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A Call To Pray

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” —  John 14:12–14

Will you pray? Jesus said that those who believe in Him will make prayerful requests in His name. The biblical concept of making a request in someone’s name is not so different than what we would understand today. If Jennifer and I decide to order take-out, she will often put the order in my name. When I go pick the order up I say, “I’m picking up an order for Josh,” indicating that the order was made according to my will. Jennifer made the request in my name, in accordance with what I wanted. This is what it means to pray in the name of Jesus. You are asking for what Jesus wants. You are looking into the written will of Christ (Scripture) and praying that it would be accomplished in the world around you. When you pray this way, you can expect that those prayers will be answered, just as Jennifer can expect that I will bring home the very take-out order that she placed in my name.

Will you pray? You see, God’s work, through Jesus Christ, is going to be accomplished in this world. That’s not an opinion. That’s just an accurate understanding of God. I don’t know about you, but I want to be a part of whatever God is doing. I would rather have the lowliest role in a movement of God than the loftiest role in a cultural trend. Would you agree with me on that? If so, then go ahead and take on that lowly role. Bow your head. Bow your knees. Bow your life to the Lord, and pray! Pray in the name of Jesus Christ, according to His will. Worship God in prayer. 

Will you pray? If you can, stop right now and pray. Then, tomorrow, pray again, and the same the next day. Pray for your family, your neighbors, your coworkers and classmates. Pray for your country, your enemies, your church. Pray for senior adults, young families, singles, teenagers, young kids, and babies. Reach deep down, remember your foundation in Christ, your faith in Christ, and pray according to His name. Pray that His will would affect every person you know and that Eastern Hills Baptist Church would be a beacon of hope and truth, a shining reflection of God’s glory for all to see! 

Will you pray?

Pastor Josh

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FOCUSED

One of the casualties of aging to which I find myself a victim is the dimming of the eyes.  Ecclesiastes 12 counsels the young person to remember God, their Creator, in their youth before the aging process takes over and various faculties, as listed in verses 1-7, are diminished.

Clear eyesight when we are young may be something we take for granted. However, as we age the realization that our vision is not as sharp as it once was takes hold. “Readers” become standard fare for all intricate tasks. Our once keen laser sharp focus is now blurry and in need of help to restore its youthfulness. That restoration is found through glasses or some sort of rejuvenating surgery. Especially in the early stages of this degenerative eye problem we may be able to fake it and get by, but eventually we must relent and do something to correct the problem.

There is a parallel between physical and spiritual vision. “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” was written in the early 20th century. The hymn writer, Helen Lemmel, was strongly influenced by the artist and later little-known missionary, Lilias Trotter. Miss Trotter started off as an aspiring artist but early on felt a call from God to reach the lost. She began her ministry by rescuing prostitutes from the streets of London. Later she went to Africa, without missionary funding, and served for over forty years. While there she penned a poem that would greatly influence the writing of the hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.”  The poem was entitled “Focused: A Story and Song.” 

The poem centers around focusing one’s attentions fully and completely upon God. She writes that Satan knows that if a person uses all their powers of concentration on being led by God’s Spirit, they will have a great intensity and impact upon those to whom they are called to minister. Lilias Trotter, writing in a more formal use of the English language than we are accustomed, shares some timeless insights which could very easily have been written today but with a different accent. She writes: “Never has it been so easy to live in half a dozen good harmless worlds at once—art, music, social science, games, motoring, the following of some profession, and so on. And between them we run the risk of drifting about, the ‘good’ hiding the ‘best’ even more effectually than it could be hidden downright frivolity with its smothered heartache at its own emptiness.”

The “good” hiding the “best” leads us to emptiness.  Could this be true of us today especially as American Christians? Have we sought the “good” while missing the “best”? The chorus of the hymn, which we will be singing in worship this Sunday, says it best.

                Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face,                                                                                                                                        And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

Keith Pate

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