Blog: January 2021 — December 2021

The ending of a year makes us think about the passing of time.  And God wants us to be good stewards of the time he gives us.  Now “stewardship” has connotations of money and material resources.  But the bigger biblical picture is that we’re stewards of everything we have—our time, talent, and treasure.  It’s all from God; what do we have that we didn’t receive? (1 Corinthians 4:7). So as 2022 steps up, consider “time”:  as the clock ticks, as earth revolves, how are we investing our God-given hours and days?  Do we “spend” time to gain ...

Friends, Plan now to dig into God's Word daily in 2022 (and 2023!).  And the key word is "plan"--if you just meander into the new year and "see what happens," distraction will win out and you'll end up malnourished from a lack of spiritual food.  Remember, as Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).  Scripture is our soul food--we need it to live! Click here for the 2-Year Bible Reading Plan.  (See also this page for more options when it comes to the systematic ...

God’s people were finally free. After 430 years of slavery in Egypt, the Israelites—now numbering 600,000 men plus their families—were on their way out with Moses as their leader. God had promised to give them a new land: “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Ex. 3:17). What did sudden freedom feel like? Did the Israelites feel strong and courageous? Did they feel nervous and vulnerable? Regardless of their thoughts and emotions, one thing was certain: God was with them. We see in the story of Exodus 13–15 that God directed His people, ...

At Christmas we celebrate the appearing of the Son of God—the advent, the coming of Messiah into our world and our lives.  And so, it’s important to study those New Testament passages that speak plainly about why Jesus came—the “I have come” texts. Like Luke 19:10, Christ came “to seek and save the lost.”  And John 10:10, “that you might have life and have it abundantly.”  And Mark 10:45, he came “to give his life as a ransom for many.” Plus 1 Timothy 1:15, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”  The Son of God “became flesh ...

On Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, we’ll include baptism in our worship services (8:30 and 11:00 a.m.).  Adults, teens, or older children who have not been baptized as an expression of faith in Jesus can sign up for a baptism class on at 10:00 a.m. in Room 008 (downstairs) on Jan. 16 or 23 (click here to email the church office and sign up for either session-- children to be accompanied by parents).

Friends, As we step into the new year, let's come before the Lord in prayer for our church--for the church family, our leaders, our ministries, and our impact in the local community and beyond.  Below is a daily prayer guide for January 2022.  "Let us pray." Jesus says, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7). Praise God for the gift of 2022.  Praise Him that he will love you, guide you, and strengthen you for each day of the year.  Praise him for the opportunities ...

Friends, I want to share a reflection I wrote last year—a journey of Christmas wonder to help us look beyond all the hectic goings-on of today, and get a glimpse into heaven.  Here it is: During Advent I love to revisit classic, even ancient, Christmas music.  Like “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence.”  This ponderous fourth century carol portrays the incarna­tion from heaven’s point of view:  the Son of God departs from heavenly majesty, plunging down, down, down into our lost world.  Verse three imagines the myriads of angels watching in ...

Just think what we know about the baby born in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago—about who he was (and is), and what God intended to accomplish through his Son’s entrance into human life: The angel told Joseph that Mary’s baby was “Emmanuel,” i.e., “God with us” (Matt 1:23, quoting Isa 7:14; in Isa 9:6 the child is called “Mighty God”). This divine child would “save his people from their sins” (Matt 1:21; and see Mark 10:45, he came to give his life as a ransom for many).  Wise men from the east sought the newborn king “to worship him” (Matt 2:2, ...

In research, there is a common practice used to measure data: the pre-test and post-test. The pre-test is a baseline, assessing the state of something prior to experimental factors being introduced. As is suggested by the name, this happens prior to the experiment. The post-test is a comparison, designed to compare the outcome of the experiment to the pre-test results in order to assess change. As the name suggests, the post-test comes after the experiment. In the life of Job, we find a man who goes through the most traumatic experiences ...

Friends, Advent begins tomorrow, Sunday, November 28!  As we step into this season of anticipation, I encourage you to consider the following Advent resources to supplement your Bible reading this Christmas season.  Of course, there are many other fine materials one could make use of—these are just a few I’ve appreciated. (By the way, click here for our overview of the Advent season at Goshen.) Desiring God has just published a new Advent devotional by John Piper (with free PDF), Good News of Great Joy: 25 Devotional Readings for ...

