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Bulletin cover

November 15, 2020
CORONA VIRUS ISSUE 22

FAMILY NEWS OF
THE M-51 CHURCH OF CHRIST

This is the church bulletin for the congregation of the Church of Christ that meets in Dowagiac, Michigan, on M 51 just south of the city. Ordinarily we meet on Sunday morning for Bible study and worship and also on Sunday evening and Wednesday night for a Bible study. Since the pandemic forced us into not having meetings at our building we have been meeting via Zoom on our smartphones, tablets, and computers. After almost two months of worship under the trees we have moved into the building with our Zoom meetings for those who are not able to meet in person. Everyone is welcome to participate in this worship service at 11:00 on Sunday morning. If you want to participate with Zoom, contact Karl Marcussen at 574-514-1400 to get the information to join us.

DUE to the COVID-19 pandemic
and government mandates we
will not have Bible classes until further notice.

FAMILY NEWS

WELCOME TO OUR VISITORS: Like everyone else, we are trying to avoid COVID-19 among all of us. Some of us are more vulnerable than others. We ask everyone to keep six feet from others and wear a mask so that no one becomes ill by attending worship. Some of us will be participating virtually through Zoom at home and others will be in the building. If in the future you wish to participate on Zoom at home contact Karl Marcussen and he will help you join us.

COVID NOTE: Most of you probably know that Tim Clayton has been hospitalized with the COVID-19 virus. Tim is blind, mentally challenged and has muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy, but with all of that his only comment has been, “If I don't get well I will be with Jesus and will be able to see again, won't I?” If only all of us had that kind of faith! Tim was in a facility where everyone had to wear a mask and stayed at a social distance, and even with all those precautions he contracted the virus. Please bear with us as we try to protect everyone. The ZOOM technology has allowed us to continue to worship together. Until we can all get a vaccine, continue to distance and wear masks. By doing so, we are being respectful of others as Christ taught us to be.

THANKS: THANKS to everyone involved in repaving the sidewalk leading to the front entrance to the auditorium. That problem existed even before we had cracks develop in the walls of the basement. We finally have everything fixed that got broken with the water problems and we have finished some earlier work that needed to be done. Hopefully the “bleeding” of money to fix all of this is stopped now and we can concentrate on using our facility to the maximum. As we get by the virus, we need to plan on more and better classes as well as other work we are doing, such as our benevolent work.


TODAY'S LESSON

WHY JESUS?

 Sound on icon

John Clayton
INTRODUCTION — The book of Hebrews
A. Review — Hebrews is the 5th Gospel
1. Different approach to the “Good News.”
2. Given to encourage all disciples — Hebrews 13:22
3. Last week — reasons for faith (foundation)
B. Hebrews 1 – 7 — 4 deals with the superiority of Christ.
I. JESUS IS SUPERIOR TO ALL CELESTIAL BEINGS.
A. Hebrews 1:2 — Jesus was involved in creation.
1. The Father — the intellect and power of creation
2. The Son — the craftsman
3. The Holy Spirit — The active worker who did what the craftsman designed — Genesis 1:2.
B. Hebrews 1:10-12 — he future of the physical cosmos The second law of thermodynamics
C. Jesus should not be limited to a physical human.
1. Hebrews 2:6-9 — Everything is subject to Christ.
II. JESUS IS SUPERIOR TO ALL GREAT HUMANS.
A. Greater than all the prophets — Hebrews 1:1-2
1. A Prophet DELIVERS a message, does not create it: a sounder, an expounder.
2. Claims of people called prophets today contradict this.
Do not listen to them — Hebrews 2:1.
B. Greater than Moses — Hebrews 3:1-19 — No rest in Moses.
C. Greater than Joshua — Hebrews 4:1-13 — No inheritance.
They disqualified themselves (Hebrews 4:6).
D. Greater than any human who has ever lived.
What did they offer? What does Jesus offer?
III. SUPERIOR TO ALL GREAT RELIGIOUS FIGURES
See the “Religious Figures in History” on THE BACK PAGE below and this handout.
IV. HOW IS CHRIST SUPERIOR? The Gospel messages.
A. His claim is different — “the Son of God.”
B. His methodology is different — no politics, war, etc.
C. His coming and his work — 
See the “Questions to Ask of these Figures” on THE BACK PAGE below.
D. His teachings were unique. Matthew 5 – 7 — Agape
E. His death and resurrection
F. The effect of his existence
We used this SONG “Take the Name of Jesus with You” as our invitation song.

THE BACK PAGE

RELIGIOUS FIGURES IN HISTORY

  1. Muhammad — Islam — Born in AD 570
  2. Gautama Siddhartha — Buddha — Born in 563 BC
  3. Confusious AD — Born in 551 BC
  4. Zoraster — Born around 1700 BC
  5. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada — Hare Krishna — Born in 1965
  6. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi — Transcendental Meditation — Born in 1917
  7. Guru Nanak — Sikhism — Born in 1469
  8. Sun Myung Moon — Unification Church — Born in 1920
  9. Ron Hubbard — Scientology — Born in 1911
  10. Gerald Gardner — Wicca — Born in 1884
  11. Charles Fillmore — Unity School of Christianity — Born in 1854
  12. Siyyid Ali Muhammad and Mirza Husayn Ali Bahaullah — Born in 1817

QUESTIONS TO ASK OF THESE FIGURES

  1. Was your message and the details of your life prophesied prior to your birth?
  2. Were your followers instructed to bring peace and love to others, or did you lead them into war?
  3. Was your existence primarily spiritual or political?
  4. Did you teach and practice equality of all human beings?
  5. Did you promise an existence beyond this life?
  6. Was your life one of sacrifice or of pleasure for yourself?
  7. Was there peace and cooperation among your disciples after you were no longer present in the flesh?
  8. Is your burial place in existence today?
  9. Was your message confirmed with miracles?
  10. Were you raised from the dead?

Some of these religious figures would answer some of these questions in a positive way. None of them would answer all of these questions in the way Jesus Christ would. There is no attempt in this discussion to denigrate any religion, but it is our intent to say that we follow Jesus Christ because of how he lived, what he taught and how he taught it, not because of what any human who claimed to follow Christ did and taught.

— John Clayton

Our sign by the street!

Whatever happens conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ!

Sign saying from Philippians 1:27.

Scripture links/references are from BibleGateway.com. Unhighlighted scriptures can be looked up at their website.

www.dowagiaccoc.org
11/16/2020