Blog: May 2024

The Letter to the Galatians is an ambulance rushing through the pages of the New Testament with sirens blaring. You see, the Apostle Paul writes to a group of churches that are in spiritual emergency, yet they don’t have the sense to call 911.  He’s gotten news about them—how they’re losing their bearings, turning to new teachers with a new message, deserting Jesus Christ, and trading in the Gospel for a new “gospel”—an adjusted, modified, twisted “gospel” that would credit their good deeds and feed their pride and steal glory from the Lord ...

Come cheer on our Goshen Softball Team! Monday May 6th Tuesday May 14th Monday May 20th Tuesday May 28th Monday June 3rd Thursday June 6th Monday June 17th All games start at 6:30pm and are played Elam United Methodist Church, 1073 Smithbridge Rd, Glen Mills, PA 19342 Questions?  Contact Tom Buddenhagen.

The Acts 9 story of how Saul of Tarsus came to be a follower of Jesus is a widely known passage that reveals an essential truth for us as believers: God has the power to transform the hearts and lives of anyone who places their faith in Him. The power of the Holy Spirit changes us from the inside out, and the same Lord who transformed Saul causes us to walk in new life when we turn to Christ. What do we learn about the role of God’s saving grace in this story? How can our testimonies reflect the same Spirit-empowered life change as Sa ...

As we retell the story of ultra-wealthy Solomon this Sunday (e.g., 1 Kings 10:14-22), Craig Blomberg, author of Neither Poverty nor Riches (IVP, 2000), can help us put money matters in perspective.  He concludes by stating some of the Bible’s key unifying motifs: “Material possessions are a good gift from God meant for his peo­ple to enjoy.” Creation is “good” (Gen. 1:3 etc.), and God provides material blessings for our well-being (cf. Acts 4:34; 1 Tim. 6:17). “Material possessions are simultaneously one of the primary means of turning ...

The twelfth chapter of Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth is known for its role in encouraging the church body toward unity. Steering us away from division and partiality, this passage reminds us that we each have a role to play in Christ’s mission of sharing the gospel. Our differences can serve to strengthen us, if only we walk together in obedience to Jesus' mission through the power of the Holy Spirit. How can we best determine how to serve within the body of Christ? What does unity look like in the modern-day church? It can often ...

Universalism is the religious belief that all humans will, in the end, be saved.  According to this outlook, there is no eternal hell. Universalism appeals to many because it undercuts claims of exclusive access to ultimate truth.  Thus it’s “culturally correct”; it follows today’s diversity rules so as to offend no one.  Further, it’s comforting to envision friends & loved ones in a happy final state. If we imagine a human-centered universe, if we exaggerate God’s love and ignore his justice, and if we feel free to cherry-pick Bible texts ...