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Vol. 50, No. 47
SOUTHSIDE ORACLE February 1, 2008
The Bulletin Board
Bible Bowl - the
Tweens (pre-teens) will host a Bible bowl on Sunday, February 10th from 6:00
– 7:00 p.m. This is a fun, non-threatening way to have some fun with Bible
knowledge. The Bible Bowl will focus primarily on facts, not applications.
Questions will be multiple choice. Put together a team of four people.
Adults can form teams, too. A sign-up list is on the bulletin board. We
will need adult volunteers for judging. See the Orlovskys or the Giemzas
with questions.
Trustee Selection –
For the purpose of holding property churches are required to be
represented by trustees. Our five trustees are chosen two year terms.
Three trustees were chosen at a special meeting Sunday evening. They are
Cliff Copass, Brad Stanger, and Chris West. The two trustees who have one
more year to serve are John Dickson and Troy Jensen.
Remember the dinner and
auction to benefit the Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp on February 16th. If
you would like to attend, donate a new or craft item for the auction, or
make a monetary donation, contact Bill or Denise Eppler. Plan to come.
This is a very worthwhile effort and annually raises several thousand
dollars for the camp.
ATTENDANCE RECORD
Two years ago Last year Last
week Goal
Bible
classes
145 122 149
170
Morning
worship 243
220 *216 250
Evening worship
39 49 52
80
Contribution
$4350.40 $5091.84 $5875.18
$5200.00
(*)
first service, 137, second service, 79
Attention Parents! Some may be unaware that we provide an attended
nursery for babies and small children. It is in room two, adjacent to the
front entrance. Also, parents may take their children to the training room
at the rear of the auditorium where you can see and hear the worship.
The next Christian Workers’
Meeting will be Tuesday, February 19th at 9:00.
Men! Mark your calendar for the area-wide men’s breakfast on Saturday,
February 16th at 9:00 a.m. We regularly have a good representation from
sister congregations. Details later.
Benevolence needs. We are in need of the following items: washer,
stove, beds of any size, bedding, utensils, cups, bowls, and plates. If you
can help, contact Juan Santana for specifics.
Calendar of Events
February 10 – Tween Bible Bowl
6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
February 16 – Camp auction and
dinner for Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp
February 19 – Christian
Workers’ Meeting, 9:00 a.m.
February 23 – Southside
area-wide men’s breakfast, 9:00 a.m.
March 2 – 50th anniversary of
the Southside Church
March 28 -
30 – Southside youth rally
July 11, 12 – 50th anniversary
celebration and reunion of Southside Church
Authentic Christianity (5)
Jesus once told his
followers, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples and you
will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32).
Most religious people
would agree that authentic Christianity is to be found in the truth
that Jesus speaks. But how is that truth communicated? The various
approaches we have so far considered view truth objectively. Some think
truth is vested in the church, some in the great creeds of Christendom, some
in the Bible. Each of these looks to an objective standard against which
one’s beliefs can be measured.
However, there are
others who seek truth in the witness of the Spirit. They believe
that truth can be discovered subjectively when the Holy Spirit conveys that
truth to each individual personally. Various groups hold this view,
especially Pentecostals and charismatics. While they do not reject the
Bible, they believe it less important than what the Spirit communicates
directly to them. Truth is found, therefore, in what they feel
rather than in what they are taught.
It is not our purpose
here to investigate the indwelling of the Holy Spirit whom God gives to all
who obey him (Acts 2:38). That the Spirit has a powerful impact on our
lives if we allow him to dwell within us is beyond Biblical dispute.
However, this is something quite different from modern day revelations to
individuals. While the apostles, and some others in the early church, did
have truth revealed to them by inspiration, this was the exception. When
Cornelius sought help from God in learning his will, God did not reveal it
to him, but rather sent a preacher (Peter) to convey the divine message
(Acts 10:1-6).
The idea that God
communicates his truth subjectively to each person poses major problems. If
God works in this way, why don’t all people who believe this agree with one
another? If God tells me one thing and gives you a different message,
either God is wrong or one of us must be. How can I know that the
information that you say God has given you is really from God? If the basis
of truth is human feelings, spiritual confusion is the inevitable
result. We will find ourselves in the chaotic situation of ancient Israel
in the time of the judges when “every man did what was right in his own
eyes” (Judges 21:25). God has a standard, but we do not find it
subjectively.
Monroe E. Hawley
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