Two Thought-Provoking Tales ~Reflections (Eng. & Chi.).pdf
East main informer, 3 23-21
1. 4
Vol. 46 March 23, 2021 Number 11
“WE PRAISE THEE, O GOD”
Barry Kennedy
“We praise Thee, O God, for the Son of Thy love, for Jesus who
died and is now gone above; We praise Thee, O God, for Thy Spirit of
light, Who has shown us the Savior and scattered our night; All glory and
praise to the Lamb that was slain, Who has borne all our sins, and has
cleansed every stain, Hallelujah! Thine the glory; Hallelujah! Amen!
Hallelujah! Thine the glory, revive us again.”
We often sing these wonderful words in worship to the God of
Heaven. The words of this song speak so eloquently of the soul’s need to
show gratitude unto the Almighty. When we sing this grand old hymn,
do we truly take to heart the message that we are singing? Are we truly
looking to be revived again? Maybe it is the case that we have not been
revived in the first place? Consider the lyrics of this hymn and how it
encourages us to praise God!
We praise Thee, o God, for the Son of Thy love. It is true that
Jesus died and is now gone above (Acts 2:22-33). We should praise God
for this truth on a daily basis. Why? Because “Without shedding of blood
there is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22). Jesus is that “lamb slain from the
foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). He is the Lamb who takes away
the sin of the world (John 1:29). This Sunday’s sermon Jesus and His great
sacrifice will be emphasized! Everyone will have an opportunity to praise
God for the Son of His love.
We praise Thee, o God, for Thy Spirit of Light. Each one of us
have been given great opportunities, by living in this country. Many of
those opportunities, such as the ability to read or learn to read, have been
taken for granted. God; however, offers the greatest opportunity of all! He
offers the opportunity to have Heaven as our eternal home (John 14:1-4)!
Of course, that way is only made available through Jesus (John 14:6). We
praise God that He has sent the Holy Spirit to reveal that way to you and
me. He has shown the Savior to man by inspiring men to write the Holy
Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:15-17). The knowledge gained through serious
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ELDERS
Mike Childers ............. 397-6453
Dennis Hallmark......... 255-5557
Mark Hitt .................... 322-0917
Bobby Lindley ............ 260-9193
DEACONS
Wade Bryan ................ 419-5552
William Harris ............ 416-8149
Ricky Lindsey............. 255-8136
Jeff Mansel.................. 871-0357
Jimmy Spearman ........ 840-8957
Michael Wilson........... 891-0891
MINISTERS
Barry Kennedy....(931)787-7108
Alex Blackwelder (731)879-9196
SECRETARY
Renee Childers
Office.......................... 842-6116
Fax .............................. 842-7091
E-MAIL
eastmaincoc38804@gmail.com
WEB PAGE
eastmaincoc.com
SUNDAY SERVICES
Early worship...............8:30 a.m.
Main worship.............10:00 a.m.
Bible class.............11:15 a.m.
Singing or Devotional
Last Sunday of the Month
MID-WEEK
SERVICES
Wednesday Classes......7:00 p.m.
1606 East Main Street
P. O. Box 1761
Tupelo, Mississippi 38802
“Thou shalt observe to do all that they inform thee”
(Deut. 17:10)
2. --article continued from page 1--
Bible study will scatter our night. “Thy word is
a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path”
(Psalm 119:105).
All glory and praise to the Lamb that
was slain. How could one not be revived, if he
or she truly believes Jesus is the Lamb that was
slain? The Bible explicitly states the importance
of knowing the Christ. Jesus said, “If ye believe
not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John
8:24). In the same chapter Jesus said, “Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am”
(John 8:58). The fact that Jesus is deity denotes
the fact that He is worthy of glory and praise.
