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Are we confident that our light is bright
Vol. 46 September 14, 2021 Number 35
WHAT DO WE DO WITH OUR GOD
GIVEN KNOWLEDGE?
Barry Kennedy
The apostle Peter concluded his portion of the Scriptures by saying, “Ye
therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being
led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow
in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be
glory both now and forever. Amen” (2 Peter 3:17-18). All of the knowledge that
man has about God, sin, salvation, eternal damnation, eternal life, and any such
biblical doctrine comes from the divinely inspired Word of God. Many people are
going through life on a “borrowed knowledge” of God and His Word. It doesn’t
take long to see that there is a severe lack of biblical knowledge in the world, even
in the so-called Bible belt. If you have ever had a conversation with someone
about spiritual things, this truth becomes much more apparent. We must keep
trying to get the Word spread to the world (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16). It
is apparent in Peter’s writing that God has given us all things that we need for life
and godliness, but what do we do with our God given knowledge?
We must start with the beginning. The beginning would be to start laying
the foundation of a healthy biblical knowledge in our minds. We cannot rely upon,
or blame our parents, friends, Bible class teachers, elders, or even the preacher for
our biblical knowledge or the lack thereof. Paul’s words to Timothy were “Study
(do diligence ASV) to show thyself approved unto God...” (2 Timothy 2:15). Jesus
said that the Word would be the standard by which we are all judged (John 12:48).
Therefore, the responsibility falls upon the individual to know the truth that will
make him free (John 8:32, cf. John 17:17). It is imperative that we “prove all
things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Can we honestly say
that we have a healthy biblical knowledge? If not, we do not have a strong
foundation (Matthew 7:24-27).
Next, we must continue to grow in knowledge. Peter’s charge is still true
today. How could God be pleased with stagnation? Jesus inspired John to write
these words to the church in Laodicea: “I know thy works, that thou art neither
cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm,
and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16).
Lukewarmness, stagnation, or indifference literally makes the Lord sick. If God
did not see the need for man to study and to grow in knowledge, why would He
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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
Worship........................9:00 a.m.
Bible class..................10:15 a.m.
Worship......................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—
give man the Bible? Ask yourself this question,
“Do I know more about God’s Word today than I
did a year ago?” Maybe you started a new career
within the last year, surely you know more about
that job than when you first started. Maybe you
picked up golf within the last year. Do you know
more about that sport than you did before you
first teed up? Could it be that you have gotten
married within the last year? Surly you are
gaining a more complete knowledge of that
person daily. Why do we grow in our knowledge
of such things? We grow because we want to
know more about the things that interest us. Are
we interested in God, Heaven, and the
forgiveness of sins? Peter said “grow.”
Friends, the more time we spend with
God through His Word, the stronger our bond
with Him will grow. “Draw nigh to God, and he
will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye
sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded”
(James 4:8).
Finally, if we have studied to show
ourselves approved unto God, and we are
continuing to grow in our knowledge of His
Word, then we must understand that He expects
us to carry that same Word into all the world.
“And the things that thou hast heard of me among
many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful
men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2
Timothy 2:2).
~~~~~~~~~
Ladies’ Day
A ladies’ day will be
held this Saturday, Sept.
18 at the Amory con-
gregation from 9:30 a.m.
until noon with Debbie
Dupuy speaking on the
topic “Remind me Lord.”
Also, the Forest Hill
congregation in Memphis is hosting a ladies’ day on
Saturday, Sept. 25 from 9:00-11:30 a.m. with
Melissa Cain speaking on the topic “Draw Me
Nearer.” Please RSVP to office@foresthillcofc.org.
Sympathy
Our sympathy is extended to Wade Bryan in the
loss of his cousin, David Darnell, on Sept. 12.
Funeral services will be held in Arizona.
Also, last week we forgot to mention that Gary
Williams’ sister, Renee, that passed away in
Florida, was also Emily Williams’ aunt.
Bridal Shower
A bridal shower will be held
in honor of Logan Lyle, bride
elect of Reed Mallard, on
Sunday, Oct. 3 “come & go”
from 2:00-3:30 p.m. in the
multipurpose room. Logan &
Reed are registered at Belk, Reed’s, and Bed, Bath
& Beyond.
Brain Freeze
Don’t forget this
Wednesday evening, Sept.
15, after Bible class in the
multipurpose room every-
one is invited to enjoy ice
cream and fellowship.
Jr. Youth Activity
The Junior youth are
invited to Veteran’s Park this
Saturday, Sept. 18 from 11:00
a.m. until 1:00 p.m. for a
picnic. Each family should
bring their own picnic lunch
Sr. Youth Devotional
The Senior youth are
invited to Will & Ashley
Davis’ home this Sunday,
Sept. 19 at 5:00 p.m. for
their monthly devotional.
