The Messenger. November. November The Road to Everlasting Life. November 2013 ISSUE 356 VOLUME 30 THE MESSENGER.

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1 Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID 0057 Permit No. 9 VOLUME 30 November 2013 ISSUE 356 PROVERBS 25:13 As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him, for he refresheth the soul of his masters... The Messenger The Road to Everlasting Life November Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans 5:12 "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." Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 10:9-10 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." We are an independent Baptist Church, still preaching the Word of God as it is, to people as they are. We are furthermore satisfied that the King James Version of the Bible is the preserved, inspired Word of God. If you have not yet followed the Lord in Believer s Baptism or if you feel the Lord is leading you to join Smith Grove Baptist Church, please see Pastor Chuck. November 2013 THE MESSENGER Smith Grove Baptist Church P.O. Box 57 Sunday School 10:00 AM Morning Worship 11:00 AM Junior Church 11:15 AM Evening Worship 6:00 PM Wednesday Service 7:00 PM Bible Clubs 6:45 PM Thursday Visitation 7:00 PM - NURSERY PROVIDED Sandy Ridge Road Dr. Charles (Chuck) Peters, Pastor Home: (336) Cell: (336) The entire month of November is being designated as HARVEST HOME month. Each family is asked to bring nonperishable food items to the church. Food items will then be distributed to: Winston-Salem Rescue Mission; Tabernacle Childrens Home; and Malachi Boys Home. Sun., Nov. 3, 11 am & 6 pm Sun., Nov. 3 Speaker: Brother Tim Skelton with Malachi Boys Home. Daylight Saving Time ENDS... set your clocks BACK. Nov. 17 Communion Service & Nov. 24 BEAMS Sunday

2 Evangelist Cliff Burwell TO THE LOCAL CHURCH-THROUGH THE LOCAL CHURCH Charlotte and I want to thank each of you for all you do to help us stay on the road for the Lord. These past six weeks have been very busy as usual. We have watched God bless in many ways as we have traveled from place to place. We are thankful that God is still in the soul saving business. Since our last letter, we have been with Pastor Bill Davis and our good friends at the Cornerstone Baptist Church where I preached all day on Sunday. We had a great time with the folk there. After leaving Greensboro, we headed to West Virginia to be with Pastor Terry Lambert and the Faith Baptist Church. I preached all day, but on Sunday night God s power came down in an unusual way. God s Spirit moved in the hearts of the people, and the service went on until almost one o clock. What a great time we had, as many decisions were made for the Lord. From there we moved on to the New Testament Baptist Church in Gibsonville, NC, where our good friend Brother Ken Jackson is pastor. Brother Jackson has been a good friend to this ministry. Finally, we made our way to Smith Grove Baptist Church where Brother Charles Peters is pastor. Brother Peters and his folk have been a great blessing to Charlotte and me. In our personal soul winning, Charlotte and I have seen a number of folk saved, including a lady from India, who has only been living in America for five years. Please pray for traveling mercies as we continue to make our way from city to city in an effort to be a blessing to the Local Church. If I can ever be of help to you in any way please let me know. My cell number is Yours for the Local Church, Evangelist & Mrs. Cliff Burwell Member Change of Address: Louise Byrd 2211 Golden Gate Dr APT 301 Greensboro, NC LITTLE CHRISTIANS in Church 10 little Christians, standing in line. 1 disliked the preacher, then there were 9. 9 little Christians, stayed up very late. 1 overslept on Sunday, then there were 8. 8 little Christians, on their way to Heaven. 1 took the low road and then there were 7. 7 little Christians, chirping like chicks. 1 disliked the music, then there were 6. 6 little Christians, seemed very much alive, but one lost all interest, then there were 5. 5 little Christians, pulling for Heaven s Shore, but one stopped to rest, then there were 4. 4 little Christians, each busy as a bee. 1 got his feelings hurt, then there were 3. 3 little Christians, knew not what to do. 1 joined the sporty crowd, then there were 2. 2 little Christians, our rhyme is nearly done, differed with each other, then there was 1. 1 little Christian can t do much tis true, brought his friend to Bible study, then there were 2. 2 earnest Christians, each won one more. That doubled the number, then there were 4. 4 sincere Christians worked early and late. Each won another, then there were 8. 8 splendid Christians, if they doubled as before, in just so many Sundays, we d have 1,024. In this little jingle, there is a lesson true, you belong either to the building or to the wrecking crew! Psalm 92:1-2 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most high: To show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.