No other sacrifice could bear all our sins and
cleanse every stain. “How much more shall the
blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit
offered himself without spot to God, purge your
conscience from dead works to serve the living
God?” (Heb. 9:14). “Forasmuch as ye know that ye
were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver
and gold, from your vain conversation received by
tradition from your fathers; But with the precious
blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot:” (1 Peter 1:18, 19). Do we find
ourselves being revived when we hear the
message of man’s redemption? Do we not need
to be revived on a regular basis? Satan wants
Christians to become complacent, lazy, or
indifferent. God wants us to be revived!
Our worship can be a time to revive and
renew our spiritual man within! Are we
excited? Are we inviting others to come and
hear the Gospel message (Romans 1:16)? Let’s
pray for our Lord to “revive us again!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jr. Youth Activity
The youth in grades 6th
and
under are invited to the
multipurpose room on Saturday,
Apr. 3 from 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Each child should bring a basket
and 12 plastic eggs. Also, please
sign the sheet on the youth
bulletin board across from the
ladies’ bathroom if you plan to attend so we can
prepare for lunch.
Thank You Note
Dear East Main family,
Sandra and I have been so grateful for all the
cards, calls, food and especially the prayers during
my cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatments. To
those who may not already know, my pet scan last
week showed no more cancer, and we know that all
those prayers offered on our behalf have been
heard. I will continue to complete my treatments as
a preventative measure, but hopefully they won’t be
as hard on me physically as the previous two.
Please continue to pray for strength for me, as well
as for Sandra, as she continues to be my primary
caregiver. We love you all and look forward to
worshipping with all of you again soon.
In Christian love,
James Simmons
~~~~~~~~~~
The task ahead of us is
never as great as the Power
behind us.
John Duke stationed in Gulfport, MS
Caleb Williams stationed in Quantico, VA
Rob Cross & family stationed in South Korea
Mark Your Calendars!
Sr. Youth & College
April 16-18 -– 7th Week Squad Retreat
@ Maywood (7th grade-college)
More info. soon
3. Daily Bible Reading
March 24.............................................. 2 Samuel 1-4
March 25.............................................. 2 Samuel 5-7
March 26............................................ 2 Samuel 8-10
March 27.......................................... 2 Samuel 11-12
March 28.......................................... 2 Samuel 13-14
March 29.......................................... 2 Samuel 15-18
March 30.......................................... 2 Samuel 19-20
Birthdays &
Anniversaries
Birthdays: Charles Barber (Mar. 24), David
Bates (Mar. 26), Erin Moore (Mar. 28),
Crafton Laney (Mar. 28), Kristie Webb (Mar.
29). Anniversaries: Mark & Mikki Gilliland (Mar.
28).
Our Sick
Ashley Davis had her 3rd
chemo treatment last
week. She has 1 more to go. James Simmons’ scan
showed he is cancer free. His last 2 treatments will
be cut in half. Shauna McMickin came home from
St. Jude Saturday night. Judy Bates and Ben
DuBois are recuperating from knee surgery.
Grayson Tally, Hilda Ratliff’s great nephew, is
home from the hospital following surgery on his
neck. Haley Underwood is awaiting test results for
some stomach issues. Sarai & John Ezra Lindley
underwent oral surgery Monday. Tommy Goff,
Patsy Nichols’ brother, will be taking a short break
from his chemo & radiation to rest up a bit.
On-Going Illnesses
Jean Mounce, Mary Lou Walden, Steve Kelly,
Bettye Davis, Frankie Estes, Caroline Willis, Sean
Koehn, Carol Hood, Bill Goff, Donny Dulaney,
Adam McCurley, James Goddard, Mitch Maclean,
Mary Starz, Sheba Tuggers, Steve Higginbotham,
Jane Griffin
Nursing Homes
Nancy Haywood, Randy Attaway, Veona
Harris, Shirley McCarthy, Bob & Clara McClure,
Brenda Dawson
EMYG News
Tunnel Vision
Have you ever been in a situation where you
had tunnel vision? Where you couldn’t possibly see
anything else, but what you were thinking about? As a
child, the thing I got in trouble the most for was, talking
to strangers. To me, all I could see was an opportunity
to meet someone and get to know them. However, my
parents saw an opportunity for that person to snatch
their sweet little boy away and hurt him. We see what
we want to see. It might be that we have tunnel vision.
