Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church "Where The Truths Of God’s Word Have Been Taught For More Than Fifty-Five Years” 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 February 26, 2017            Newsletter Number 609 Brother Randy Johnson, Pastor                   Brother Ronnie Henderson Sr., 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.”

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, 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, 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, Linda Hughes, Donna Jones, Brandy Sullivan, Gina, Tammy Hairston and family, Brother Kelley and Sister Hinson, Manual Seymour, Sr, The Harris Family, The Morris Family, Teresa Bookout, Little Titan Thomas (Trent and Tiffane Thomas child), James – Diane and Brooke Thomas, Jace Fails, Steve Sparks, Sister Ann McSwain, Brother Archie and Barbra Griffin, Brandy’s Mother, Elaine Sparks, James daughter’s mother-in-law,  Brother Curtis Pugh, Brother Dan Sullivan the work in Thailand, Brother Raul and the work in Romania, Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

A Thought From our Pastor: Take Up Your Cross, And Follow Jesus. Matthew 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” In today’s time, most Christians have no idea what it is to be a real Christian. I know many will laugh and will ask who give you the right to judge other Christians, well no one. But let me ask you this question, are you properly following Jesus? Before, you answer that question, I would ask you to study this verse. Study it really good, and then ask yourself “am I rightly following Christ”. We have Christians who commit numerous sinful acts and they still attend church on regular basis, some even fill the pulpits. It is true that we are all sinners, and if we are saved then we are saved by the same God, through the same Saviour, or we are not saved. And please let us not forget, we are all sinners. Therefore, we should stop judging other Christians and start judging our own selves. Now, with that said, let me ask again, just how good of a Christian are you. Sometimes Christians are full of themselves instead of the Lord. Following Jesus is a most glorious thing, but to truly follow Jesus is very painful and miserable at time. If we think back at the life that Jesus lived, we should see just how horrible and painful of a life we ought to live. Christians who truly followed Jesus have lived miserable earthly lives. Peter was forced to lie about Jesus three time in denying Him. Paul lived a very hard life in his following of Jesus. Many of the Lord’s Apostles and disciples live hard lives and were even crucified for following the Lord. Millions of real followers of Christ have been murdered simply for their faith in Christ, and following Him. Many of Christians have lived in starvation, and died slow and horrible deaths just for the right to live for Jesus Christ. To farther the gospel, to keep the church in truth, and to preserve the doctrine of the scriptures. Today, Christians are weak, we have a hard time understanding the scriptures, we have a hard time following the scriptures. All of these past Christians gave everything to follow Jesus Christ, but in our day we look for excuses not to attend the church services. The Lord told us “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…” Hebrews 10:25 but we look around and members are absent and some of them because they simply had something else to-do. Beloved, the first point we must all learn if we are going too pick-up our cross and follow the Lord, is the Lord is first. Jesus said “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” John 6:38 No matter where that will have led Him, even to the cross. So what does it mean to truly follow Jesus, well the first point is “let him deny himself”. Beloved, a Christians life is not about themselves, while many Christians believe they are to be happy in this life, happiness only comes if God gives it. Following Jesus normally does not mean a happy earthly life, except spiritually. So while we are to deny ourselves, the second point is “take up his cross” but what cross? That is our suffering, our suffering for the Lord, the truth, and the church is our cross. We must learn that this life is not about us being happy (in the flesh), but about God being blessed in us. It is about our following Jesus Christ no matter where that road leads nor how bumpy it may get. In Romans 8:28 it says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” But for who’s good? Our good, no, not at all, everything is for God’s good even if it means we will suffer, or even give our life to the Lord.  And the last thing our scripture says is “follow me.” Are you following Jesus Christ in your life, are you really? In order to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, we must deny ourselves, suffer our crosses in life, and follow Him. Now beloved, that is a tall order, examine yourself and then see if you are really following the Lord. Read this very carefully - "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; (2) That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God." 1 Peter 4:1-2

TWICE THE CHILD OF HELLBy Elder Curtis Pugh    Jesus Himself spoke plain words to the most religious people alive in His day saying: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte  [convert], and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves,” (Matthew 23:15). Here Jesus spoke to the Pharisees about themselves and their missionary program. He first pronounced “woe” upon them. This word is used to express distress. He is saying that judgment without mercy is coming upon the religious leaders. Their expectation of happiness for eternity was not going to happen. Alas!     Next the Lord Jesus spoke of their missionary zeal. The lesson for us here is that the sending out of missionaries does not guarantee that either the senders or those sent are doing a good thing. Just because people go door to door in an effort to make converts does not mean what they are doing is right. Jesus uses a bit of hyperbole: intended and obvious exaggeration in speech to make a point. He said they would go around the world just to make one convert! That is zeal! That is dedication! That is sacrifice and commitment to a cause.    But Jesus is saying that their zeal, dedication, sacrifice and commitment are to the wrong message. Their goal is to make converts to their false religion! Oh, they made converts, but each convert was “twofold more the child of hell” than they were! In this statement Jesus first of all says directly to these religious leaders that they themselves were children of hell. They were headed for eternal punishment! They were religious, but lost! They had never been born again of the Spirit. This was the personal message to one of them who came to Jesus by night for Nicodemus was “a ruler of the Jews,” (John 4:1). Jesus told him “ye must be born again,” (John 3:7).    But these converts were twice the children of hell that those who evangelized them were! Their religious instructors were deceived deceivers and their end would be eternity in the Lake of Fire. But their converts were twice as bad. How can that be? How can these people be twice as bad off as the people who converted them?    While their instructors were religious hypocrites having only a false outward religion that was empty of any spiritual life or inward change, their converts only added to their former pagan ideas and practices the outward hypocrisy of their teachers. They continued in their observances of pagan feasts, celebrations and devotion as well as their old immorality and sinful lifestyle although they outwardly conformed and appeared to be changed.    It is also recorded that Jesus said to the Pharisees: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres   [tombs], which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness,” (Matthew 23:27). Outwardly clean, but inwardly corrupt! Beware of mere outward religion. It leads to hell!

Church Notices: Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday; March 12 Clocks will spring forward one hour.