First Baptist Gonzales

06/01/2026

WEEK 23: June 1-7 - John 13-21; Psalms 51-55

☐ Monday, June 1 - John 13-14
How would you have reacted if Jesus got up to wash your feet?

☐ Tuesday, June 2 - John 15-17
“If they persecuted me, they will persecute you…” (John 16:20). Does this comfort you or make you feel nervous? Why?

☐ Wednesday, June 3 - John 18-19
Pilate asks the question, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). In a world where we hear that truth is relative, how would you define the truth as mentioned in John 18:37 to a non-believer?

☐ Thursday, June 4 - John 20
Does Thomas deserve the moniker “doubting Thomas”? Why or why not?

☐ Friday, June 5 - John 21
Peter is concerned about what Jesus is going to ask John to do. Jesus says that is not your concern (John 21:15-23). How often are you more concerned about other people’s roles in the Kingdom rather than your own?

☐ Saturday, June 6 - Psalms 51-55
Psalm 51 is the prayer of repentance David proclaims after Nathan confronts him about Bathsheba. Is there sin in your heart that needs to be confessed to God?

Last week, we began reading John and read only 12 chapters. This week, we slow down even more to read the last 9 chapters of the gospel. This is a great week to catch up on readings you may have missed earlier in the year, or simply read slowly and meditate on each passage more than usual.

The setting of John 13-17 is Jesus with his disciples in the Upper Room. In the final teachings that Jesus shares with his disciples, he has his final two I AM sayings. I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). I am the vine… (John 15:5). Last week, I said that John 3:16 was the most succinct statement of the gospel. John 14:6 is the clearest pronouncement of the path to salvation. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” When you pair the two statements together, you realize that Christianity is an inclusive and exclusive religion. Christianity is inclusive because of John 3:16. Anyone who believes in Jesus can have eternal life. Christianity is exclusive because of John 14:6. No one can have eternal life except through Jesus. Christianity is both inclusive and exclusive.

In John 17, Jesus has an extended prayer where he prays for himself, his disciples, and his future disciples. In John 17:20, Jesus asks the Father that those who will come to believe in Him will be unified. It gives me comfort that Jesus himself prayed for us. In a world that is chaotic and stressful and divided, I am thankful for God’s help in keeping churches unified. When strife comes within our churches, remember that God is on the side of peace and unity. May you work toward that goal as well.

John 18-20 is Jesus’ arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection. The end of John 20 intrigues me. In verses 30-31, John adds a statement that this is only part of what Jesus did while he was on earth. This helps to remind us that Jesus had a 3 year ministry. If we read John in one sitting, it may take 2-3 hours. There are a lot of days when Jesus is ministering, teaching, and healing that are not recorded in the gospels. But the gospels are enough to show us clearly who Jesus was and is: “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Finally, John 21 serves as an epilogue to the gospel. John 20:30-31 sounds like a concluding message, but then we have this additional story of Jesus appearing to some of the disciples and commissioning Peter to shepherd the flock. I’m glad we have this story. It reminds us of God’s forgiveness and love. Even when we run away from God, God still wants to use us to advance the Kingdom of God. This story also reminds us to focus on our own journeys with the Lord and not others. Peter wants to know if John will be martyred like Jesus prophesies that Peter will be martyred. Jesus tells Peter that it doesn’t matter. Your job is to follow me and not worry about how you compare to others. It is the same way with each of us. We should focus on our own relationship with God, not worrying how we measure up against other people.

05/30/2026

We can’t wait to see what God has in store for VBS! Register today!

Getting excited about VBS? So are we!!!! Follow the link or scan the QR code to get registered today!

https://fbcgonzales.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3546685

05/26/2026

We celebrated several baptisms last Sunday and rejoiced as people publicly declared their faith in Jesus. God is changing lives, and we’re thankful to be part of it!

05/25/2026

VBS registration is open!

05/25/2026

WEEK 22: May 25-31 - John 1-12; Psalms 46-50

☐ Monday, May 25 - John 1:1-3:21
Nathanael’s first impression of Jesus is “can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46). When have you missed the mark by judging a person by their upbringing or appearance?

☐ Tuesday, May 26 - John 3:22-5:47
In John 5:19, Jesus says, “the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing.” Why do we keep trying to do things without God’s help?

☐ Wednesday, May 27 - John 6:1-8:11
John 6:65 says “...no one can come to me unless it is granted by my Father.” Compare this to John 14:6 and John 3:16. How do all of these verses come together to form our understanding of salvation?

☐ Thursday, May 28 - John 8:12-10:42
John 10:11 says “the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Thank God today for being your good shepherd and sacrificing himself for you.

☐ Friday, May 29 - John 11-12
As you read the story of Lazarus’ raising, consider this question: “why did Jesus weep?”

☐ Saturday, May 30 - Psalms 46-50
“Be still, and know that I am God!” (Psalm 46:10). Take time today to be still with your Heavenly Father.

Any first reading of the New Testament would tell you that The Gospel of John is different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Simply put, John had a different reason for writing his gospel. Being the last of the gospels written, I think John assumes that his readers will have already read the other three gospels. This means he focuses on a different picture of Jesus’ life. John focuses more on the God-like qualities of Jesus. We see this from the beginning of the gospel when John goes to before creation to explain that Jesus was there in the beginning. This is a good example of the type of focus John has in his gospel.

The Gospel of John is broken into two sections. John 1-12 is called the Book of Signs while John 13-20 is referred to as the Book of Glory. John 21 is treated like an epilogue to the story. This week, we look at the Book of Signs and next week we will finish with the Book of Glory and the Epilogue. The simple reason that John 1-12 is called the Book of Signs is that it records the numerous miracles of Jesus.

