Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church

"Where The Truths Of God’s Word Have Been Taught For More Than Fifty-Six Years”

1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501

March 04, 2018          

 Newsletter Number 660

Brother Randy Johnson, Pastor                   Brother James Thomas, Song Leader

Pastor E-Mail: pastor@sgmbaptist.com                                          Web Site: www.sgmbaptist.com

“A Church Seeking To Please God In Prayer, Song, Preaching, And Worship.”

Please Join Us As We Pray For:

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, Tyrell Loyd, Bonnie, Ted O'Bonion, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kerry Adcock, Kim Poole, Danny & Nita Mollette, The Muncy Family, Lee & Mary Mollette, Wendell Henderson, 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 Griffin, Donna Johnson, James and Luann Reynolds, Timothy Fails, Nathan Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jerry Hughes, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Janie Capps, Linda Hughes, Donna Jones, Gina, Brother Kelley and Sister Hinson, The Harris Family, Teresa Bookout, Little Titan Thomas (Trent and Tiffane Thomas child), James – Diane and Brooke Thomas, Jace Fails, Sister Ann McSwain, Elaine Sparks, James daughter’s mother-in-law, Danny Hammond, Jim and Linda Meier, Ronnie Elam, Bonnie From Ohio, Brother Dan Sullivan the work in Thailand, Brother Raul and the work in Romania, Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

From Our Pastor:

A Door Was Opened In Heaven! 

“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.” Revelation 4:1

Oh, what a blessing this must have been for our dear brother John. We have waited all of our Christian life for Jesus to come and to see Our Father, Jesus, and etc., I pray almost every day for Jesus to come. What a true blessing it will be to hear the sound of the “last Trump” and for Jesus to send his angels to lead us to the cloud. I want to see my dear Saviour so much that it makes me jealous when a dear brother or sister goes home. I know when Stephen was about to give-up the ghost a door to heaven was opened and Stephen saw Jesus. “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, (56) And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55 – 56 what a blessing! It would be worth the stoning just to see Jesus, but here God rolled back heavens door and Stephen received a true blessing before he died. Heaven has opened up many times in the bible, but I pray someday soon it opens up and Jesus calls us all home. However, the difference for brother John is that he was taken from the body and stood before the Lord to see things that would happen after the rapture. And John saw a lot of things, he saw the seven sealed book of wrath, he saw Armageddon, he also saw the wedding feast, and Jesus binding Satan and ruling the world in the millennium period, he saw the destruction of every single soul on the earth, John also was blessed to see the earth melted and made new, sin free, and the new Jerusalem descending from heaven. Oh, yes, our dear brother saw all these things and more before being delivered back into his old sinful body, it seems like a disappointment to be brought back. But beloved, this same Jesus these two men saw we shall also see soon. We will have an eternity to look at, and to see our blessed Lord Jesus. This old world is sinful, and sin filled, there is noting here for us, oh how we need to see Jesus! Jesus said in Luke 21:26 - 28 “Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. (27) And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. (28) And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Lord, we are looking! Here is a hint, lets look at Matthew 24:36 - 37 “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. (37) But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” The hint here is “But as the days of Noe were” the days of Noah was filled with unbelief, sinfulness, and laughing and mocking God’s people. It is these things today that should give us hope that the true coming of the Lord does indeed draw nigh. So beloved, keep expecting the Lord to return, keep praying for the Lords return, but for sure keep looking up, because one of these days Christians will look-up and ascend up in a new glorified body. Yes, when I read about brother John being summonsed up to the Throne of God, I do indeed wonder what that day will be like. John gave us a good glimpse at our new awaiting home, but they are so much more to look see.   

BAD THINGS DO HAPPEN

By Elder Curtis Pugh

Bad things do happen to all of us. But they do not happen outside of God's plan. Knowing this is the first step in a child of God dealing with these things. God says, speaking of diseases and even plagues, “...shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?” (Amos 3:6). God is not the cause of moral evil although for good and wise reasons He allows it. But in the above quotation physical evils are said to be His work.

We reason, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” But our reasoning is flawed. Our question is based upon a wrong premise. People are sinners and sin has consequences. Bad things happen because of sin.

Bad things happen first of all as a consequence of the sin of Adam, our first father. Romans 5:12 says, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” It is not personal sin that is meant by the phrase “for that all have sinned.” All sinned in Adam. The consequences of Adam's sin is death. While the ultimate cause of death is Adam's sin, diseases, accidents, murders, etc., etc. - bad things - are all the means by which death comes.

Bad things do something to lost people, but nothing for them. On the other hand, God uses the sufferings of His children to accomplish things in them and with them. First: He uses bad things to chasten or correct His children. Hebrews 12:6-8 explains this: “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.”

Second: God accomplishes something through the suffering of His children. Colossians 1:24 says: “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church.” Paul rejoiced in his sufferings which he said “fill up that which is behind” or lacking in Christ's sufferings. There is nothing lacking in Christ's expiatory suffering – the suffering He endured to save His people. But Christians can have a part in His exemplary sufferings. Peter wrote: “For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps,” (1 Peter 2:20-21). Suffering patiently glorifies God and is a testimony to those around us. We can, like Christ, be an example to others. We can show them God's sustaining grace as we go through our sufferings.

Church News.

Happy Anniversary to Brother Larry & Sister Martha Mollette Sunday March 04

Happy Birthday to Brother Ronnie Henderson Jr Monday March 05

Happy Birthday to Sister Alice Hoskins Thursday March 08

Happy Birthday to Brother James Thomas Wednesday March 07