Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 Celebrating 50 years as a Church of Jesus Christ October 29, 1961 – October 29, 2011 September 25, 2011 Newsletter Number 335 Brother Randy Johnson, Pastor Brother 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, Sister Alice Hoskins, Frank & Sonya Trusty, Bryndon Thomas, Frank & Dawana Reigel, Andrew Preston, Larry Mollette, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kerry Pennington, Kim Poole, Danny & Nita Mollette, Wendell Henderson, Judy Dunn, Martha Gray, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd,, Ronnie Henderson Jr. & Son Kevin Henderson, Jim Stagner, Bro. & Mrs. Hammond, Don & Neil Hammond, Charles Hammond, Archie & Barbara Griffin & son Daniel, Bro. & Sister Bob Keller, Kathy Rosinbaum, Mary Ramsey, Donna Johnson, Fay Johnson, Luann Reynolds, Brother Curtis Pugh, Timothy and Nathan Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jim & Linda Meier, Brother Manuel Seymour, Letha Langford, Brother & Sister Kelley Hinson and Kelley Lee, Billy and Jo Hobbs, Jerry Hughes, Sister Nita Bookout, Justin Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Janie Capps, Gina Sullivan, Katie Norton, Imajo Tracy, Linda Hughes, Roy Lemmon, Marshall Risinger & wife, Lee Mollette’s Daughter & Granddaughter Kristal, Dale Barnes, Keith Johnson, Tammy Hairston, Lorene & David Rodden, Leon Wyckoff, Billy Smith, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

The Pastors Corner: Blessed are the merciful. Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” Oh, how so many Christians and church members miss this blessing! The word “merciful” mean – compassionate – and refers to words and deeds. Now let us not misunderstand the second part of this verse; receiving mercy from God is not conditional but is a gracious act on His part. However with this being said I do believe that extra blessings from God can be earned just as crowns of righteousness can be earned and I believe that if a Christian is more and more gracious to others then God will be extra gracious to that Christian. With that all being said the beatitude is that we are to be merciful and it fears me that a lot of Christians fail in this area. We truly live in an unmerciful ere and for the Christians this needs to change. We must be reminded of the mercy that God has had on all whom are saved and called Christians, we were not saved by merit but by grace and mercy and God continues to have mercy and grace on the Christian continually. However the question must be asked; why aren’t we merciful like our Lord, we are told to be, “Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?” Matthew 18:33 I would to God that we all had this very kind of mercy on each and every Christian, I would to God we all put the other Christian before self, and did everything in our power to help our fellow believer. God said in Ephesians 5:1 - 2 "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; (2.) And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour." God said to be followers of Him and have the same love that He had that He sent His only beloved Son in the form of Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins, so beloved I must ask what have you done to help your fellow Christian or church member? We are also reminded in Galatians 6:2 “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Are you bearing the burdens of other Christians? Are you doing anything to help your fellow Christian, church, or Pastor? If not then you are not walking as the Lord has commanded and are not worthy of more mercy. This is why the Lord reminded us in Romans 15:1 “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” We who are stronger in anything, we that are stronger in doctrine are to help the weaker, we that are stronger in money are to help the weaker, and we who are stronger knowledge are to help the weaker, oh how I believe we fail so much in this area as believers. This is simply having mercy on others as God has had much mercy on us, but why if God was like we are, why if He was to withhold His mercy, oh, we would cry to the highest mountain begging for His mercy, but beloved we don’t have to because He knows and supplies our every need before we ever ask. I wonder what the feeling would be if we were to help another Christian before they ever asked for the help; but rather countless times I have heard Christians refuse to help other that they could, what mercy are they owed of God? Proverbs 11:17 “The merciful man doeth good to his own soul..." Proverbs 19:17 "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again." James 3:17 "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." Beloved please remember the merciful has more mercy bestowed on them.

Let Trials Bless: "Knowing that tribulation worketh patience" Rom. 5:3 This is a promise in essence if not in form. We have need of patience, and here we see the way of getting it. It is only by enduring that we learn to endure, even as by swimming men learn to swim. You could not learn that art on dry land, nor learn patience without trouble. Is it not worth while to suffer tribulation for the sake of gaining that beautiful equanimity of mind which quietly acquiesces in all the will of God? Yet our text sets forth a singular fact, which is not according to nature, but is supernatural. Tribulation in and of itself worketh petulance, unbelief, and rebellion. It is only by the sacred alchemy of grace that it is made to work in us patience. We do not thresh the wheat to lay the dust: yet the flail of tribulation does this upon God's floor. We do not toss a man about in order to give him rest, and yet so the Lord dealeth with His children. Truly this is not the manner of man, but greatly redounds to the glory of our all-wise God. Oh, for grace to let my trials bless me! Why should I wish to stay their gracious operation? Lord, I ask thee to remove my affliction, but I beseech thee ten times more to remove my impatience. Precious Lord Jesus, with thy cross engrave the image of thy patience on my heart. By Charles Spergeon from his "Faith's Checkbook" series

Church News: The church will hold our monthly business on Sunday October 2nd at 4:00 please plan to attend and be a part of our churches business. Pastor Johnson will be speaking at the Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Silsbee, Texas on October 14 – 16, at the churches Annual Bible Conference, please plan to attend if possible. We are pleased to announce that Brother Raul Enyedi from Romania will be visiting our church and speaking during the Sunday School and Morning Worship service 10:00am – 12:00 on October 23, 2011. We were very please to receive this news. Brother Curtis Pugh also informed us that he plans to attend the services if possible; however he will not be speaking. We are please to announce that Brother Doyle Thomas has accepted the invitation to come and speak both services on our 50th anniversary October 30th. Brother Thomas is a former Pastor of this church from November 1979 – January 1983 Please plan to attend and invite all the visitors that you can.