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Justification Pop Quiz by Pastor Douglas
St. Paul’s Epistle
The doctrine or “teaching” of the Bible called justification has been called the doc-
trine on which the church stands or falls. What does this mean? It means that where
this wonderful Scriptural truth is taught incorrectly the church is destroying faith
rather than spreading it. And, where this truth is taught correctly the true Christian
faith can flourish and grow!
Below is a short 10 question quiz. One statement in each group reflects the biblical
view of justification taught by the Scriptures and by Luther and the Lutheran Confes-
sions. The statement reflects a false, human view of justification that is taught by
many Reformed, Evangelical or Catholic churches. Take some time, read them
critically, and circle your answer. Answers will be given on page7.
1.) A. God gives a man right standing with himself by placing Christ’s goodness
and virtue to his credit.
B. God gives a man right standing with himself by placing Christ’s goodness
and virtue into his heart.
2.) A. God accepts the believer because of the moral excellence found in Jesus
Christ.
B. God makes the believer acceptable by infusing Christ’s moral excellence
into his life.
3.) A. We achieve right standing with God as Christ lives in us and he lives out his
life of obedience in us.
B. We achieve right standing with God by trusting the fact that Christ obeyed
the law perfectly for us.
4.) A. God first declares that we are good in his sight, and then he gives us his
Spirit to make us good.
B. God sends his Spirit to make us good, and then he declares that we are good.
5.) A. Christ’s intercession at the right hand of God gives us favor in the sight of
God.
B. Christ’s dwelling in our hearts gives us favor in the sight of God.
Quiz continued on page 5.
God’s House. Your Home.
March 2013
Holy Week Services
Palm Sunday
at 8:00 & 10:30am
Maundy Thursday
at 3:30 & 6:30pm
Good Friday
at 12:10 & 6:30pm
Easter Sunday
at 7:00 & 9:30am
Inside this issue:
Spring Tea 2
Children’s Festival 2
The Short-Term Line of Credit Loan
3
Mission Rally 4
LWMS Convention in La Crosse
4
School News 4
Christian Family Seminar
5
Page 2 St. Paul’s Epistle
Many years ago,
the Lutheran Girl
Pioneer group
had an annual
Mother Daughter
Tea. Some of our current Willing
Workers were the daughters at that
time and fondly remember the
dress up special event that it was.
From that reminiscing, came the
idea to have a Spring Tea. Then it
evolved into a Salad Supper, and
not just for mothers and daughters,
but something to span generations.
This is how we would like it to work.
We (the Willing Workers group)
will organize the event, which will
be held on Sunday April 28,
probably from late afternoon
through early supper. It will be held
in the dining room where we can
serve 96 at our round tables. There
will be some (as of yet undeter-
mined) entertainment, but mainly it
is a dress-up social event.
Now, who is this for? Our thought
was that it should be an event to
span generations. Sign up will be
2X2, one female from one genera-
tion and one from another (younger
or older). Sign up is required and
limited to 96, but there will be no
admission charged. Sign up will not
begin until after Easter, but please
New Women’s Event in April By Marcie Oestreich & Jeanne Jackson
start thinking about who you might
invite. Some ideas are - your
mother, your daughter, your next-
door neighbor (remember younger
or older only), the woman who sits
in your row on Sunday (if you know
that she is younger or older than
you). If you have several young
daughters and would like them all
to come, encourage them to find a
stand-in mother or grandmother to
invite, as each person will need to
have a partner. And don’t wait for
someone to choose you - be first
and ask them!
Just remember, there will be
seating for 96, so watch for the April
sign-up!
Help Spread the Love of Jesus at Children’s Festival This year’s Children's Festival is
April 20. Last year, we had fun
informing families about St. Paul's
while bringing smiles to over 700
children. We plan to do the same
thing this year!
This community-wide event is held
at Lincoln High School. At our
booth, we will paint faces and make
animal balloons. Last year, we went
through 1200 balloons, and families
waited over an hour to get their face
painted!
We could really use more help this
year to handle the demand! Adults
and youth are encouraged to help.
The work is easy to learn and a lot
of fun to do! Training will be
provided on March 17 and April 14
after late service. We will be
preparing the decorations for this
event on April 6 at 9:00 a.m. and
could use your help then as
well.
We also need supplies and
materials. Please look at our
signup sheets in the
Welcome Center to see what
we are looking for.