3 November Birthdays 2 Ronnie Key 5 Nancy Westmoreland 6 Willard Tucker 7 Aaron Jordan 7 Caleb Jordan 8 Carol McBrayer 12 Kathryn L. Crews 12 Jay Stafford 13 Helen Hendrix 13 Virginia Nuckles December Birthdays 1 Adalyn Finney 3 Sheila Payne 4 Mackenzie Ann Barham 4 Chasity Ramey 5 Willis George 5 Elaine Lowe 7 Joretta Holt 10 Reva Holt 11 Rhoney Wilson 12 Lydia Beeson 12 Tori Heath 16 Gale Tester 15 Owen Neese 15 Darlene Pitts 15 Rusty Tucker 16 Brittany Key 17 Jennifer Davis 22 Darla Freeman 22 Cheryl Holt 23 Jonathan Smith 23 Forrest Tucker 24 Tony Nuckles 16 Jan Wilson 17 Jessica Holt 19 Neva Long 19 Todd Tucker 20 Andrew Harrison Smith 21 Johnny Cameron 23 Bernice Johnson 23 Nancy Kelly 30 Barbara Bowden 30 Lillie Mae Crump 31 John David Payne November Anniversaries 24 John Payne 26 Marshall Freeman 28 Ashley Hendrix 28 Wade Shields 30 Irene Shields 30 Nathan Pilcher 30 Gail Tate Kathy Johnson Nicole Tucker Curt & Betty Bame Mark & Elaine Lowe Nov. 5 Gene & Oma Pitts Douglas & Carol Shields Jay & Wanda Stafford Nov. 8 Rhoney & Jan Wilson Craig Pearman Lonnie Tucker Song of Solomon 8:6a & 7a Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death... 7a Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it:... Laug aughter, the Best Medicine Pun -ishment I tried to catch some fog. I mist. When chemists die, they barium. Jokes about German sausage are the wurst. A soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran. I know a guy who s addicted to brake fluid. He says he can stop any time. How does Moses make his tea? Hebrews it. I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Then it dawned on me. This girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I'd never met herbivore. I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. I can t put it down. I did a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words. They told me I had type A blood, but it was a type-o. I didn t like my beard at first. Then it grew on me. A cross-eyed teacher lost her job because she couldn t control her pupils. What does a clock do when it s hungry? It goes back four seconds. Broken pencils are pointless. What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary? A thesaurus. England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool. I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest. I dropped out of communism class because of lousy Marx. I took the job at a bakery because I kneaded dough. Velcro - what a rip off! Cartoonist found dead in home. Details are sketchy.

4 If every person in this world Would take the time to see The beauty that God created How amazing this would be. The sun in all its brightness He made to light the day The moon and all the countless stars At night to lead your way. The majesty of mountains The golden fields of grain The sweetness of a bird s song A rainbow after rain. The rustling of the leaves of trees The slightest breath of wind Are these just God s reminders Of the love He wants to send? So if you don t know Jesus But you want Him in your heart He doesn t want to lose you So you must do your part. He s always there and waiting He s listening for your voice He wants to be your Savior But He lets you make the choice. He only wants what s best for you And He wants you for His own To live with Him in glory To share His heavenly home. Jesus Is Waiting So when you feel a yearning For something more you need Jesus is holding out His hand Just reach for it, He ll lead. All sins will be forgiven And you can start anew If only you will just believe That Jesus died for you. That God His Holy Father Raised Him from the dead Now He lives and reigns in heaven Just as the scriptures said. Your life will be completely changed When you are born anew Because you have His promise That He ll come back for you. This life on earth is nothing Compared to what s in store You can t begin to comprehend What God planned long before. No more tears or pain or sorrow Will you ever have to face When at last you make it home To dwell in God s own grace. You ll meet your Savior face to face And kneel before His throne To worship Him forever In your everlasting home. Emily McAdams Copyright 2001 SHUT-INS Louise Byrd Iris Farrington Harry Haynes Neva Long Jo Anne Pegram Billy Pendry REMEMBER IN PRAYER Raynelle Shields Louise Smith Barbara Tucker Forrest Tucker Clara Ward Mary Westmoreland Gerry Williams SICK/OTHER NEEDS: JoAnn Alley Joshua Kollas ( 3-yr-old Doris Anderson with Stevens-Johnson Sherri Bowling Syndrome) (thyroid surgery) Dot Long Chip Bryant Gurney Lunsford Thelma Bullard Richard McCormick Tammy Burnett (cancer) Ann & Ed Morgan Johnny Clark Kent Moses (heart transplant surgery) (esophageal cancer) Patrick Clark (CHF) Sally Nester (liver Kim Garrett (Cancer & cancer) Crohn s Disease) Charlotte Pettet George Hayes (heart (diabetic ulcer) problems) Gene & Oma Lou Pitts Rhonda Hedgecock Kathy Rayle (stroke) Ricky Hedgecock Sandra Richardson Tim Hedgecock Peg Schwartz (Cancer) Jimmy Johnson Violet Sealey (back issues) Assisted Living/Nursing Home Helen Jones Curney & Rose Matthews Betty Robinson Wade Smith Betty Soyars (stroke) Dennis Westmoreland Kenneth Westmoreland Reid Westmoreland Jan Wilson BEREAVED: Families of Tommy Farrington Beulah Lemar Pray for those... In the Service of our Country Matthew Bennett, stationed in Atlanta, GA PFC Dylan Freeman, US Marine Corps Camp Pendleton, CA (Great Grandson of Louise Byrd) A1C William Holt, US Air Force Pope AFB, Vass, NC CW3 Jonathan Harless (Raleigh, NC) Maj. Robert Harless (160th SOAR, Savannah, GA) Charles Holmes, Al Asad Air Base (Northern Iraq) Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Maine, US Army [Germany] (Nephew of Clarence Redmon) SSgt. Samuel A. Priddy, Marines - New River (Jacksonville, NC) - son of Brenda Westmoreland