Church steeples are one of those things you see all the time, yet they may never really come to the forefront of your mind.  And by the way, Goshen has a terrific steeple—but are you “listening” to what it says?  Yes, steeples talk.  So what’s the big idea?  What ideas and aims have driven church architecture over the centuries to adorn worship buildings with these tall, pointed fixtures? Church steeples have had two primary functions.  First, historically they’ve served as a visual signal to direct the people of a given village or region ...

Messiah’s Arrival “Advent” means appearing, arrival, coming.  At Christmas we celebrate that God came into our world—baby Jesus born 2,000 years ago was the Son of God, God with us.  Think of it:  the God who made all that is (from the macro to the micro) and who made us came to live among us, to rescue us—like a Good Shepherd chasing down his wandering sheep!  “The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). Lighting a series of Advent Candles marks time—the four Sundays before Christmas.  It’s like a countdown, counting the ...

The story of Joseph is packed full of moments that resonate with us. Maybe you were the favorite child or the favorite child’s sibling. Some people resonate with being cast away from family or being undeservingly welcomed into a new family. Some resonate with finding favor with an enemy or showing favor to an enemy. In Joseph’s story, we can see ourselves and our need for Jesus in so many ways. On at least four occasions in Joseph’s journey, others gave him tremendous blessings. Though Joseph lost some of these earthly treasures, he ...

Gratitude to God is a theme woven all through the Psalms.  As we approach Thanksgiving, let me highlight a few of these passages. Psalm 57: Notice in v 1 that David wrote this prayer “when he fled from Saul, in the cave.”  The backdrop is in 1 Samuel 24:  David, running for his life, hides in a cave while King Saul and 3,000 soldiers try to hunt him down.  And yet, amidst the terror of that scene, David is not terrorized.  To be sure, he calls on God for mercy and protection.  But he also yearns to see the Lord exalted “above the heavens”; ...

Jacob’s journey in Genesis is one of unexpected and undeserved blessing after blessing. With a name that literally means he cheats, Jacob was unlikely to receive the privilege and opportunity God gave him. Jacob was a cheater, a liar, and a deceiver. He was quiet and not strongly gifted. And he was gullible, too. We cannot miss that the deceiver was deceived at times too—easily convinced by his mother and tricked by his uncle. But God would work through Jacob when no circumstances or characteristics made it seem possible. In Genesis ...

Our Sunday Seminar, “Loving God with All Your Mind,” concluded this past week with a good discussion around questions like:  How can we help each other follow James 1:19 (be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger)? Poor listening and hasty talking disrupt sound thinking.  As the body of Christ, we love each other well and honor our Head when we help one another think straight.  And notice that the challenge isn’t just how each believer can honor Jesus personally (crucial as that is!), but how we can shape a church culture of wise, ...

It’s been said that when a word or phrase is repeated in the Bible, we ought to pay close attention. In Genesis 22, Abraham repeated one phrase three times: “Here I am.” Abraham first used “Here I am” on his journey when God called his name. Abraham’s eager response to God shows that he was ready and expectant to hear from God. Abraham then used this phrase in response to his son, Isaac. On the journey to the place of sacrifice, Isaac called out to his father and Abraham responded, “Here I am.” Even though Abraham was surely wrestling ...

Our Fall Focus on Missions brought guest preach­ers to us who issued a number of challenges from God’s Word.  (If you missed either message, go to our YouTube page to listen.) Mark from Interserve USA was with us on Oct. 24, and he spoke on “Our Great Missionary God” (John 4).  He asked us what grade we’d give the church for missions, given that in 2,000 years only 58% of the “nations” (i.e., people groups) have been reached.  Jesus commissions us to make disciples among ALL people groups (Matt. 28:18-20), yet 42% have no gospel witness.  ...

We marvel at stories with two characters who are total opposites of each other. This is why so many stories feature some form of a noble hero and an immoral villain. The contrast of character and conduct is what drives the tension of the story. In Genesis 14, we find two completely opposite kings: the king of Sodom and the king of Salem. One sought to get; the other sought to give. One sought to curse; the other sought to bless. One sought to take life; the other sought to give life. These two rulers illustrate the spirit of the world and ...

Faithful following of Jesus requires remembering—remembering who he is, what he’s done for us, who we are in Christ, and how he’s taught us to think and act.  But there’s also a time to forget. “But one thing I do:  forgetting what lies behind and straining for­ward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). What is it from the past that Paul puts out of his mind?  In vv 4-6 he lists a number of his outstanding religious “credentials” (e.g., being a ...