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East main informer, 10 1-19
- 1. 4 Vol. 44 October1, 2019 Number 38 What if it Comes Down to Just Me? Barry Kennedy “The Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17). There are many passages in the Bible referencing God’s desire for the whole of mankind being saved (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9; etc.). John, the apostle who received the above revelation, also penned what has become the most well-known verse in all of the Bible. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Of course, “the world” (in this context) has reference to the whole of humanity. Do we ever stop to consider the fact that God sees us as individuals? Do we ever take the time to think about how we can be personal beneficiaries of God’s love and salvation? As we look around we may find ourselves feeling alone. At times, it may seem to be the case that no one wants to hear about God, no one wants to talk about absolute truth, no one wants to hear that they must be in subjection to God, and no one wants to hear that there is a right or wrong way to live. Have we every asked, “What if it comes down to just me?” What if it comes down to just me when it comes to believing in God? One foundational fact of Christianity, dare I say life itself, is that of faith. “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he (Emph. Added), ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24). The writer of the book of Hebrews addressed this fact as well. He first defined faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). He would go on to say that “without faith, it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). It may be or become the case that everyone else in the world may choose to not believe in God, but that will never take away my (or your) personal responsibility to believe (i.e. trust and obey). Therefore, if it comes down to just me, I must believe. What if it comes down to just me when it comes to living the Christian life? Living the Christian life may sound like the same as belief to those reading this article and that is true. There is; however, a good example why there can be differences between belief and actions. Many of the chief rulers in the first century believed in Jesus as the Messiah, but because they feared being removed from the synagogue by the Pharisees, they would not confess Him (John 12:42). Jesus said that our lives are to be compared to salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16). He, of course, was saying that our lives are to have an impact on the world around us. On the contrary, far too many times we allow the world to be more of the influencing agent on our lives instead of God’s Word. Paul said to the brethren at Corinth, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Jesus set the standard we must follow as the church (1 Peter 2:21). The church is comprised of individuals (1 Corinthians 12:12). Though it may be the case, or come to be the case, that --article continued page 3-- 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 PREACHER Barry Kennedy ... (931)787-7108 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 Classes............. 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. EAST MAIN CHURCH OF CHRIST 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 frompage 1-- Four, Christ “gave himself for it,” the church. Jesus shed his blood to purchase the church (Acts 20:28). But his blood was shed for the remission of sins (Matt. 26:28), and there is no forgiveness of sins apart from the shed blood of Jesus Christ (Heb. 9:22; I Pet. 1:18-19). Therefore, no salvation exists outside of the church of Christ because none outside of the church of Christ have the blood of Christ applied to the sinful condition of their souls and receive the remission (forgiveness) of their sins. The penitent believers on the day of Pentecost were instructed to repent and be baptized for the remission (forgiveness) of sins. The ones who “gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls” (v. 41). “The Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (v. 47). The one church of the Bible has the saved added to it by the Lord himself. The good news of the gospel is seen in the church of Christ. