Weekly Article - 5/11/22

Golden Valley Christian Church

 

            There was an article published a number of years ago entitled “Ten Ways to Kill a Church.”  The following five still apply:  1) Don’t come.  Of course, that definitely would kill a church; the church’s job is to bring people to God.  2) Only show up when you feel like it.  God expects faithfulness; no business can continue if it only has part-time customers, and that includes churches.  3) Find fault with everything.  Constant complainers seem to find problems, but they never solve anything; this causes chaos in all things.  4) Do nothing more than absolutely necessary.  It takes work to keep any organization flourishing; it is said, ten percent of the people do ninety percent of the work.  5) Get angry when things don’t go your way.  Opinions matter, but cooperation matters more; in life, we do not get our way in all things, and a church is no different.  We should examine ourselves to see if we fall into one of these categories (Romans 8:28).

            GVCC celebrated Mother’s Day last Sunday, with each lady receiving a small gift.  Deena Rosado blessed us with a couple of inspiring readings.  We are collecting gallon-sized cans of baked beans and boxes of instant potatoes for the West Central Christian Service Camp in La Monte.  This Sunday, May 15th, there will be a Children’s Ministry meeting for all; please plan to attend this meeting after the morning worship service.

            Bro Elmer’s message came from Chapter 3, in the book of Daniel.  During the Israelites’ captivity in Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar made a huge image of gold and ordered all to worship it, or be thrown into a blazing furnace.  The three young captives, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refused to worship this idol, telling the king that their God would save them, and even if He did not, they would not worship idols.  This made the king furious, and he ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter, and then the three were bound and thrown into the blazing inferno, with the heat even killing the soldiers who threw them in.  When the king looked into the furnace, he saw a fourth person walking in the fire with the three, protecting them.  After exiting the fire, without even a hair on their heads singed, the king praised the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and promoted them (Daniel 3:30).  Faith in God saved these men; faith in God is still just as essential today.  Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

            Golden Valley Christian Church meets at 611 South Third Street in Clinton.  Sunday School classes begin at 9:30 AM, and the morning worship service is at 10:30.  Our interim minister is Elmer Fuller, and our website is www.goldenvalleycc.org, where you will also find links to access our Facebook page and YouTube sermons.  We are happy to invite you to attend our services, where you will always receive a warm welcome.