Knowing Our Father's Heart for Kingdom Ministry | Ep. 122

Embark on a profound journey into spiritual leadership as we uncover Paul the apostle's legacy of selfless ministry. His letters to the churches set a standard for genuine pastoral care, free from hidden agendas and self-promotion. As we unpack this, you'll glean insights into the early church's formation and the essence of Christian leadership that prioritizes God's will over personal gain.

Feel the parental warmth of Paul's affection for his spiritual children as we explore his longing to see their faith thrive. Experience the elation of spiritual shepherding as we discuss the intrinsic link between a leader's joy and the spiritual maturity of their flock. Paul's letters unveil a genuine celebration of unity and strength within the Christian community—a reflection of the joy any parent feels when their children thrive.  Our discussion traverses the nurturing role of ministry, likening it to the guidance a family provides, and celebrates the unity and love that should permeate the Christian community. You'll witness Paul's emotional investment in the Thessalonians' journey, and it's likely to inspire a deeper comprehension of the relational dynamics at the heart of spiritual growth.

We conclude with a stirring conversation on the indispensable role of love in both individual lives and the broader ministry. Paul's teachings in the New Testament underscore love as the ultimate fulfillment of God's law and the transformative power fostering Christ-like character. From bearing one another's burdens to clothing ourselves in kindness and patience, we'll explore how these acts of love are the pinnacle of spiritual gifts, guiding us toward unity and maturity. Drawing from the wisdom of 1 Corinthians, we reveal how spiritual gifts, without love, are hollow, emphasizing that love must underpin every aspect of our faith. As we wrap up, be challenged to meditate on how love operates as the transformative agent within the kingdom, enriching your life and the lives of those around you.

Transcript

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 0:03

The vision received was that of blood cells traveling throughout the body, supplying the much needed oxygen and other nutrients to the differing members of the body to fulfill their purpose. Once the blood cells are spent, they must return back to the heart to be refilled before being sent out again and fulfill their purpose. Good afternoon everyone. Good to be here before you again. Let's just begin in prayer, Father. I just pray that the hearts in this place would be willing to receive from your word here today, this morning, that you have given unto me, father. I pray that I would be removed out of the way and that the words that come from my mouth would be from your heart and your heart only, o God. I pray, Father, that your word would be lifted up and magnified here in this place, and that it would bring conviction and that it would bring encouragement and that it would bring edification wherever necessary and wherever applicable in each of our lives. In Jesus' name. I woke up Saturday and I realized that what I want to do today is kind of kind of one of the different study methods that are in the book. It just popped into my head Character study and I want to look at the letters that Paul wrote. I want to look at them from the perspective that he wrote them in who he was writing them to, and realizing when these letters were written, because obviously he didn't write all the letters all at the same time. They were written in different years to different people, in different places and in different states in his life, and the first letter that he wrote during his travels he established the church in Thessalonica and he wrote his first letter to them. So if you kind of look at chronologically the New Testament letters, that was the first letter written, not Corinthians, not Ephesians, not Galatians, not Colossians. That first, second, third, john, it was first Thessalonians and in it, in chapter one, I want to look I mean we call it a character study but I really want to look at what was his heart as he ministered to the Thessalonians. How did he express his heart to them? Because I guess, because I'm going to be ministering down in Miami, you know, one of the topics is our father's heart, knowing our father's heart and I guess today's message is knowing our father's heart in regard to kingdom ministry and I think the best way to do this is to look at his ministers. How did they express his heart toward the people that they were ministering to. So he begins in first Thessalonians, and I'll start.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 2:55

In chapter one, verse two. He says we give meaning to Matthias, sylvainus and himself because they were all in partnership as they ministered abroad. He said we give thanks to God always for you, and he's already left them, he's already preached to them to gospel, but he's away ministering in other places and he writes this letter to them and he lets them know listen, we're giving thanks to God always for you, we're always making mention of you in our prayers. We remember, we were like always remember. We're remembering without ceasing all of the work of faith, all of the labor of love and all of the patience that you have exhibited in your waiting for the coming again of the Lord Jesus Christ and the side of God and our father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. Now that seems maybe pretty standard to some of you, but as we look more at some of the things that he said, he's building on this desire that he has for them.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 4:03

