This is from the September Newsletter as it says below, from Pastor Troy of RAVEN Ministries International. I feel a need to distribute this once more. I am bothered by “The Purpose Driven Life,” in all the churches here in Albuquerque/Rio Rancho. It seems that the Pastors of the churches that I have visited have based their teachings on this book. We were given a book, (not just any book, The Bible is the Word of God), many years ago to tell us how to live. This is the Book teachings should be based on. Why is it now in this day and age we need a man to write a book to tell us how to live as Christians? Why not just let the Spirit guide and seek the face of God daily. Then another book isn’t needed. Take the Bible literally and the Lord will give instructions. I always hear people talk about revival, but not doing anything to start a revival. It doesn’t take much, start by asking the Lord to set your priorities up according with His Will. The next step is just doing it. It doesn’t take hundreds or thousands of dollars, just open your mouth and let the Spirit speak through you. We were all Given a Purpose now let’s come together and line our hearts up with the Word of God and our Minds up with Gods Will. As you read through this newsletter pray that the Lord would speak to you and reveal himself to you. If you read through this and disagree that we weren’t Blessed with The Purpose Given Life, e-mail me and tell me why you disagree.
RAVEN MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL
September Newsletter
"The Purpose Given Life"
Acts 26:16-18
Acts26:16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; 17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, 18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. (KJV)

I can almost see Paul the Apostle as he stood before King Agrippa and began to give his powerful testimony of coming face-to-face with the blinding presence of the Lord Jesus Christ as he journeyed on the road to Damascus that day.

1 Corinthians 6:20
1Corinthians 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (KJV)

To be bought speaks of surrendering title, deed, and ownership of something to the purchaser. Once bought the owner can exercise any decision relative to his property. If it be piece of land; he builds what he desires. If it be a vehicle; he drives it to his choice of destinations.

Acts 20:28
Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. (KJV)

Speaking of the “the church of God, which he hath purchased with His own blood.”
When ownership is transferred through the free will of a person and the exercise of faith towards God— then the rights of ownership are acquired by the purchasing party who then has all rights to determine how and what this acquisition will be utilized.
While we are not under bondage to any law—Jesus has established the one true reason or purpose in offering up the ultimate price for you and I.
So if we have established that we have transferred ownership of our lives to Jesus Christ and as a result of this spiritual transfer we are then instructed on how we should live—–then what is the purpose that we have been given to?
Our text reveals the answer: “to make you a minister and a witness” Why? “in order to turn them from darkness to light.”
Just because that was the purpose in which Paul was given to, does that mean we have been given the same purpose? There is a good way to find out! Let’s look in the Bible!

In 1 Corinthians 11:1 he makes the statement, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”

Another translation reads, “Imitate me as I imitate Jesus Christ.”

The American Heritage Dictionary offers up these definitions of the word imitate.

To use or follow as a model
To copy the actions, mannerisms, or speech of
To copy exactly; to reproduce

That last one sure hits home! Seeing that we were created in His image and likeness and are His offspring created or reproduced by His Spirit.

We are then told by Paul to “be a copy of Him” in the way that he was given to be a “copy of Jesus.” What was it that Jesus was given for then?
Jesus Himself answered that question for us when He said in:

Luke 4:18-19
Lu 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. (KJV)

Jesus certainly made it easy to see the reason that He came or for what purpose in which He was given:
To Preach the Gospel!

Now THAT is as simple as it gets.
Related Texts:

Luke 19:10
Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (KJV)

John 3:17
John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (KJV)
The words of Jesus in these verses and the testimony of Paul before King Agrippa are an echo of one another and our lives and purpose should be the continuation of that exact same echo.

“The Spirit of the Lord” was upon Jesus to anoint Him to preach the Gospel.

Now consider this:

Romans 8:11
Ro 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. {by: or, because of} (KJV)

Does the same Spirit that indwells Jesus dwell in you? If it does then you have been anointed and given to one purpose according to the Word of God—to bring people into His Kingdom through the sharing of the Word of God with them.

I gave a man a car one time and a few months later he called to see if I would mind him giving it to someone else. I said, “I gave it to you to do whatever you want to do with it. It’s yours.”

Why is it that we “give Jesus our lives” and then spend the remainder of our years telling Him what He needs to do with His property! I think the problem is that too few actually have signed over their lives to him and embraced the purpose given to us. We’ve instead loaned it to Him with the hope that He would carry the insurance and somehow accept responsibility without authority.
“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” That is the Purpose Given to Him and by extension—the same purpose given to all who would be followers of Christ.


I John 4:1
1Jo 4:1 ¶ Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (KJV)

There are mimics and there are imposters. There are the purpose driven and there are the purpose given. Which one will you be?
Matthew 28:19-20 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

The Grass Withers

and The Flowers Fade

BUT

THE WORD OF GOD

STANDS

FOREVER

Isaiah 40:8