Luke 2 opens with the birth of Jesus. (V.22)
Jesus is cleaned or purified in the Temple. And for just
a minute tonight, I want us to consider the boy Jesus in
the Temple. Starting in (v.41). “Now his parents went to
Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
(Mid-April) And when he was twelve years old,
(According to Jewish law, when Jewish boys become
12/13 years old, they become accountable for their
actions) age they went up according to custom (90 mile
journey).
And when the feast was ended, as they were
returning, Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His
parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the
group they went a day's journey, but then they began to
search for him among their relatives and
acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they
returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. Joseph and
Mary anxious, fearing they’ve lost the Son of God. It’s
bad enough if you leave your kid at Walmart, imagine
losing your kid among thousands, of people.
After three days, they found him in the temple,
sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking
them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at
his understanding and his answers. And when his
parents saw him, they were astonished. In this context,
the word (Ekplesso) astonished does not mean they
were filled with joy and amazement; it really means to
panic. When you see your 3-year-old run out in front of a
moving car, it’s that kind of emotion that is depicted here.
And his mother said to him, “Son, why have
you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been
searching for you in great distress.” And he said to
them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not
know that I must be in my Father's business?” And
they did not understand the sayings that he spoke to
them. (Father’s business? I can here Mary saying,
“your Father and I were 3 days ahead of you. What do
you mean about your father’s business? Jesus’ parents
had tunnel vision. They were focusing exclusively on a
single point of view and failing to see the point Jesus
was trying to get across.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth
and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured
up all these things in her heart. Talk about a reality
check. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature
and in favor with God and man.
Today, I simply ask, are you truly about your
Father’s business? Or, are you living a tunnel visioned
life? Are there things that have distracted you from
being about the work of the Lord? I encourage us to
refocus our focus on to what is most important. If there
is anything that I can help you with, please let me
know. I love you. Alex
4. Men to Serve Sunday, Mar. 28, 2021 a.m.
Announcements..................................... Wade Bryan
Bible Reading.............................................. Ian Reed
Opening Prayer ..............................Roger Sanderson
Lord’s Supper
Michael Wilson
Lead Singing...............................Bobby Joe Lindley
Closing Prayer................................Jimmy Spearman
Ushers .......................Joe Minor & Clinton Kingsley
The elders kindly request that men leading in public
worship wear the best dress clothes they have.
Contact the church office (842-6116) if unable to
serve.
Bible Classes (streamed each week)
Adult class................Jeff Mansel (Facebook/YouTube)
Adult class.......... Barry Kennedy (Facebook/YouTube)
College class.....Tim Davis/Roger Sanderson (Facebook)
Attendance & Contribution
Mid-Week, 3-17-21 ................................................. N/A*
Sunday 1st
Worship, 3-21-21 ........................................ 29
Sunday Bible Class................................................... 129*
Sunday 2nd
Worship.................................................. 195*
Contribution (budget $7,900) .................................. 9,856
*This does not include the livestreamed views.
Pantry item...............................Cake or brownie mix
Services will be livestreamed this Sunday at 10:00 a.m. if you do not feel
comfortable attending in person. However, if you do feel comfortable meeting in
person, we will have our 8:30 a.m. worship, our 10:00 a.m. worship and our 11:15
a.m. Bible class this Sunday, March 28.
(Also, in person Bible classes will be held this Wed., March 23.)
Beginning Sunday, Apr. 4, the elders have decided we will go back to our regular
schedule of services before the Corona virus affected us. We will have worship
Sunday at 9:00 a.m., Bible class at 10:15 a.m., and worship at 11:15 a.m. On
Wednesday we will meet in the auditorium at 7:00 p.m., have a short devotional
and then go to Bible class until 8:00 p.m.
The cry room will be reserved for those with health issues or compromised immune
systems who should still maintain caution.