Woodland
Hills Church of Christ
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Sunday, November 12, 2006 Volume 50, Issue 44 RAISING LOW MORALS In a recent issue of Reader's Digest some alarming statistics were revealed. An article titled "A National Scandal" stated that 98 percent of high school students admitted to having been involved in cheating. What is the solution to this sad statistic? How are we to stop this current break down of morality? Following are some Bible solutions to this ethical dilemma. We must be taught to recognize sin. I John 3:4 shows what sin is: "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." If we expect our youth to do what is right, then we must, in both word and example, teach them what is wrong. It only takes one generation which has not been taught to recognize sin to have a society in which "every man does that which is right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6). Low morals can be raised if we teach people to recognize sin. We must be taught the gravity of sin. In a world where sin is described as accident, blunder, infirmity, and luxury; our people must see it as abomination, blindness, iniquities, and lawlessness! We must realize that there is no such thing as a "little white" sin. All sin is wrong and hurts our omniscient God. As Isaiah wrote, "the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear; But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear" (Isa. 59:1, 2). Low morals can be raised if we teach people the gravity of sin. We must be taught the consequence of sins. Sin never has a happy ending. According to Gal. 6:7 sin has consequences in this life: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." When you sow sin; you will reap what you sow, you will reap more than you sow and others will also reap what you sow. Sin also has consequences in eternity (Rev. 21:8). Sin should lose its appeal when we realize it causes misery now and eternally. Low morals can be raised if we teach the consequences of sin.
See You In Bible Class,
TAFT TALK B.A.S.I.C. TRAINING We will be having "Basic Training" at the church this weekened for everyone who is interested and in the 7th grade-college age. We will begin on the 10th and end on the 12th. All meals will be included for the weekend. The only cost (which we will need everyone to pay) is for the T-shrits. Our speaker will be Cameron Holland. Cameron is the youth minister at the Quail Ridge church of Christ in Bartlett. Phil Waggoner will be leading our singing. Phil is the youth minister at the Mt. Juliet church of Christ in Mt. Juilet (outside of Nashville). Cameron will be speaking to us five times starting on Friday and running through Sunday morning. The purpose of this weekend is to strengthen us and edify each other with our fellowship. We know that not everyone will be able to make it to the whole weekend, but you all are welcomed to attend everything. I am posting the schedule below so that you can plan your weekend accordingly. All of our time together will be focused around meals. FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY Parents are invited to ALL of the activities on Sunday morning!! Much Love,
FAMILY NEWS
OUR SICK/HOMEBOUND WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS FLU SHOT CLINIC Please bring your Medicare card for identification Maxim will also be giving Pneumonia shots, cost $40.00 each. SERVICE GROUPS Service Group #1, please turn in your assignment cards from last week. OUR RECORD
HOLIDAY PARTY If you plan to participate in the Talent Show, please see Larry Darst. Larry is planning a slide show with PHOTOS. Please bring your photos no later than November 27th. A bag for your photos will be on the foyer table. All photos will be returned after the holidays. If you wish, you may e-mail your photos to Larry. THANK YOU
THE NAME "CHRISTIAN"
The name "Christian" is a patronymic name. It comes from Christ. Simply stated it means "christlikeness." Religion is personal! Duty is individual! Christ is a personal Savior. He, as Lord, is to dwell in me and completely control my life. The more I look at Jesus, the more I follow Him, and have communion with Him, the more conformed to His image I become. How He must be thrilled to see disciples drawing nearer to Him by greater degrees of resemblance. The magnetism of Christian influence comes from the fact that others see Jesus in the Christian. This is the grandest and most powerful argument for Christianity this world has ever known. The faith of people in religion in general does not rest upon higher criticism, theology, or even in logic, but in the life of one in whom and through whom Jesus lives. Bulletin Digest Charles V. Cash
EDIFICATION The Bible tells us that all sin and fall short of the example that was given to us by the life of Jesus. God has given us a way to have our sins forgiven if we confess our sins and repent. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." (John 1:9-10) The longer we live the more we realize how short life is. We go about our daily living as if it will go on forever, knowing that it will not. As a Christian we should be preparing for the eternal life to come after this life is over. We need to put our lives in the hands of the Lord trusting Him in every aspect of our daily life. We need to take one day at a time identifying our weaknesses and putting them under our control as we lean on the Lord for support. "Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." "Why, do you not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." (James 4:13-15) The Lord has promised us that we can conquer any sin that we are faced with. "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way so that you can stand up under it." (I Corinthians 10:13) So when we are tempted let us put our trust in God and not in our selves. If we trust our selves we will only fail but if we put our trust in God, at the end of this short life we will reach our goal and spend eternity in heaven with our Lord. That's
what it is all about,
MY LUCKY DAY Garland Chapman, principal of Robert E. Lee High School in Midland, Texas, related an experience during his days as a grade school principal. A little second grade boy started out in the morning by falling from the bus and hitting his head on the concrete, that required 3 stitches to close the gash. Recess proved a little unfortunate as he and another boy ran together. The result: two of the boy's teeth were loosened, and a lip was bruised. During the afternoon he fell and broke his arm. Mr. Chapman decided to get the boy home before anything else could happen. They were riding towards the boy's home when the principal noticed the little guy clutching something in hand. "What do you have?" Mr. Chapman asked. "I found it on the playground today," exclaimed the little fellow. He smiled and with an excited voice exclaimed, "You know, Mr. Chapman, I never found a quarter before. This is my lucky day!" So much is dependent, not on how the day looks to us, but how we look at the day. Some people miss seeing the roses behind a broken fence. Every day has its problems, but faith can turn them into blessings. It all depends on how YOU LOOK AT IT. Bobby O'Dell
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