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Lead Servants: The Deacon Ministry at EHBC

“And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.’”

Acts 6 shows the formation of the deacon ministry in the local church. The apostles were making sure the church was growing spiritually through prayer and the ministry of the word, and these apostles simply could not devote themselves to meeting the physical needs of the church without compromising their primary responsibilities. The solution was to choose faithful church members who could be trusted to make sure no physical needs were being neglected. Thus, the deacon ministry was born. These deacons were called out to be the lead servants in the church.  

Fast forward about 2,000 years to the local church called Eastern Hills Baptist. We have faithful church members, identified for being trustworthy and dependable, exemplary in their devotion to Christ, officially called out to serve the physical needs of the church. They are our lead servants. As we continue to move into a new era here at Eastern Hills, we want to make sure we are using this deacon ministry to its full capabilities. In meeting with this group over the last few months, I liken them to a Ferrari parked in a garage. Yes, it’s nice to have a Ferrari, even if it is just sitting in the garage, but, man, what happens when you take it out on the highway and put it to work! I believe Eastern Hills has not yet seen the full capabilities of our deacon ministry and, let me tell you, the keys are in the ignition, the engine is purring, and we are about to put it to work! 

In the coming months our deacons are going to step into greater roles as lead servants. In addition to the areas in which they have already been serving (widow care, hospital visitation, Lord’s Supper), expect to see our deacons leading out in areas such as the greeting team, prospect visitation, missions, homebound ministry, new member assimilation, food distribution, benevolent care, security, and others. The deacon ministry is a blessing to the church. I am excited to see all the ways this church will be blessed as this group begins to explore its full capabilities! If you are not a deacon, I ask two things from you: (1) Pray for this ministry, that the Lord would use it for His glory and that Eastern Hills would benefit greatly through it. (2) Follow our deacons well. They are the lead servants, which means they are leading you to serve. Back them up. When you are called to work alongside them, work well, work with diligence, work for the glory of the Lord and the good of His church! 

Pastor Josh Wootton

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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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