Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church

1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501
February 06, 2011
Newsletter Number 306

Elder Randy Johnson, Pastor Bro. Ronnie Henderson, Song Director
Pastor E-Mail: sgmbcpastor@baptistsonline.org Web Site: www.baptistsonline.org/sgmbc

"Where The Truths Of God’s Word Are Still Taught"

You Were Asked To 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, Virgil & Alice Hoskins, Grandchildren, and his daughters Liz Janis and Debbie Gray, Derrick & Alecia and sons Coty & Carson Clements, Frank Trusty, Bryndon Thomas, Frank & Dawana Reigel, Andrew Preston, Helen Maggard, Renee Jackson, Larry Mollette, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kirby Mollette, Kerry Pennington, Kim Butler, Danny & Nita Mollette, Verna Mae Allen, Wendell Henderson, Judy Dunn, Martha Gray, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Kevin Henderson, Ronnie Henderson Jr. & Daughter Ashley, Lilly Stansord, Vickie Sims, Debbie Farmer, Terry Farmer, Morgan Murchison, Jim Stagner, Bro. & Mrs. Hammond, Don & Neil Hammond, Charles Hammond, Eric Hammond, Archie & Barbara Griffin & son Daniel, Bro. & Sister Bob Keller, Kathy Rosinbaum, Brenda Galusha and Jewel, Mary Ramsey, Donna Johnson, Fay Johnson, Luann Reynolds, Bro. & Sis. Curtis Pugh, Timothy and Nathan Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jim & Linda Meier, Brother David & Sister Anne Shortt, Brother Manuel Seymour & Family, Letha Langford, Brother & Sister Kelley Hinson and Kelley Lee, Billy and Jo Hobbs, Jerry Hughes, Sister Nita Bookout, Roger Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Janie Capps, Gina Sullivan, Katie Norton, Imajo Tracy, Sister Jean Dodson and Family, Linda Hughes, Roy Lemmon, Marshall Risinger, Jeremiah Kelleher, Jack Johnson, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

The Pastors Conner:

When is a Christian a Christian?

1 Peter 2:1-3 “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, (2.) As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: (3.) If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”

I meet a lot of folks who tell me they are Christians, but after observing them and their actins I must as myself, are they truly Christians. I believe there are millions upon millions of people who believe themselves to be Christians but are not. There are ways to, well at least to have a good idea although there is no guaranteed way to tell for certain. First of all a real Christian fully trust Jesus Christ as their Saviour, because one cannot trust Jesus Christ and something else, i.e. works, baptism, church membership or etc. because the scriptures conclude “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7 not because we are walking in the light, but that we have trusted the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from all of our sins. We are walking in the light because we are saved; the walk is the result not the cause. The walk is the evidence of our faith in Christ Jesus. God also said in 1 John 1:6 “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:” So if our walk is not there then there is no evidence of our salvation and therefore we are not laying aside the works of the flesh. James clearly pointed out “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” James 2:18 not that works has any part in salvation but that if you have faith then works are certain to follow. Faith alone cannot save a soul if it is not followed with works. James 2:19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” Faith is easy to have, and faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God is also easy to have, but faith that comes from the heart is not easy to have. Any fool or even devil can have faith and go to hell for their trouble, however real faith that comes from the heart changes a person forever.

So what else proves a person is truly saved? They “…desire the sincere milk of the word…” the word “desire” means – to intensely crave – the word of God not just to read it and study it and to grow in it “…that ye may grow thereby…” that is to grow in truth. Not Baptist truth, Church of Christ truth, Catholic truth, or etc. but rather biblical truth. I believe that truth is Baptist truth, not just any Baptist but those who believe in a Sovereign God, not those that believe salvation is a decision or choice but rather that God saves sinners. That is growth, anyone can believe a myth, but to believe truth is entirely different, truth comes to those that accept the bible for what it says and not for what a pastor preaches from the pulpit. Seeking and proving is where truth comes from and once believed it cannot be proven wrong.

Another way of proving a sinner has been saved is they have “…tasted that the Lord is gracious.” The word “tasted” means - to experience – they don’t just learn of Gods grace but rather they have experienced Gods grace, now how is this possible if God does not save the sinner. If salvation is not as described in Ephesians 2:8 – 10 then it is not real. Salvation come from God “…it is the gift of God…” Ephesians 2:8 This is tasting of Gods grace when the Holy Spirit has entered the heart of a lost sinner. This is the only way for change to come and therefore changing the sinner to a new person. Just because a person says their saved truly has no meaning without many changes in their life, therefore while they are telling you they are a Christian believe it with a “grain of salt” until there is evidence that the Holy Spirit resides in their heart. If God is there then they cannot be pleased with acting the way of the world.

A Thought For The Week:

Justice Satisfied
“When I see the blood, I will pass over you” Exod. 12:13

My own sight of the precious blood is for my comfort; but it is the Lord's sight of it which secures my safety. Even when I am unable to behold it, the Lord looks at it, and passes over me because of it. If I am not so much at ease as I ought to be, because my faith is dim, yet I am equally safe, because the Lord's eye is not dim, and He sees the blood of the great Sacrifice with steady gaze. What a joy is this!

The Lord sees the deep inner meaning, the infinite fullness of all that is meant by the death of His dear Son. He sees it with restful memory of justice satisfied, and all His matchless attributes glorified. He beheld creation in its progress, and said, "It is very good"; but what does He say of redemption in its completeness? What does He say of the obedience even unto death of His Well-beloved Son? None can tell His delight in Jesus, His rest in the sweet savor which Jesus presented when He offered Himself without spot unto God.

Now rest we in calm security. We have God's Sacrifice and God's Word to create in us a sense of perfect security. He will, He must, pass over us, because He spared not our glorious Substitute. Justice joins hands with love to provide everlasting salvation for all the blood-besprinkled ones.

By Charles Haddon Spurgeon from his “Faith's Checkbook” series.

Micah 1:2 - 4

“Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. (3.) For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. (4.) And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.”