Woodland Hills Church of Christ

Sunday, July 29, 2007 Volume 51, Issue 29

AUGUST SERVICE PROJECT

BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLIES

      August is the time when everyone starts thinking about "Back to School" shopping. Are you aware that several children in the Memphis area show up for that first day of school without basic schools supplies such as pencils and paper? Often, the teachers have to purchase supplies with money from their own pockets to help these students.

      For the month of August, we want to focus our service project on helping to provide some low income students with the basic school supplies needed to get their school year started off great! We have tried to identify Woodland Hills members who teach in public school located in low income communities. Our goal is to "sponsor" their classroom by providing school supplies for their students. Currently, our list of classrooms is as follows:

            Kerry Mitchell’s 1st grade class at Sherwood Elementary

            LaVerne Baxter’s 2nd grade class at Delano Elementary

            Judy Kilmer’s 3rd grade class at Hickory Ridge Elementary

      This list of classrooms may grow! If you teach in a low income community and would like to be added to the list, please let us know! Donna Mars is coordinating the August service project. You may contact her by e-mail at Donna.Mars@bchs.edu.

      As you shop for your child’s back to school supplies, grab a few extra items for our project. A list of needed supplies along with collection boxes will be placed in the lobby soon. If you would like to donate money toward the project, we have identified volunteer shoppers. Our goal is to have the supplies ready for distribution by the start of the school year in mid-August. We may be starting off small this year but it will have a huge impact on the students we help!

Use Your Influence to Win Souls for Christ

      If you are trying to go to heaven, and are not making the effort to take someone with you, it is very possible that you are not going to make it to heaven. We must use our influence to win souls for Christ. The Lord wants us to use our influence in the world to win souls for Him.

      The Lord wants us to use our influence to win souls. Christ was a soul winner, and we must follow His example (Luke 19:10). The early disciples were soul winners for Christ (Acts 5:42). We claim that the Bible is our only creed, we follow the commandments and instructions of our Lord, and we follow the examples of the first disciples. We must also follow their example of personal evangelism. Today, if we do not return to evangelizing as the early church did, we will never realize growth as they realized.

      The Lord has commanded us to go into all the world and win souls for Him (Matthew 28:19-20). This commandment says the same thing to us as it said to the early church. The command is to "Go!" The command does not say to sit and wait for people to come to us. The command does not say to build a huge building to attract the people. The command does not say for us to sit and wait for the preacher or missionary to do the work for us. If we desire to be disciples of Christ, then we must "Go!" Frequently, we hear prayers offered, which say, "Lord, help us to take the Gospel to the world around us." We pray this, but then we make no efforts to physically "Go!" The Lord has already told us to go, rather than doing it, we sit and continually ask him to "help us take the Gospel." The majority of us have the ability and resources to take the Gospel to other lands, and if we do not, then we will answer for it on the Judgment Day. We sing "Send the Light," which is quite accurate in that most desire to send it rather than to take it. Let us go to our families, to our friends, to our communities, and let us go to the remotest country in the world because there are souls that need to hear the saving Gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16).

      We often fail to use our influence to win souls for Christ because we lack love for the lost, or because we are lost and do not even know it. In order to love the lost, we must first love Christ. If one does not use his influence to win souls for Christ, he does not love Christ. Some do not win souls for Christ because they, too, are lost. It is no secret that a small number of members do the majority of the work in most congregations. Many believe they are saved, but they do not know why they believe what they believe. Some believe that their attendance on Sunday morning is the same as the work of the church. They do no form of evangelism, and if they did, they would not know how how to teach that one may be saved. How can we be saved if others are lost due to our negligence? We cannot.

      The ability, passion, and drive to be an evangelist, elder, deacon, or Bible class teacher is inside each one of us. We must develop that ability. Every Christian may be a soul winner if we are willing to develop that ability. Let us all "Go!" Let us not stop going! Let us use our influence to win souls for Christ. Let us not content with a small number of people doing the majority of the work. 100% can do 100% of the work. May we all "Go" and save the lost.

