Seven Things You Should Know About Purpose

Grace is Defined as God’s Plan or Purpose in the Scriptures

I would like to let you know that grace is defined as God's plan or purpose in the scriptures. There are different categories of grace found in the Scriptures. Paul talks about "the grace of God bestowed on the Churches" (2. Cor. 8:1), "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2. Cor. 8:9), and then "the grace of God which is given unto me" (Eph. 3:2). But for this study, we'd be looking at "the grace of God which is given unto me," as Paul wrote.

I call this the INDIVIDUAL GRACE because he said, "Ye are partakers of MY GRACE". Now, Paul said, "If ye have heard of the dispensation (type) of the grace of God which is given me to you ward," what type of grace? "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is THIS GRACE GIVEN, that I SHOULD PREACH among the Gentiles..." (Eph. 3:8). Notice that this grace was given to him so that he should preach among the Gentiles. Take note of the word "preach." In Gal. 2:7, Paul said, "When they saw that THE GOSPEL OF THE UNCIRCUMCISION was committed unto me, as THE GOSPEL OF THE CIRCUMCISION was unto Peter," uncircumcision refers to the Gentiles, while circumcision refers to the Jews. Meaning his grace was different from Peter's grace, but take note that this grace gives him room to preach to the Gentiles.

Luke, telling his account with Paul during his mission field testified that "after they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but THE SPIRIT SUFFERED THEM NOT...and a vision appeared to Paul in the night; there stood a man of Macedonia and prayed him saying, 'COME OVER INTO MACEDONIA AND HELP US', and immediately we endeavored to go...ASSUREDLY GATHERING THAT THE LORD HAS CALLED US FOR TO PREACH THE GOSPEL UNTO THEM" (Acts. 16:10).

Notice that the Spirit resisted them from going to Bithynia, and then he said Paul was sure that the Lord had called him to preach in Macedonia. Now, the same Lord who resisted Bithynia has allowed them to preach in Macedonia. Why? Paul said he believed God had called him to preach there. I believe it was this same Lord that restricted Paul's ministry to the Gentiles. Paul testified that the Lord told him, "Make haste and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem; for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me...depart, for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles" (Acts 22:18 & 21). And we know, according to Peter, that grace is gotten from the word of God.

Therefore, when Paul said Grace was given to him to preach unto the Gentiles, he meant God called him to preach to the Gentiles. Hence, individual grace is the specific purpose or plan of God for any man's life! Friend, the good news is that Paul was not the only one given grace; "But unto every one of us is given grace." (Eph. 4:7).

Every Believer Has a Purpose

 It is important to note that every believer has a purpose! One of the most outstanding statements that Peter made was recorded in Acts 10:13. "Then Peter opened his mouth and said, 'Of a truth, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons.'" Paul the Apostle broke this statement down in simpler terms by saying, "For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him." (Rom. 10:12).  God has no favorites! He's not a partial God; he's not biased! Paul said, "If ye have heard of the dispensation (type) of the grace of God which is given me to you ward." (Eph. 3:2), and we defined the 'individual grace' as the specific purpose or the plan of God for any man's life. That means if Paul had an 'individual grace' and God is not partial, then you have an 'individual grace!'

Ephesians 4:7 validates this truth: "For unto every one of us is given grace..." Notice, he said unto every one of "US," Who is "US?" Well, Paul was writing to the churches, not unbelievers! The Church. Every believer has been given grace; we have a plan and a purpose mapped out by God! Well, is it every one of us except you? No! But what if you were born out of wedlock? Does God still have a plan for you, since you probably weren't planned for?

Hey, are you born again? If you are, then you are part of "every one of us." Here's another amazing statement in the scriptures. "I beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith YE ARE CALLED". The Bible is God speaking to you! Never forget that. God writes to you and says you are CALLED. Friend, I've got good news for you: your pastor is not the only one that was called! No! You have been given grace too! Well, you may not be called into ministry, but certainly you have been called into your high places.

