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 January 01, 2012 Newsletter Number 348 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, 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, Linda Mollette – Linda at the thrift store - Shawn - his girls – and Eric, James and Brooke Thomas, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

The Pastors Corner: We Are Commanded To Honor Our Parents. Ephesians 6:2 “Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)” This subject was discussed at my mother’s house over the holidays with some of my family. I was asked what it truly means “to honor our parents” and when I answered the question I may have walked into a hornets nest, but the truth is the truth. God never made an exception to when not to honor our parents. We must quickly understand that the bible is law and therefore it must be treated as such. If God says to do something and gives no exceptions then there are no exceptions. Let’s liken it to the law of the road; if the speed limit on the interstate is 70mph maximum then is there any exception to drive 80mph; no there is not, just as there are no exceptions not to honor our parents. I know some parents are awful, godless people and do not deserve any honor in our opinions but we must keep in mind that honor is a commandment; in fact it is in the Ten Commandments. In Exodus 20:12 “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” In fact Jesus Christ took it much farther when he said; “For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.” Matthew 15:4. I would say this is pretty final and a commandment we should all obey. Now please believe me when I say “I understand that there are many parents that do not deserve any honor” but we must all understand that God never said “if they deserve it”. My own father was a drunk, wife abuser, child abuser (not sexually), and sometimes a horrible person but I always honored him as my father and still do even though he has been dead many years. Beloved it is not what I say that counts but it is what God says that counts and He must be obeyed. Please let us remember on thing; we are not to render evil for evil God said; “Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.” 1 Peter 3:9 Do your part and God will bless you for your honor to them and for you’re obeying him. Now to them; if they are bad people and you find it hard to honor them then look to Jesus Christ who also said; "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. (20.) Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. (21.) Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:19 – 21. Beloved obey God and give them the honor that He commanded and God will take care of the “not deserving part”. Honoring our parents is not a choice but rather a command and if we treat it as a choice and not do it then it becomes sin on our part. In conclusion I think it is proper to let everyone understand what God means by the word “honor”. The Greek word honor means – to prize or to revere – Now as a child we have this command: “for they are not only to be loved, and to be feared, and reverenced, their corrections to be submitted to, offences against them to be acknowledged, their tempers to be bore with, and their infirmities covered; but they are to be honoured in thought, word, and gesture; they are to be highly thought of and esteemed; they are to be spoken to, and of, very honourably, and with great veneration and to be behaved to in a very respectful manner; and they are to be relieved, assisted, and maintained in comfortable way when aged.” As John Gill so wisely points out. God told all children to “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” Ephesians 6:1 however as we mature in age we are no longer commanded to “obey” them but rather just to honor them for who they are and that is our parents. Matthew 19:5 - 6 "And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? (6.) Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." The word honor and obey are not the same word and while we love and honor our parents we must live our own lives and make our own decisions.

A Thought For The Week: "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."--Psalm 90:12 Casting our eyes back upon the year now past and gone, are there no mercies which claim a note of thankful praise? It is sweet to see the Lord's kind hand in providence, but sweeter far to view his outstretched hand in grace. Are we then so unwatchful or so unmindful of the Lord's gracious hand in his various dealings with our soul as to view the whole past twelve months as a dead blank in which we have never seen his face, nor heard his voice, nor felt his power? "Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness?" (Jer 2:31,) the Lord tenderly asks. Has he been such to us also for twelve long and weary months? What! No help by the way, no tokens for good, no liftings-up of the light of his countenance, no visitations of his presence and power, no breakings-in of his goodness for all that long and dreary time--for dreary it must indeed have been for a living soul to have been left and abandoned of the Lord so long! If not blessed with any peculiar manifestations of Christ, with any signal revelations of his Person and work, blood and love, grace and glory, for such special seasons are not of frequent, occurrence, have we not still found him the Way, the Truth, and the Life? If we have indeed a personal and spiritual union with the Son of God, as our living Head, there will be communications out of his fullness, a supplying of all our needs--a drawing forth of faith, hope, and love--a support under trials, a deliverance from temptations, a deepening of his fear in the heart, and that continued work of grace whereby we are enabled to live a life of faith on the Son of God. By J. C. Philpot, from his "Daily Portions"

Church News: The church will hold our next monthly business meeting on January 8th during the 4:00 service.

Happy Birthday: Sister Donna Johnson – January 2nd - Sister Sarah Henderson – January 3rd - Brother Ronnie Henderson – January 4th - and Sister Juanita Bookout January 7th