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The Power of Purpose

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Even when I was in the banking world, when accountants still used the Abacus, managers acknowledged the power of purpose.

The bank had a corporate purpose, the branch had a statement of purpose, and all managers had a stated purpose that aligned with the hierarchy of purpose above them. Then in 1995, this concept invaded the Christian world through Rick Warren’s book, ‘The Purpose Driven Church’. Now, in 2021, ‘purpose’ has resurfaced in the spheres of both business and church.

If you were to ask the average Christian, “What is your purpose in life?” they would probably respond with something like, “To succeed at X”, or “To earn or own Y”, or “To do Z”. The common theme in such responses is that they are all descriptions of DOING something. Yet we are all ‘humanBEings’ not ‘humanDOings’ and we are ‘BEleivers’, not DOleivers’.

So, what then is YOUR purpose, and just how important is that purpose to you? To assist in answering this question, I want to turn to the Apostle Paul, a Jesus-follower with a clear sense of purpose.

Paul’s Purpose
When we consider someone like Paul, we tend to compare his clear purpose with our lack of purpose. Was he not the Apostle to the gentiles, the prolific church planter, and the author of much of the New Testament? But did the Apostle see these things as his purpose or as missions and ministries flowing from his real purpose in life? 

In Philippians 3:12, Paul wrote, ‘I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me’. This sounds to me like an indication of his sense of purpose. He also wrote to the Philippians, ‘I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ’ (Philippians 3:8).  So, Paul’s overriding purpose was to know Christ. A few verses after this (Verse 10), he wrote, ‘I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.’ Then, writing to the Roman believers, Paul expanded on and included us in his purpose statement by telling us that we are ‘predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son’ (Romans 8:29). The word ‘conformed’ means ‘moulded’ and the word ‘likeness’ means ‘image’. This is why the Amplified Bible translates this verse as ‘to be moulded into the image of his Son’, and his Son is Jesus. This, then, should be at least a part of every believer’s Purpose of Life statement.

Note well that Paul understood his purpose, and ours, as being and becoming and not doing and getting.

Your Purpose
So, is your purpose, your reason for being on planet Earth, perhaps about leaving a legacy, or making the world a better place? These are excellent results of a life lived, but they should not be a purpose and motivation for living. Even outcomes like serving God, making disciples, excelling in Christian ministry, are not THE God-given purpose of life.x
Let’s return to what Paul wrote to the Philippians:

I want to know Christ’: This was Paul’s foundational statement of purpose and should also be ours. Not just to know about Jesus, but to know him, how he feels, what he says, and how he regards people. Knowing Jesus starts with what he referred to as the ‘new birth’ experience. We cannot know God, who is a spiritual being, unless the Holy Spirit quickens us and makes us alive spiritually. Having met Jesus, spirit to spirit, we then continue to get to know him better throughout our earthly lives. Therefore, ‘To know Jesus’ needs to be the first clause in our statement of life purpose.

Paul went on to write of ‘becoming like him’ and so the second clause of our purpose statement should also be ‘To be like him’. We are called to become as much like him in this life as we can, and this means that our minds need to be transformed: ‘Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is’  (Romans 12:2 NLT).  To the Corinthian church, Paul put it this way: ‘And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit’ (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Our Purpose Statement Completed

So, in Romans 8:29 Paul wrote of ‘conforming to the likeness of Jesus, in Philippians 3:10 he wrote, ‘becoming like him’, and in 2 Corinthians 3:18 he wrote of us being ‘transformed into his likeness.’

However, there needs to be a third and final clause in our statement of purpose. The first two clauses are about being and becoming but the third clause is about doing: You see, doing flows from being and is the evidence of becoming. This third clause was part of Jesus’ purpose, it is part of the Holy Spirit’s purpose, and it certainly was part of Paul’s purpose. This third clause is ‘to help others to know and become like Jesus’.

Therefore, the full statement of purpose for all Jesus-followers is ‘To know Jesus, to become like him, and to help others to do likewise.