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pine Vale’s Fall Pantry Drive East Main will be collecting items for Pine Vale’s fall pantry drive for the next couple of weeks. They will be sending a truck by sometime in October to pick these items up. Our assigned items are: Toilet Cleaner Spaghetti sauce (NO glass jars) Disposable plates/cups Thanks so much for your help! Family First Fellowship Our next Family First Fellowship will be held this Sunday, Sept. 29 from 8:15-8:45 a.m. in the multi- purpose room before worship services. Everyone is encouraged to come and enjoy a short period of fellowship with your brothers/sisters in Christ. Baby “Girl” Shower There will be a baby “girl” shower in honor of Anna Claire McMillen this Sunday, Sept.29 “come & go” from 2:00-3:30 p.m. in the multipurpose room. Anna Claire is registered at Walmart and Amazon. All the ladies are invited! Sympathy Our deepest sympathy is extended to the family of our sister Laverne Raper who passed from this life early Tuesday morning, Sept. 17. Funeral services were held Sept. 19 at Lee Memorial in Verona. Mrs. Raper was 99 years old! We will sorely miss her. Thank You Notes Dear church family, Thank you all so much for all the prayers during my recent surgery. I am doing great and hope to be back to full strength soon! Thank you all for the kind words, texts, calls, cards, food, gift cards, hugs and advice. You are such wonderful people. Once again, your kindness has been overwhelming. I love you all so much. Thank you again! Dundee Donald ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ No words could ever express our appreciation for the love and support you have shown to us during this tremendously difficult time. We are blessed to have had mother’s love and presence in our lives for so many years. She loved her East Main family so much! You were there when we needed you most. On behalf of my family, I thank you. With love, Margaret Palmer (daughter of Lavern Raper) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear East Main family, I cannot express to you how much it meant to me and every girl that came this weekend, the willingness & eagerness with which you welcomed us this morning. It is always a blessing to come home and you truly provided a home for our visitors and my friends. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your hospitality today and every day! In Christian love, Olivia Sanderson John Duke stationed in Long Beach, MS Caleb Williams stationed in Quantico, VA Rob Cross & family stationed in South Korea October 2019 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Dundee Donald Evie Webb Sisters Supporting Sisters--6-8:30 pm Matthew 1-4 2 Lexie Dickinson Robert Parker Matthew 5-7 3 Sr. Adult fellow- ship @ 6 pm Matthew 8-9 4 Matthew10-11 5 Glenda Barnette Door Knocking @ 8 am Matthew 12-13 6 Sandra Simmons Matthew 14-15 7 Matthew 16-17 8 Matthew 18-20 9 Ken Pearson Matthew 21-22 10 Carester & Charlie Ruth Hallmark Jon & Ainsley Millard Ladies’ fellowship @ 6 pm Matthew 23-24 11 Matthew 25-26 12 Tyler Barnette Beth Reed Matthew 27-28 13 Area Youth Meeting-Antioch @5 pm Mark 1-3 14 Ian Reed Mark 4-5 15 Brittany Webb Mark 6-7 16 Nancy Haywood Mark 8-9 17 Mark 10-11 18 Brenda Spearman Mark 12-13 19 Chad Willis Mark 14-16 20 Will Davis Jr. Youth/ES Devo. Visitation Team #3 Nursing Home Singing Luke 1 21 Judy & Pat Jones Luke 2-3 22 Luke 4-5 23 James Simmons Luke 6-7 24 Mark Gilliland Luke 8-9 25 Evelyn Willis David & Katie Bates Luke 10-11 26 Ethan Benefield Congregational Chili/Hotdog Supper & Trunk or Treat @ 5 pm Luke 12-13 27 Family 1st Fellowship Visitation Team #4 Luke 14-16 28 Luke17-18 29 Luke 19-21 30 Olivia Blansett James Burney Dean Webb Chad & Susan Willis Luke 22-23 31 Halloween Luke 24
- 3. Daily Bible Reading October2..................................................Matthew 5-7 October 3..................................................Matthew 8-9 October 4..............................................Matthew 10-11 October 5..............................................Matthew 12-13 October 6..............................................Matthew 14-15 October 7..............................................Matthew 16-17 October 8..............................................Matthew 18-20 Birthdays & Anniversaries Birthdays: Lexie Dickinson (Oct. 2), Robert Parker (Oct. 2), Glenda Barnette (Oct. 5), Sandra Simmons (Oct. 6). Anniversaries: None this week. Our Sick Hanon Ray is home following surgery Monday on the discs in his neck. He is doing well. Jean Mounce is home from UAB on IV antibiotics. Pete Barber is still having problems with fluid in his lungs. Mary Lou Walden has a slight case of pneumonia. Andy Bald- wyn’s mother, Stephanie Baldwyn, is in NMMC recuperating from several surgeries. Barbara Franks, Tammy Minor & Stephanie Baldwyn’s mother, is having some heart problems. Barbara Bishop is home with a broken food. Evelyn Willis is at the Meadows in Fulton in room 116 (Hummingbird Lane). Jill Rice, Debbie Vines’ mother, and Ann Letteri, Sandra Simmons’ sister, continue hospice. On-Going Illnesses Frankie Estes, Donny Dulaney, Adam McCurley, Mary Jordan, Bretta Robinson, James Goddard, Bill Goff, Leroy Brown, Jadon Parish, Jerry Smith, Mitch Maclean, Mary Starz, Aspen White, Ezra Golman, Sheba Tuggers, Ruby Clark, Homer Smith, Don Blackwell, Brenda Williams Nursing Homes Nancy Haywood, Randy Attaway, Shirley McCarthy, Mary Southern, Veona Harris, James Nichols --article continued from page 1-- everyone chooses not to live the Christian life, it will never take away my responsibility to live for Jesus (John 12:48; 2 Corinthians 5:10). Therefore, if it comes down to just me, I must live the Christian life. We are truly blessed to know that God has faithful followers who truly believe and who are striving to live the Christian life. They encourage, motivate, and comfort us to do the same. The Lord told Elijah, when he thought he was the only faithful one left, “I have left Me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18). May God give us the courage to say, “I will stand for Him, even if it comes down to just me!” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pine Vale’s Pantry Drive East Main will be collecting items for Pine Vale’s fall pantry drive for the next couple of weeks. They will be sending a truck by sometime in October to pick these items up. Our assigned items are: Toilet Cleaner Spaghetti sauce (NO glass jars) Disposable plates/cups Sympathy Our sympathy is extended to Raleigh Bass in the loss of her grandmother, Norma Harrell, on Sept. 26. Funeral services were held in Ripley on Sept. 28. Also, our condolences to Charles Barber in the loss of his wife, Sheila, on Sept. 26. Funeral services were held at Lee Memorial in Verona on Sept. 29. Sr. Adult Fellowship The monthly Sr. Adult Fellowship will be held this Thursday, Oct. 3 at Catfish Country in Booneville at 6 p.m. The bus will leave the building at 5:30 p.m. Door Knocking A brotherhood-wide door knocking day has been set for Saturday, Oct. 5. The goal set by House to House/Heart to Heart is for at least 200 churches of Christ to go into their communities on the same day to evangelize and invite others to our worship assemblies. The world starts next door! Please meet at the building at 8 a.m. to get organized. Outreach Item for September: Diapers
- 4. EAST MAIN’S FAMILY RETREAT November1st & 2nd at Maywood Christian Camp WE WANT ALL AGES TO ATTEND!!!! Reed Swindle will speak 3 times on Saturday. There are two lists in the foyer beside the tract rack to sign (1. If you are coming and your t-shirt size, 2. If you plan to attend Friday night or just Saturday). Plans are to bring the bus over Saturday morning for the day for those who may not feel comfortable driving to Hamilton, AL. Come and enjoy a great period of fellowship with your church family! Men to Serve Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019 a.m. Announcements...................................Mike Childers Bible Reading..............................Hunter Underwood Opening Prayer ............................ Rommie Dilworth Lord’s Supper Terry Kingsley & Roger Sanderson Serve Congregation, East Side: Clinton Kingsley, Robert Parker, Jalon Mansel Serve Congregation, West Side: Chad Willis, Ian Willis, Aaron Willis Lead Singing..............................................Mark Hitt Closing Prayer........................................... Joe Minor Ushers .............. Jimmy Spearman & Andy Baldwyn Please meet in the library by 8:45 a.m. Sunday Afternoon Opening Prayer ....................................... Perry Hand Closing Prayer............................................Joe Smith Lead Singing...............................Bobby Joe Lindley Wednesday, October 9, 2019 Prayer........................................................Tim Davis Lead Singing........................................ Greg Hughes Contact Wade Bryan (419-5552) if unable to serve. The elders kindly request that men leading in public worship wear the best dress clothes they have. Greeters .............................Hugh & Rachel Scribner ..................................Lee & Heather DuBois Prepare Lord’s Supper—October .....................Larry & Judy Bates Nursery....Chevela Underwood & Twinette Wallace Pantry................................................................ Soup Attendance & Contribution Mid-Week, 9-25-19..............................................176 Sunday 1st Worship, 9-29-19 ...............................191 Sunday Bible Class ..............................................195 Sunday 2nd Worship.............................................196 Contribution (budget $7,900)..........................$8,856