Blog: July 2020

Going back to Scripture again and again is like taking a daily dose of medicine the Great Physician prescribes: we need God’s Word today, and we’ll need it again tomorrow.  And the next day.  Why is this? Because we drift.  We’re like our homes—things eventually wear out:  deck rails, stairway bannisters, garbage disposals, light switches, rugs, weather stripping…  You have to keep up on home maint­enance! So too, we need to give daily attention to our spiritual upkeep.  In our fallen nature, we’re prone to lose our focus over time and be ...

Did you know that Goshen Baptist Church has a library? If you haven't done so already, take the time to look at our selection of books. Summer is the perfect time to read a book. We have recently added a number of new books, both in the childrens and adult section. If you are looking for  something specific, there is a computer on the back counter that you can use to search our card catalog.  If you have questions about the church library, suggestions of books, or questions about donations, please feel free to contact the church librarians, ...

In yesterday's sermon we skimmed over Nahum 1:2, “The Lord is a jealous and avenging God,…”  So let’s take a minute here today:  What does it mean that God is “jealous”?  Isn’t jealousy something we try to scrub out of our children and out of our own hearts?  We don’t sanction it; we don’t affirm it.  But God is a “jealous” God? Well, in fact, it’s good news that God is a jealous God (Nahum 1:2).  You see, what God is jealous for, or zealous for, is the honor of his own name—for his own glory.  Nineveh was worshipping idols (Nahum 1:14—the ...

  A very large crowd—thousands of people (Luke 12:1)—had gathered around Jesus as He taught His disciples. The people recognized Him as a rabbi (teacher), so it was not unusual that someone called out, asking Jesus to settle a financial dispute. But Jesus knew the man was motivated by greed, and He told a story. In Jesus’ parable, a rich man had so many crops that he decided to tear down his barns and build bigger ones. That way, he could store everything he had and take it easy. But the man was foolish and short-sighted. He didn’t ...

In his book, A Severe Mercy, Sheldon Vanauken vividly tells of the love he and his wife Davy shared—an intense and self-giving devo­tion.  They sought to share everything:  “If one of us likes anything, there must be something to like in it—and the other one must find it.” Over time they realized, “The killer of love is creeping separateness… which was, in the last analysis, self.”  They fueled romance with self-altera­tion—no saying, “That’s just the way I am.”  Still, love between sinners get complicated:  “Should one of us change a ...

Summer has always been a season when the Goshen family both gathers and scatters.  But in summer 2020, this is truer than ever. In these pandemic times, a major question before us is how to be a healthy, unified church while some of us are coming to in-person worship services and others are remaining at a distance. Let me clarify that it’s right and good for some to keep their distance.  Health considerations prompt many people to avoid gatherings.  And with our current streamlined services (i.e., no Sunday School or child­care), some ...

J. I. Packer passed away at the age of 93 on July 17, 2020.  I have been helped a great deal by this godly, articulate, Christ-honoring theologian over the years.  In 2012, I wrote a short review of Packer's wonderful little book, Fundamentalism and the Word of God.  Here's what I said: I just read J. I. Packer’s 1958 book, Fundamentalism and the Word of God, and was struck by its relevance for today. Much about the world when Packer wrote is so different—no computers, no cell phones, Cold War raging, Eisenhower in the White House… it was ...

Prayer is personal communication with God. Many people aren’t sure how to pray or feel uncomfortable praying. To pray effectively, then, we must be taught how to pray. This is why Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them to pray. Jesus began with the Lord’s Prayer, not to establish the words we should use but to show how we should pray and what we should pray about. Through prayer, we demonstrate our dependence on and faith in the Lord. We should approach God as a Father and pray for His kingdom first and then for ourselves and others....

In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says what my heart needs to hear! Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Our stained glass window, “Come Unto Me,” is taken from this text. Dane Ortlund, in his new book, Gentle and Lowly:  The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers, says, “In only one place—perhaps the most wonderful words ever uttered by human ...

The benefits of following Jesus are wonderful: justification from sin, lifelong sanctification, and adoption into the family of God. But following Jesus also comes at a price. People had waited so long for the promised Messiah to come into the world, so many were eager to follow Him. Yet as Jesus taught, He urged people to consider the cost of being His disciple. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus explained to one disciple that following Him might involve giving up worldly comforts. He told another disciple that following Him should be higher ...

Wishful thinking has its allure.  Something inside of us is discontent with the way things are.  “I wish we could go back to last summer, or fast-forward to next summer, anything but this Covid mess.”  Masks, distancing, health risks, volatile markets, job insecurity, loneliness… And yet, wishful thinking is sharply at odds with faith in Jesus.  Not that we shouldn’t have any wishes or hopes—of course we should.  But they mustn’t take center stage.  Trust in Christ means continually, happily yielding the limelight to him.  Spiritual ...

One of Jesus’ most well-known teachings is the Sermon on the Mount. On that day, crowds of people had come to hear Jesus. Jesus went up on a mountain in Galilee, sat down, and began to teach. Jesus’ sermon is recorded across three chapters in the Gospel of Matthew, 5–7, and it tells how believers should live. While Matthew 5:1-2 specifies that Jesus taught His disciples, Matthew 7:28 reveals that the crowds listened to His sermon as well. First, Jesus began with the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes describe God’s great blessings for believers....

Here are a few words of encouragement for returning to in-person worship gatherings—and let me offer them on the analogy of travel, what to bring along for this very special adventure together: Your Bible.  No surprise there.  As we dig into Scripture, it’s so very helpful to follow along and see the claims, prom­ises, warnings, and challenges of God with your own eyes. Your loved ones.  Come as a family, or with friends.  Or come meet up with spiritual family here at Goshen.  Or invite someone you’ve met walking in your neighborhood in ...