5 Our Honour Roll Smith Grove s ministry to our widows and widowers Honour widows that are widows indeed. (I Timothy 5:3) This is a continuing churchwide ministry to remember widows and widowers of the church in a meaningful way. Each month, we highlight our special Honour Roll Gang Members who are having birthdays. Listed below are November and December Honour Roll Gang members. Please take a moment to send a card, make a telephone call, or do something extra special for our special saints. Nancy Westmoreland 628 Millwood School Rd. Greensboro, NC ~ November 05 Forrest Tucker 8017 National Service Rd ~ Nov. 23 Neva Long 8716 Staples Road ~ December 19 Virginia Nuckles 4610 Kendale Road High Point, NC ~ November 13 Joretta Holt 8412 Stafford Mill Rd. Oak Ridge, N.C (Cell) ~ Dec. 7 Bernice Johnson 5220 Prince Charles Dr. Kernersville, NC ~ Dec. 23 I would like to extend a huge Thank You to the Smith Grove church family on behalf of Shining Light Academy for the great response in Box Tops collected for the months of August and September. We had a total of 128 Box Tops collected from our church alone! We also had several grocery cards linked to benefit our school as well. What a great encouragement it is to have you supporting our Christian School and education in these areas. Please continue to remember us in prayer as we seek to lead young precious souls to the saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Lord is at work and blessing our school this year, but we know that our adversary the devil walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. May we keep our eyes and focus on the Lord at all times. In Christ, Chasity Ramey Abraham Lincoln s Thanksgiving Proclamation It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the LORD. We know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too selfsufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us. It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. Abraham Lincoln - October 3, 1863

6 Changing Times but an Unchanging God For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. (Rom.3:3-4) by Pastor Chuck Peters I ve Found A Friend there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. (Pro. 18:24 (Read Proverbs 17:17; 18:24; 27:17; 19:4; John 15:13) There is an epidemic of loneliness in our society today. A real friend is a very valuable possession. A friend can often times make a difference between success and failure. Spurgeon said, Friendship is one of the sweetest joys of life. Many might have failed beneath the bitterness of their trial had they not had a friend. I have lived to see massive changes occurring on every front. The world has changed, our Country has changed. Churches have changed. Our current society is degraded to a scale that makes the perverted sins of Sodom and Gomorrah seem almost mild! Today, of course, we not only condone perversion but charge those who adhere to old-fashioned Biblical standards as being guilty of hate crimes when they speak out against these wretched sins. We are also noticing a dressing down of attitude today in terms of permissiveness on the part of professing Christians. I am noticing a continual change in the matter of personal separation and a furthering departure of so many Independent Baptist Churches from a previously held ecclesiastical stance. Today many churches attempt to put the major emphasis upon worship of God while failing to understand that true worship involves coming into God s presence clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ and coming into His presence adorned with attitude and activity matching Biblical standards. We make our changes under the name of reaching more people but seem to forget that Paul had it right when he stated that the Gospel is what reaches people. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. (Rom.1:16) Quite frankly, does the NIV, NASV, and Amplified Bible have a history of connection to spiritual awakening and revival to match the King James Version? Quite frankly, can modern music ever really thrill the soul and contain more depth than Amazing Grace, and There is a fountain filled with blood? Quite frankly, do we really read in the Psalms that true worship of God means taking a little time out from our pleasures to slip into a church at our own convenience while maintaining a dress down mode to make getting back to the golf course easier! After all, the problem is not so much dress as it is a careless and prideful attitude. Yes, times have certainly changed but God hasn t!! A FALSE FRIEND CAN BE A LIABILITY The prodigal son had many so-called friends until he ran out of money! A friendship bought will not stay bought. Sooner or later there will be a higher bidder. False friends turn their backs on you when the going gets tough. Job said,... my friends scorn me. (Job 16:20) A TRUE FRIEND A true friend loves you for who you are even though they know your weaknesses. They step in when the whole world steps out. They never get in your way except when you are on the way down. They will joyfully walk with you when you are on the mountaintop and silently walk with you through the valley. They will strengthen you with prayer, bless you with love, and encourage you with hope. Friends love us in spite of our faults while enemies hate us in spite of our virtues. THE TRUEST FRIEND Jesus is a friend that sticks closer than a brother! He is the truest friend. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13) He actually died for those who were ungodly and enemies because of the condition of sin. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (Rom. 5:6) Do you know Him as your personal Savior? If so, you can also say, I ve found a friend who is all to me, His love is ever true; I love to tell how He lifted me. And what His grace can do for you. - Jack Scholfield What a friend we have in Jesus!