Westview Church of Christ

06/23/2026

SOME UPLIFTING HISTORY FOR YOUR DAY!
On this day in history...

On June 23, 1979, a southern rock group some of you may have heard of named the Charlie Daniels Band released what would be their greatest hit, “The Devil Went Down To Georgia.” The song tells the story of how the Devil was looking in Georgia for a “soul to steal” because, apparently, he works on a quota and needed to get his numbers up. He finds a boy named Johnny playing a fiddle and challenges him to a fiddling contest with Johnny’s soul on the line, and Johnny’s reward would be a fiddle of gold. Spoiler alert, Johnny is a better fiddle player than the Devil and he wins the fiddle of gold.

It is a catchy song with a fun tune that, I’ll admit, I may sing along with when I hear it. It was never meant to be analyzed on its theological merits because it is a theological mess. But there is still a danger in this song, like many songs we grew up with in our own churches, that we should not dismiss: we should not belittle the Devil or underestimate what he is capable of.

I can appreciate the song still identifies the Devil as the villain (which alone is better than much of today’s popular music!) but we are clearly warned in scripture about how dangerous Satan is. He is not a being we should be toying with.

Satan is the “prince of this world.” – Jesus’ words in John 12, 13, and 14.

Satan “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (not challenge in a competition). – I Peter 5:8

Satan is a “great dragon” and a “serpent.” – Revelation 12:9

Michael the Archangel would not directly engage with Satan because of how dangerous he is. – Jude 9

Respecting and appreciating how dangerous your enemy is, does not correlate to approval or agreement with him. Satan is dangerous and cannot be matched by the greatest skills of man that may exist. It is only with full reliance on God that Satan can be defeated, and we should not forget that!

06/22/2026

WHY DID THEY DO IT?
(This is an excerpt from a weekly article in our bulletin called "Commentary by a Common Terry". To read the full article on our website, click the link below!)
https://westviewcoc.org/commentary-main-page

Can we be people after God’s own heart? When Paul said that about David in Acts 13:22, he clarified why David was such a man in such a deep relationship to God: “And when he had removed him (Saul), he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’”

I am not the mighty warrior that David was, repelling the enemies of Israel in combat. I am not gifted with the talent to write the intimately personal psalms David wrote as he praised God, questioned God, sought God, and rediscovered God. I am not going to, literally, face a nine-foot giant, armed with only a slingshot and five smooth stones, and come out the victor.

But can I set a goal to do all the will of God? Can you and I become people who capture the heart of God because we choose to be completely submissive to Him, honoring Him in all our life choices and directions?

06/21/2026

06/21/2026

WE GREATLY APPRECIATE FATHERS!

A father is not called to sit idly by when evil in the world is moving. Every child of God was placed in the care of a father entrusted to protect and raise them. A father is not only called to protect his children from the arrows of evil but also does his best to make sure a child does not even know the arrows exist. A father will suffer for his family and is willing to die for those he loves. He is called to work, to war, to discipline, and to build. He often executes this role in silence, and if no one thanks him for what he has done, a good father will not be deterred from his God-given duty.

God identifies his relationship to his people as their father. The importance of this role cannot be overstated.

Thank you, fathers, for all you do!

06/20/2026

For our members at Westview, we'd like to promote your business! Check out our Yellow Pages on our website where we'll throw up an ad for your business to encourage our members to support each other! Right now, we only have a couple businesses listed and could use some more.

Follow the link below to check it out and send us your information.
https://westviewcoc.org/the-yellow-pages

06/19/2026

HIGHER GROUND
A hymn by a man who was called to write music.

Higher Ground was written in 1892 by Johnson Oatman Jr., a man who knew he wanted to serve God, but did not immediately know how. When he was 19, Johnson received his license to become a preacher, but found he was not gifted for speaking to a crowd. Then he tried to lead as a song leader but did not feel he had a strong enough voice for worship.

It wasn't until he was in his 30's that he found his calling. He started writing the lyrics to hymns that spread further through churches than his preaching ever could have. Before his death, it is estimated he wrote over 5,000 hymns!

Higher Ground was one of the earliest hymns Johnson wrote, which starts with a simple melody until it builds to multiple parts at the end, and it is a favorite of our congregation.

06/18/2026

WHAT WE BELIEVE - Our view on Salvation

Scripture references:

Acts 4:12
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Romans 6:3-4
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized not his death: We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Mark 16:15-16
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

To see the core of the beliefs of our congregation, you can follow the link to our website:
https://westviewcoc.org/what-we-believe

06/18/2026

SOME (sort of) UPLIFTING HISTORY FOR YOUR DAY!
On this day in history...

On June 17th in 1963, the US Supreme Court handed down the 8-1 decision of Abington School District v. Schempp. This landmark case determined public schools could no longer organize Bible readings or conduct prayers. A single justice, Potter Stewart, dissented. Stewart rightly argued this decision violated the rights of individual states to make such determinations, and he pointed out the first amendment, cited by the majority as the amendment being violated, was not established to inhibit the influence of religion on the state, but was established to protect religion from state control. Stewart was correct then, and his justification is correct now.

We should not presume this is a lost cause or an unwinnable battle. Proof of this is the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court relating to abortion. We should not so easily give up these battles. And if we look at the state of public schools over the last 63 years, I think we have a good case of just how valuable prayers and Bible readings were in public schools!

06/16/2026

SOME UPLIFTING HISTORY FOR YOUR DAY! (a little late)
On this day in history...

On June 16, 1858, when Abraham Lincoln accepted the Republican nomination for senate for Illinois, he stated the now famous line, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” What a great line of wisdom! Of course, Lincoln was discussing the division brewing in the nation, but Lincoln did not first coin this statement, and its original use holds much greater weight.

“And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” – Jesus Christ (Mark 3:25)

The pharisees just accused Jesus of wielding the powers of Satan after he cast out demons and Jesus pointed out that our enemy does not wage war against himself. We should be wise to remember this when we deal with the world. Satan does not have our interests in mind. He will not go against himself, and he is the Prince of this World. Likewise, we must be united in the salvation of Christ to stand our ground in this war with the Armor of God!

06/15/2026

WHY WAS DAVID SO SPECIAL?
(This is an excerpt from a weekly article in our bulletin called "Commentary by a Common Terry". To read the full article on our website, click the link below!)
https://westviewcoc.org/commentary-main-page

When Paul mentioned David in his sermon in Acts 13 at Antioch of Pisidia, he quoted God’s view of David. “I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.” (Acts 13:22) That’s such a statement! Why is David a man after God’s heart? The only detail in this text is that David did all the will of God. That is a direct contradiction to how Saul had ruled as the first king.

And yet, we are perplexed at the label. Certainly, David was amazing from his first introduction in I Samuel 16 to his death in I Kings 2. His devotion to God and humility in that relationship is evident. But he also committed huge sins, some of which led to the deaths of the innocent he ruled. But “a man after (God’s) heart?!”

Why?