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The Great Commission

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:18-20

The last few words of Jesus’ earthly ministry took place on a mountain after He was resurrected.  He gathered the disciples together and gave them their marching orders and these words are for us today the same. Jesus claims full authority in heaven and on earth, then commissions his followers to make disciples of all nations.  

Today we are able to read the initial response to this mission in the book of Acts.  In the book of Acts, we see the beginning of the church in Jerusalem and then the unprecedented spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.  Over 2,000 years later, we gather as a body of believers here at Eastern Hills in Montgomery, AL because of this mission given by the Lord Jesus.  Not only do we just gather as followers of Jesus, but our church has a history of sending out missionaries under the banner of the Great Commission for the purpose of making disciples in Montgomery and across the globe.  This going and sending is in our DNA as a church.  What a privilege and joy it to take place in this great mission knowing not only that Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth but that, as the last words of this verse tell us, He is with us to the end of the age. 

At the conclusion of the service this past Sunday, we commissioned our student ministry as we will soon embark on Choir Tour 2021.  I can not tell you how incredible this process has been for me in just the past 11 weeks to see God orchestrate and provide opportunities for our students to minister on tour this year.  A process that typically takes 8-12 months to plan was accomplished in just under 3 months.  We are excited about the opportunity for us as we go. Will you pray for us? Pray for us as we travel, as we sing, and as we serve.  Pray for our hearts to be captured by the greatness and goodness of our great God. Pray for those with who we will engage with the gospel. Pray for our students to be changed by the gospel.

Pastor Jeff

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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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