Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church "Where The Truths Of God’s Word Have Been Taught For More Than Fifty-Four Years” 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 April 03, 2016            Newsletter Number 560 Brother Randy Johnson, Pastor                          Brother Ronnie Henderson Sr., Song Leader Pastor E-Mail: pastor@sgmbaptist.com                                web Site: www.sgmbaptist.com “A Church Believing And Standing On The Truth, As The Holy Spirit Has Taught It.”

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, Ted O'Bonion, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kerry Pennington, Kim Poole, Danny & Nita Mollette, The Muncy Family,  Wendell Henderson, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Ronnie and Sarah Henderson, Cindy Lane, Ronnie Henderson Jr. & Children, Ricky Henderson and Family, Jacie Henderson, Velma Hammond, Charles, Don Hammond and Families, Vickie Adkins, Archie & Barbara Griffin, 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, Brandy Sullivan, Gina, Tammy Hairston and family, Brother Kelley and Sister Hinson, Manual Seymour, Sr, Dewayne Sewell, The Harris Family, Teresa Bookout, Little Titan Thomas (Trent and Tiffane Thomas child), James – Diane and Brooke Thomas, Jace Fails, Steve Sparks, Brother Harold & Ann McSwain, 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:   “Take Heed” "And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:" Mark 13:5   When we think at these words “take heed” we want to look at the true meaning, but also heeding the true warning that Jesus is talking about here. It is so important that Christians, church members, and churches as a whole pay close attention to what the Lord is warning us of. If we give it a little thought we see the world as it truly is, evil and deceptive. It is so easy for real believing Christians to find themselves leaning toward allurements, and these allurements are designed by Satan to draw you away from the truth and the local churches. God has designed each and every church in a special way, and with a pacific goal. God saves every sinner and selects them to a pacific church. The Lord refers to the church as a body, in fact He calls it the “Body of Christ”. With this being said it should tell us how important we all are to the “Body of Christ” which is each independent body of believers, called out and assembled together by him. I cannot answer to why God selects to do as He does, but He does as He chooses. With this all being said it is important that we all understand how needed we are in the Lords church. God demanded that we study to show ourselves approved to God. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 because we are “workman” (either teachers or labors) in the Lords churches. We cannot be good workers if we are not studding the scriptures as a unified body of believers. You have Pastors and teachers to teach you, it is up to you to learn and that is only done by paying attention and learning. Never be ashamed to ask someone for help, teachers and pastors are there to further your biblical education and helping you to “show yourself approved to God”. We are to get to the point in our studies to where we can “… rightly dividing the word of truth.” God will never lead you astray from the truth, man can and will but God never will. The Bible is God’s word, while man may have pinned it God authored it. Therefore, always believe the scriptures, because they are truth as God is Truth. John 5:39 “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” No matter what man says (even your own pastors or teachers) always believe the scriptures until your thinking is absolutely proven wrong by scriptures. I said all of this to reach this point. The only way one can “take heed” is if they know some scriptural truth. Beloved, only God is true and right, man will lead you astray if you are not taking heed. Remember God uses the weak things in this world to accomplish His glory, therefore His men are not perfect. God chooses men to be pastors, teachers, and leaders that may not have the best of education, they may not have large educations, they may not be the best looking fellows, and they may mispronounce biblical words, but in truth they may be the very best. As Christians we follow truth and not men, for following men will only hurt you. The more truth you understand, the more you can properly serve God, and less likely you are to be deceived. The words “take heed” means to beware, to beware that you are not deceived by Satan or his teachers of deception. Making the scriptures or doctrine of it watered down does not improve it, it simply weakens it. We live in a time when deception is everywhere and they are deceiving many. We must all beware that we are not deceived. Let us remember Satan and his deception is not always easily spotted because it appears as truth, and in beauty. “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14 Sometimes it is hard to decipher truth from error but this is why we study the word. Take heed beloved, sometimes things are not as they seem, sometimes it is not God, but a deceiver of Satan appearing as light. Truth is the bible because it is God. John 1:17 “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

Modern Church Machinery: Friends! the Churches of Christ have no need of the Modern Machinery which has supplanted the Simplicity of Faith. I verily believe, if the Lord swept the church committees and missionary societies out of the universe, we would be better without them. I hope the Church will soon say, like David in Saul's clanking armor, "I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them," and with only her sling and her stone, confident in her God, I trust she will confront her foe. We Can Do All Things, If We Can but Trust Christ. "All things are possible to him that believes." But nothing is possible to your schemes, and to your systems. God will sweep them away yet, and happy shall be that man who shall lead the van in their utter destruction! Go up against her, take away her bulwarks, for they are not the Lord's; he did not ordain them, nor will he stand by them. Act in faith, O you people of God, and prove the power of prayer, for "all things are possible to him that believes." The fact is, God does not need our power, but our weakness; not our greatness, but our nothingness. By Charles Spurgeon - from his sermon “Faith Omnipotent”

Noteworthy:   There will be a church business meeting at 4:00 if needed. Happy Anniversary to Danny and Sister Nita Mollette.    Brother Randy Johnson will be speaking at Grace Bible Baptist Church in Denham in Denham Springs, La. Friday June 03 thru Saturday June 04 actual speaking times is on Saturday, However Brother Randy will be back for the Sunday Services at our church.

“The ministers of Christ should be persons of the same spirit that their Lord was of-- the same spirit of humility and lowliness of heart; for the servant is not greater than his Lord.” By Jonathan Edwards