June 2023 Partner Letter

Dear Partner,

Faith works! Faith works when it’s put to work. Let’s read Mark 11:20-25:

And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

The cross-reference for verse 22, “Have faith in God,” says, “Have the faith of God.” Jesus put His faith to work by speaking to the fig tree: Whosoever shall say unto this mountain and believe it in his or her heart…. Wait a minute! Believe what? “BUT SHALL BELIEVE THAT THOSE THINGS which HE SAITH shall come to pass.” Then, and only then, will he have what he says. In verse 24, He said to believe it “when you pray.” Don’t stop there. The Love part comes next. FORGIVE! When? When you pray. Let’s go to Matthew 22:35-40:

Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love The LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Praise God! Look at that. LOVE GOD! LOVE your neighbor as yourself. ALL the Law and ALL the prophets hang on LOVE. Love is the curtain rod upon which all the BLESSINGS of God hang! Now let’s look at the scripture from which the title of this letter comes. Galatians 5:5-6: “For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by Love.”

Don’t stop there. Look at verse 14: “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Wow! There it is again. If then, Jesus is your LORD and Savior, Romans 5:5-6 makes it very clear that the Love in our hearts is the Love of GOD and not just natural, human love.

Late one night in an upper room, a little over 2,000 years ago, the Master spoke these precious words in John 13:34-35: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have Love one to another.”

A NEW commandment. This new commandment covers all the rest. Love never steals. Love never murders. It’s the Love of God, and He’s the One who gave the previous 10! Let’s read a portion of the Apostle John’s first letter. First John 4:7-9 says:

Beloved, let us love one another: for Love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is Love. In this was manifested the Love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

God is Love! The Bible does not say, “GOD is Power.” It does say, however, He uses His power in behalf of His people! He loved us so much that He laid our sins, sickness and pain on Jesus. He, the Son of God, who is Love, bore it all on Himself and went to hell as our Substitute. The Apostle Peter was there! He wrote in his first letter, Chapter 2:24: “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” Now look at Galatians 3:13-14, Amplified Bible, Classic Edition:

Christ purchased our freedom [redeeming us] from the curse (doom) of the Law [and its condemnation] by [Himself] becoming a curse for us, for it is written [in the Scriptures], Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified); to the end that through [their receiving] Christ Jesus, THE BLESSING [promised] to Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that we through faith might [all] receive [the realization of] the promise of the [Holy] Spirit.

I mentioned that Love never steals. It also never fails. Let’s look at this bloodbacked covenant statement and promise in 1 Corinthians 13:3-8 in the AMPC:

Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or in order that I may glory, but have not Love (God’s Love in me), I gain nothing. Love endures long and is patient and kind; Love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s Love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. As for prophecy (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth].

Love never fails, fades out or becomes obsolete. It never ends! I realized years ago that faith, hope and Love are spiritual forces that are alive in my spirit, so The LORD led me to begin confessing those Love statements as my own. For example, I say, “I endure long, and I’m patient and kind” (verse 4). Place your name in there, and begin to praise God with His words in your mouth about yourself.

“Brother Copeland, that sounds a bit strong for me to do.”

It is! But, it isn’t you doing it! We are saying His Love words in and by faith. Let’s look at another scripture reference to back up what I’m saying. Also, from the AMPC in Galatians 5:22-23:

But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is Love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].

There it is! What is the very first fruit of the spirit? LOVE, who is GOD, who has been shed abroad in our hearts by the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11)! He is the same One who wrote THE BOOK—The WORD of GOD! “IN THE BEGINNING GOD…” (Genesis 1:1). Then Malachi 3:6 says, “I am The LORD, I change not”! We all know verse 10. Let’s read it: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith The LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a BLESSING, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

Who said it? The LORD of Hosts—The LORD of the angelic armies of THIS SAME GOD who never changes. Who? Hebrews 1:14 says of the angelic armies: “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” And now, Hebrews 13:8 says: “Jesus Christ—THE SAME yesterday, and TO DAY [JUNE 2023], and FOR EVER”!

As you sow your BLESSING seed this month, do it based solidly on God’s WORD in Galatians 3:25-29. We—you and I—are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the Promise, THE BLESSING! Read Numbers 23:19-20, AMPC:

God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction [for what He has promised]. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good? You see, I have received His command to BLESS Israel. He has BLESSED, and I cannot reverse or qualify it.

Then John 14:14 says, “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” And in John 16:23 Jesus said, “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.” Then, in Matthew 18:18-20, He said, “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

HE SAID IT! The Son of Man could have lied, but He didn’t. He who knew no sin was made to be sin for us so that we might be made the righteousness of God (who is Love) in Him—JESUS. If that doesn’t set you on fire, your wood’s wet! Read and meditate on the words day and night, not just in this letter. Read them in your Bible (Joshua 1:8, AMPC). That’s The WORD of EL SHADDAI: The God who is MORE THAN ENOUGH! He fed the multitudes with a little boy’s lunch, and they filled 12 baskets with the “leftovers.” That was 5,000 men and their families. That’s at least 15,000-20,000 or more! What is that? FAITH, HOPE and LOVE! LOVE fed ALL those hungry people because they were hungry to hear His words and hear Him teach, preach and heal! He has not changed. People who obey The WORD and live by faith never have to change their lifestyle, in the good times or the bad, because of what THE BOOK says in Philippians. Don’t forget that the book of Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to his partners. In Chapter 4:17-19, he says, “Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Well, THE BOOK of COVENANTS says it far better than I ever could!

Gloria and I pray for you every meal, right after we thank and tell our Father how grateful we are for the food we have and ask Him to BLESS our Partners wherever they are all over the world!

Always remember this: God Loves you! We Love you, and Jesus Is LORD!

Love,