The best part of this event is
that it gives our outreach
team an opportunity to share
the gospel with the commu-
nity and to let people know
about our church, school,
and daycare. Please prayer-
fully consider where you can
help!
If you have any questions, please
contact Gail Kretschmer at 715-325-
5678 or Greg Paul at 715-424-0449.
Karen Obsuszt, Trisha Engelbrecht and Sarah Douglas make balloon animals at the 2012
Children’s Festival.
Page 3 St. Paul’s Epistle
Learn about Outreach to the Hmong & Mormons
This month, I would like to highlight
the short-term line of credit loan. At
WoodTrust Bank, we have an
account that allows us to borrow up
to $100,000 to cover “short-term”
shortages in giving towards the
Ministry Plan. We are currently
borrowing $69,621 at 6.25% interest
with a monthly payment of $400.
This loan will take 38 years to pay off
with interest totaling $116,000 if we
only pay the minimum.
Back in 2008/2009 we had this line of
credit loan almost up to the
maximum. Then, we had a wonder-
ful campaign to Move this Mountain
of debt. When this campaign
ended, we had successfully reduced
this debt to zero. In September
2011, we borrowed $20,000 from
this line of credit loan. Again, in
June 2012 we borrowed $17,000.
Just this January, we borrowed
another $33,000. Those seem like
some really big numbers, and they
are. We must get this credit
problem under control.
I was thinking about how to
represent these numbers to you.
Basically, this equates to about two
called worker salaries for one year.
From the giving side of the equation,
on a normal week we open about
205 envelopes. If each envelope
had an additional $7 in it, the loan
would be paid off in one year. What
could St. Paul’s do with $400 per
month for 38 years if we did not
have a loan payment?
Focus on the Ministry Plan – Short-term Line of Credit Loan. by Tim Olari
On March 22, 2013 the St. Paul’s
church council will be having an
all-day meeting to discuss the
direction of the ministries of the
church. Out of this meeting, we
hope to have a new direction
forward, for some hard decisions
need to be made. Please let me or
the other council members know if
you have any ideas, suggestions, or
just encouragement. Please keep
the ministry of St. Paul’s and the
council members in your prayers!
“Grace, mercy and peace from God
the Father and from Jesus Christ, the
Father’s son, will be with us in truth
and love.” - 2 John v.3
You are invited to the mission rally
at Trinity Lutheran Church of Merrill
on Saturday, April 13. Pastor Hue
Yang will give an update on Hmong
Ministry in the Wausau area. Pastor
Yang serves Mountain of the Lord
Lutheran Church in Wausau. Tom
Walter from Christ Lutheran Church
in Eden Prairie will also be there.
He will speak about Truth in Love
Ministries (TILM) and their outreach
to Mormons.
Registration for the rally is from 9:00
to 9:45 a.m., and the rally wraps up
at 2:30 p.m. Lunch will be served at
the church. There is a $3.00 regis-
tration fee, and a freewill offering
will be taken for lunch. Trinity Lu-
theran is located at 15742 Cty. Rd.
FF, southwest of Merrill.
The Wisconsin River Valley Circuit
of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary
Society (LWMS) is sponsoring this
event, but men are also welcome to
attend. If you have a LWMS mite
box, please turn it in by April 7, so
we can pass the money onto LWMS
at the rally.
Most Hmong Hmong Hmong Hmong people maintain traditional spiritual practices that include shamanism and ancestor veneration.
MormonsMormonsMormonsMormons call themselves Christian, but deny that Christ's works are sufficient in and of themselves to gain them eternal life. While they claim to have faith, their hope for eternal life ultimately rests in their own works.
Fifty years ago, 256 women gath-
ered for the first Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society (LWMS) conven-
tion in Winona, MN. Now the 50th
annual national LWMS convention is
returning to the banks of the Missis-
sippi River and is expected to attract
close to 1000 attendees.
Come to La Crosse, WI on June 27-30. You will grow personally and
spiritually by attending several
workshops and hearing inspiring
missionaries. The Saturday evening banquet will feature a humorous
play set in a church kitchen.
Receive an early-bird discount by
registering by April 1. The final reg-
istration deadline is May 1. Registra-
tion forms and convention informa-
tion are available in the church of-fice or visit www.lwms.org.
LWMS Convention in La Crosse
Page 4 March 2013
School News By Principal Engelbrecht
We invite all of you to “St. Paul’s Got
Talent” on March 15th. This is a
Friday night and the evening will
start with a potluck dinner in the
cafeteria from 5:00-6:15 p.m. The
performances will begin at 6:30 in
the church.