Purpose or Grace Came Before The Foundation of The World

Have you ever observed a manufacturer who is unsure about his production goals before beginning work? Isn't that foolish? One thing you must know about the purpose or grace of God for your life is that it existed before the foundation of the world. The Lord speaking to Jeremiah said, "Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee and...I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations" (Jer. 1:5).

When did the Lord know him? Was it a few minutes before Jeremiah's mother got pregnant? No! Paul, in his letter to Timothy, said, "Who (God) hath saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his OWN PURPOSE and GRACE, which was given to us IN CHRIST JESUS before the WORLD BEGAN." (2. Tim. 1:9)

Some other translations leave out the words "purpose and grace," and all they write is "purpose." Purpose, or grace in that context, means the same thing. But notice that he called them according to his purpose, which was given to them BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN! Therefore, he knew Jeremiah and ordained him a prophet before the foundation of the world.

Friend, the purpose of God for your life has been in existence long before you came. Eph. 3:7,8, and 11 says, "Wherefore I was made (called) a minister...this grace given that I should preach... according to the eternal purpose of which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." And Paul, writing to Timothy, tells us that his purpose came "IN CHRIST before the WORLD BEGAN" (2 Tim 2:9).

Isaiah the prophet lamented when he discovered what was ordained before the foundation of the world. He said, "I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vain;...and now the LORD says, who formed me from the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him..." (Is. 49:4-5).

Right from the foundations of this world, God has written down your blueprint! Every believer has grace or a purpose, and this purpose was given before the foundations of the earth. You may be wondering, "Bro. Robert, 'what if I can't do or be what God ordained me to be'?" Here's your answer: we were not just given a purpose, but we were created in such a way that we'd be able to carry out our task!

You Were Created According to Purpose

In my third year of college, I ran into Fejiro, my classmate. He had an amazing voice and was the lead vocalist in a school band. I was thinking as I was looking at him, "See, he was just born with a great voice while others aren't," when this idea suddenly came to me. "The same way he was born with a great voice, we were all born with something that we can do!" And this is confirmed by the Bible!  Paul said, "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to [his] purpose" (Rom. 8:28).

You see, the word called here doesn't mean "Hey you! Yes, You...You! Come here and be a pastor." Nah! God's principal tool for creation is his word. When he speaks, he creates! "And God said...and God saw" (Gen. 1). Just like in the valley of dry bones, where the prophet spoke and the bones came alive. When God speaks, he creates! So, the word "called" refers to what God said! And when he spoke, he created.

The words 'called' and 'create' are synonymous. Therefore, we were called or created according to purpose. You see, just like Fejiro. When God was creating you, he spoke creative words that had to do with what he had purposed for you to do. For instance, if you were ordained to be a prophet, like Jeremiah, He spoke words like "prophet" over you, and your bones came together. You began to form and were created by his word as a prophet exactly as He purposed it.

It's just like in cooking; all the ingredients needed to create a good soup have to be placed in it for it to qualify as a soup. So also, God spoke all the required details when he was creating you to make sure you'd be fit to carry out the purpose he ordained for you. Hence, whatever he called you, you can do. Because you were created according to purpose!

You Can Find Purpose in The Word of God

Friend, every manufacturer has a manual where he tells you the components of his product. For a phone, you would see a 13-amp camera, 64-gigabyte internal storage, etc. Well, we were created by the word of God, so the components of our new man are found in the word of God! And we know that grace, which is defined in context as purpose, came from the word of God. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace (purpose) to help in time of need." That means we can find the components of what God said when he created us in his word. For example, Jesus was naturally from Judea.

The people of Judea were not ordained by God to be priests of the temples. But when Jesus died spiritually and his spirit was being recreated, one of the things God said was, "Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec." (Ps. 110:4). Paul puts it this way: he was "Called (created) of God a high priest after the order of Melchisedec." (Heb. 5:10). This was why he could only step into his High Priestly ministry after his resurrection.

But you see, Psalms 110:4 was written long before Jesus was born. And Jesus said in John 17:18, "As thou hast sent me into the world, even so, have I also sent them into the world." He sent him in the volume of books written concerning him, and he also sent us into this world in the volume of books written concerning us. There's a phrase in the Bible that shows the components of the words spoken by God when he was creating you. John the Baptist found his own and said he was the voice of one crying in the wilderness.

