The article discusses whether Jesus and the Bible are real to people today. It notes that while many claim to believe in Jesus, they do not live as if he is real. It argues that one must study the Bible to show it is God's word and for Jesus to be real in their lives. The destiny of one's soul depends on whether Jesus is real to them. It encourages taking inventory of how closely one's life aligns with the Bible.

1. 4
Vol. 45 August 4, 2020 Number 31
IS HE REAL TO ME?
Barry Kennedy
Jesus, do you know Him? Is He the Lord of your life today? These are fair
questions considering who Jesus is and what He has done for man (John 3:16;
Romans 5:8). It is interesting to consider how many people believe that Jesus is
real and that the Bible is His inspired word. In fact, many studies show that the
“Christian” religion makes up about thirty-three percent of the world’s population.
Most of that thirty three percent, if asked, would boldly say that they believe Jesus
is real. However, many of that same number live their lives as if He is not real. It is
as if Jesus is just some good idea or tradition passed on from generation to
generation. The truth of Jesus’ life is a fact that has been disputed, contested and
rejected throughout the ages. Nevertheless, any attempt to discredit the truth (John
8:32; 17:17) has nothing but failure in its future. With all the overwhelming
evidence and testimony, why would any have to ask is He real?
Seeing is believing. Some feel that unless they can see, hear, taste, smell or
touch the subject at hand, then it does not exist. If this line of thinking were totally
true, love would not exist. No one will deny the existence of love even though it
cannot be “tested” with the five senses. If one were to see the Lord appear from
Heaven and say, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel;” would he not make
a determined effort to perform the Lord’s bidding? Why, because the Lord
commanded him to go. One can easily understand this scenario, but what about the
responses, or lack of responses, made to passages like Matthew 28:18-20 or Mark
16:15, 16? Is the Bible the Word of God (1 Timothy 3:16-17)? Are these passages
specifically the words of Jesus? Why then do they get such a different response?
Because too many people do not see the Bible to be real.
That is not what I have been taught. The Bible says that in “latter times”
some will leave the faith. Some contend that this has not happened as of yet. That
is interesting considering how many different doctrines that are being taught in the
religious world today. Paul told the church at Corinth that Jesus commands all His
followers to “speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you; but
that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment”
(1 Corinthians 1:10). Too many are being led away from the truth of God to follow
after emotionalism and a “better felt than told” religion. The church at Ephesus
was told:
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some
evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints
for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all
--article continued page 2--
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 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.
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—
come to the unity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect
man, to the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ; that we should no longer
be children, tossed to and fro and carried
about with every wind of doctrine, by the
trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of
deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in
love, may grow up in all things into Him
who is the head—Christ—” (Ephesians
4:11-15 NKJV).
Putting trust in what man has said over what God
has said will never make Him or His word real to
us. Jeremiah wrote long ago “that the way of man is
not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct
his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). Christians have an
obligation to study God’s Word to show themselves
approved unto God (2 Timothy 2:15). Until one
takes this charge seriously, Jesus, nor His Word,
will ever be real to him.
How real is God in our lives today? Let’s
take personal inventory of how we live, what we
say and where we go. The life of a true Christian
cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14). Jesus is real, if
we believe in Him or not. However, the destiny of
our souls depends upon whether or not He is real to
us individually (John 8:24; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank You
Dear Family,
Thank you for the love and support that you
showed to Caleb and Sydney. The shower was
beautiful, and it was great to visit with so many of
you. Our love,
Gary & Lisa Williams
Bible Classes
Don’t forget that
several of our Bible
classes are streamed each
week. [Sunday adult
class--Jeff Mansel
(Facebook/YouTube);
Wednesday adult class--
Barry Kennedy
(Facebook/YouTube); College class (Sun. &
Wed.)--Roger Sanderson/Tim Davis (Facebook);
Young married class (Wed.)--Mark Hitt (Zoom);
High school class (Wed.)--Alex Blackwelder
(Zoom)]. We urge everyone while in these
unprecedented times to take as many opportunities
as possible to study God’s word in the privacy of
your homes.
Outward Youth Camp
Joshua Kennedy is
continuing the
“Outward Online”
sessions. Search
Outward Youth
Camp on YouTube. There is a lesson each week on
Saturday at 6:00 p.m. with different speakers. You
can also go to East Main’s Facebook page and
Barry usually posts it there, as well.
Girls’ Joyful Rebellion
The girls’ Joyful Rebellion
group is invited to a pool
party on August 9 at 4:00
p.m. Please see Beth Reed for
more information.
Sympathy
Our sympathy is extended to the family of Grace
Foland of Crossville, TN, who passed away
suddenly last week. Mrs. Foland was Barry
Kennedy’s secretary for a while and the wife of one
of the elders of the Crossville congregation.
John Duke stationed in Gulfport, MS
Caleb Williams stationed in Quantico, VA
Rob Cross & family stationed in South Korea
Ty Nichols stationed in Germany