For some, this purpose seems too simple to be true and too abstract to be of practical value. Yet it is true and it is of great practical value! Can there be anything for a person to aspire to more worthy than to be like Jesus? No. Is anything in this world more valuable to others than a Christ-like person? No. The statement is simple, but it describes a life-long endeavour more worthwhile yet more demanding to apply than any other does. Yes, by being more like Jesus we do become more content, less stessed, and so on, but discipleship is not a transactional trade-off. We want to become more Christlike becuase it is the highest ideal of humanity and the very best for both ourselves and others.. even though it often requires sacrifice and even persecution – ‘Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did’ (1 John 2:6).

Purpose is Important

Over the centuries, philosophers have been telling us that there are three big life questions that all people seek to answer in some way or another. They are,

  1. Where did I come from?
  2. Why am I here?
  3. Where am I going?

All born-again believers know the answer to Question Three – we are going to be with Jesus in Heaven. Question Two is the only one about the here and now and so it is a pressing question demanding an urgent and compelling answer – Why am I here on Earth?

Tragically, many, if not most, people cannot answer this question and as a result, they live their lives without any satisfying purpose and often with an underlying sense of hopelessness. As a result, an alarming number of people suffer from depression or even attempt suicide. During the current COVID-19 Pandemic, the number of suicides has doubled over previous years. The group most affected is teenagers, the very youth who should be looking with bright and expectant eyes into the future. It is not hard to figure out why suicide has become a teenage pandemic all of its own. Little to no prospect of a job, separation from friends and often family, educational aspirations thwarted, parents who are without income, and so on. No wonder that some answer the ‘why am I here?’ question with, “Nothing worthwhile that I can see!”

But I wonder just how many teens and others would respond so negatively to this question if they could grasp that the overall purpose of life for all people is to know Jesus, to become like him, and to help others to do likewise. Moreover, once they understood and accepted this, it is easy for them to see how every life situation, no matter how difficult, can contribute to achieving this purpose. This is why Paul wrote in Romans 8:28 that ‘we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’

Purpose is important: It is vitally and critically important!

Conclusion

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose’.

Do you believe this? Well, if you are born again of the Spirit then you should believe this! However, for someone who is not born again, there is no real basis for living out this statement of purpose. So, if you encounter someone who is feeling hopeless, and perhaps suicidal, then the first question to ask is “Are you spiritually born again into an eternal relationship with Jesus?” Then, based on this, explain what the purpose of life really is. 

If a Christian, who claims to be born again, is feeling hopeless, then the likelihood is that they do not grasp God’s purpose for their life on earth. So, explain it, pray for them, and encourage them to pursue this purpose.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’. Philippians 4:7

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When Darkness Falls

Top Image‘When Darkness Falls’ is an appropriate title for this article because all of us living in South Africa have once again been subjected to rolling blackouts, euphemistically referred to as Load Shedding.

It is not just that this is inconvenient, annoying, and disruptive to us as individuals, it is also hugely damaging to our nation. Businesses lose sales, industries lose production, labourers lose jobs, and the country will very soon lose the last remnant of its investment-grade status. Of course, all this is the tip of the proverbial iceberg because Load Shedding is but one symptom of a nation in crisis. Sigh!

In the midst of this ‘controllable crisis’, as the government minister calls it, the jokers, quippers,  and cartoonists are emerging. Many of their efforts are really funny and I wish I could see the smile on my wife’s face when she reads them on her smartphone, but I can’t because it’s too darn dark (just kidding). Making light of something is one of our ways of dealing with fear and hardship. If we can’t get the lights on, we can at least get lighthearted, right?

However, humour doesn’t help to actually solve our problems, personal or national. What we need are visionary leaders, well-conceived plans, competent managers, and a national will to make things work. But we need even more than this, we need both realism and faith, hope, and love.

Why realism?

