Southside Oracle Archive

Vol. 48, No. 47                     SOUTHSIDE ORACLE                        February 10, 2006

The Bulletin Board

Remember the annual Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp Dinner and Auction at Southside on February 18th from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. If you have new items to donate for the silent auction, see the Epplers. There is a sign-up sheet posted for those who would like to participate. If you plan to attend, please sign-up.     This is a- good opportunity to help the camp and at the same time to enjoy the fellowship of others.

The Sick - Esther Gray entered Waukesha. Memorial Hospital over the weekend but is now home and improved .... George Ruesch, father of Karen Williams, is in serious condition at St. Luke's Hospital with cancer .... Martha Sepulveda was hospitalized at St. Francis Hospital last week to try to determine the cause of her loss of blood, but she was released and was able to worship with us Sunday .... Buren Marshall, brother of Magdeline Benson, is critically ill.... Tony Benson is still seriously ill at home .... Remember the sick in your prayers.

The Balancing Act is a seminar with Dale and Vicki Hawley to be conducted February 24-26. It will deal with ways in which we can bring balance into our lives as we meet the pressing demands of our pressure-packed lives. Where should we place our priorities? The Friday evening session will begin at 6:45 o'clock. There will be a Saturday morning session starting at 9:00 a.m., and Dale will teach the combined adult classes on Sunday as well as preaching at both morning worship services. Plan to attend and invite your friends.

The Christian Workers' Meeting will be Tuesday, February 21, at 9:00 a.m. Don Truett of Peoria, IL will speak on "Amos - A Message to His People," and Gary Cleveland of Oshkosh will speak on "Amos - A Message for Today." Everyone is invited to attend.

ATTENDANCE RECORD

(*) first service, 146; second service, 110

There will be a youth rally at the Oakhaven Church in Oshkosh this Saturday, February 11th The featured speaker will be Lance Hawley of Madison. Those wishing to attend should see the youth bulletin board.

There will be an elders/deacons meeting at 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

Praise and Palate is Sunday at 6:00 p.m. The palate part is Mexican food.

Calendar of Events

February 1l - Oakhaven Youth Rally, Oshkosh

February 12 - Elders/Deacons meeting, 4:30 p.m.

February 12 - Praise and Palate, 6:00 p.m.

February 18 - Wis. Christian Youth Camp dinner and auction, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

February 21 - Christian Workers' Meeting, Southside, 9:00 a.m.

February 21 - Tuesday Nights Together, church building, 6:15 p.m.

February 24-26 - Seminar, "The Balancing Act," Dale and Vicki Hawley

March 11 - Southside Area-wide Men's Breakfast

March 17 - 19 - Southside Youth Rally

Standing On the Inside

A mother repeatedly told her little boy to sit down, but he continued to stand and disobey her. Finally, she went to him and plopped him down in his chair. Fuming, the son said, "I may be sitting down on the outside, but I am standing on the inside!"

Some Christians obey God in this manner. They may go through an outward conformity to ritual, but inside their hearts are empty of love and good will. It is not a joy to them to worship and work with fellow Christians, but simply a chore that must be endured. They may speak glowing words of praise and devotion to God to the ears

of their fellow Christians, but they give only lip service because their hearts are standing in defiance of God. Jesus spoke of people among the Jews who were like this. He said of them, "These people draw near me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me" (Matt. 15:8).

A mere outward conformity to God is nothing more than a religious sham. God looks upon the heart, not just on the outward appearance. He sees us for what we really are, not what we pretend to be. Our obedience to him must be from the inside as well as the outside. Paul wrote of an obedience that was not merely an outward formality when he said, `But you have obeyed from the heart that standard of teaching which was delivered you" (Romans 6:17). These were people who were not "standing on the inside" in rebellion to God, but submitting themselves completely to his will.

If we perform our acts of obedience from our hearts, we will be pleasing to God. If we "stand on the inside" in disobedience to God, we shall surely bring destruction upon ourselves. ___Selected

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