Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church "Where The Truths Of God’s Word Have Been Taught For More Than Fifty-Two Years” 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 July 06, 2014 Newsletter Number 472 Brother Randy Johnson, Pastor Brother Ronnie Henderson, Song Director Pastor E-Mail: pastor@sgmbaptist.com Web Site: ww.sgmbaptist.com

Our Prayer Request: 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, Helen Maggard, Johnnie Stephens, Alecia Stephens, and children, 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, The Muncy Family, Robert Riggs, Wendell Henderson, Judy Dunn, Martha Gray, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Ronnie and Sarah Henderson, Ronnie Henderson Jr. & Children, Ricky Henderson and Family, Jacie Henderson, Velma Hammond, Charles, Don Hammond and Families, Archie & Barbara Griffin, Bro. & Sister Bob Keller, Donna Johnson, Fay Johnson, James and Luann Reynolds, Timothy Fails, Nathan & Claire Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jerry Hughes, Teresa Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Janie Capps, Imajo Tracy, Linda Hughes, Roy Lemmon, Rosie Tomlin, Pat Abercrombie, Donna Jones, Dale Trahan, Ricky and Margaret McCoy, Brother David O’Neal, James & Diane Thomas, Gina Peel, James and Lynn Tomlin, Brother Kelley and Sister Hinson, Megan Whitaker, Manual Seymour, Sr., Brother Jerry and Sister Jean Dodson, 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 Pastor Johnson: All are welcome in a church serviceLuke 15:1 - 2 "Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. (2.) And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them." I was raised to believe that a church worship service is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints. When one looks at a church they see a limited number of saints assembled together for a worship service, business meeting, or ect. But a worship service is open to whoever desires to come. As church members we should never look down on a visitor to our church service, no matter who it is. There is no one to sinful to attend a worship service, period. While we are here to worship the Lord our God we are also here to teach those who desire to learn the scriptures, making the church a seminary of higher learning. However, we are also to educate the weaker in knowledge in simply and basic teachings, and the lost how to turn to Christ for salvation. The greatest message a Pastor or teacher of the scriptures will ever teach will be the gospel and in the simplest way. Salvation is the most important thing in the entire world, and the church is the chosen ones to keep it moving in the world. I have seen over time people in church mocking visitors in many ways, and this ought not be. If all in a worship service are saved then who do we preach the gospel too? I agree all sermons are not to be salvation sermons; however some must be since the gospel is our greatest sermon. We see Jesus mocked by the Pharisees and scribes for being around and talking to sinners, but don’t you have to speak to sinners if you are going to present the gospel to them? And another question; aren’t we all sinners. John 8:7 "… He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." This was a woman who had committed adultery. And we see another woman that Jesus visited, and that was the woman at the well; remember what Jesus revealed about her? John 4:18 "For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly." But the Lord Jesus still went out of His way to visit with her. Adultery and sinful living in theses days were treated with great punishment but here we see the Lord Jesus twice being seen with them and not condemning them but rather preaching the message of salvation. I cringe when a person tells me they are too sinful to attend a church service, because there is no such person. Although, I would cringe even worse when a church member lets me know they would rather a sinner not attend the services. Here I must brag on our church, I cannot remember anyone ever speaking these words to me. Folks, give visitors a break, they may not be what you are in the Lord, but if they are in church it is good for them. They may not be dressed properly, their hair may not be right, they may be the town drunk, or they may be the biggest adulterer you know of, but now they are in church, simply greet them and treat them as though they belong in a worship service. Don’t forget dear saint of God, you too were once without Christ and ignorant of Gods truths. Please remember our Lord visited with them, eat with them, and saved them, and we are no better than he is.

A Thought From Oscar Mink, Our Former Pastor: The Natural Man: An Absolute Rebel Against God "Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste." Isaiah 64:11 Webster defines the word "choice" as the act of choosing. The word implies action. There can be no choice apart from external action, and vice versa, there is no external action apart from prior choice. The time allowed for choice or decision may be incalculably small, but it is always present. Adam and Eve, man's first biological ancestors were created by God and placed in the garden of Eden. Adam, in the covenant with God was made the federal head of the human race, and officially represented all mankind in the presence of God. God, in the covenant with Adam promised him perpetual blessings on the condition that he would abstain from all evil (Gen. 2:16-17). Adam, though created innocent, was also created mutable and capable of change. When the Divine restraint exercised in Adam's behalf was removed, Adam became prone to change, and in this state of proness made choice against God, thereby bringing a radical change to his nature, and death to all of his posterity (Rom. 5:12). Adam's choice of Eve in preference to God was deliberate (I Tim. 2:14), and destructive to all God likeness in his nature. Post-dating the fall every child is born from the womb of wrath, and with a wrathful nature toward God (Eph. 2:3). So then, they that are of the Adamic nature CANNOT make a single choice pleasing to God (Rom. 8:8). ". . . verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity," (Ps. 39:5). The spiritual impotence of man's will, as he is in nature, is absolute. Love for sin, and hatred of God is so intertwined in fallen man's nature that his thoughts are only evil continually (Gen. 6:5). Christ brings this truth to the fore front when He says, "No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other," (Mt. 6:24). And again, He that knows the intents and thoughts of every heart says, "He that is not with Me is against Me," and those against Christ are not passive. No, they are actively against Him, for He says they "scatter abroad," (Mt. 12:30). \ To presuppose a person will choose something which he hates with a perfect hatred and opposes with unrelenting vehemence is absurd. It is far more easier for the spiritually renewed mind to conceive of clay fashioning itself into decorative ornaments of great value than it is to give birth to the thought that fallen man can choose God, whom he hates with a total hatred (Rom. 1:30). Man by nature is not merely wicked, but desperately wicked (Jere. 17:9). He is "Dead in trespasses and sins," (Eph. 2:1). The Adamic man is destitute of all good, and every spark of his energy is used to perform evil. He is not only a sinner by birth, but is also a sinner by choice, for as soon as he be born he goes astray "speaking lies," (Ps. 58:3). Fallen man is a slave to his nature. All of his choices are worldly. He ever pleases the Prince and power of the air. His single ambition is to fulfill the desires of the flesh and mind. From the Divine standpoint he is a child of wrath, deserving immediate and everlasting destruction (Eph. 2:2-3). The natural man begins his rebellion against God in the womb of his mother, magnifies it in his earthly life, and apart from the gracious choice of God, he will stand in the judgment and hear God say, "He which is filthy, let him be filthy still," (Rev. 22:11).

Church News: Our next Church business meeting is next Sunday at 4:00 please plan to attend.