Purpose! Newsletter - June 2025

Updated: Jul 1, 2025

Arm Yourself

Ephesians 6:10-16

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of

God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil

day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Every good preacher has to eventually come to a finally. Doesn’t mean he’s done. Just means before he’s done he still has some very important matters to present as he concludes. In the Greek, the word finally is loipon and used here it means: henceforth, in the future, or the rest, besides, moreover. So Paul has something more to say. Don’t close the book yet. For Paul, it meant writing some of the most quoted scriptures in the church today, and giving some fundamental teachings on living a victorious Christian life against a relentless enemy. Let’s take a look at that.

The final insight the Apostle wants to reveal to us is of the supernatural kind. He opens up the enemy’s realm to inform us as to what we are dealing with in the unseen world. He initiates that discussion by first encouraging us to be strong. Strong not in our own strength, be that physical or in whatever strength we think we can muster through some spiritual exercises. No, our strength is in the Lord. In the Lord, and in the power of his might. Our victory is contingent on being in relation with Christ and appropriating his power inherent in his might. In the first three chapters of this book of Ephesians, Paul uses the term “in Christ” ten times. By virtue of our faith in what Christ has done at the cross we are placed in Christ and from that position we draw the required strength, enveloped in his power, to overcome. Hallelujah!

The Apostle calls the engagement wrestling. The opponent is the devil and his wiles. We are instructed to put on the inner armour given to us by God so we end up winners. The armour (also armor) consists of various pieces and we are to put them all on, the whole armour of God. Being suited properly will enable us to withstand in the evil day, the present age, and having engaged to the fullest, to be the last one standing. Non-warriors do not survive.

The Roman guards surrounding Paul during his stay in prison were attired with the armour Paul spiritualizes for the believer. He sees the need for the believer to be protected from the evil one as the soldiers were protected from their enemies. Speaking of enemies let’s take a look at who we wrestle with.

Some folks have chosen to call it warfare. Paul calls it wrestling. Let us consider the Greek in the matter.

Wrestling -Gr. palē: A contest between two in which each endeavors to throw the other, and which is decided when the victor is able to hold his opponent down with his hand upon his neck. The term is transferred to the Christian's struggle with the power of evil.

I think of the word grapple. That is a martial art category.

Grappling is a fighting technique based on throws, trips, sweeps, clinch fighting, ground fighting and submission holds. Grappling contests often involve takedowns and ground control, and may end when a contestant concedes defeat.

I think these both describe what the saint feels he is engaged in when challenged by the evil one. In the Greek wrestling match the victor is able to hold his opponent down with his hand upon his neck. In both cases the loser lays on the mat in defeat. In the spiritual event the goal is to be the one standing.

Note: stand, v11; withstand, stand v13; stand v14. Get the picture? Let us not lay on the mat of spiritual conflict, but be the victor, the more than conquerors of Romans 8:37, standing victoriously over the enemy. Hallelujah.

Be aware of the enemy.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Jesus said the gates of hell would not prevail against the church. (Matthew 16:18) The devil sends out his best cohorts in an effort to void, nullify the words of Jesus.

Principalities, powers, rulers, spiritual wickedness in high places. These are the forces we wrestle against, not other human beings. These are the unseen supernatural entities in the enemy’s realm we contend with at times. This shows the enemy knows how strong the church, the believer is, in the Lord, in the power of his might properly attired. Well, glory!

The Sevenfold Armour of God

We are well equipped against the wiles of the enemy. Interesting to note the word wiles in the Greek: methodeia. Look familiar? It means to follow up or investigate by method and settled plan. Other uses of the term are: to follow craftily, frame devices, deceive: cunning arts, deceit, craft, trickery

The devil does not operate in helter-skelter fashion, in disorderly haste or confusion. While the result of his operation may be that, he actually planned for it to be that way. There is a method to his madness. God has given us the method to win against him. Go to your spiritual closet and put on the whole armour of God. Whole armour, so that whatever method he uses against us we are protected.

Truth

One of his wiles is lies and deception against the truth. Jesus said of the devil: When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44. So put on your fact- checker of truth to detect the attack. Having your loins girt about with truth is to equip oneself with knowledge of the truth. To gird is to encircle a person or part of the body with a belt or band, it implies preparing oneself for something difficult or challenging. The onslaught of the devil’s lies requires the saint to wear the belt of truth in preparation for the enemy’s deceptive methodeia. This necessitates knowing the Word of God and having spiritual discernment. Truth is the number one defense we have against the enemy’s lies. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32).

