Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church "Where The Truths Of God’s Word Have Been Taught For More Than Fifty-Three Years” 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 May 10, 2015 Newsletter Number 515 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, 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, Doris Hammock, 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, James and Luann Reynolds, Timothy Fails, Nathan Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jerry Hughes, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Janie Capps, Imajo Tracy, Linda Hughes, Roy Lemmon, Rosie Tomlin, James and Lynn Tomlin, Pat Abercrombie, Donna Jones, James, Diane & Brooke Thomas, Gina Peel, Brother Kelley and Sister Hinson, Megan Whitaker, Tammy Hairston and family, Manual Seymour, Sr., Brother Jerry and Sister Jean Dodson, Mr. Hedges, 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:: We Ought To Examine Ourselves. “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” 2 Corinthians 13:5 The Lord commanded that we all examine ourselves, and we ought to do it often. We often examine ourselves to see if anything on our bodies that ought not to be there, like lumps or other things. We ought to examine ourselves inside also. We need this self examination to first make sure we are in the faith of salvation. There are a lot of folks who believe they are Christians, but are not. This is best done by searching the scriptures. "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." John 5:39 We ought to also examine ourselves to make sure we are believing and hearing truth, and preachers need self examination to make sure they are teaching truth and to the best of the abilities that God has given them. Preachers cannot allow things to take away from their teaching. This is the church of Jesus Christ that was bought and paid for by His blood and we as Pastors owe it all that we can give in our work. As church members we ought to examine ourselves to make sure we are full aware of what the Pastor is preaching and not allowing things to interfere with our worship and learning from the textbook of God. "Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not." Proverbs 8:33. We need to check everything at the door and turn off the phones and talking because we owe God our full attention. I often wonder how many can tell you Sunday night what the Sunday morning sermon was about. Pay attention and learn it is the best thing you can do. We ought to examine ourselves before we observe the Lords Supper, "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." 1 Corinthians 11:28. We ought to know that we are saved and truly church members before we take of the bread and wine which is a church ordinance. But we need to examine ourselves that we are saved because if we are not saved then we are reprobates (or worthless) and not children. With all the false christianity and false doctrine in the world today it is so easy to think you are saved when you are not. Let’s all be sure because it means your eternal existence, or where you will spend eternity. Prove our faith in Christ Jesus because there is no salvation in any other. Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” 1 Timothy 2:5 - 6 "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (6.) Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." Let us all take the time to examine ourselves in all areas and it will make us all better Christians and church members.

A Though For Your Bible Study: HOW FAR, AMERICA? (Part One) In meditating on this article, at first we thought to call it, “Which Way, America?” But the direction in which these United States is heading is obviously the wrong one. Most every thinking person untainted with liberalism is in agreement: that this country is headed in the wrong direction. But let us not be too quick to blame Washington. We, the people, elect tyrants to live high and lord it over us while passing out the bucks. The few who do seem to oppose our liberties being taken from us are like the little Dutch boy trying to stop the leak in the dyke by poking his fingers in the ever growing holes. The liberal-leftist-entitlement-minded citizenry on each of the coasts can be counted on to sway national elections in their favor: that means more fiscal irresponsibility. So let us not ask “Which Way, America?” but rather, “How Far, America?” How far will God allow our “American culture” to go before He says, “Enough?” God does have a plan, you know, and history and the Scripture both demonstrate that there are times when God puts a stop to sinful men in their mad career of sinful pleasure. And that is basically what the liberal-leftist-entitlement-minded agenda is all about: pleasure. Their philosophy is “if it feels good, do it” and they are ever ready to supply willingly unemployed citizens and illegals with tax dollars taken from hard working folk. God certainly put a stop to the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the plain because of their sinful pleasure-seeking lifestyle. We tend to agree with one preacher who said that if God does not judge the U.S. for her approval of sodomy, He will need to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah for judging them for those same sins. The Lord Jesus spoke of the conditions that will exist when He returns to this earth – not at the rapture, but at His second advent. In Luke 17:26-30 the Lord's words are recorded thus: “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” This passage is often referred to as “the Noah and Lot sign.” It pictures humankind living without regard to God or His Word: given over to satisfying the flesh. These United States are following in the path of both Sodom and ancient Rome: sinful pleasures of all kinds and government provided bread and circuses to satisfy the masses of unemployed who as a result vote and protest to keep the leftist tyrants in power. To Be Continued…. By Curtis Pugh Missionary to Poteau, Oklahoma

Church News: Happy Anniversary to Pastor Randy and Sister Donna Johnson Our Twelfth Annul Bible Conference will be held on Friday September 18 and Saturday September 19. The church will start planning it very soon please have it on your mind.

Who would have imagined! By Arthur Pink "You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness!" Habakkuk 1:13 Who would have imagined, that sin was such a vile and dreadful thing in the sight of God, that nothing but the precious blood of His own beloved Son could make an atonement for it! "The blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin!" 1 John 1:7 "To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood — to Him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen." Revelation 1:5-6