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Purpose! Newsletter - February 2024

1And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Ephesians 2

But God

Hallelujah for a “but God!”

That is the line of distinction between who we were and who we are as believers. As in history so also in our personal lives there is a B.C. or as they want to refer to it today, BCE. It is easier for the world to say Before Christian Era than to say Before Christ. Christ to them is offensive so they soften it with Christian which is to them an inclusive term of any and all who claim some religious affiliation. But God’s plan is redemption through Christ and Christ alone.

Amazing how the lost in expressing anger will cry out for Jesus Christ, not Buddha or Muhammed, or any other dead pseudo deity. Intrinsically there is a recognition of the living Savior and of his unparalleled place in history.

So, it is through Jesus Christ his Son that God has divided our life’s history from death to life.

Our previous existence, that is of the believer, consisted of death. As the demoniac of Gadara, Satan controlled the lost nature and our dwelling place was among the tombs. That is the dead in trespasses and sins.

We traversed in the grave lands of the world, doing the bidding of an inferior royalty whose domain is the air and who operates to produce rebellion in his subjects.

Before Christ, we existed in that realm. We conducted our business there and were conversant with the evil therein. Whatever we desired and could think of we engaged in the practice thereof. We together with others had been engendered into that way of living.

BUT GOD.

But God had a better plan for us. He had loved us and chosen us for an elevated position. So in our unmeritorious condition, by his grace, when we heard and believed the Gospel message and chose to follow him, he blotted “out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” (Colossians 2:14). With Christ’s Calvary blood, God took us out of the graveyard of sin, made us alive by his Spirit and placed us into the resurrectional element with Christ. Go ahead and praise Him!

There’s more. We are not resurrected with Christ to remain in the lowly tenements of earthly and mundane existence.

By the Holy Spirit we have been elevated to a much loftier plane.

We like to say that Jesus sits at the right of the Father. The love of God for us compelled him to transition us from earth to glory. Simultaneously with Christ we were transported into the heavenly realm and assigned special seating in the privileged section with Jesus.

The sitting indicates the position of rest that is ours through Christ. There is no more a pursuit for satisfaction. We have all we need in Him.

From the cross until now and throughout eternity the redeemed will be the showcase of God’s grace which he kindly demonstrated in his perfect plan of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

And then, that grace of God made it possible that the only requirement to appropriate this redemption is faith. All of this is available to every man and woman through faith. And even the faith required is a gift which is produced by the Holy Spirit in the heart of everyone who hears the Gospel.

Elitism is eliminated at the Cross. Not of works, lest any man should boast.

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! Romans 11:33.

The songwriter expressed it this way:

Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!

Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!

Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span

At Calvary!

William R. Newell, pub.1895 -PJF-

Peace!

And now a word from our Pastor…

An Open Door

Continued from my message preached on

January 7, 2024

January 31st I began classes at Purdue Global University to pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA). The enrollment process was intimidating for me, after all, I have been out of school for more than 20 years. Some obstacles arose as I went through this process, but not long after everything was submitted I received the congratulatory email that I was accepted into the program. Hallelujah, I’m in!

Things were going well. I registered for my class. I went to orientation. I received my course syllabus and got the list of books I needed. I was ready.

One week before class was to begin I received an email from the admissions department that I missed a requirement and needed approval from the Dean of Students for my program to enable me to continue as a student. There was a form with six questions. I had to write a detailed response to each question.

One week before my first class! I was anxious. I was tired. I was upset. I was pretty close to sending another type of response to the admissions department, but then I was reminded of something. This came to my mind, Revelation 3:8, “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.”

I believe there are many open doors before me and Purpose! Ministries, Inc. Getting my MBA is one of the open doors that God had placed before me that no man can shut. After calming down and allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to me, I answered the questions and submitted them to the admissions department.

I did what I had to do and waited for a response. There were other things that needed my attention, so I did them. I kept moving as if that email was never sent. There were times while I was waiting that I wanted to fret and allow anxiety a chance to roam about in my mind, but I shut it down and kept saying, “I have an open door.”

I received approval from the Dean of Students to continue the program. Access to my course was restored two days after classes began. I lost some time and I missed my first seminar, but praise the Lord, I was still able to complete my assignments and turn them in on time.

Although that obstacle was unwelcome, it should not have been unexpected. The enemy is always around trying to mess things up. I do not attribute everything to the devil, but this obstacle had his signature on it.

Satan and his minions are not privy to the details of God’s plan. He waits patiently looking for an opportunity to do what he does best, cause confusion and plant seeds of doubt.

Things would not have gone as well if I had been hasty in my response. “I have placed before you an open door…” I thank God that he reminded me of this. Revelation 3:8, my theme verse for 2024. -SAF-

To watch the message, “An Open Door” go to our YouTube channel Purpose Ministries: @purposeministries8400 and search for “An Open Door.” You can also type this link in your preferred browser: https://youtu.be/OjLJ-U5CZvQ.

The Lord opened the door for us to go to Puerto Rico last month.

Yaucromatic, a colorful neighborhood in Yauco, PR.