We need to be realistic in our expectations. Eskom is not going to transform into a model energy provider in a few months or even a few years. As a nation, we will undoubtedly fall fully into the ‘junk’ investment status and that will add another blow to our staggering economy. The political smog of war will not suddenly clear revealing a great saviour figure. Rather, the ruling party will continue for quite some time to wage their internal power-struggle and the opposition parties will continue to be opportunistic snipers and disruptors. Crime levels will not even stabilise until a great number of jobs are created and the police and judicial systems cleaned up and revitalised.

Yes, it’s dark now, and it is bound to get darker before the dawn. And after that, well, I am still optimistic that with God’s grace and help we can realise our hope for a just and prospering South Africa.

Love

Ok, so much for realism, but what about faith? The three prime virtues of the Christian Faith are Love, Hope, and Faith  Love for our nation is called nationalism and whilst pride in and love for our nation is a heart-stirring ideal, it is more the result than the cause of transformational change. Our politicians can make any number of nation-inspiring speeches (even if we had inspirational leaders), but talk does not create reality. However, we can and should love our fellow citizens of all races, genders, and religions and help each other through the dark times. This we can all do, and perhaps “many hands make ‘light’ work” after all.

Hope

Hope is the anchor of the soul (Hebrews 6:19); an anchor cast into the future that we grasp to pull our life-boat forward. However, hope must be based on trust and trust is based on positive past performance. Hope in something or someone we cannot trust is just wishful thinking and a ‘paper anchor’. But, there is one person we can trust, who’s past performance makes Him worthy of our trust, and that is Jesus Christ. We can and should put our hope in Him – in what He has done in giving us new spiritual life, in the example of His life and works, and in what He teaches us to be and do. We can place our hope in Him, and we can try as best we can to share this hope with those around us, both Christians and non-Christians alike.

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15)

Faith

The third of the golden-three is Faith.  Christian faith goes beyond the more reasoned concept of hope to fully embrace the goodness, reliability, and divine perfection of God.  It is a certainty that yields unconditional surrender to the object of our faith. And that object of our faith is not wealth, or education, or a politician, or ourselves, or even faith itself. The ‘object’ of our faith must and can only be the Lord Jesus Christ, God incarnate and eternally with us. This faith comes in part from a rational appreciation of the biblical evidence, but more so from the witness of the Holy Spirit within us. We can share this faith with others in our nation by helping them to ask for and receive the rebirth of their spirits in and through Jesus Christ.

So what can WE do in these dark times? We can be realistic about the prospects and time frame of national reconstruction, and we can be those who practice, share, and teach Faith, Hope and Love; and this we can do. And guess what? As we do this, WE can play a part in restoring our nation and making it a great place for our grandchildren.

Two scriptures that speak so powerfully to us in these days are Isaiah 60:1-2 and Matthew 5:14-16. Here they are. God bless you, dear reader. Be encouraged as you end 2019 and enter the new year that lies ahead.

Isaiah 60:1-2 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you  and his glory appears over you. NIV
Matthew 5:14-16  “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  NIV

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Pray it then Say it – The Potential of Proclamation

Jesus did not pray for any of the people to whom He ministered.

I mentioned this in a previous article, but it is worth repeating. Jesus prayed when He was alone with His Father. However, when He was ministering to people, He did not pray. He identified their need, often made physical contact with them, and then either proclaimed them healed, or instructed them to do something which indicated their restored condition. I believe that the reason Jesus didn’t pray for the sick was simply because He knew the will of His Father and realised that He already carried the anointing to minister healing.

Prayer is a form of communication, not an agency for spiritual ministry. When we pray, we talk to God. We might ask for anointing, or we may inquire if something is according to divine will. Prayer therefore precedes spiritual ministry yet we habitually pray for the sick when we minister to them, instead of simply ‘healing’ them. We don’t seem to know the will of the Father. We are unsure whether it is His will that we heal the sick, so we lay hands on the infirm, interceded for them by praying to God for mercy, and then add “if it be thy will”. Jesus, on the other hand, knew His father’s will, and so He had no need to pray when ministering; He simply went ahead and healed.

But how did He do this? He often healed by laying His hands on the afflicted people but in most cases He spoke authoritatively; He proclaimed healing.