Righteousness

In the armor of a Roman soldier, the breastplate (Greek word is thōrax) served as protection for some of the most important parts of the body. Underneath the breastplate are the ribs, the heart, lungs and other organs necessary for life. Th spiritual breastplate of righteousness required is that which is imputed to the believer in Christ. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21). Righteousness is imputed to the believer at salvation.

There is also the practical righteousness of conducting ourselves properly as believers. This duo of righteousness counteracts the enemy’s accusations against the saint. We are positionally righteous and are endeavoring to live conditionally righteously. The enemy cannot condemn us in either case. Our heart is protected. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1). The accuser is silenced when we respond with this knowledge.

Peace

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

It is the enemy’s intent to disrupt your peace. Your answer to that is to wear the right footwear. Shod your feet. Take this with you. Put on the preparation (Gr. hetoimasia) of the gospel of peace. Preparation speaks of readiness of mind. Be ready, prepared with the promptitude and alacrity which the gospel produces. Do not engage in contentious debates over your faith. Be a peacemaker with those who would argue. Peace is inherent in our relationship with God. It is a gospel of peace, not a religion of violence and war. The enemy would entangle us in heated debate which avails no one. This is especially important today on social media.

1 Peter 3:15 instructs us:

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.

Faith

Prioritize faith. Above all. Don’t dispute with the anti-faith folks. Engage with faith people. Dart-proof yourself with faith. Faith is a shield you can maneuver to protect yourself from all harmful negative and doubt filled thoughts and emotions. Lift up the mighty shield of faith and quench, (Gr.-extinguish) those fiery darts aimed to drive you into unbelief. Faith is your fiery dart extinguisher. Stay in faith. Keep on believing and standing on the Word of God. You have the Truth in Jesus Christ. Amen. -By PJ Flores-

We will conclude this study next month.

Greek references are from Blue Letter Bible.

And now a word from Pastor Shirley…

Finish Strong

During my second class this year our family dealt with a lot of health issues (including a hospital stay). These issues caused me to turn in my first few assignments late, which resulted in points being taken off. By mid-course, I needed to settle down and get back on track. By the grace of God, and the help of my family, I was able to complete my assignments on time. When my final grade was submitted, my professor’s note to me said, “Well done on this assignment, and way to finish the class strong.” As I read the note from my professor, “Finish Strong” resonated with me. I want to share three passages of scripture to help believers finish strong.

Hebrews 12:1-3

The race that is before you is not a 50 meter dash or a 5K. It is more like a marathon, which is 26 miles, or the Iditarod. The Iditarod is a 1,000 mile sled dog race through the Alaskan wilderness from Anchorage to Nome. Pace yourself. Remember that you are not alone. You have a great cloud of witnesses that are cheering you on. They are like those at the checkpoints to help you get refreshed and back out there. Reminding you to stay focused, to keep your eyes on Jesus. You may have had some hard times, but you’re doing great. Refresh yourself and keep going!

Philippians 3:13-14

In between those check points, you have to press in and keep moving. Distractions, thoughts of giving up, thoughts of retreating and going back, even thoughts that others are better than you… forget them. Put them out of your mind. Focus on what you were called to do. Focus on Jesus and press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 4:5-7

Others may turn away from the truth, but you stand firm. Endure and keep going. Make full proof of thy ministry. Let nothing be left undone: preach, teach, heal the sick, make disciplines, raise-up new leaders. This is the assignment that every believer is charged with, not just the “fivefold.” We cannot let the gospel of Jesus Christ die with us. Others need to hear the good news and be set free. People need to be healed and delivered from bondage. Jesus Christ is the only one who can set people free and those who believe in Him are the ones to do the work. So when your time comes, you can be like Paul and say that “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”

Remember, you are running a race. There are physical requirements. You will get tired. You may feel like quitting, but hold on, a check point is coming up. Be refreshed and keep going. Stay focused on Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to get past those thoughts of doubt. Press forward, you are doing fine. Finally, stand firm. Do not let what others do persuade you to quit. Continue to fight the good fight and finish strong. -SAF-

Food for India Pastors

We were informed that 8 of the village pastors were struggling to feed their families. We were able to send some funds to purchase four- 20 pound bags of rice to divide between the pastors (picture on the right). We would like to provide food for these pastors and their families for another month or two to help them get back on their feet. One 20 lb. of rice is about $25 and will feed one family for a month. There are eight families, so it will take $200 dollars to feed each family for the month. Please consider sending a special offering to help feed these ministry families. Visit our website at www.purposeministriesinc.com to donate online. Thank you for you gift.