During “St. Paul’s Got Talent” you
will be amazed at the numerous
abilities our God has showered on
our students. You will get to listen to
piano, handbell, band, and vocal
performances. The 4 year old
Preschool class and the Kindergar-
ten students will perform a play. You
will get a chance to see the finals of
the 5th-8th grade spelling bee.
This is a busy month for the students
at St. Paul’s. Besides the talent show,
our 5th-8th grade students will be
participating in the Academic
Challenge at Northland Lutheran
High School on Friday, March 22nd.
All the students will be singing in
church on Palm Sunday in the 10:30
service. The end of the 3rd quarter
takes place on March 22nd too! We
wrap up the month with the start of
Spring Break on Thursday, March
28th. All this will set the stage for the
4th quarter of the school year.
Please keep St. Paul’s Lutheran
School in your prayers, and may
God bless your Holy Week worship!
We continue to pray that God would
lead the right person to accept our
call to teach in the 1st-2nd grade
classroom next fall. Our next call
meeting in Monday, March 18. We
encourage our voters’ to attend this
important meeting.
Dime & Dollar Thrift Store is in need
of volunteers to run the cash
register and help customers. The
store is open Monday through
Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00
p.m., but the most desperate need is
on Thursdays. This is a great oppor-
tunity for a married couple to serve
together! For more information or if
you are interested in volunteering,
please contact Charlotte Jacob at
715-887-2755.
Dime and Dollar Thrift Store is a not-
for-profit organization. All merchan-
dise is donated, and the store is run
entirely by volunteers. The
proceeds from the store benefit
Northland Lutheran High School in
Mosinee. Your donations are always
appreciated. The clothing and
household goods should be in good
condition and working order.
(Please consider donating only
those items you would give to a
friend.)
Spring Break March 28-April 5
Dime & Dollar Needs Your Help!
Page 5 March 2013
Christian Family Seminar What are God's perspectives on the
family? How are we to live faithfully
in our own family lives? How may
we help others become more like
the families God wants them to be?
At the Christian Family Seminar, you
will examine biblical teachings
concerning marriage, roles of
husbands and wives, roles of
parents and children. Discuss the
social problems threatening the
Christian family today.
Come to Mountain of the Lord
Lutheran Church (5506 Bittersweet
Rd, Wausau, WI) on Saturday, April
6, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The
guest speaker is Dr. Lawrence
Olson, Director of the Congrega-
tional Assistant and Staff Ministry
Programs at Martin Luther College
in New Ulm.
Registration is $10 per person. To
pre-register, contact Mountain of the
Lord Lutheran Church at 715-359-
9357 or jerry.worden@motl-
wels.com.
Justification Pop Quiz Continued 6.) A. Only by faith in the doing and
dying of Christ can we fully sat-
isfy the claims of the Ten Com-
mandments.
B. By the power of the Holy Spirit
living in us we can fully satisfy
the claims of the Ten Command-
ments.
7.) A. To justify means to make
righteous.
B. To justify means to account as
righteous.
8.) A. The believer is pronounced
righteous, because the Spirit of
Grace has made him righteous.
B. The believer is pronounced
righteous because Christ, his
substitute, is found righteous
before God.
9.) A. God considers works done by
believers as good, because they
are done in the righteousness of
Christ.
B. God considers works done by
believers as good, because they
are done in the power of the
Holy Spirit.
10.) A. Man is justified because of
his faith in Christ’s death on the
cross.
B. Man is justified because of
Christ’s death on the cross.
WAIT! Don’t look at the answers yet!
The dictionary in the back of Lu-
ther’s Small Catechism defines “to
justify” in this way: “to declare not
guilty. This word pictures a judge in
a courtroom who tells a criminal that
there is no longer any charge against
them”. It goes on to define
“Justification” in this way: “God’s
declaration that people are not guilty
because Jesus has paid for their sins”.
Take a moment before you go to the
answer key. Look over your an-
swers. Would you like to make any
changes?
