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 December 18, 2011 Newsletter Number 347 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 Have Been Taught For More Than Fifty Years”

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, Joyce Gomez , 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, Tommy Lee Walker, Leon Wyckoff, Billy Smith, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

The Pastors Corner: People chasing wealth looses with God. Psalms 49:6 - 9 "They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; (7.) None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (8.) (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) (9.) That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption." We can go on and on about wealth and God but there is one single point I want to make in this article and that is chasing wealth will make you a looser with God. Money; as some mythically people conclude “money makes the world go around” but this is as big of lie as believing in Santa Claus. God makes the world go around and money has nothing at all to do with it. In fact this is the truth God will give you more than you will ever get with money. Money tends to turn hearts away from God. God gives riches to those “Christians” who can handle it. We that do not have often wonder what good we could do if we were rich, but the question is would we do it. God said “the love of money is the root of all evil” 1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” God goes on to say “they have erred from the faith” because they have coveted after the money. Before you take a new fancy job that requires you to work on Sunday maybe you need to ask God about it, don’t just assume that it is a blessing from God it could be a temptation from Satan. Before we let money enter into our Christian decisions, we need to first ask God what is His will. It very well could be He wants you to give up the money for Him. Christians sometimes get confused about what God wants for them; and therefore make foolish decisions in life. Let us never forget God always gets His ordained will accomplished and if He must remove something personal to you that stand in the way then He will. I must admit I also love money and would also love to have more of it, but not if it separates me from God. I love God more than money but there are some Christians I wonder about. Beloved the rainbow we are to chase is the rainbow of God and not that of this world. The rewards of God are trillions times more valuable than the riches of this world. God said in our text scripture “They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;” they depend solely in their money and believe they can accomplish anything through their money; in other words they replace God supplying their needs to their money supplying them. And while there is so much they can do with worldly riches they cannot redeem a lost soul; “None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:” Money also cannot change their appointment to death; “That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption." Nor can their money buy them from eternal hell. God controls both and He cannot be bought. The Christian chasing the money rainbow is sad, it is sad when a singer in church turns professional, it is sad when a Pastor retires the ministry for a professional job. Now I have my own opinion of all these people and their call to work for God but these are real examples. Beloved if God has elected you to do something to His glory then do it; let nothing stand in your way, not even money. A good Christian never lets money come between them and God. Ezekiel 22:12 "In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord GOD." Sometimes taking the money is forgetting God. Don’t make excuses to justify your love for money over God; God knows the truth and me or your Pastor is not the one you will have to explain things too. God always comes before money or material things. His rewards will be trillions times greater than the earthly rewards. But if you do not believe me then you will find out in glory when you are judged by Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:13 “Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.”

You are the one who has done this: Look upwards, when tribulations come upon you! Look to that sovereign Lord, who commissions and sends them upon you. You know that troubles do not rise out of the dust, nor spring out of the ground, but are framed in heaven. "This is what the Lord says: I'm going to prepare a disaster and make plans against you." Jer. 18:11. Troubles and afflictions are of the Lord's framing and devising, to reduce His wandering people to Himself. You may observe much of divine wisdom in the choice, measure, and season of your troubles. Sovereignty, in electing the instruments of your affliction; in making them as afflictive as He pleases; and in making them obedient both to His call, in coming and going, when He pleases. Now, could you in times of trouble look up to this sovereign hand, in which your souls, bodies, and all their comforts and mercies are; how quiet would your hearts be! Oh, when we have to do with men, and look no higher, how do our spirits swell and rise with revenge and impatience! But if you once come to see that man as a rod in your Father's hand, you will be quiet. "Be still, and know that I am God." Consider with whom you have to do; not with your fellow, but with your God, who can puff you to destruction with one blast of His mouth; in whose hand you are, as the clay in the potter's hand. It is for lack of looking up to God in our troubles, that we fret, murmur, and despond at the rate we do. "It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him." 1 Samuel 3:18 By John Flavel from his book "The Fountain of Life"

Church News: The church will hold our next monthly business meeting on January 8th.

Please continue to pray for our nation as the New Year rings in. We will have an election in 2012 and the results will be most important. Our nation needs a real change. Pulling farther away from God will never have good results.