I am not suggesting that words contain power. An essential tenet of magic is that certain words have the power to control nature, to transform physical elements, and to evoke spiritual beings. I do not believe this. However, words do play an important role in the process of transferring power.   The Roman Centurion of Luke 7:7 understood the power of authoritative proclamation because he said to Jesus, “say the word, and my servant will be healed.” His servant was in another town some distance away, yet the soldier knew that Jesus was capable of healing with a word.

Consider the actual phrasing of the Lord’s commission to His disciples. To the twelve He said:“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8).
Luke adds the insight that Jesus ‘gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases.’ (Luke 9:1) To the seventy-two other disciples Jesus simply said, “Heal the sick who are there…” (Luke 10:9) He did not say “pray for the sick”, nor did He instruct them to ask God to heal. He gave them both power and authority, and then told them to get on and DO it!

P3 Book CoverHaving said all this, it would be unwise for me to end this short article without a caution. There is a difference between proclamation and presumption. I really don’t think that we should pronounce people healed (past tense) unless we have received a genuine gift of faith to do so. This would be presumptuous. However, I do believe that we should proclaim healing (present tense) when we minister to the infirm. Suitable proclamations would be “receive healing in Jesus name” or “be healed in Jesus name.”

So, to put it all together, what I am proposing is that we first pray for both power and direction, and then in faith receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit. After that we should minister to those in need by humbly yet boldly proclaiming in Jesus name. Prayer – Power – Proclamation. If you would like to read this, and my other books, please visit www.truthistheword.com or click HERE.

 

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The Prerogative of Power

 

As with Jesus, so with Peter, and so with us.
In another article, I wrote about the privilege of prayer; in this article I want to touch on the prerogative of power. The dictionary defines the word prerogative as ‘a privilege or right enjoyed by a person occupying a particular position.’ As sons and daughters of God we, who are born again in Jesus name, have the privilege of asking for, and receiving, power from on high. God imparts this power to us so that we can grow to be like Jesus in both character and ministry.

Jesus ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus at his baptism. Luke records this event, and then continues with the words: “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert.’”(Luke 4:1). Then in verse 14 he states that “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit”. Further on in verse 18 Luke records how Jesus took his mission statement from the prophet Isaiah when he quoted, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me.

The Gospel of Luke contains some significant references to Jesus’ wonderful anointing. Luke 5:17 records how, ‘One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.’ The Holman’s Christian Standard translation has: ‘And the Lord’s power to heal was in Him.’ Luke 6:19 is even more specific where it records that ‘the whole crowd was trying to touch Him, because power was coming out from Him and healing them all.

Jesus possessed power to heal; he was full of a supernatural energy which issued from him and dramatically affected those to whom he ministered.
Luke Chapter 8 records the incident when the woman touched Jesus’ garment and received healing. Jesus sensed that someone had touched him and responded to his disciples’ protestations with the words “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” (vs. 46).

Jesus was truly anointed, but we know from Luke 24:49 that this same anointing is also the prerogative of all his disciples. The Lord instructed his first disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they had received power from on high. This they did, and the book of Acts records how they went out in the power of the Spirit and ministered supernaturally in Jesus’ name. Peter is an example of this.

Powerful PeterP3 Book Cover

At the Gate Beautiful, a beggar asked Peter and John for money, and Peter responded to this request with the words, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” (Acts 3:6). He did not have money, but he did have something of greater worth that he could give freely to the man crippled from birth. This is a significant text, because it reveals something of how Peter understood the anointing. He didn’t say, “I don’t have money but I will pray for you’” Instead, he said “but what I have I give to you.” What did he have? He had anointing from on high, the power that the Holy Spirit had imparted to him! Peter understood that he possessed this power – “what I have”. He also understood that he had the ability to impart this power to others – “I give to you.”

Then Peter addressed the lame man and said, “In the name of Jesus of Nazareth.” He evoked the name of Jesus to indicate that he was acting under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then he said, “walk!” He did not pray, he proclaimed. He was acting on what he had observed in the life of his master. Jesus prayed often, but he did not pray for the sick. Let me state that again; Jesus did not pray for the sick. He ministered healing. He laid hands on the sick and healed them. He pronounced them well and they became well.