Friend, you can find your purpose in the word of God! It's written in the Bible. There's a phrase in there concerning you. Many believers have found their own in the Word; I've found mine, and you can find yours too.

For Every Purpose There is an Anointing

No one sends people on an errand without the means and funds to carry it out! For every purpose under heaven, there is an anointing that enables you to fulfill it. You see, the Lord defined the anointing for me as "the ability to do whatsoever God has called you to do." That means if he's called you to teach, he'll anoint you with the teaching anointing, which gives you the supernatural ability to teach! This is the same thing with any other thing he called or created you to do! Let's look at it. Remember, grace is defined as purpose in a scriptural context. Paul said, "Having then GIFTS differing according to the GRACE that is given unto us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy...or ministry, let us wait on our ministering or he that teacheth, on teaching" (Rom. 12:6-7).

The Greek word that translates as gift is "charisma." it's a combination of two Greek words: "charis," which means grace, and "doma," which means present. Hence, charisma is a grace-gift. It is something that came because of grace or purpose. In short, it means anointing. Notice he said, "Having then gifts (anointing) differing according to the grace (purpose) that is given unto us...", "To every Charis, there is a charisma," which means to every grace there is a gift, and in simple terms, to every purpose, there is an anointing!

Remember Jesus? He said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to preach...to heal..." (Lk. 4:18) He was called to preach and heal, so he was given the supernatural ability to preach and heal. That's what we call the preaching and healing anointing. Friend, Paul says, "Covet earnestly the best gifts", well in my opinion, the best gift for you would be the gift that suits your grace. The anointing that compliments your purpose. Be like Elisha; he wasn't coveting the king's anointing; he coveted the prophet's anointing because he knew he was a prophet. Friend, covet the best gift. For every purpose, there is an anointing.

Purpose in Christ is Like The Human Body

Dear Friend, purpose in the body of Christ is like different parts of a human body. Every one of us in the body is given a purpose, but remember that each part of your body has its own functionality. The eye cannot substitute for the nose, nor can the ear replace the teeth, because every part of the body was created for a specific function!

Well, it's the same thing with the body of Christ! We have all been given a purpose! There are different types of purposes. No purpose is a substitute for another! This was the revelation given to Paul in 1 Cor. 12:17, "If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?" Don't change the structure of the body of Christ because of sentiments, and go telling everyone that they can be anything they want to be in the body! Paul was separated and sent to the Gentiles! Peter called to the Jews! Well, you could say, what about Philip? The evangelist? He started as a deacon but ended up being an evangelist!

Really? Are you that ignorant? Paul said every grace or purpose given in the body of Christ was ordained before the foundation of the world! (2 Tim. 1:9) God ordained him to be an evangelist to begin with. Just like the Apostles! They all started as disciples, but before they were called apostles, Jesus ordained them before the foundation of this world to be the apostles of Christ! I'm not disputing the fact that you can grow in God and do mighty things! I'm not. All I am saying is that you don't grow up into a prophet! You were created as a prophet!

You don't grow up spiritually and then enter the office of an apostle! NO! Just as the eye can never be the leg! So also, one who is not called an apostle can never be one! Yes! This came directly from the Lord. I'm not fabricating words! We have all been given our portion in the body of Christ! What was the unit of measurement that the Lord used to give one talent, two talents, and the other five talents? It's creation! No man is destined to fail in the body. The man with one talent didn't use it! So he lost it, and it was given to the man with five talents! Ah, you might say, "But God just gave that man extra work to do in the body." Friends, they were all trading talents! They had something similar about their purpose or grace! Do you see that?

How can the eye say I don't know how to be an eye? Or the nose says I don't know how to be a nose! No, we can all do what people in our place of grace, purpose, or calling can do! Hence, members of the body need one another. Don't go doing the work of an eye when you are the feet! You'd look silly. Stay true to the purpose that God has given you! Remain Blessed

Jesus is Lord!

Min. Roi