Chosen to Choose
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1.
From Saul to Paul – The Transformation
1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. Acts 9:1,2.
Letters played an important part in the life of Paul. Our introduction to him in Acts 9 presents to us a man who with deep hatred for the church is seeking authority from the supreme religious leader to be able to enter into the synagogues where the believers gathered, and arrest such who would accept such a deviant message as those of “this way” were promulgating. This way turned out to be the right way. The apostles were declaring Jesus as The Way as Jesus had declared himself to be the only way to the Father. The Jews would not be moved from their way.
Paul needed authorization to enter the synagogue and overrule the leader there. The credentials came in the form of letters from the high priest which he would present to the officiating Rabbis before wreaking havoc in the meeting places. Paul received the letters and immediately began his journey to Damascus, his first stop. Thankfully he never made it. He met Jesus on the way and his life was forever transformed.
This is the “Paul, an apostle” who now writes divinely inspired letters from a prison cell to the churches he founded. This one we are looking at was to the church at Ephesus. But it is also to us today as we are included in the “and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.” Praise the Lord.
Chosen with Purpose
I begin with verse 4.
Before the foundation of the world, God thought to bring you into the world and into his family. Abortion is the thwarting of God’s plan and purpose by unauthorized individuals that exercise that option in opposition to Divine prerogative. Eons past in the vast heavenlies which he fills, God declared blessing on all who would be born into the human family. Accordingly, all of those were chosen to participate in the plan to be effectuated by Christ by his death on the cross.
The purpose for this choosing was so God could share his love with a holy and blameless race of people who would dwell before him.
Each human that would be born of natural origin he would then adopt into the divine family by the mediation of Jesus Christ. Thus God would have good pleasure as his will is fulfilled. Not only would God enjoy this relationship with mankind but it would be a display of his grace as he made fallen humanity qualified to enter into his holiness through the work of his beloved son Jesus Christ.
The Cross
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself.
This is all made possible by the finished work of Christ on the Cross. “In whom” speaks of Christ. “Redemption through his blood” speaks of the cross. There is no other way, cause, or reason God could effectuate this plan as previously declared except by the cross. It is only at the cross where there is forgiveness of sin, which is the only barrier to experiencing the good pleasure of God’s will. At the cross God displayed the riches of his grace and revealed the mystery of his will. God purposed all this in himself and by himself before the foundation of the world and brought it to completion at the cross. Anyone who rejects Christ and the cross is hopeless and lost. There is no other entry point into the family of God. We are not all children of God.
John 1:12 declares it.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
You cannot reject God’s eternal, elaborate, and equitable plan and be saved. God will love you all the way to hell, but he cannot give you a pass into heaven without the cross stamp.
Jesus said, No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6. Jesus is the only way because no one else has done what Jesus has done. He shed his blood on the Cross.
You cannot be good enough or work enough to merit salvation. And you cannot be bad enough to not be able to receive it. There is a way to enter in to this relationship with God.
Choose Wisely
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
So how do I get this? Glad you asked.
Hearing is the first step. This is why we have services, write newsletters and books, stream on Facebook and post to you tube.
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17.
Hearing brings trust that the word of God is truth. At that moment faith is birthed in the heart of man and he believes the message. Romans 10:9 inserts the required assent.
9 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.
Upon your belief and confession The Spirit of God seals the matter and you are saved. Hallelujah!
A soul saved is unto the praise of his glory.
In conclusion, God chose you. You must choose God. That is the way it works. Amen.
-PJF-
And now a word from our Pastor…
A Workman That Need Not Be Ashamed
I was thinking about a recent discussion we had with a few pastors regarding women in ministry. All the pastors there were in favor of women in ministry and they wanted to hear my thoughts on the subject. I said a few things and agreed with some of the points they had made and then we moved on with our day. I often think about this subject, because so much of the religious world is against women in ministry, more specifically, women in leadership roles in ministry.
Yes, I know all the Bible verses and I have heard all of the arguments both for and against. One scripture verse I would use to defend my position was Galatians 3:28, There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. I’ll admit, I have wasted time trying to defend myself as a woman pastor. I finally realized that I don’t need to defend myself. I need to show myself approved unto God.
2 Timothy 2:15, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
The word approved is the Greek word dokimos. In those times the coins made were made of metal each at a certain weight. Many times counterfeit coins were put into circulation, meaning that the coins were shaved too thin, thus lessening the weight and value of each coin. There were certain money changers that would not accept such coins and only allowed the fully weighted coins to be accepted and circulated in the area. These moneychangers were known as dokimos. They didn’t accept junk and they didn’t give junk out.
This verse tells me what I am supposed to do. The opinions of others don’t matter. I need to be ready, willing, and able to be dokimos. To accept only the fully weighted truth of the word of God and be able to give out the fully weighted truth of the word of God. The results of changed lives will speak for themselves. There’s no reason to be ashamed of that. -SAF-
Reaching the Unreached Ministries in Tenali, India
Kid’s Christmas Shop Event
We want to thank each of you who have contributed to our ministry throughout 2023. Because of your faithfulness in giving we were able to support missionary work in Morocco, Mexico, St. Lucia, the UK, and parts of Asia. We were able to provide assistance in housing and food to our ministry partners in Tenali, India throughout the year. We were blessed in participating in the purchase of Christmas gifts for the widows, orphans, and pastors that were given out during our Zoom meeting in December.
Locally, we were able to revive our Kid’s Christmas Shop event this year. More than forty children were able to choose Christmas presents for their parents at no cost. A special THANK YOU to our volunteers! We would not have been able to do the event without you.
We thank God for a blessed 2023 as we look forward to an even more abundant 2024. Please pray for us as we begin to travel again. We will be in Puerto Rico in January and in Mexico in September. Many blessings to you all!
Happy New Year!
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles…. Isaiah 40:31
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Purpose! Ministries Inc.
16605 Sunrise Lakes Blvd Suite 6
Clermont, FL 34714
Sundays 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm
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Pastors PJ and Shirley Flores
Purpose! Ministries
A Praying Church - A Healing Church - A Holy Spirit Church - A Preaching Church
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