As with Jesus, so with Peter, and so with …us – Prayer, Power, and Proclamation. To read more, CLICK HERE
 

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The Privilege of Prayer

In an article I wrote for Joy! in August 2009 I asked why we, as Christians, are generally so passionless and powerless. I suggested that one of the reasons was that so many of us are confused concerning the nature of prayer, the stewardship of spiritual power, and the need to proclaim in word and ministry – Prayer, Power, and Proclamation.

Part of the problem, as I see it, is that we have separated these three elements instead of integrating them into one – three yet one. Conversely, we tend to confuse these elements with each other.

A well known adage is, ‘there is power in prayer’. But there is no power in prayer. Prayer precedes power, but in itself, prayer is simply communion with God. Prayer is the communication component of our end of an intimate relationship with our heavenly Father. God is certainly powerful, but how can the act of speaking to him have power in itself? Yet preachers often tell us that prayer ‘works’ (another expression which confounds me). Powerful results of prayer are simply evidence of God’s response.

We confuse the response with the request when we say that there is power in prayer. Even more seriously, we confuse the object with the method. God is the one to whom we pray (object), and prayer is the method of communicating with him. Yet prayer is foundational to both power and proclamation.

In prayer we express our dependence on God and our willingness to proclaim His will in word and deed. In prayer we ask Him to fill us with power from on high so that we are able to powerfully proclaim His word.
As children of God, we also ask Him, in prayer, to exercise His power to achieve what we perceive to be valid kingdom endeavors. It might appear on the surface that our prayers have released power, but it is actually God who chooses to manifest His power. An example of this is in Acts 4:29-30, where the disciples prayed, “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” Verse 32 records that “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” The disciples prayed, and God responded with a mighty demonstration of his power.

P3 Book CoverHowever, the text also reveals that God went further than just demonstrating His power; He also filled the disciples with spiritual energy so that they could speak His word with boldness. This is the second level connection between prayer and power. God may respond to prayer with direct acts of power, but He may also respond by imparting power to us, His children, so that we can act in His name. This seems to be the Father’s preferred response to our prayer requests. Why? I think it is because He wants us to grow up to be responsible and mature members of his household; children who have learned both dependence on Him and responsible stewardship of His authority and power.

As always, let’s take our queue from Jesus. Matthew chapter seventeen records how Jesus went up a mountain to pray. Whilst He was praying, He had a dynamic spiritual encounter, heard the voice of the Father, and received an illuminating anointing.

Jesus then went down the mountain and cast out a demon from a suffering boy – Prayer, followed by the receipt of power, followed by proclamation.
Prayer precedes power, and power is essential to effective proclamation. To find out more, please download my latest book ‘P3’ concerning power from on high.

 

 

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About Me

My name is Christopher Peppler and I was born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1947. While working in the financial sector I achieved a number of business qualifications from the Institute of Bankers, Damelin Management School, and The University of the Witwatersrand Business School. After over 20 years as a banker, I followed God’s calling and joined the ministry full time. After becoming a pastor of what is now a quite considerable church, I  earned an undergraduate theological qualification from the Baptist Theological College of Southern Africa and post-graduate degrees from two United States institutions. I was also awarded the Doctor of Theology in Systematic Theology from the University of Zululand in 2000.

Four years before that I established the South African Theological Seminary (SATS), which today is represented in over 70 countries and has more than 2 500 active students enrolled with it. I presently play an role supervising Masters and Doctoral students.

I am a passionate champion of the Christocentric or Christ-centred Principle, an approach to biblical interpretation and theological construction that emphasises the centrality of Jesus

I have been happily married to Patricia since the age of 20, have two children, Lance and Karen, a daughter-in-law Tracey, and granddaughters Jessica and Kirsten. I have now retired from both church and seminary leadership and devote my time to writing, discipling, and the classical guitar.

If you would like to read my testimony to Jesus then click HERE.