7:24-27 about building a foundation on solid rock.  This is our unofficial theme this year.  My goal this year, after going through and really still going through a pandemic is how to help teens create a foundation or firm up their foundation with God.  Sunday September 12th was High School youth group and to help ...

If you’re new to Goshen in the last year, please join us for our Newcomer's Lunch on Sunday, Oct. 3, from 12:20 to 1:20, in the Fellowship Hall. Come and learn about GBC, meet some of our leaders, and enjoy a meal together! Please RSVP by Sept. 29 by contacting the church office (610-696-3188; office@goshenbaptist.org), or sign up on the clipboard in the Lobby this week, and let us know how many will be attending.

In the first two sessions of this unit, we have seen a common thread of God’s glory. God created everything, including people, to display His glory. In this session, we want to make sure that our kids understand what that means. What is God’s glory? God’s glory can be thought of as God’s greatness. The Bible often uses the picture of a brilliant white light when it comes to God’s glory. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai after spending time with God, his face shone. When Jesus was transfigured, He shined like a brilliant white light. And ...

It's wise, on a regular basis, to take inventory of our prayers.  I'm thinking specifically of petitions, requests (so we'll bypass other types of prayer such as praise, confession, lament, and thanksgiving for now).  It's good to eavesdrop on yourself periodically and review your requests:  what kinds of things are you asking God to do? My reflex often reverts to basic, earthly, temporal needs (you too?)—so we pray for good health, safety, and positive results in today’s life challenges (perhaps having to do with work or school or ...

The tennis world was stunned last week when two unseeded young women stormed through the draw and dispatched an array of top players only to face each other in the US Open finals—Leylah Fernandez of Canada (age 19) and Emma Raducanu of Great Britain (age 18).  Prior to the tournament, Fernandez was ranked 73 in the world, and before Wimbledon a couple months earlier Raducanu was ranked 345 (and she only made it into the US Open as a “qualifier”—meaning she had to defeat three other contenders the week before the Open to gain admission to the ...

Last Sunday I drew attention to 2 John 12 and 3 John 14 and the Apostle’s yearning for in-person fellowship with church leaders and congregations he’d served:  “I hope to come to you and talk face to face”; “I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.”  Letters are great (even digital ones!), but physical proximity to our spiritual family members is vitally important. Since March of 2020, however, a public health crisis has brought stay-at-home orders, quarantines, and that dreadful expression, “social distancing.”  I say ...

Do you know “the times”?  Do you recognize the distinct hazards and prime opportunities of our day, our moment in history? Don’t drift through life with the eyes of your heart darting after every shiny, shocking, upsetting push notification.  Don’t just go with the digital flow.  Ask God to help you see the world as he does, and to care about what’s most deeply on his heart. So what is unique about the times right now?  Well, there’s no single right answer to that question, but one important answer is this:  right now the tension and ...

Let’s talk about pressing issues.  What key topics are on the front burner of your life and our world today?  What are the things that provoke or energize you, disturb or thrill you? Many people would answer by naming topics like:  *current geo-political events, and in particular the situation in Afghanistan; or *Covid-19 vaccines and case counts and mitigation strategies; or *sex and gender; or *race and racism; *or financial markets… Every day there’s a rush of breaking news in these cate­gories, so if such things are “pressing” to you, ...

Here at Goshen, in our devotion to Jesus, we practice believer’s baptism by immersion. Baptism is for believers—that is, it’s an expression of one’s personal trust in Christ for the forgiveness of sins and gift of eternal life.  In the New Testament the practice of baptism is consistently associated with a person’s faith, with believing in Jesus (see Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 8:12, 36-38; 16:14-15, 31-33; 18:8; 19:4-5; Galatians 3:26-27). So we don’t get baptized based on someone else’s faith, but to express our own faith in Christ.  And we ...