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 24, 2016            Newsletter Number 563 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:   “Standing Up To Satan.” "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Ephesians 6:11   I would like to draw your attention to the subject of Satan and this world if I can. We have reached a very critical point in the world today, but more so in America. As Christians we believe the world is quickly approaching the Tribulation Period. While it is true we have no idea when the Lord will return and the Tribulation of God on this world will began, the signs all point to that coming day. It seems that America is truly worsening with the passing of each twenty-four-hour day. The political correctness of our time and the demonization of everything scripture and true must lead us to believe that this world is falling deeper into Satan’s control with the passing of every minute that ticks on the clock. God promised that the world would get worse and worse and would never correct itself, or repent and turn to God. God has total forgiveness for those who repent and turn to Him in admission and for forgiveness, but we are not going to see America do this. We see the times truly turning to things some of us never thought we would see. We have approved the murder of our unborn children, we have approved homosexual acts and marriage as though they are equal to men and women, we have reached the point where a man can act or dress as a woman and use the same restroom as our children of opposite sex. America have demonized everything Godly and everything biblical to the point that people are shamed to disgrace if they dare speak-up against these things. American is on the verge of turning Socialist which is one step from Communism. It matters not who is elected President next November, this transformation will not ever be stopped. God could stop it, but why would He, it is His predestined plan. God warned us in 1 John 3:13 “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.” the word means not to be surprised, and we have reached that point of hate. However, it hated our Lord before it hated us, therefore we are in good company. I believe the world and America are going to worsen as time moves on. It might reach the point where there is true persecution in America as we have seen in history. Where people are killed in very horrible ways if they fail to recant Jesus Christ. As time moves on hour by hour we see the false religionist of Christianity moving farther away from the scriptures and more alignment with the hatred for God and love for Satan. Pastors selling out to the world for their love and money. So-called Christians and even some real Christians standing against God and what is biblically right. Where people are fired from their jobs for their disagreement, and others are demonized for standing for the scriptural truth. Folks, let’s face it, we live in a very hateful America. God tells us to put on the whole armor of God that we can stand the battle. Beloved, we must fight with the sword of the word and stand in the faith. God told us to continue “…doing the will of God from the heart;” Ephesians 6:6. Doing the will of God from the heart is doing it to please God because we cannot serve God and the flesh. Doing it from the heart means to put everything into it, as though we cannot fail. Beloved, do not falter because the fight, the war is too precious to the Lord our God. If we fall, if we fail, who is left to fight the good fight?  Do you have your armor on? Are you ready for the wiles of the Devil? We cannot win the battle if we are not.

GOD'S LOVE IN ACTIONBy Curtis Pugh Most every reader will be familiar with John 3:16 which tells of God's love for the world and how it caused Him to give His only son up to death. The disagreement comes as to the meaning of the word world since John uses it in seven different ways in his gospel. But that is not our subject in this little article.   The Word of God to Jeremiah was this: “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee,”  (Jeremiah 31:3). Notice that God loves with an everlasting or never-ending love. God never ceases loving those whom He loves for if He did so He would change.  And change is unknown to Him. Notice also that because God loved those of whom He spoke, He had drawn them. God's love is not static! God's love is seen in His actions. The Lord Jesus said, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day,” (John 6:44). So we may rightly conclude that those whom God loves He draws to Christ in a saving way, promising them a blessed resurrection.    Not only does God draw all those whom He loves, He also chastens or child-trains them. Christ, in His message to the church of the Laodiceans, said, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent,” (Revelation 3:19). We may say that God does not spank the neighborhood children, but He spanks His own because He loves them. When one whom God loves receives a rebuke or a 'spanking' from the Lord, he or she knows it. To avoid severe child-training (unpleasant as it is) the child of God needs to repent: to change his direction: his way of living.   Another passage that tells us much the same thing is Hebrews 12:6-9: “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?” Again we are assured that those whom God loves He chastens – 'spanks' – and deals with as His sons. We learn that God child-trains all His children and that those people who are not chastened by the Father are not true sons. Thus believers are encouraged to subject themselves unto God as a son to a Father. In this way they shall avoid severe 'spankings' from their Father.   In these verses we learn that God in love continues to deal with those whom He loves.

2 Timothy 4:17 - 18: "Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion...And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."