Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church
1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501
September 15, 2013          
 Newsletter Number 433

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, Robert Riggs, 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, Charles Lemmon, 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, Tommy Walker and family, Diane Thomas, Gina Peel, James and Lynn Tomlin, Brother Kelley and Sister Hinson, Robert, Megan Whitaker, Manual Seymour, Sr.  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.

From Our Pastor:

Pray For Your Pastor!

Hebrews 13:7 “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.”

This is a wonderful scripture to remind us all to pray for our Pastor’s and other church leaders. Pastors hate to think of themselves as rulers but they are. The words “rule over you” means to lead and that is exactly what a Pastor does. A good Pastor should be willing to give his life for the Lords church. God has many names for a Pastor in the scriptures but two really stand out and explains their stand in the Lords churches, they are “under-Sheppard’s” and “overseers”. The under-Sheppard is one who serves under the Chief  Sheppard and an overseer is who over sees the flock that belongs to the Chief  Sheppard. Either way you look at it, this the job carries a glorious but great responsibility. The word “remember” means - to exercise memory, that is, recollect – because they have such a great responsibility and they are also a key target for Satan. How many times a week do you  “remember” your Pastor and the other members who labor among you? I know this Pastor ask that you remember me daily in prayer in fact you cannot pray too much for your Pastor. The work of a Pastor is very blessed and  very wonderful but it is also a burdensome work, that’s right I said work. 1 Timothy 3:1 “This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.” Most church members never think how much work their Pastor does in a week, and how much attention a church requires. They truly do need a lot of prayer and a lot of your thought. This is why God told us all to remember them. 1 Thessalonians 5:12 - 13 “And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; (13.) And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves." Most Pastors are much to humble to require much or even to ask for much, but they all would like to be remembered and remembered often. So pray for your Pastor and not just once or twice a week but as often and as often as God brings him to your memory. Dear Pastors I stand in salute of you and pray for you all that God will bless you and the ministry that He has entrusted to your care, God bless you all! 

For Our Weekly  Meditation:

Backsliding

The meaning of the primary Hebrew word (Meshoovoh) translated backsliding(s) in the Scriptures is “a turning, or a sliding.”  It is as if one is going in one direction, then suddenly stops, turns away towards another direction, or begins to slide backward from whence he came.  God’s opinion of this act is: “know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts.”(Jer. 2:19) 

The meaning of the second Hebrew word (Sorar) translated backsliding in the Scriptures is “to be stubborn.”  It is found in Hosea 4:16: “For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer...” The idea carried is that one is so stubborn that he sits down like a mule or heifer on his own opinions and he refuses to be moved even by “Thus saith the LORD God!”  His mind is set and cannot be moved, and the consequences are of little importance to him.

The meaning of the Hebrew word “Soog” translated backslider in the Scriptures is “one who turns back.”  As in Prov. 14:14: “The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways...”  The backslider is not led by the way of true righteousness, for he has determined in his heart that his ways are justifiable. His ways reflect his sin clouded reasoning of the heart.

Stubbornness is a refusal to yield, to obey, or to comply.  It is resisting with a determined obstinacy.  Again, it is being hard to handle, hard to deal with, pigheaded, opinionated, and self-willed.  One becomes a backslider when he or she becomes so full of self that he or she refuses to hear, to yield, to obey, or to comply with the Word of God.  He becomes hard to deal with as a stubborn heifer, resisting God with great obstinacy, and in his opinionated pigheadedness he turns away from godliness to follow after worldliness and self-fulfillment.  His eyes are no longer upon the Lord Jesus; rather they are upon his own self-gratification.  He does as Israel did: “they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies: but turned back, and dealt unfaithfully...” (Ps. 78:56,57) 

Does this describe YOU?  Are you stubborn against the will of God in your life?  Are you refusing to walk in the ways of righteousness?  Rest for the soul comes when one ceases to resist God!

By Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr.

Here—put your troubles here!

"Cast your burden on the Lord—and He will sustain you." Psalm 55:22

Cast your troubles where you have cast your sins; you have cast your sins onto Jesus—cast your troubles there also! As soon as the trouble comes, quick, the first thing, tell it to your Father in heaven! Remember, that the longer you take telling your trouble to God—the more your peace will be impaired. The longer the frost lasts—the more likely the ponds will be frozen.

Oh! It is a happy way of smoothing sorrow, when we can cast our burden upon the Lord. Oh, you agitated Christians, do not dishonor your religion by always wearing a 'frown of concern'. Come, cast your burden upon the Lord. I see you staggering beneath a weight, which He would not feel. What seems to you a crushing burden—would be nothing but a bit of dust to Him. See! The Almighty bends His shoulders, and He says, "Here—put your troubles here!" 

"Cast all your cares upon Him—because He cares about you!" 1 Peter 5:7

- Charles Spurgeon