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 September 14, 2014 Newsletter Number 482 Brother Randy Johnson, Pastor Brother Ronnie Henderson, Song Director Pastor E-Mail: pastor@sgmbaptist.com Web Site: www.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, Frankie Baldridge and daughter, Buckie Thompson, Frank & Sonya Trusty, Frank & Dawana Reigel, Andrew Preston, Larry & Martha Mollette and Her Family, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kerry Pennington, Kim Poole, Danny & Nita Mollette, The Muncy Family, 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, James and Lynn Tomlin, Pat Abercrombie, Donna Jones, Dale Trahan, Ricky and Margaret McCoy, Brother David O’Neal, James & Diane Thomas, Gina Peel, 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: The Grace That Brings Salvation. Titus 2:11“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,” Oh! If salvation were as most believe it would be such a strain on mankind. Most believe that salvation is in the hands of mankind but they are so wrong. Salvation is in totality of God, it is His precious gift to those who truly believe. If it were left up to man he would never come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ as Saviour. It is “grace that bringeth salvation” It is grace that has delivered salvation to all who have believed. One that has been truly saved by God knows that they were saved by a source other than themselves. I believe the most provable scripture that salvation is totally of God and not of man is Ephesians 2:8 - 9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God...Not of works, lest any man should boast." I do not know how anyone could be confused on these scriptures. These scriptures are two of the most irrefutable scriptures in the bible. I believe they are as sound in teaching as Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." and then ask “who created the heavens and the earth.” God warned mankind that they would seek to create their own salvation and they did, He warned they would change the Truth of God into a lie and they have. Romans 1:25 "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen." I must ask here; doesn’t salvation as most of the world see’s it involve worshiping the creature? This also reminds me of “serving two master” if a person is the master and creators of their own salvation, if they worship themselves more than God in salvation, aren’t they attempting to serve two masters. God said in Matthew 6:24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Doesn’t serving yourself in salvation eliminate God, which is removing God mathematical from the results? If one has done the deeds to bring salvation to themselves than were does God fit? But, if one is saved by grace and through faith then where does man fit? This is the same thought in church membership; 1 Corinthians 12:18 "But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him." As it is of wisdom; James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally...", The same as it is in knowledge; 1 Corinthians 1:5 "That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;" the truth is we only need one master and that is God who giveth all things we need by grace. Grace hath delivered all things to the Christian. What master do you serve? From whom did your salvations come from? Whom do you serve God or yourself? How can one say salvation is of grace, if salvation is of man? How can one stand in church and sing “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me....” if they are their own saviour? Paul went on to write “…hath appeared to all men,” This does not mean that this grace is available to all men but that it can be seen of all men. The word “appeared” means - to shine upon; or to be visible – to all men. Man can see it in a saved person; they can see it in what a saved person believes about their Sovereign God. In how God receives all credit for everything not in word only but also in deed. They can see, but they will reject what they see. They will turn the truth of God into a lie just as God said, worshiping the creature over the creator because they are not saved and reject God in reality. Rejecting that salvation is of God, just as wisdom, church membership, knowledge, as well as everything we have as Christians "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith...Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22 – 23 and "(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)" Ephesians 5:9 is there room for man? No! there is only one Master and He is God, only one giver of salvation and He is God. Grace brought salvation just as it did everything else. This is the difference between a Sovereign Grace believer and the rest of them.

A Thought To Share With Others: Half-hearted Christianity!"Now that I am old and gray — do not abandon me, O God!" Psalm 71:18 If you are Christians, be consistent. Be Christians out and out — Christians every hour, in every part. Beware . . . of half-hearted discipleship, of compromise with evil, of conformity to the world, of trying to serve two masters, of trying to walk in two ways, the narrow and the broad, at once. It will not do. Half-hearted Christianity will only dishonor God, while it makes you miserable! By Horatius Bonar

Church News: Let us all be in prayer for the upcoming Bible Conference. Next Friday night September 19th from 6:00 – 8:00 and Saturday September 20th from 9:00am – 4:00pm Meals will be at Big Jakes BBQ on Richmond road on Friday night and at Golden Coral on Saturday at noon.

It is not sufficient to be sound in the faith! "If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love — I am nothing!" 1 Corinthians 13:2 It is not sufficient to be sound in the faith — we must also abound in love. A man may have an orthodox creed — while his heart is cold and dead. Where religion is genuine, love will be active. You yourselves have been taught by God to love each other! 1 Thessalonians 4:9 Above all, love each other deeply! 1 Peter 4:8 By William Nicholson, 1862