Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 October 10, 2010 Elder Randy Johnson, Pastor Bro. Ronnie Henderson, Song Director Pastor E-Mail: sgmbcpastor@baptistsonline.org Web Site: www.baptistsonline.org/sgmbc "Where The Truths Of God’s Word Are Still Taught"

You Were Asked To Pray For: All of Our Military, Their Family’s & All the Civilian Workers in The Middle East, Zee Mink Fuller and Family, Her son’s Bryan Armstrong and Hunter Hackie, Daughter Shannon, and Brother Philip & Sondra Thornsberry, Virgil & Alice Hoskins, Grandchildren, and his daughters Liz Janis and Debbie Gray, Derrick & Alecia and sons Coty & Carson Clements, Bryndon Thomas, Frank & Dawana Reigel, Andrew Preston, Helen Maggard, Renee Jackson, Larry Mollette, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kirby Mollette, Kerry Pennington, Kim Butler, Danny & Nita Mollette, Verna Mae Allen, Wendell Henderson, Judy Dunn, Martha Gray, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Kevin Henderson, Ronnie Henderson Jr. & Daughter Ashley, Vickie Sims, Debbie Farmer, Morgan Murchison, Jim Stagner, Bro. & Mrs. Hammond, Don & Neil Hammond, Charles Hammond, Eric Hammond, Archie & Barbara Griffin & son Daniel, Bro. & Sister Bob Keller, Kathy Rosinbaum, Brenda Galusha and Jewel, Mary Ramsey, Donna Johnson, Fay Johnson, Luann Reynolds, Bro. & Sis. Curtis Pugh, Timothy and Nathan Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jim & Linda Meier, Brother David & Sister Anne Shortt, Brother Manuel Seymour & Family, Letha Langford, Brother & Sister Kelley Hinson and Kelley Lee, Billy and Jo Hobbs, Jerry Hughes, Sister Nita Bookout, Roger Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Janie Capps, Gina Sullivan, Katie Norton, Imajo Tracy, Sister Jean Dodson and Family, Helen Rowe, Linda Hughes, Michael Helm, Roy Lemmon, Marshall Risinger, Jason Trout, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

The Pastors Corner: Baptismal Salvation; Could It Be Possible? Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Is it possible that salvation could be involved in salvation? Could it be possible that for 2000 plus years the Baptist could have been wrong about salvation? This is an easy question to answer, absolutely not! There are to gross errors with the thinking that this verse justifies Baptism Regeneration (1.) repentance is not salvation because faith in Christ Jesus is and (2.) baptismal waters do not wash away sins because the blood of Christ Jesus does. I understand what the verse says, but this is not a single verse scripture, but it is in a whole chapter, therefore it must be taken in context with the other verses. Verse 41 adds “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” That is those that gladly received His gospel message were saved and then baptized and then added to the church with the 120 members in Acts chapter one. Salvation is all about Jesus Christ it is not about baptism, works, church membership, or etc. because if it were then it would contradict Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” and Acts 16:30 - 31 “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? (31.) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” neither one of these verse gives anything outside of Jesus Christ for salvation. Now let’s look at the forgiveness of sins, can water really wash away a sinners sins? Not according to the scriptures, Colossians 1:14 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” So if the forgiveness of sins is through the blood of Jesus is a baptistery full of city tap water as powerful as the blood spilt on the cross? I know they have other verse and I particularly like 1 Peter 3:20 “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” Are you really going to tell me that Noah and the other seven souls on that ark were saved by baptism, when baptism only started with John? The truth is the water saved them by raising the Ark above the rushing waters below, not by baptism. Then there is the most logical one that they have of all, Mark 16:16 “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” There are two separate items here; (1.) faith in Christ Jesus and (2.) baptism, but the question that must be answered is, are both required for salvation? The answer is in the verse, “…but he that believeth not shall be damned.” Where does it say that if I am not baptized then I will be damned? The simple answer is, no where! If baptism were included in salvation then wouldn’t God have listed it as damnation for not having it? I can show tons of scriptures were it is damnation for not having faith in Christ but none showing anything else. John 3:18 “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” Now let’s look at one more scripture; 1 Corinthians 1:17 “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.” Why was Paul not to baptize but rather to only preach the gospel? Because the gospel is the principal employment in salvation, baptism is the first ordinance after faith has come, because without faith and the cleansing of the blood of Christ Jesus for your sins nothing else matters. In other words baptism is not essential for salvation. I know this is an age old argument, but however old it is, two sides still exist to this argument because without those teaching baptism regeneration actually being saved, they will never repent and be truly baptized by one of the Lord’s churches.

What Sanctifies Our Offerings? "And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord" Lev. 4:7 The altar of incense is the place where saints present their prayers and praises; and it is delightful to think of it as sprinkled with the blood of the great sacrifice. This it is which makes all our worship acceptable with Jehovah: He sees the blood of His own Son, and therefore accepts our homage. It is well for us to fix our eyes upon the blood of the one offering for sin. Sin mingles even with our holy things, and our best repentance, faith, prayer, and thanksgiving could not be received of God were it not for the merit of the atoning sacrifice. Many sneer at "the blood"; but to us it is the foundation of comfort and hope. That which is on the horns of the altar is meant to be prominently before our eyes when we draw near to God. The blood gives strength to prayer, and hence it is on the altar's horns. It is "before the Lord," and therefore it ought to be before us. It is on the altar before we bring the incense; it is there to sanctify our offerings and gifts. Come, let us pray with confidence, since the Victim is offered, the merit has been pleaded, the blood is within the veil, and the prayers of believers must be sweet unto the Lord. -By C H Spurgeon

If God had left me alone: Sometimes, when I see some of the worst characters in the street, I feel as if my heart must burst forth in tears of gratitude that God has never let me act as they have done! I have thought, "If God had left me alone, and had not touched me by His grace, what a great sinner I would have been! I would have run to the utmost lengths of sin, dived into the very depths of evil. Nor would I have stopped at any vice or folly, if God had not restrained me!" I feel that I would have been a very king of sinners, if God had left me alone. I cannot understand the reason why I am saved, except upon the ground that God would have it so. I cannot, if I look ever so earnestly, discover any kind of reason in myself why I should be a partaker of Divine grace. --By Charles Spurgeon