Please see Alex for what to
bring.

3. Daily Bible Reading
September 15 .............................................Jonah 3-4
September 16 ............................................Micah 1-2
September 17 ............................................Micah 3-5
September 18 ............................................Micah 6-7
September 19 .................................................Nahum
September 20 ............................................Habakkuk
September 21 ............................................Zephaniah
Birthdays &
Anniversaries
Birthdays: Lauren Long (Sept. 17), Anna
Claire McMillen (Sept. 17), Andy Baldwyn
(Sept. 20).
Anniversaries: Barry & Berta Kennedy (Sept. 20).
Our Sick
James Simmons continues in room 103 at The
Meadows in Fulton for physical therapy. Twinette
Wallace is suffering from Trigeminal Neuralgia and
is awaiting her appointment with the neurologist.
She is also dealing with a twisted colon. Christine
Wilson will undergo sinus surgery Wednesday. Lee
DuBois and Hattie Sheffield have appointments
Wednesday with their doctors. Both hope to get out
of casts and into boots. Maggie Simineau continues
at home with a broken arm. Sky & Jennifer Ray are
home with Covid. Willie Topp’s brother-in-law,
Willie Bob Gates, is in ICU on a ventilator with
Covid.
On-Going Illnesses
Mary Lou Walden, Evelyn Thompson, Steve
Kelly, Bettye Davis, Frankie Estes, Shirley Lyons,
Caroline Willis, Carol Hood, Bill Goff, Donny
Dulaney, Adam McCurley, James Goddard, Mitch
Maclean, Mary Starz, Sheba Tuggers, Steve
Higginbotham, Shauna McMickin, Stella Pittman,
April & Olivia Pounders
Nursing Homes
Nancy Haywood, Randy Attaway, Shirley
McCarthy, Bob McClure, Brenda Dawson
EMYG News
Hello,
I hope you all are doing well. Don’t forget
about Brain Freeze Wednesday and our Junior
youth picnic at Veteran’s Park on Saturday!
This coming Sunday, we will have our
monthly devo at the Davis’ house at 5:00pm.
As I reflect about my life, there has
been times where I have been very successful
in achieving certain awards or nominations.
Unfortunately, I also can look back with
regret knowing I should’ve stuck with things
I started. I ran across this poem, and I
thought I would share it with you in hopes to
encourage you to keep pressing on to what
you know you ought to do.
“When things go wrong, as they
sometimes will, when the road you're
trudging seems all uphill. When the funds
are low and debts are high, and you want to
smile but have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit,
rest, if you must, but don't you quit. Life is
queer with its twists and turns, as everyone
of us sometimes learns, And many a failure
turns about. When he might have won if he'd
stuck it out, Don't give up though the pace
seems slow, you might succeed with another
blow.
Often the struggler has given up,
when he might of captured the victor's cup.
And he learned too late, when the night
slipped down. How close he was to the
golden crown, success is failure turned inside
out. The silver tint of clouds of doubt, and
you never can tell how close you are. It may
be near when it seems afar, so stick to the
fight when you're hardest hit, it's when
things seem worst that you mustn't quit.”
Remember these two things: First, don’t give
up on pursuing to please God. You’ll be glad
you remained faithful. Secondly, God loves
you and so do I. Have a great week! Alex

4. Men to Serve Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021 a.m.
Announcements...........................Bobby Joe Lindley
Bible Reading........................................Aaron Willis
Opening Prayer ......................................Mike Ratliff
Lord’s Supper
Roger Sanderson
Lead Singing....................................Eddie Simmons
Closing Prayer........................................... Joe Minor
Ushers ..................................Larry Long & Ian Reed
Please meet in the library by 8:45 a.m.
Sunday 11:15 a.m. service
Opening Prayer .................................Barry Kennedy
Closing Prayer......................................Britton Smith
Lead Singing......................................... Wade Bryan
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
Opening Prayer .................................... Jalon Mansel
Lead Singing........................................ Kent Nichols
The elders kindly request that men leading in public
worship wear the best dress clothes they have.
Contact the Ricky Lindsey (255-8136) if unable to serve.
Attendance & Contribution
Mid-Week, 9-8-21 ...................................................... 164
Sunday 1st
Worship, 9-12-21 .................................... 166*
Sunday Bible Class..................................................... 166
Sunday 2nd
Worship.................................................... 116
Contribution (budget $7,900) ................................ $9,029
*This does not include the livestreamed views.
Pantry item........................................... Peanut butter