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Vol. 46, No.
3 SOUTHSIDE ORACLE
March 21, 2003
The Bulletin Board
The Sick – Roy Webb, father of Sandy Ondrejka, has been
hospitalized at St. Luke’s with a mass in the brain, but is now
improved….J. R. Frost’s mother, Pat Frost, was released from the
hospital last week and has returned home to Georgia…..
Ann
Tevik is still undergoing therapy at Elmbrook Hospital, but hopes to
be released this week.
Our Youth Rally will be March 28 – 30. See the display on the
bulletin board and sign up for ways you would like to help – food,
housing, etc. See Daryl Miller to volunteer for other things. The
speaker will be Wiley Lowe of Holly Hill, Florida, who was with us for
our youth rally in 2001. Adults are invited to come and share with
our youth and those from sister churches.
ATTENDANCE RECORD
Two years ago
Last year Last week Goal
Bible classes
133 202 155 170
Morning worship
205 303 *233 250
Evening worship
34 58 69 80
Contribution
$3391.34 $4384.47 $3435.21 $4200.00
The Christian Workers’ Meeting Tuesday had a record attendance
with 32 present for a discussion of Messianic Judaism.
Calendar of Events
March
23 – Concert, Southwestern Christian College chorus, Central Church,
2:30
March
28 – 30 – Southside Youth Rally
March
30 – Elders’ forum, 6:00 p.m.
April
4 – 6 – York College high school days
April
11, 12 – Southside Men’s Retreat, Camp Matawa
April
12 – Work day at Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp
April
12, 13 – W.C.Y.C. youth rally at Fallhall Glen
April
13 – Elders and deacons meeting, 4:30 p.m.
April
13 – Praise and Palate, 6:00 p.m.
April
29 – May 2 – National Assoc. of Christian Camps workshop, Fallhall
Glen
May 9
– Mother-Daughter Banquet, 6:00 p.m.
May 10
– Ladies’ Day, Sheboygan Church, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
A Study of Baptism (2)
Some Questions
In the previous article on the biblical teaching on baptism we noted
that baptism results in the forgiveness of sins because it is at that
point that one reaches the atoning blood of Jesus. Here are some
related questions.
Are we baptized to join the church? Paul writes, “For
by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body”(1 Corinthians
12:13). Clearly the body into which one is baptized is the church.
It follows that when one is baptized he is by that act added by the
Lord to the church. However, the primary purpose of his baptism is to
put him into Christ where he reaches the saving blood of Jesus. Since
the church is the body of the saved, baptism puts us into the company
of those people who have also been saved by Christ. However, church
membership is the result of being saved, and not the primary purpose
of baptism.
Is baptism a work of merit? Some teach that baptism is a work.
Since we are saved by grace and not by works (Ephesians 2:8,9), it
then follows that there can be no relationship between baptism and
salvation. However, baptism is not a work, but rather an act of
obedience. The one being baptized is not working for anyone. He is
simply obeying a command of God. In no sense does he earn his
salvation. Salvation is the gift of God. If one wishes to be
technical, the one being baptized is passive during the act of
baptism. If any work is being performed, it is on the part of the one
doing the baptizing.
Is baptism an outward sign of an inward grace? Certainly
baptism is a sign to God and man that the person being baptized has
committed himself to Christ. But what is meant by the expression
“inward grace”? To some this means that one being baptized has
previously been saved. If this is the definition, then this is not
the Bible teaching. The Bible does not teach that we should be saved
in order to be baptized, but rather that we are baptized in order to
be saved (Acts 2:38).
__Monroe Hawley
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