Sunday Seminars
We are entering our second Trimester of Sunday Seminars. Our goal hasn’t changed: to teach seminary level class curricula in a relaxed, interactive environment. The winter Trimester of Seminars will begin Sunday morning, January 8th, 2012 at 9:30 a.m., with each Seminar teacher providing a ten-minute overview of his or her class curriculum. This will allow for anyone interested in attending one of these classes to rotate through each class to better understand the course they may chose to attend.
As previously announced there will be only one hour of Sunday Seminars offered this Trimester. The class subjects, teachers and a short summary of each are provided for your review.
Welcome to Southwood (New Members)
Will Spink
This class will introduce you to the basics of Christianity, Presbyterianism, Southwood, and church membership. While you will have the option to pursue formal church membership at the end, this is not the primary goal. The objective is to help you get connected to the body of Christ, to answer your questions about the church, and to help you get involved with the mission of Southwood.
This Seminar is a great way to get to know both church staff and other people who are new to Southwood. No matter how long you’ve been at Southwood, what your church background is, or what questions you have, please feel free to join us. We’ll cover the gamut and have lots of fun doing it!
Gospel Transformation
Kirby Parks / Skeets Simonis
Sanctification by faith can be demonstrated by our union with Christ. The Christian life is “life in Christ,” that is, union and communion with the Lord Jesus. Paul writes in Ephesians 1:3 that we have all spiritual blessings in Christ. Every blessing we have, we receive by being united to him. Because we are united to Christ, we receive everything from him—his perfection, perseverance, justification, sanctification, adoption, resurrection, and obedience. In this class we will explore how these truths and doctrines manifest themselves in the Gospel Transformation of our Christian life.
The Book of John (Continuation)
Mike Stanfield
John 20:31 states, “But these (signs) were written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”
This will be a continuation, from the previous Trimester of teaching, of our study of John’s gospel. In his stated purpose, that you may have life, we see how the signs and discourses combine to strengthen our faith and life in Jesus. Our motivation and goal is the same, to encourage a deeper love of Jesus leading to a more intimate relationship manifesting itself by our life in Him.
Book of Joshua
Chris Morris
The book of Joshua can be thought of as a bridge book, somewhat like the book of Acts. It recounts the transition from the age of the Patriarchs, in which the nation of Israel was formed, delivered and instructed by God, to the age of settled occupation in the land of Canaan. The book is named after Joshua, the often-overlooked man who directed the conquest of the land, and who determined to quietly obey the Word of God in everything he did. In this seminar, we will study this book and seek to learn from a remarkable example of obedience to God.
The ordo salutis: A Series of Fortunate Events
Bill Nash
Like many theological terms ordo salutis sounds dry and boring, but the story of how and why God rescues people is exciting and life changing. During the semester we will answer a number of questions: How does the atonement apply to us? How does it change us? How does it change our relationship to God? Theologians typically consider these questions under the heading ordo salutis (“order of salvation”), which lists out a series of events that take place in a believer’s life. We will be looking at effectual calling, regeneration, faith, repentance, justification, adoption, sanctification, perseverance, and glorification. As we study together we will find God more lovely, generous and amazing than we ever imagined.