Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church
1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501
May 19, 2013          
 Newsletter Number 416

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, Junior Baldridge, Frankie Baldridge and daughter, Buckie Thompson, Frank & Sonya Trusty, Frank & Dawana Reigel, Andrew Preston, Larry & Martha 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, Velma 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, Teresa Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Janie Capps, Imajo Tracy, Linda Hughes, Roy Lemmon, Rosie Tomlin, Lee Mollette’s Daughter & Granddaughter Kristal, Pat Abercrombie, Barbara Brewer, Donna Jones, Dale and Linda Trahan, Ricky and Margaret McCoy, Brother David O’Neal, Gina, Ryan, and Mallary Peel, Tommy Walker and family, Dina Thomas, Brother Steve McCool and the work in Canada, 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:

Contentment In The Lord’s Churches.
Philippians 4:11 - 12 "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. (12.) I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need."

I know this is really to us the believer’s however today I would like to point this to the Lord’s churches. We are living in a time of apostasy where many have left the Lord’s churches for a good time and feeling in the religious places of worship. I am a firm believer that we are living in the last days and the Lords return is not so far away. However the reason, it is a fact that the Lord’s churches are all feeling the pains of smaller membership, less money, fewer visitors, and even less people being saved. But as churches we all must remain CONTENT at all times in the churches as we must in our personal life. Being content means to be satisfied, and the reason for this is because we cannot change any of it on our own. Everything to the churches are in the Lord’s hands and He will do as He pleases in them all. We must all (as Paul said) learn that whatsoever state we are in to be content and remain happy in the Lord. Your Pastor is God’s servant to the church; in Revelations the Pastors are called “Angels” which means messengers. They neither are church builders nor are they money raisers, nor are they saviour’s, they are simply servants of Jesus Christ to the Lord’s churches. The Lord blesses the churches that are content in whatever state they are in and He never said it would be easy, but He did promise not to put more bad on us than we could handle. Paul said he had experienced both “abased” (that is to be trampled upon by man, to suffer hardships) and to “abound” (that is to excel) and whether the times were good or bad we are all to be content. Paul went on to say “…in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need." We are to both be full and hungry and both to excel and to suffer hardships. In my 9 years as Pastor here in Texarkana we have been through all these thing and as of right now we are being richly blessed but who knows tomorrow it may all fall apart, but whatever the Lord gives us we will certainly learn to be content. Please dear brethren do not fret if things are not going so well in your church because God is in charge and all things are His blessed will. Churches get into trouble when they fret and start attempting to make things happen; we simply cannot do Gods work for Him because if we mess up He may remove the candlestick. All we can do brethren is to continue to teach and walk in truth and trust God to do all the other. He is in charge and He is the only one who can make the bad times better.

Paul went on to say in Philippians 3:8 “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,” I would not trade the knowledge that Christ has given me for a church full of people because if I did it would be all for loss. We must count all things as dung rather than to change who we are or what we teach for gain on the other side. The sovereign grace of God is worth more than a hundred new members any old day. Folks stay true to Gods word and He will stay true to you, what have you gained, if you gain the whole world and lost your own soul. That is exactly what churches give up when they change for gain. Times and likes may change but God never changes. Let us all continue to pray and for one another that Jesus will return soon and take us all home so that the Bride can be joined with her Groom. 

For Our Weekly  Meditation:

Boast Greatly in the LORD’s Holy Name!
“Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.  Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.” (I Chron. 16: 9-10) 

Authentic Christianity has far too long been escorted into the dungeons of obscurity and shackled by the heavy bonds of shameful silence.  Brethren, this disgrace upon the Name of our God must come to an end!  We are the “sons of God”!  How dare we allow such degradation upon the cause of Christ Jesus our Lord?  I would to God that the lips of the redeemed would be unleashed in the freedom and power of the Spirit to exalt wondrous works of God! 

David’s psalm instructs the people of God to converse openly of all the incredible things that the LORD has done.  Can we not find something to speak on behalf of our God and Savior?  The word “Glory” in this passage carries the idea of a great boasting; that is, “Greatly boast in His Holy Name”.  Man has little problem finding objects for boasting of themselves.  Is there not something that the LORD has done that is worthy of boasting?  What of our salvation? 

The word “seek” has the thought “to search out.”  The idea in the verse is search out the LORD by way of investigating everything that can be discovered of Him.  This investigation will spiritually energize the spirit of man unto the rejoicing of his heart with joy unspeakable and full of glory (boasting).  What is found in the searching out is the source of the great boasting.  It cannot be imprisoned in the minds of men; it must explode into freedom.  There are no shackles strong enough, no dungeon fortified enough, and no jailor manly enough to sequester lips empowered by the Spirit of the living God.  Brethren, search out the LORD! 

We are NOW the sons of God and are born of the Freewoman!  Let us not imprison ourselves through willful ignorance.  Heavenly freedom can be squandered by the free, but it cannot be forced into subjugation by man, or beast, or the devils of hell.  Boast greatly!!!

By Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr.

Happy Birthday And Anniversary:

Birthday – Claire Fails Wednesday  May 22

  

Philippians 4:19 – 20

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (20.) Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”