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Purpose! Newsletter - July 2024

Ephesians 3:14-21

14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Ephesians 1:15-23

15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

In his prayer in Chapter One, Paul is motivated to pray for the Ephesian believers after he is informed of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and their love unto all the saints. Unto all saints indicates a directed love not just a love for them. We can love people generally but not display an intentional individual love for all. They have a great foundation of faith and love. Paul is thankful for that and includes them in his ongoing prayers that they may have a deeper experience with the Lord.

His prays that God may give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. That should be manifested in the believer’s growing awareness of God himself. That spirit should have the effect of opening our eyes. Not our physical vision but our spiritual sight for it is a matter of the spirit, the only spirit, the Holy Spirit. That our spiritual eyes should be open to what? To all that is HIS. Note the many references to his, that which pertains to God and that we should be aware of, and greater, that we should understand fully, and even possess.

1. The hope of HIS calling.

What hope does God afford his children? This calling is not only to a particular mission that we are to accomplish. Though that has its hope accompanying it. He is talking about the greater calling. His calling us to be his, to be saved, to be in relationship with him. That call brings with it an eternal hope. The hope of heaven when we leave earth. Yes. But there is hope while we traverse this earthly experience. Being called by God means we can hope to enjoy a loving union with him. We can expect to have his care, his provision, his guidance, and his healing. When we are in difficult straits we can hope that he will see us through. We hope that his purpose for us is revealed and we walk in that, fulfilling that for which we are called for there is included in the greater call the individual call to accomplish his purpose in his kingdom also. These are reasonable expectations of the believer.

2. The riches of the glory of HIS inheritance in the saints.

It is said in Romans 8:17 that we are heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ. What is Christ’s is ours. The will has been written. We can read it ourselves and see all that has been bequeathed to us by the death of Jesus on the cross. Read the Bible and learn what you have inherited. The riches of the glory included in the inheritance is not to be neglected. Do not live in spiritual poverty but be enlightened to what is yours in Christ. Do not be ignorant or unbelieving.

3. The exceeding greatness of HIS power.

The exceeding greatness of HIS power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at HIS own right hand in the heavenly places,

God is on our side. His power is available to us who believe. Faith is mandatory. The extent of the power available to the believing saint is consistent with, in conformity with the working of his mighty power which was demonstrated in the raising of Christ from the dead and transitioning him in defiance of gravity into heaven.

What allows for the believer’s access to all the above is that Jesus didn’t only die on the cross and resurrect the third day. He did not stay hanging around with the disciples living in a corner in Jerusalem. He ascended to heaven. We sing He arose, he arose. We should also sing He ascended, he ascended! Had he not, this prayer of Paul would be empty words written on a scroll with no force. It would be no better than a Hail Mary. BUT, Jesus is Lord, sitting at the right of God with all authority. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth he said while still on earth. Matthew 28:18. Now he is on the throne in heaven. Get ahold of that. The Apostolic Prayer has fulfillment possibilities.

And he is not done praying. Read on concerning this power of God and where he placed Jesus.

Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

It is the power that rules over all other forces now and for eternity. Hallelujah!

That is the exceeding greatness of HIS power to us-ward who believe. So as much as we need when we need it. We cannot exhaust that resource. Get some.

And in conclusion…

4. His Feet, His Body.

And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

The church is me and you, his body, his fulness on earth. Anywhere you travel you will find a church. He is there even if only two or three. And Jesus who rules over all, the supreme authority, is our head and all things are under his feet.

I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18.

That is the power to us-ward who believe. Amen.

May this Apostolic Prayer be fulfilled in us.

We will look at the prayer in Chapter 3 next month. -PJF

And now a word from our Pastor…

Unknowingly Chosen

I Kings 17

7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

8 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,

9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

God told Elijah to go by the brook Cherith. This is where the Lord provided food and beverage for the prophet. When the brook dried up, the Lord sent him to Zarephath, because he commanded a widow woman there to sustain him. When he arrived in Zarephath, he saw the widow woman that was supposed to sustain him. She was gathering sticks. He calls out to her and asks her for a drink. As she turns to go get it, he asks her for some bread. Her response seemed a little off.

12 And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

Wait a minute. Wasn’t this the widow woman that God commanded to sustain Elijah? What was happening here? There must be a mistake, Elijah. He must have seen the wrong widow… right?

No. Elijah allows the woman to give her response, but then gives her a chance to exercise some faith.

13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

14 For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.

She must have felt faith rise up within her because did what he said.

15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.

16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.

She did not know at the time, but God chose her to provide for the man of God. She did not have much. Her plan was to die, but the man of God showed up and everything changed. Death was no longer an option for her. God wanted to provide for Elijah, but he also wanted this woman to know that he cares for her too. He gave her the opportunity to participate in the program. She gave, and it was given back to her.

-SAF-