The elders at Eastside believe that gospel meetings are needed as much now as ever. Under their leadership the following meeting will take place: October 23-28​ with Brother Frank Walton of Huntsville, AL doing the preaching. Sunday 9:00; 10:00 AM 6:00 PM Monday – Friday 7:00PM

PURPOSE OF THIS MEETING:​ ​The purpose of this, meeting is to preach the gospel of Christ which is the power of God, which is able to save the souls of man. (Rom. 1:16) There is nothing that can take the place of preaching the gospel of Christ. No one can be converted without hearing the Word of God. The other things play an important role, singing and praying, but only the Word of God converts.

FRANK WALTON TO DO THE PREACHING:​ ​Bro. Frank Walton needs no introduction to the people at Eastside. He has held meetings here before. We are delighted to have Bro. Walton here to preach on the theme Zeal for God.

A GREAT OPPORTUNITY:​ ​We have before us a great opportunity to invite friends and family to hear the truth preached. Let us not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ, but invite others to hear the truth of God preached.

                                                                                   Getting Older by W. Frank Walton

"The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, if it is found in the way of righteousness" (Proverbs 16:31). As soon as we are born, everyone begins to get older. Have you ever plucked out a gray hair? Our sensual culture worships youth and good looks more than virtue and good sense. This began with those who came of age in the 1960's, saying, "Don't trust anyone over 30." Those spoiled baby boomers have had to revise their mantra, pushing it ever higher as they themselves age. However, there is more to life than being young, looking good, and having a good time. In the Biblical world, gray hair was a badge of honor, not a sign of being decrepit. "The splendor of old men is their gray head" (Proverbs 20:29). It represented maturity, hard-won experience and wisdom by living long and learning well from God's university of hard knocks. God's purpose for our lives is our spiritual and moral development, "so we might share in His holiness" (Heb 12:10). It is not how long we live, but how well we live before God that counts. "Teach us to number our days, that we may present to you a heart of wisdom" (Psa 90:12). As the years roll by, we never retire from the Lord's service. Caleb was one of the faithful few to the divine vision to conquer Canaan with God's help against all odds. He remained active and alert to the end, with youthful exuberance to take on new challenges (Joshua 14:6-15). "Paul, the aged," still wrote encouraging letters during his final Roman imprisonment (Philemon 1:9). To keep his mind sharp and occupied, Paul was still studying toward the very end of his life (2 Timothy 4:13). Victor Hugo said, "Winter is on my head, but spring is in my heart." Someone has said, "Experience is what you get after you don't need it." No, if we keep active in the Lord's work, we can use our experience somewhere in the future, even if it is teaching someone younger (cf. Titus 2:3-5). Contrast this with some elders who may think serving as an elder is a lifetime appointment to a board of directors, regardless of their declining fitness of age and ability to execute the "hands on" work of shepherding the flock. David Lipscomb, long-time editor of the Gospel Advocate and co-founder of David Lipscomb University, knew the Bible in his day about as well as anyone. In the very last months of his life at 84, he would sit in his rocking chair and study his Bible for up to 2 hours daily. In 1916, a year before his death, he wrote, "We have long ago passed the threescore and ten years allotted to man on earth.... As we approach the end, the more we study the word of God, the more anxious we are to meet him, knowing we have opposed all innovations and changes upon His order at every point along the line of duty drawn by Him" (Gospel Advocate, 1916, p. 1). May this be our epitaph, that we were faithful to the Lord and His Word, as we get older until the very end of our life on earth. It is better to wear out than rust out in the Lord's service. Christians should not detest getting older. As we progress through the Lord's school of discipleship, it brings us closer to graduating to that heavenly shore where there are delights with our Lord forever more (2 Cor 4:16-18). The sick and physically weak are then forever healthy and strong. ---------------------------------------------------------

If we are honest, all of us have things we could look back upon with regret. I’m sure if you are like me it doesn’t take long for certain things to flood your mind when you consider things you have regretted. However, regret is nothing new and when you go back through the Bible you will find different people who had regrets. Time and space will not permit us to examine all, but a few examples will suffice.

(i)Lot's Regret (Gen.19). Lot had chosen to take his family to live in the city of Sodom. This city was ungodly and God’s wrath burned hot against the city. God decided to destroy Sodom and warned righteous Lot (2 Pet.2:6-8) to get out of the city. Lot lost family members due to their love for the city. No doubt this man Lot regretted ever moving his family into Sodom and then Sodom moving into his family.

(ii)David’s Regret (Psa.51). Here is a man who committed the sin of adultery. In a moment of weakness David allowed him to be tempted and did something he would spend the rest of his life regretting. No doubt if he could go back in time and undo this action he would. David regretted his decision, action, and the consequence of his sin.

(iii)Peter’s Regret (Lk.22). This man was an apostle of Jesus Christ. He had many great memories of his time with Christ. However, one thing he never would have forgotten would be the rooster’s crow. The time he denied the Lord three times and then the rooster crowed calling to his mind what the Lord said He would do. After he sinned the Bible says he went out and wept bitterly. Tears of repentance flowed from his eyes. No doubt he regretted that night of weakness when he denied the Lord.

(iv)Judas regret (Matt.27). In Matt.27:3 the Bible says, “he was remorseful” in other words he regretted his actions of betraying the Lord. However, instead of regret and remorse leading to repentance, Judas took matters into his own hands and took his own life.

(v)Applications: How do we deal with regrets? (1) Face your mistake. We need to face the fact we sinned, blundered, fell short, etc. Will never correct what is wrong if we don’t first admit and confess our sin. (2) Confess it to the Lord. If we have already been baptized into Christ we need to confess our sins (I Jno.1:9) so they will be blotted out. God will blot the sin out of His book and remember it no more. (3) As much as possible; make it right. This will help your conscience and bring about reconciliation with the one you sinned against. (4) Don’t dwell on the past. We all have “cringe moments”, but we should not dwell on the past. If we stay focused on our past blunders it keeps us from living in the here and now. It is sad so many live in regret and not in grace.