Sovereign Grace Missionary BaptistChurch 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 January 13, 2013 Newsletter Number 400 Brother Randy Johnson, Pastor Brother Ronnie Henderson, Song Director Pastor E-Mail: pastor@sgmbaptist.com Web Site: www.sgmbaptist.com "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, Frank & Sonya Trusty, 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. & Children, Ricky Henderson and Family, Jacie Henderson, Bro. & Mrs. Hammond, Charles, Don Hammond and Families, Archie & Barbara Griffin, Bro. & Sister Bob Keller, Mary Ramsey, Donna Johnson, Fay Johnson, James and Luann Reynolds, Timothy and Nathan Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jerry Hughes, Sister Nita Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Janie Capps, Imajo Tracy, Linda Hughes, Roy Lemmon, Rosie Tomlin, Lee Mollette’s Daughter & Granddaughter Kristal, Dale Barnes – Kathy Johnson and their mother, Pat and Waymon Abercrombie, Barbara Brewer, Donna Jones, Dale and Linda Trahan, Ricky and Margaret McCoy, Brother David O’Neal, Brother Curtis Pugh, Brother Dan Sullivan and the work in Thailand, Brother Raul and the work in Romania, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

A Thought From Our Pastor: Charity 1 Corinthians 13:3 "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." We ask the question; why charity? The Greek definition for charity is “love” and since God is love then a love like life must come from God. No matter what else one has or does in life, it means nothing if it has not love. One can sacrifice their entire life and estate to anything but if it is not done in love then it is worthless. Many will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and proclaim their sacrifices but it will to no profit. "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (23.) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Matthew 7:22 – 23. These are not those who claim to be non-Christians but millions upon millions who claim to be Christians but will find out that they were not. These will be those who gave much money to the Lord, those who sacrificed much time for the Lord, those who may have even given their life as a sacrifice for the Lord, but all to no profit. There is a difference between one who sacrifices for the Lord out of charity and one who sacrifices for the Lord for a cause. Love is a gift of God; God calls it a fruit of the Holy Spirit which all true Christians have. God does not give His Attributes to the Lost, their spiritual hearts are dead and therefore they cannot do things for the love of God but rather for a love of profit. I also worry about those who have little or no sense of charity about them. God has always told the Christian to sacrifice all for Him and to help His other Children. Let us not forget God gave to us His all in His beloved Son Jesus The Christ. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (14.) Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." John 15:13 – 14 God also said of the true Christian that we should be willing to lay down our life for our fellow Christian. “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” 1 John 3:16 Folks what is in our hearts? Is it the Holy Spirit or the power of darkness tricking us to think we are Christians? A true Christian will always do things for others in charity and for no other reason. If one ever does something for another out of obligation, or for any other reason than love and expecting something in return then it was not done godly. "For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. (9.) This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. (10.) For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe." 1 Timothy 4:8 – 10 How is your heart, is it full of Gods love or is it empty? Today is the time for a test and if you lack true love in your heart then you will also lack the Holy Spirit of God. Folks no matter what you give to God; even if it is your life as a sacrifice it is totally worthless if it is not out of charity. Charity is the only profitable gift you can give. I pray you are not one of those unprofitable servants who ask “…have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works…” 1 John 5:1 - 2 "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. (2.) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments."

For Our Weekly Meditation: A Servant of God“Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;” (Titus 1:1) Sometimes the Gospel of Christ becomes a most difficult work. It would indeed be nice if all under the umbrella of “Christianity” were a flawless mirror of the Word of God. The reality of life is that most of what is projected to man is twisted mirrors of deceptions. Most folk come to “Christianity” with an uninformed quest for something to satisfy a yearning for some form of religion. This is totally natural for someone lost and groping in the darkness of sin. The dilemma is anchored in the inability of the spiritually dead to know truth and the deceptive cunningness of Satan and his servants masquerading as “ministers of righteousness” distorting the truth. Anyone can profess to be “a servant of God”, but not everyone has the qualifying credentials with the seal of the living God. Paul relates that he is “a servant of God”, and then he continues to set forth his certifications, namely, or according to: 1) the faith of God’s elect, and 2) the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness. Faith can be a general term entrusted to an object, an animal, a human, or an imaginary spiritual thing. The faith Paul is referencing is the eternal faith birthed out of heaven wrought saving faith. This peculiar faith can only be witnessed in the elect of God. Many have tried to imitate it, but none have been able to duplicate it, or harness its power. The evidences of this faith certify the servant’s Master. The next point of certification is the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness. While it is truth that if you hit you finger with a hammer it will hurt, but this is not the truth of certification. The revealing truth of servitude Paul acknowledges is the one “which is after godliness.” This is a truth that directs one’s piety toward God. Satan and his deceiving ministers never us this truth. God’s servant can only use holy faith and holy truth leading to God. By Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr.

NATURE NATURE is a looking-glass in which I see the face of God. I delight to gaze abroad, and "Look through nature, up to nature's God." We may delight ourselves in the works of God, and find much pleasure therein, and get much advanced towards God himself by considering his works. By Charles Spurgeon