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Sovereign
Grace Missionary Baptist Church 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 Elder Randy Johnson, Pastor Bro.
Ronnie Henderson, Song Director "Where The Truths Of God’s Word Are Still
Taught" |
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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, 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, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Kevin
Henderson, Ronnie Henderson Jr., Vickie Sims, Debbie Farmer, Morgan Murchison,
Jim Stagner, Bro. & Mrs. Hammond, Don &
Neil Hammond, Charles Hammond, Eric Hammond, Archie & Barbara Griffin
& son Daniel, Bro. & Sister Bob Keller, Wanda Fowler, 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, Doris Hammock, Letha Langford, Brother
& Sister Kelley Hinson and Kelley Lee, Billy and Jo Hobbs, Jerry Hughes, Sister
Nita Bookout and her Niece, Roger Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr,
Betty, Janie Capps, Scott and Gina Sillivan, Katie
Norton, Sadie a child, Imajo Tracy, Sister Jean
Dodson and Family, Helen Rowe, Linda Hughes, Michael Helm, Roy Lemmon, and
Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia. |
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A Thought From Pastor Johnson: Our God Is Sovereign! Our study on the Sovereign Grace of God now brings us to the most hated
five letter of the alphabet to ever be studied and it is called by most “The
Five Points of Sovereign Grace” some call it “Calvinism” after the pastor
that systemized these five point. John Calvin lived 1509 – 1564 and is
credited with two great accomplishments (1.) systemizing T.U.L.I.P. and (2.)
starting the Presbyterian Church. Calvin was (to my understanding) was never
a Baptist but did teach many Baptist doctrine. We do know that Calvin was
part of the reformation from Catholicism which did not include the Baptist,
however many but not all that exited Catholicism in the years of reformation
did believe in the Sovereign Grace of God at one time, in fact if one would
go back just one hundred years ago you will find many denominations believing
and teaching it in their churches. The Wesley Brother believed it, Charles
Spurgeon believed it, John Gill believed it, and Albert Barns believed it, as
did most of the old time commentators. If you are a member of a church that
does not believe and teach this doctrine chances are your Pastor studies all
of these men that did believe and teach it. T.U.L.I.P. is not a new doctrine that the Baptist
pulled out of the air as most biblical teaching in churches today are
teaching, but rather it has been around since Jesus taught all five point in
John 6:32 – 71 and His teaching was rejected then also. John 6:61 “When Jesus
knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth
this offend you?” Because Jesus has just told them “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 The five letter that make up T.U.L.I.P. are defined as follows “T” is
Total Depravity – “U” is Unconditional Election - “L” is Limited Atonement –
“I” is Irresistible Grace – and the “P” is Perseverance of the Saints. These
are not new teachings but rather are as old as Jesus is. I know there are a
lot of men that will claim these teachings are old and untrue but they are
scriptural, which is more than we can say about the teachings being taught in
most churches today. Each of the letters has a great lesson to be learned and
teaches us so much about the Sovereign Grace of God. So as we look at each
letter please take note of all of the scripture references that I give and
learn about so much that you very well may not know about today. I understand that the two most rejected and
most despised are the “L” Limited Atonement and the “I” Irresistible Grace because
they cancel out the Arminian teachings of today of “salvation is all up to
you”, “you control your own destiny”,
“it is your choice”, which all of these are non-scriptural based making them
mans doctrine and not Gods. God never promise to save all mankind and God
never promised to love all people, but He did promise to save some and to
forever love them that He chose to save before the foundation of the world.
Next week we will began our study with “T” - Total
Depravity - Everyone is born in a state of corruption as a result of original
sin. And - Humankind's entire nature, including its reason, is corrupt or
sinful as a result of the fall and that people are therefore completely
dependent on God for regeneration. – Mankind will never on
their own seek to choose God over sin; neither will they on their own
ever seek to decide to be saved. Romans 3:11 - 12 “There is none that understandeth,
there is none that seeketh after God. (12.) They
are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is
none that doeth good, no, not one.” |
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A Thought From Octavius Winslow, 1858: "And the Lord direct your hearts into the
love of God." 2 Thessalonians 3:5 Love to God is the governing motive of the spiritual mind. All desire
of human admiration and applause pales before this high and holy principle of
the soul. Its religion, its devotion, its zeal, its toils, its sacrifices
spring from love. Love prompts, love strengthens, love sweetens, love sanctifies all. This it is that expels from the heart
the rival and false claimant of its affections, and welcomes and enthrones
the true. It may, at times, like the pulse of the natural life, beat
languidly; yet, unlike that pulse, it never ceases entirely to beat. The love
of God in the soul never expires. Fed from the source from where it emanates,
the holy fire, dim and dying as it may appear at times, never goes out. Have you this evidence of the spiritual mind, my reader? Does the love
of Christ constrain you? It is the first and the chief grace of the Spirit—do
you possess it? "Now abides faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of
these is love." It is the main-spring, the motive power, of the
spiritual mechanism of the soul; all its wheels revolve, and all its
movements are governed, by it. Is this the pure motive that actuates you in
what you do for God? Or, do there enter into your service and your sacrifice
anything of self-seeking, of thirst for human approbation, of desire to make
a fair show in the flesh, of aiming to make religion subserve
your temporal interests? Oh, search your hearts, and see; sift your motives,
and ascertain! Love to God—pure, unmixed, simple love—is the attribute of the
spiritual mind; and, in proportion to the intensity of the power of love as a
motive, will be the elevated tone of your spirituality. Nor need there be any
lack of this motive power. "God is love," and He is prepared to
supply it to the mind's utmost capacity. We are straitened in ourselves, not
in Him. The ocean on whose margin we doubtingly, timidly stand is infinite,
boundless, fathomless. The Lord is willing to direct
our hearts into its depths, but we hesitate and draw back, awed by its
infinite vastness, or stumbling at its perfect freedom. But to a high
standard of heavenly-mindedness, we must have more of the love of God shed
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which He has given unto us. We must
love Christ more. |
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Bible Conference Update: Please
do not forget our Bible Conference will began on
Friday night September 17th with 3 speakers and conclude on
Saturday September 18th with 6 speakers. There will be a meal
served on Friday night after the services and at noon Saturday. We still do not know the exact status of
Brother Curtis Pugh although room is planned for him if he is able to attend.
All invited speakers have committed or declined as to date therefore letters
about details and speaking schedules will be sent out in the next couple of
weeks and all details with that schedule will be posted on our web site about
that time. We do
invite all to attend and hear some most wonderful speakers. If you would like
to know anymore information please email or call us
at any time. |