                                                Jonathan Winchester
                                                Bulletin of Cordova Church of Christ

FAMILY NEWS

WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS
Sunday, July 29, 2007
AM Opening Prayer: David Close
AM Closing Prayer: Jack Lipsey
PM Opening Prayer: Wayne Close
PM Closing Prayer: Jerry Brown
Pick Up Attendance Cards: Trey Rast, Riley Hubbert
Nursery Volunteers: A.M. -Julie Randleman, Brooke McGill; P.M. - Eudie Freeman, Caroline Dodson

OUR RECORD
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Bible Classes 189 
AM Worship 293
PM Worship 151  
Wednesday (7-18) 160
Contribution NA 
YTD Average NA 
‘07 Budget $8700

SYMPATHY
We extend our sympathy to Tom and Sue Taylor in the death of their daughter, Jessica Posey.  Mrs. Posey passed away Monday, July 23. Services were Saturday at Collierville Funeral Home.

BABY BOY SHOWER
You are invited to a Baby Boy Shower for Christy Mars on Sunday, August 12^th from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. in the Family Life Center. She is registered at Babies-R-Us and Target.

SUMMER SERIES
Our Summer Series continues with our guest speakers bringing great lessons. This coming week, August 1st^th, Barry Grider will speak on "Christians Love One Another" We encourage every one to be here.

BIBLE PICTURES OF JESUS

      The Bible paints many pictures of Jesus, the Christ. There can be no doubt that Jesus lived, died and was resurrected exactly as the Bible says. Let us see Jesus as the Bible pictures Him.

      Jesus Christ is Lord.  Peter said, "The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ–He is Lord of all." (Acts 10:36). Jesus is "Lord of all." He bore our sins in His body on the tree that He might be Lord of all. (1 Peter 2:24). He suffered for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous that He might bring us to God. (1 Peter 3:18). Because of Christ’s death for us, He can now be Lord of all.

      Jesus Christ is Prince of Peace.  Isaiah pictured Jesus as "Prince of Peace." "For unto a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6). There is no true peace without Jesus. Jesus took upon Himself punishment for our sins so we might receive peace from God. Outside of Jesus there is no true peace.

      Jesus Christ is Savior.  The gospel is the good News that Christ suffered sin’s penalty in man’s place. "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you–unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He arose again the third day according to the Scriptures." (I Corinthians 15:1-4). The announcement of the angels was true, "For there is born to you this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11). Because of Jesus man can have hope of eternal life.

      Jesus Christ is Advocate. John wrote, "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.." (1John 2:1-2). Jesus Christ is our advocate with the Father in Heaven. His work is the work of salvation. His location is the throne of grace. He is our only hope.

      Jesus Christ is Judge. Acts 10:42 says, "And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead." We are accountable to Jesus Christ as judge. He set forth the terms of salvation and the rules by which we must live. "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him–the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last days." (John 12:48). You will stand before Jesus on that great Day of Judgment.

      Jesus Christ is the way, truth and life. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6). Christ is the way of salvation. This was accomplished by blood, Jesus’ own blood." (Hebrews 9:12). Christ is the substance of all Old Testament types and shadows. The doctrine of Christ is true doctrine. Jesus is the like because we are alive with God through Christ. (Romans 6:11). Jesus is the only "way of life."

      Jesus is the head of the church.  Paul wrote, "And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." (Ephesians 1:22-23). Jesus Christ is above all, and He has authority over all. God made Jesus head over all things including the church. What a wonderful thing that the church can have such a loving and compassionate Head!

      Jesus is the good Shepherd of the sheep. Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." (John 10:11). The thief comes to kill, steal and destroy. (John 10:10). Christ came as the good shepherd to give His life for the sheep. Jesus came to put life into His flock. The "flock" is His church. In Christ we have eternal life.

      Jesus is the Lamb of God.  John pointed people to Jesus saying, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin

of the world!" (John 1:29). It is by the precious blood of the Lamb of God that we are saved. (1 Peter 1:18-19). Jesus Christ is the great sacrifice by which atonement is made for sins and through whom man may be reconciled to God. (Isaiah 53:7).

      The heart and substance of our preaching must be Christ and Him crucified. I want to always remember who Jesus is, what He has done for me and what He can mean in my life. What does Jesus mean to You? As for me He is, "My all and in all."

                  Charles Box
                  Bulletin of Cordova Church of Christ