Who we at the First Church of God

We are that country church in the city with old fashion values, hymns, and picnics.

We are a biblically based conservative congregation that worships the Lord in the full power His Spirit.

We are a conservative Bible teaching church upholding conservative family morals and values.

We are that safe haven that brings back the nostalgia of Grandma’s chicken dinner and homemade apple pie on a Sunday afternoon.

We invite you to join our family here at The First Church of God of Westminster, a family of God, striving to be more like Christ Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit

Services

Sunday
Worship Service 9:00 a.m.
Sunday School 10:30 a.m.

Wednesday
Adult Bible 6:00 p.m.
Prayer Service 7:15 p.m.

Saturday
Women's Ministry (3rd Saturday) 9:15 a.m.
Men's Breakfast (3rd Saturday) 9:15 a.m.

Getting Connected

Pastor
Raymond Duvall Jr.

Music Director
Brenda Clarke

Adult Sunday School
Russell Hicks

Women's Group
Tress Duvall

Jr. Church
Dorothy Duvall

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

When Good Men Do Nothing

“Darkness does not overtake light, but light overtakes darkness. And if there’s darkness spreading through the land. Guess what, it is not because somebody went out into the middle of Kansas and opened a box of darkness… If darkness is spreading across the land, guess what. It is because somebody is hiding the light.” (Del Tackett; Focus on the Family’s “The Truth Project”)

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus told us: You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16).

When Christians fail to be the light of the world, darkness spreads. To be light, one must do good works; the Lord commands His people to do so (Luke 6:35; Eph. 2:10). Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14).

As Edmund Burke said "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Good men must take action and let their light shine; darkness must be opposed. God commands those who are good, not just to avoid evil but actively oppose it. Christians are to not only to “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them” (Eph. 5:11). Those who do nothing about the darkness, help the darkness to prevail. A person who sits idly by, when there are others around them in sin becomes a partner of their sin (Eph. 5:7).

Jesus warned “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” (Matt. 12:30). In the fight against darkness there is no middle ground, no fence sitting allowed. Those who are not actively and zealously fighting against darkness are assisting its spreading.

When a person’s light is hidden, it is of no use to anyone, not even to themselves. Many have the false belief, that being the “light of the world” is simply the absence of doing what those in darkness are doing. Not so! One is light not simply because they do no evil, but because they are actively shining their light into the darkness, by their good works. “He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.” (1 Pet. 3:11). James explained, “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins” (James 4:17).

Those who stand on the sidelines of life and do nothing but watch the darkness spread, they cease being innocent bystanders and idle spectators. Their failure to act not only allows evil to triumph, but makes them just as guilty as those actively involved in promoting the darkness they refuse to reprove and rebuke. In God's words, “On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them” (Obadiah 11).

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Gal. 6:7). Those who refuse to let their light shine into the darkness are sowing some dangerous seeds. They are doing nothing good as Jesus commanded them to do; they are helping the spread of the darkness by hiding their own light, and have become partners of the darkness they did nothing to stop. Do not allow the darkness to spread. Do not sit by and do nothing. Stand up and be counted, speak out against the darkness in this world. As Jesus said, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Serving God by serving others

“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” (Galatians 5:13)

The greatest thing you can do in serving others is to give them hope. And the greatest hope of all is salvation through Christ Jesus, but how do we do that. How can we share our hope in Christ Jesus, with people who want nothing to do with the church; because of false assumptions, or they may have been hurt by people in the church. Well we can listen to Paul, and "serve one another in love." If you show people you care about them, by meeting their physical needs. You will gain their trust and the ability to speak to them about their spiritual needs. Jesus said Himself, that He did not come to be served, but to serve. So let us follow our Lord's example and serve our communities. One way the First Church of God of Westminster has been serving her community and gaining its trust is through Angelfood Ministries. This has allowed me the opportunity to speak to about 30 people in the past few weeks and a few hundred people in the past few months. And their are 15 or more other people from the church directly involved in AFM, can you see the potential of how many people we are getting a chance to share our hope in Christ Jesus with because we first gave them hope of being able to meet a physical need? Below is a paragraph taken from an Angelfood menu distributed by the Alpha Lions Den Ministries in Derry, PA.

HOPE
Where there’s hope there’s Angel Food Ministries
Hunger is a very real problem in this nation — each year over thirty five million Americans face life without adequate food. With today’s economic challenges, many ordinary families have fallen on hard times and just need a little help to make ends meet while they get back on their feet. That’s where Angel Food Ministries can make the difference. Angel Food is a nationwide program offering low cost food relief to anyone in need. If you or someone you know needs help —Angel Food Ministries is here for you.
“Angel Food Ministries, the most effective, powerful, non-threatening evangelistic tool to ever hit the modern day church!”

With the condition of the US economy and with unemployment on the rise, the number of people who will be in need of a hand up is going to continue to rise also. The fields are ripe for the harvest and Angelfood is a great tool to reap it with. Let us serve God by serving others. for more information go to www.angelfoodministries.com

Your Fellow Servant In Christ, Pastor Ray