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 July 19, 2015 Newsletter Number 525 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, Mark 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, Trent and Tiffanie Thomas, Gina Peel, Brother Kelley and Sister Hinson, Megan Whitaker, Tammy Hairston and family, Manual Seymour, Sr., Brother Jerry and Sister Jean Dodson, James Hedges, Sister Corene Thomas, 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: Live, Move, and Being are powerful words "For in him we live, and move, and have our being..." Acts 17:28 I have a question; “How much does God have to do with and in your life”? If we study the scriptures we will see that God has something to do with every aspect of our life. Many people want to think that they have so much control over their life and decisions, when they really do not. The scriptures clearly detail that God controls everything. There are three words here that are so powerful and they are “Live”, “Move”, and “Being”. Live – means every part of life is from God and is a gift. God gave Adam and Eve a life and they become living souls. They continued to live after the fall due to Gods grace to them. God could have just taken both of their lives and sent them to the eternal lake of fire but He did not, God punished them and moved on allowing them to live on. Just before the flood God said He was repented that He had made man and destroyed all but 8 living souls. God said in Job 14:5 "Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;" This means life will end when God ends it. We live spiritually because of Gods grace, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” Ephesians 2:8 there is no question that salvation is of, and from God. Salvation is life and life can only come from God. Adam did not choose to become a living soul and neither does man when he is saved. All life comes from God. Move – It is also by the grace of God that we have anything in life. Anything we accomplish in life is of God. Even down to being saved and what church you join is of God. Your stature in life is of God, and everything you are or that you have is of God. God make us what we are and we all need to understand that. God can make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor if He so chooses. Therefore the details of life are from God and the more we all understand that the easer it is to accept what life is. “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” Romans 9:16 Being – This word means “we are”. Paul said of himself in 1 Corinthians 15:10 "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain..." Paul means everything he was in life both mortal and spiritual. We are the same as Paul, whatever we are in life is what God has made us. Our entire being is at His pleasure. We have nothing to do with life or our being even though man wants to believe they do. If it were not by Gods grace in our moving through life, mankind would self-destruct. Neither the being of the universe nor mankind could survive without God controlling it all and every detail of it. People, mankind wants to think they control their own destiny that life is what they want it to be, that live is under their control, but God says different. Preachers will say “God can’t change mans will” but God says if God does not change it, it will never change. We all need to understand that God is our life, God is our mover in live, and God is our total being in life and therefore we like Paul can conclude that we are what we are by Gods grace.

A Thought For Your Week: : Happiness lies in the heart, rather than in the purse! Contentment with your lot, and confidence in God--will make life peaceful and happy! A dinner of herbs with contentment, will yield a flavor of satisfaction unknown to those who eat the fattened ox. It is better to be happy than to be rich--happiness lies in the heart, rather than in the purse! It is not what a man has, but what a man is--which will decide his bliss or woe in both this life and the next. "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need--and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want!" Philippians 4:11-12 By Charles Spurgeon from his article "A Good Start!"

The best and the only sufficient expositors of Scripture! "When the Spirit of truth comes — He will guide you into all the truth." John 16:13 A few minutes of the Spirit's teaching will furnish us with more real, useful and experimental knowledge — than toiling through whole folios of commentators! It will be our wisdom to deal less with the streams — and be more close in applying to the fountain-head. The Scripture itself, and the Spirit of God — are the best and the only sufficient expositors of Scripture. Whatever men have valuable in their writings — they got it from Scripture; and the Scripture is as open to us — as to any of them. There is nothing required but a teachable, humble spirit; and academic learning, as it is commonly called, is not necessary in order for this. We learn more, and more effectually, by one minute's communication with God through the medium of His written Word, than we could from an assembly of theologians, or a library of books! "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law!" Psalm 119:18 "Teach me Your statutes!" Psalm 119:12 By: John Newton