History of First Century Gospel Church by the current Head Pastor James Ambrose Clark, III.
First Century Gospel Church New Jersey, U.S.A. was founded by the late Head Pastor James Ambrose Clark, II, of blessed memory in late 1925, after he resigned from the ”mother church,” Faith Tabernacle Congregation.
While he was Presiding Elder (Head Pastor) at Faith Tabernacle from the late 1917 to October 1925, and through his leadership and ministry, Head Pastor James Ambrose Clark, II, the Church spread around the world; initially in the United States, West Indies, Europe, and into West Africa through mail distribution of tracts. Missionaries were not sent; just the printed Word of GOD brought people into fellowship with FCG Church.
The grandson of the late founder, Head Pastor James Clark, III, stated that his grandfather was inspired by the teachings of the late Rev. Adoniram Judson Gordon of Boston, MA, in 1886 to practice “Divine Healing.” Divine Healing is exercising 100% faith in God’s Power through prayers, to miraculously heal any sickness or disease. This accomplished by trusting only in the Name and completed work of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ’s Substitutionary Atonement on Calvary’s Cross, without the application of any medicines.
After examining the scriptural references quoted by Reverend Gordon, the late Ambrose Clark also decided to place his faith in God by trusting in the Power of the Blood of our LORD Jesus Christ to heal his chronic inability to eat solid food after all the doctors and medications had failed him.
To put his newfound faith in the LORD Jesus Christ into action, Pastor Clark instructed his wife to prepare the meal that he had previously been unable to eat. After he ate the meal, Pastor Clark was instantly healed to the glory of GOD. Upon his deliverance, he also decided to start teaching the Gospel of “Divine Healing” of his Savior and Healer the LORD Jesus Christ. From then on, the Church under Pastor Clark spread rapidly around the world as a result of the miraculous healings wrought on all the sick and afflicted of the devil, through prayer and faith in God’s Word. Please consider some of these Bible facts:
He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. (Psalm 107:20)
Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103:1-5)
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5)
After ministering at Faith Tabernacle for eight years, and due to some major differences there was a split, Pastor A. Clark left the Faith Tabernacle, and in late 1925, he established another church. His family and about two-thirds of the congregation from Faith Tabernacle made up the new First Century Gospel Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., because they realized that God’s Holy Spirit was using him to preach the Truth and the Gospel of Salvation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In 1919, the Faith Tabernacle Congregation was introduced into the then Gold Coast (now Ghana) through two brothers, who had read tracts by Pastor Ambrose Clark: the late Pastor Joel Sackey Sam and Pastor Josephus Kobbina Sam in Winneba, Ghana. The Faith Tabernacle Congregation is thus the oldest “evangelical” church in Ghana, aside of the older so-called “mainstream” or “orthodox” churches.
In the mid 1920s, Pastor Ambrose Clark appointed his eldest son Henry as pastor over stations in New York City, Newark and in Eastern Pennsylvania, while the elder Clark remained the Head Pastor of the First Century Gospel Churches in the USA and worldwide.
As God multiplied the congregation, some of the Cuban-American members through conversations informed their relatives in Nigeria that they have found a new church that believes in Faith In GOD, and in Divine Healing, to heal them without the use of medicines or doctors. This information aroused their curiosity and the relatives in Nigeria requested literature from the Church in the United States of America.
Separately, in the neighboring West African country of Gold Coast (now Ghana), through God’s divine intervention, some elders at the then Methodist Church in Winneba, Ghana, read a tract they picked up on the street, entitled the “Sword of the Spirit.” This and other sermons written by Pastor Ambrose Clark gave the Methodist Church elders spiritual confidence that God would answer and heal them of their diseases if they trusted his Divine Power.
They believed the Gospel of Healing that if anyone became sick or was diseased and surrendered their life to the Lord Jesus Christ, trusted, obeyed and believed in Him by faith, and ask for the Holy Spirit’s Power, with a determination not go back to using human means or trusting in man or “pill” to heal, and claiming God’s promises in 1st John 1:9, Psalm 103:3, Isaiah 53:5, John 15:7 and John 16:23,24 God would heal them.