While reflecting on John 1-12, you will read of Jesus’ constant rejection from the Jewish leaders. At different festivals, the leaders constantly are opposing Jesus and his teachings. For example, in John 5:1-18, Jesus is in Jerusalem for a festival and heals a man on the Sabbath. A man had been ill for 38 years; Jesus heals him on the Sabbath. When confronted by the Jewish leaders, Jesus’ response is that his Father is at work on the Sabbath, so I will work as well (v. 17). His working on the Sabbath and calling God his Father led the Jews to want even more to kill Jesus.
Within the chapters for this week, we will also read of Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus in John 3. John 3:16 is the most famous verse in the Bible for a reason. It is a perfect succinct statement of the gospel. The good news of Jesus Christ is that everyone who trusts in Jesus for salvation will spend eternity in heaven. God did not do this for us because he had to; the Father sent the Son because he loves us. This is good news for all of us. I hope you take the time to read the entirety of Nicodemus’ encounter with Jesus to see how John 3:16 fits into the wider context of their conversation.

There are other wonderful stories you will read this week that you know well. The wedding at Cana (John 2:1-12), the woman at the well (John 4:1-42), the woman caught in adultery (John 7:53-8:11), and Lazarus coming back to life (John 11:1-44) are all stories in John 1-12 that are unique to John’s Gospel. You will also read the first 5 of Jesus’ I AM statements in John 1-12. I am the bread of life (John 6:35). I am the light of the world (John 8:12). I am the gate (John 10:7). I am the good shepherd (John 10:11). I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). With only 12 chapters to read this week, enjoy the slower pace walking along well worn paths and slowly take the time to hear from God through the pages of John 1-12.

05/24/2026

Join us for worship at 11:00 am.
(FYI there may not be any live stream next two weeks due to media room maintenance.)

Welcome to First Baptist Gonzales.We are a Christ-centered communi...

05/18/2026

WEEK 21: May 18-24 - 1 Kings 2:13-11:43; 2 Chronicles 1-9; Proverbs 15-16

☐ Monday, May 18 - 1 Kings 2:13-5:18
Solomon asked for wisdom. Would you say he is acting wisely in this first part of his reign? Why or why not?

☐ Tuesday, May 19 - 1 Kings 6-8
1 Kings 6:38-7:1 juxtaposes Solomon spending 7 years building the Temple and 13 years building his palace. Why do you think this is significant?

☐ Wednesday, May 20 - 1 Kings 9-11
After today's reading, let’s revisit a similar question to Monday: do you think Solomon is a wise king or not?

☐ Thursday, May 21 - 2 Chronicles 1:1-5:1
The word that comes to mind when I read about the Temple is grandeur. What words come to your mind?

☐ Friday, May 22 - 2 Chronicles 5:2-9:31
Put yourself in the position of the people in 2 Chronicles 7:1-3. How would you have responded to God’s presence?

☐ Saturday, May 23 - Proverbs 15-16
Proverbs 15:22 reminds us that getting advice is a pathway to success. Spend time today thanking God for the ones who give you good advice!

Solomon’s story is one of highs and lows. In 2 Chronicles 1 and 1 Kings 3, we read that God planned to give Solomon anything he asked for. Solomon asked for wisdom. Because of this wise choice (pun intended), God also gives him riches, wealth, and honor as well. Because of wisdom and blessing from God, Solomon amassed great wealth that no king would ever match. You can put this aspect of Solomon’s life into the positive category.

Another positive aspect of Solomon’s life was that he built the Temple. Remember that David wanted to build the Temple but was told by God that he would not be the one to do so. David prepared the nation for Solomon to build the Temple, and Solomon was able to accomplish this. He brings the Ark of the Covenant into the Temple and consolidates the worship of God in this one location. This is a huge accomplishment for the nation of Israel and Solomon.

But then there are the wives and concubines. First Kings 11:3 says that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Many of these women came from people groups with whom God told Israel not to associate. The reason that God told Israel not to associate with these groups is because God knew that Israel would fall into the temptation of worshipping their false gods. And this is exactly what happened to Solomon. He began to worship the idols of his wives. He built houses of worship for those idols.

Solomon’s story is complicated. He was given wisdom by God, yet he made some really ignorant decisions. In some respects, Solomon is like us. We have the Spirit of God living inside of us to help us know the right decisions, yet we regularly make bad decisions. We have access to God’s Wisdom, yet we choose to ignore it. If we are going to be harsh to Solomon for making these decisions, we better be ready to be harsh on ourselves as well.

Because of Solomon’s decisions, the nation of Israel will be divided into two countries. After Solomon’s death, the ten tribes of the north will become the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Judah and Benjamin will form the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The Promised Land continued to deteriorate for another 350 years. Solomon died in 931 BC. The Northern Kingdom fell to Assyria in 722 BC. The Southern Kingdom fell to Babylon in 586 BC. The Promised Land is never the same after the reign and choices of Solomon.

05/17/2026

Join us for Worship at 11:00 AM. Graduation Recognition Sunday.

Welcome to First Baptist Gonzales.We are a Christ-centered community where the old becomes new, celebrating the incredible story of God’s salvation through t...

05/13/2026

View Rafe Jackson's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

05/12/2026

We’re excited for our upcoming Missions Garage Sale! Share, shop, and support missions at 1335 Donovan Street. Donations are welcome any time before the day of the sale.