As you can see a Biblical under-
standing of justification is very im-
portant to our faith. Over the com-
ing months we will take a look at this
very important doctrine of the Bible,
through our newsletter articles. We
will see that Justification is 1.) by
grace; 2.) complete; 3.) universal 4.)
and received through faith in Christ
Jesus. If in the mean time you would
like to brush up on your understand-
ing of justification you can open your
catechism to the “Third Article of the
Apostle’s Creed” and look at the
section labeled “The forgiveness of
sins”. Several Bible passages will
help as well: Romans 3:22-24, John
1:29b, 2 Corinthians 5:14b, Romans
4:25, 2 Corinthians 5:19a, 1 John 2:2,
Colossians 2:13,14, Luke 23:34a, 1
Timothy 4:10, Ephesians 1:7, 1 Timo-
thy 3:16, and Romans 5:18. Keep an
eye on the newsletter for these arti-
cles…and more quizzes!
Laurie Bolton & Gene Rued were united in
marriage.
Great attendance at Arborview, Arborwood and Bethel Center
Senior Services!
Counting Our Blessings
Page 6 St. Paul’s Epistle
The Lord called home Vic Hayter at the age of 92.
It was only in the last couple of years, that Vic was baptized and received instruction in the
Christian faith.
Great attendance at midweek Lenten wor-
ship and meals. (On March 13, the kitchen
ran out of food!)
Moisture (rain & snow)
Gifts to Cheerful Givers
has passed the
$100,000 mark.
Once again, the men from the church council and min-
istry boards will be cooking and serving the breakfast
on Easter morning. We were humbled by the large
turn out last year and have made some adjustments so
things run smoother this year.
You are welcome to bring any visiting family or guests
to the breakfast. We just ask that you let us know how
many are coming. There are sign up sheets in the
Welcome Center. You can also sign up on our web-
site www.stpaulswr.org, by clicking on the link on the
homepage.
Easter breakfast will be served from 8:00-9:00 p.m. on
Easter Sunday, March 31, Hope you can come!
Christ Is
Risen!
All of our church musicians and singers!
Good Friday services are at 12:10 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Current
• In memory of Pastor Douglas’
grandmother given by Robert &
Kathy Douglas
• In memory of Russ Pollnow’s
Feb. 6th birthday given by Linda
Pollnow
Mortgage
• In memory of her husband,
Warren Beamish, grandson,
Shad Beamish and great-great
grandson, Robert Dye, given by
Amelia Beamish
• In memory of her husband,
LaVerne Ubinger, and her
mother, Lillian Hetzel, given by
Dorothy Ubinger
• In memory of Elmer Beyer on
his birthday, Feb. 3, given by
Dorothy Beyer
• In memory of Pastor Douglas’
grandmother given by Ben &
Clara Bottensek
• In honor of Rick Kniprath
becoming a member of St.
Paul’s given by Terry & Sandy
Krause
Altar Guild
• In memory of their parents’
birthdays given by Ron &
Georgene Provost
Cheerful Givers
• In memory of Keith Bushmaker
given by Edna Haferman
Special Gifts and Memorials Given through February 24, 2013
Page 7 March 2013
In the Mailbag
We would like to thank the person
who left us a Valentine’s Day card
and gift card to IGA last month. The
gift could not have come at a better
time for us.
Thank you,
Joe & Dana Schneider
Thank you so much to all for your
get well wishes, many cards & espe-
cially your prayers regarding my
recent surgery.
Thank you also to Pastor Baur and
Pastor Douglas for their concern and
prayers.
God bless,
Sue Bobrowski
Answers to the Justification Quiz: 1.)a, 2.)a., 3.)b, 4.)a, 5.)a, 6.)a, 7.)b, 8.)b, 9.)a, 10.)b
Quiz questions taken from “Justification – Bible Study, Part One” by Pastor Jon D. Bucholz; prepared for the
58th Biennial convention of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod; July 26, 2005
Sometimes young people think that because they are
young or because they are small, they aren't important or
valuable. This year Camp Phillip will be taking a look at
how important tiny little Bethlehem was in God's plan of
salvation and how each person, no matter how young or
old, is also important to Jesus and is a part of God's plan of
salvation.
Early bird registration for 2013 summer camp programs is
now open! Some of our camps, especially specialty camps,
have a limited number of openings. If you want to make
sure that your child has a spot reserved for a 2013 summer
camp, fill out the summer camp registration at
www.cmapphillip.com right away!
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
March 2013 Edition
Non-Profit
Organization US Postage
Paid
Permit No. 46 311 14th Avenue South
Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495
Phone: 715-421-3634
E-mail: churchoffice@stpaulswr.org
St . Paul ’ s E v . Lu t he ran Chur ch & S c hoo l
Easter Sunday Services
7:00 & 9:30 a.m.
Easter Breakfast served 8:00-9:00 a.m.