These elders applied the principles and were encouraged by the victorious results. Not long after, the First Century Gospel Church Ghana branch was formed by these elders under the supervision of Pastor Henry Clark. God did amazing miracles that even doctors in Ghana referred patients from their hospitals to the Winneba church branch for prayers and healings. While Divine Healing is the cornerstone of our faith in Jesus Christ, we also believe that our Heavenly Father would prefer that we worship Him with cleansed, holy and pure hearts – bearing fruits of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-25.
“But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge]. And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires. If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.], Amplified Bible.
Pastor Ambrose Clark assigned his son Pastor Henry F. Clark the responsibility of corresponding with and supervising the ordination of pastors in Ghana, Nigeria, Togo in West Africa, and in Jamaica, West Indies.
Later, another conflict of church administration arose in the Clark family; the other children of Pastor Ambrose Clark, led by Pastor Edgar Clark, accused Pastor Henry of “leaving the church and preaching a different message of false and suspicious teaching.” Pastor Edgar Clark instructed the African members not to have anything to do with Pastor Henry’s teaching or advice.
The division of the church persisted, and a new First Century Gospel Church New Jersey was formed under Pastor Henry, who was highly commended by his father, Pastor Ambrose Clark in letters to the African churches. Those who believed Pastor Edgar Clark formed The First-Century Gospel Church in Philadelphia, USA, under the now leadership of Head Pastor Nelson A. Clark who is a nephew of our current Head Pastor, James A. Clark, son of Henry Clark of FCGC_Mission Statement The two Clark pastors have almost similar doctrines as those taught by the Faith Tabernacle Congregation, also in Philadelphia, but there is a difference. For a full understanding of what FCGC NJ believes, please review our FCGC_Statement of Beliefs.
Testimony of Head Pastor Ambrose Clark, First Century Gospel Church Founder
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What We Believe About GOD and Jesus Christ:
Because of God’s Amazing Love, Mercy and Grace through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we strongly believe that our Almighty Father and God, does NOT permit sicknesses and diseases to plague us so that we can draw closer to Him. We believe that the Atonement and Substitutionary Work that our Lord Jesus completed on Calvary’s Cross gives us the right to enjoy God’s perfect peace and protection and healing of our body. Rather, we believe that sin and the devil, satan and deceiver is behind all the sicknesses, problems and bad things happening in the world today. GOD’s Power to heal is still available to all who will obey His Word, trust Him and refuse the lies of the devil. By listening to the lies of the devil we have doubted GOD, but His Word in Hebrews 13 says
Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages). Amen.
Consider this:
Would any loving father permit cancer, accidents and all the terrible diseases to inflict his children in order to enable them draw closer to their father? Nothing tragic or evil comes from our Almighty God. The devil is behind all the problems we see in the homes and society, and it is only through the Power of the Holy Spirit which has made us victorious over the devil that can sustain us and protect us. Psalm 23 and Psalm 91.
Our Prayers:
We pray that at God’s ripe time, the Grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the Eternal (Life) Security that He has given to all true Christians would be evident to our brethren around the world as we express Christian love, unity and harmony with one another. Amen
WE proclaim the Gospel that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His Apostles preached in the First Century: the Gospel of Repentance, Baptism, Divine Healing, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, God’s Grace, Love, Mercy, Obedience, and Salvation unto Eternal Life through Fruits of the Holy Spirit. With the Holy Spirit’s Power, we sincerely love our neighbors (FCGC_Mission Statement) and (FCGC_Statement of Beliefs), sacrifice our time for anyone who might need our services as the Good Samaritan did in Luke 10:30-37; 1 John 4:7-8, we lovingly obey and Carry the Cross and Count the Cost of following our Lord Jesus Christ an eternal blessing. Amen.