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Purpose Newsletter - November 2024

Ephesians 4:7-16

7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Grace and Gifts - 4:7-10

Grace is not only the means of salvation it is also that through which comes our giftings.

The gift giver is not a Santa Claus type who allegedly flies through the skies in a sleigh and miraculously slides down chimneys, and besides all that shows up at the mall to promise children whatever they ask for.

Our gift giver, Jesus, was in heaven, descended down to earth and even beyond, to the lower parts of the earth, and then ascended back up from whence he came far above all heavens. In doing so he presenced the universe and thus fills all things. We cannot hide from his presence. Hallelujah.

The Psalmist prophesied it long ago. Psalm 139:7-10.

7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

Our walk requires grace and gifts. Both are found in Jesus. In his ascension, his return to heaven, Jesus fulfilled the prophetic type presented by the prophet Elijah.

2 Kings 2:11-14:

11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;

14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

As Elijah with Elisha, Jesus bestowed enabling gifts to those who would succeed him. These would continue his work on the earth, particularly establishing his body, the Church. Elisha was granted the double portion he requested to accomplish greater works than Elijah. So the church has been granted “greater works than these” power to do greater things than Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.

12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. John 14:12.

Jesus had told Nathaniel in John 1:50:

50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.

The disciples would have a graduation day. They would go from seeing Jesus do great things to they themselves doing the same and greater works. The church must be in the doing stage today doing the greater works. Elisha saw Elijah work great miracles but the day came when with the gifted mantle of the great prophet, Elisha would enter the doing stage, the double portion ministry. So with the church today.

8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

The mantle has fallen and greater things are expected.

The Three-fold Mission of the Five-fold Ministry - 4:11,12

The Holy Spirit is still fully at work in the church. All of the five -fold ministries are still operative today. Paul does not have a parenthetical disclaimer concerning the cessation of any of these in his writings. Jesus has gifted certain believers to operate in these capacities, each one with a distinct function, within the church, for the church.

The five-fold ministries have been placed within the body of Christ to humbly serve with three specific aims.

1. The perfecting of the saints.

By exposure to these five ministries the saint is to become completely furnished and equipped for Christian living.

2. Prepare them for the work of the ministry.

Work speaks of that which one undertakes to do, business, employment, that with which anyone is occupied. In this context it is of ministerial function. The saint is to be prepared for kingdom functionality. Every member of the body has a role to play, even to becoming one of the five-fold if so called to that by the head of the church, Jesus Christ. Teaching, training, and mentoring are ways by which workers are prepared.

3. Edifying of the body of Christ.

Speaks of the act of one who promotes another's growth in Christian wisdom, piety, holiness, and happiness. The five-fold is to be the instruments by which the believer’s growth is furthered.

The Ultimate Goal - 4:13-16

The ultimate goal is to grow a church united in faith in the Son of God. There is no other central doctrine. As we grow in the knowledge of Him we will become a mature, stable church that cannot be deceived by false teachers, and religious fads. The truth of the gospel spoken with love will grow us into Christ who is the head of the church.

As our natural body is controlled by the head, the brain, so the body of Christ is controlled by its Head Jesus Christ. The body draws from the head and is compacted, joined together, into one whole, by the joints with which it is provided. The body of Christ drawing from Him, with its joint connectivity, with every member functioning in its placement, and empowered by love, is built up into a healthy entity capable of mutual edification. -PJF-

Chosen for Something Better

16 And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

17 Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured.

18 And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.

Genesis 29:16-18 KJV

We are going through the book of Genesis in our Bible study on Tuesday evenings. We recently studied Leah and Rachel, sisters who became Jacob’s wives. Verse 17 above tells us a little about the two, “Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured.” Leah’s name meant, weary and tired. Moses described her as “tender eyed”, which means delicate and weak. One of two things happened when Leah was born:

1. Leah’s mom was weary and tired during her pregnancy.

2. Leah must have displayed signs of weakness from birth.

Names of children were not thought about like they are today. Back then, children were given family names or names of how the mother felt when the child was delivered. For examples of this, read Genesis 29:32-35, Genesis 30:22-24, and 1 Samuel 4:15-22. Today, most expecting parents have their child’s name picked out before the baby shower. People thought we were crazy because we did not have a name for our child until we were in the hospital about to give birth. Even then, we weren’t sharing her name until we saw her.

Because Leah was weary and had a more delicate form than her sister, she was overlooked a lot. Husbands then (and even now) wanted a wife that was strong enough to have children and keep up with the workload at home. Leah was not strong and did not appear able enough to perform duties expected of her as a wife and mother. Therefore, she was overlooked by everyone. Her father had to trick a man to become her husband, if he had not, she would have remained in his house the rest of her life.

But God saw something in Leah. God has a special assignment for Leah. Over time, Jacob had twelve sons. These sons became the tribes of Israel. Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, came from the line of King David. King David came from the tribe of Judah. Leah had three sons. Each time she named them hoping that her husband would love her, finally choose her instead of her sister. By the fourth pregnancy, Leah took her focus off of her husband and decided to praise God. When her son was born she named him Judah, which means praise. God used Leah to bring about His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. She never knew the huge part she played in bringing eternal hope into this world.

Maybe you are going through a season where you seem overlooked. Where people think less of you because of what you look like, or because of some situations you came out of. It does not matter what people think or say. God sees you. He knows what is in you. He knows what you are capable of. There are things that he wants to do through you. So, go ahead, lift up your hands and praise the Lord. Let praise be birthed inside of you. -SAF-