3. Daily Bible Reading
August 5............................................Jeremiah 16-20
August 6............................................Jeremiah 21-25
August 7............................................Jeremiah 26-29
August 8............................................Jeremiah 30-31
August 9............................................Jeremiah 32-33
August 10..........................................Jeremiah 34-36
August 11..........................................Jeremiah 37-39
Birthdays &
Anniversaries
Birthdays: John Ezra Lindley (Aug. 6),
Norma Deaton (Aug. 10), Pat Putt (Aug. 11).
Anniversaries: Crafton & Marla Laney (Aug.
8), Danny & Barbara Wright (Aug. 8), Mike &
Renee Childers (Aug. 10).
Our Sick
Pete Barber continues home hospice. Linda
Hand, Terry Kingsley & Crafton Laney are home
recuperating from surgery. Little Addi Millard is in
LeBonheur following surgery. She is doing well.
Natalie Mansel will undergo surgery soon in
Birmingham to correct TMJ issues with her jaw.
Leigh Bland has broken her ankle. Star Ray’s sister-
in-law, Melissa Pittman, is home from the hospital.
Star’s mother, Stella Pittman, continues to have a
lot of pain. Prayers have been requested for Thomas
Lloyd, a good friend of Eddie Simmons who is
having a lot of trouble with Spasmodic Dysphonia.
On-Going Illnesses
Jean Mounce, Mary Lou Walden, Steve Kelly,
Bettye Davis, Frankie Estes, Jennie Cox, Donny
Dulaney, Adam McCurley, Mary Jordan, James
Goddard, Bill Goff, Leroy Brown, Jadon Parish,
Jerry Smith, Mitch Maclean, Mary Starz, Sheba
Tuggers, Homer Smith, Jill Rice, Shirley Roberts,
Merlene Johnson
Nursing Homes
Evelyn Willis, Nancy Haywood, Randy Attaway,
Shirley McCarthy, Veona Harris, Bob & Clara
McClure (Missy Nichols’ parents)
Home Devotional
How to be saved?
Hear God’s word................................ Romans 10:17
Believe that Jesus is God’s Son .................John 3:16
Repent of your sins ................................... Luke 13:3
Confess that Jesus is God’s Son......... Romans 10:10
Be immersed in water .......................Mark 16:15, 16
Live a Christian life .................... 2 Timothy 3:14-15
Name the Beatitudes:
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs in the
kingdom of heaven.
2. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall
be comforted.
3. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit
the earth.
4. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst
after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
5. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall
obtain mercy.
6. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall
see God.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall
be called the children of God.
8. Blessed are they which are persecuted for
righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
9. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you,
and persecute you, and shall say all manner
of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Can you tell a Bible story from the
following picture?

4. Men to Serve Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020 a.m.
Announcements.......................................Jeff Mansel
Bible Reading.............................................. Ian Reed
Opening Prayer .................................... Paul Blansett
Lord’s Supper
Wade Bryan
Lead Singing......................................Donny McKay
Closing Prayer........................................ Chad Willis
Ushers .................................Will Davis & Joe Minor
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.....Roger Sanderson/Tim Davis (Facebook)
Young married class............................ Mark Hitt (Zoom)
High School class ................... Alex Blackwelder (Zoom)
The elders kindly request that men leading in public
worship wear the best dress clothes they have.
Attendance & Contribution
Mid-Week, 7-15-20 ................................................... N/A
Sunday 1st
Worship, 7-19-20 ........................................ 29
Sunday Bible Class.................................................... N/A
Sunday 2nd
Worship.................................................. 120*
Contribution (budget $7,900) ................................ $8,205
*This does not include the livestreamed views.
Mark Your Calendars!
Personal Evangelism Workshop – August 28th-29th
Gospel Meeting – September 13th-16th
Fall Family Retreat – November 13th-14th
Services will be livestreamed this Sunday at
10:00 a.m. if you do not feel safe attending the
service in person.