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Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church July 18, 2004 Bro. Randy Johnson, Pastor Pastor E-Mail: randy@countrybaptist.org Church Web Site: www.countrybaptist.org/sgmbc |
| Please Pray For:
Bro. Mink, Ronnie & Sarah Henderson, Sister Wall, Wendell & Hazel Henderson, Joe Henderson, Eddie & Lorain Murray, Larry & Linda Mollette, Donna Johnson, James Sherwood, Jim & Linda Meier, Mrs. Worsham, Leroy Sherwood & Family, Virgil Hoskins, Vinson Hoskins, Bro. & Mrs. Harace Hammond, Rosa Graves, Linda {Someone Bryan work’s with}, Della Oats, Tyron Evens, Shawn Bradford & Family, Brenda Tubbs, Justin & Holly Bookout, Mr. Loony, Gina & Bryan Thompson, Danny Hammond, Wynell Hammond, Inez Stinson, Bobby Thompson, And All of Our Military, Their Family’s & All the Civilian Workers in The Middle East. |
| A Thought For The Week: THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH The mission of the church is not to reform the world or do away with evil practices. Our one purpose is to preach the gospel of Christ. If men and women ever come to love the Savior, there is no question but what the outward conduct will be affected. The following words were spoken by John Newton at a minister's conference, January 1, 1788. He was dealing with the subject, how can the church bring about moral changes in the world? His comments are as appropriate today as they were in his day. "The Gospel of Christ, the glorious Gospel of the blessed God, is the only effectual means for reforming mankind. To the man who possesses and knows the use of this grand, this wonderful machine, if I may be allowed the comparison, what is otherwise impossible becomes easy. The Gospel removes difficulties insurmountable to human power. It causes the blind to see, the deaf to hear; it softens the heart of stone, and raises the dead in trespasses and sins to a life of righteousness. No force but that of the Gospel is sufficient to remove the mountainous load of guilt from an awakened conscience, to calm the violence of tumultuous passions, to raise an earthly soul from groveling in the mire of sensuality or avarice to a spiritual and divine life, a life of communion with God. No system but the Gospel can communicate motives, encouragements, and prospects, sufficient to withstand and counteract all the snares and temptations with which the spirit of this world, by its frowns or its smiles, will endeavor either to intimidate or to bribe us from the path of duty. But the Gospel, rightly understood and cordially embraced, will inspire the slothful with energy and the fearful with courage. It will make the miser generous, melt the grouch into kindness, tame the raging tiger in the breast, and, in a word, expand the narrow selfish heart and fill it with a spirit of love to God, cheerful unreserved obedience to His will, and benevolence to mankind." By: John Newton (1725-1807) |
| News For The Week:
...Operation Rescue West (ORW) reports that a Kansas late-term abortion nurse, fed up with the child-killing business, has walked away from her job in the employ of notorious abortionist George Tiller. Formerly Yolanda Yoho had a significant role in the abortion procedures performed at Women's Health Care Services, Tiller's clinic in Wichita, Kansas. Among her usual duties was the particularly gruesome task of post-abortion reconstruction of nearly full-term babies dismembered by Tiller. Reconstruction is done to make sure all of the aborted baby's remains had been removed from the woman's body, lest she develop a potentially lethal infection. A source told ORW that Yoho found her work "disgusting" and also that her decision to walk away from the abortion mill was influenced by six months of pro-life prayer vigils that had been held in her neighborhood. And apparently Yolanda is not alone in her disgust; two of Tiller's clinic managers have left the child-killing business since ORW launched its "Year of the Rebuke" campaign this past January, and according to Cheryl Sullenger, the pro-life organization's outreach coordinator, the late-term abortionist has conducted fruitless nationwide hunts for new recruits to replace his departing workers. However, Sullenger says, "It seems few are willing to become accomplices to the murder of innocent boys and girls through abortion." [Jenni Parker] Source: Agape News |
| Call Him Master: by C. H.
Spurgeon: "He appeared first to Mary Magdalene." Jesus "appeared first to Mary Magdalene," probably not only on account of her great love and persevering seeking, but because, as the context intimates, she had been a special trophy of Christ's delivering power. Learn from this, that the greatness of our sin before conversion should not make us imagine that we may not be specially favoured with the very highest grade of fellowship. She was one who had left all to become a constant attendant on the Saviour. He was her first, her chief object. Many who were on Christ's side did not take up Christ's cross; she did. She spent her substance in relieving His wants. If we would see much of Christ, let us serve Him. Tell me who they are that sit oftenest under the banner of His love, and drink deepest draughts from the cup of communion, and I am sure they will be those who give most, who serve best, and who abide closest to the bleeding heart of their dear Lord. But notice how Christ revealed Himself to this sorrowing one--by a
word, "Mary." It needed but one word in His voice, and at once she knew
Him, and her heart owned allegiance by another word, her heart was too
full to say more. That one word would naturally be the most fitting for
the occasion. It implies obedience. She said, "Master." There is no
state of mind in which this confession of allegiance will be too cold.
No, when your spirit glows most with the heavenly fire, then you will
say, "I am Thy servant, Thou hast loosed my bonds." If you can say,
"Master," if you feel that His will is your will, then you stand in a
happy, holy place. He must have said, "Mary," or else you could not have
said, "Rabboni." See, then, from all this, how Christ honours those who
honour Him, how love draws our Beloved, how it needs but one word of His
to turn our weeping to rejoicing, how His presence makes the heart's
sunshine. |