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Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1519669
Do you think that bothered Paul? I think he got excited to see the miraculous happen; and I believe he EXPECTED his Master, Jesus Christ, to do miracles so that he could fulfill his purpose. Did he fulfill his purpose? Acts 14: 21-22 says: "After preaching the wonderful news of the gospel there and winning a large number of followers to Jesus, they retraced their steps and revisited Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. At each place they went, they strengthened the lives of the believers and encouraged them to go deeper in their faith. And they taught them, 'It is necessary for us to enter into the realm of God's kingdom, because that's the only way we will endure our many trials and persecutions.'" Not only did Paul fulfill his calling, but others around him did so as well. Superkid, like Paul, you are called to carry the gospel of Jesus. Sometimes, it can feel hard. Probably not as hard as what Paul experienced, but still the enemy can make you want to quit. When that happens, I want you to say this out loud, knowing that Jesus is the One who makes it true: I CAN DO HARD THINGS! WITH JESUS ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE! Don't miss coming back next month. We are going to go deeper in faith just like they did in Acts. Deeper into the realm of God's kingdom! IN HIM, Commander Kellie B V O V : 3 1 Commander Kellie's Corner Kellie Copeland is responsible for Covenant Partner Relations at Kenneth Copeland Ministries and is the developer of the Superkid Academy curriculum. Through her ministry and as "Commander Kellie," she fulfills the mission of drawing people of all ages into a personal, growing and powerful relationship with Jesus Christ. It's Bible study time! So, grab your Bible (The Passion Translation if you have one). It is so easy to see how God has made us to be His own when you read it for yourself. I want you to follow along, reading YOUR Bible with me as we go. Write down the thoughts and questions that come to you as you read. This is not only the way we learn about God, but how we learn about ourselves! As I began to study Ephesians 3 last week, preparing to write to you, I got excited about our journey! All week long, what I saw written so plainly in this book kept coming back to my mind—helping me to know my purpose, my identity and my place in the Lord. Paul, the writer of Ephesians, knew his purpose! He was writing this letter to the church at Ephesus, a church full of people ® who did not know much about God. Paul talks about his purpose and passion in Chapter 3:1-2: "Beloved friends, because of my love for Jesus Christ, I am now his prisoner for the sake of all of you who are not Jews, so that you will hear the gospel that God has entrusted to me to share with you." Paul says that it was his LOVE for Jesus that tied him to his purpose. This is powerful because we know that Paul went through all kinds of hard things to bring the message of Jesus to the gentiles (non- Jews) in Ephesus. He goes so far as to say that he is Jesus' prisoner. What did he mean by that? To see an example of Paul living his purpose out in hard times, look at another story from Paul's ministry. In Acts, we see that none of those hard situations, no amount of people making fun of him, treating him poorly, or injuring him could convince him to quit serving Jesus—to quit doing what he was called to do. Think about how hard it would be to keep preaching when Paul was struck with rocks over and over. Then, they dragged him out of town and left him there, thinking he was dead. Did he quit? NO! The Bible says in Acts 14:20: "When the believers encircled Paul's body, he miraculously stood up! Paul stood and immediately went back into the city. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe." GO, PAUL! Not only did he not quit, but Paul went right back into the city where he was stoned! Why would he do that? Because he was Jesus' prisoner, for one thing! Flip over again to Ephesians 3:2, where we pick up with Paul expressing his true purpose: "so that you will hear the gospel that God has entrusted to me to share with you." Did you catch that? My dad used to tell us to "get your catchers out!" That meant, open your ears to listen and catch what is being said! Paul was a prisoner because of his love for Jesus to preach to the Ephesians (and us!) THE GOSPEL that God trusted him to share with them. This kept him going, even when things were hard! So hard that he had to be raised up by the Lord! Superkid, YOU Can Do Hard Things!