He says in 1 Thessalonians, chapter two, verse five he's kind of reminding them of the time that he spent with them and how he was working with them. He says neither at any time did we use flattering words. In other words, we weren't going out there trying to impress you with fancy words and all of this stuff. We didn't do that. You know that he says. And it says we didn't cloak ourselves in some kind of covetous. It's not like we were disguising ourselves, desiring something to take advantage of you. He says you know that we didn't do that with you, and God is our witness. You know that we didn't do that with you. You know that when we went there we weren't seeking the glory of men. We weren't seeking your glory. We weren't seeking other people's glory and as apostles of Christ we could have made demands upon you because of our office, but you know we didn't do that with you. He says in verse seven instead of all that that I described which you know we didn't do, and God is our witness h he says we were gentle among you. Just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children, so Paul is now using an analogy like a mother who's taking care of an infant and just cradles that infant and cherishes that infant and basically does everything necessary to help that infant to survive and thrive and grow, like a mother cherishes her infant child. That is how I was ministering, that is how we, because he kept saying we, we were ministering to you in that vein. In that light, he says affectionately, longing for you, in verse eight.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 5:53

And, as I you know, before I got this assignment, if you will, in Miami and this particular assignment here, I was already reading the scriptures and I wanted to go through the letters in order. I don't know why, you know, I wanted to do it in the old Testament and I understood why. I wanted to understand how, you know, the prophets or the judges ended with the prophets and then and then how they came into the kings, and I wanted to understand how there were kings and Judah and kings and Israel. I understood why. I wanted to read everything chronologically, but I didn't understand in the New Testament. But it was an idea, so I went with it and God started showing me. Think about it.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 6:29

This is the first letter Paul has ever written to any of the churches he's ever established. There's probably one of the first churches that he established because it was the first letter that he had written and all the other letters after that were because he was ministering in different places, like Colossus and Ephesus and Ephesus and all these other places. Then he began writing letters to them as well. So we see in this that he says in 8, I was affectionately, we were affectionately longing for you. I don't hear ministers today talk like that, it's just something that I notice. I'm reading this and I'm really trying to discern what is the Father's heart here and I'm realizing I don't hear people talk like this today. In my background and in my experience I never really heard or was ever so impressed by a minister was ministering over me that they impressed me like this, affectionately longing for me. I haven't heard that.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 7:27

But he says that to them and says we were well pleased to not only impart to you a gospel. We wanted to give you the gospel, but by God, we wanted to give you our lives. He says you have become so dear to us. He says I read that and I was like wow, Paul's getting kind of open, he's exposing his longing, he's becoming vulnerable because he loves them and he's putting himself in that state of or place of vulnerability by saying all of these things.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 8:09

And then he brings to mind the remembrance we had such a longing for you and you become so dear to us and you know that when we were with you, we labored and we toiled with you. It's not like we went into your houses and sat back and relaxed while you did all the work. I don't know what exactly they were doing, but he witnessing with them was saying we labored and toiled with you, probably in whatever it is that you were doing in your lives and in your community and your vicinity, we worked with you, we toiled with you, we sweated with you. We were laboring night and day because we didn't want to be a burden to you. That was the last thing we wanted. It's not like we wanted to come to your house so that you can give us lodging and you can give us food so we can pass by to the next city. No, we stayed there with you. We worked with you, we sweated with you, we cried tears with you, we broke bread together, we broke soil together.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 9:02

Maybe they were farmers I don't know what it was they were doing but he was working with them. They were working with the community, with the people that they desired to minister, to gospel to them, and it was so much a desire that they were willing to give their lives for them. Now you know, if you follow the apostles history. They were constantly being followed and persecuted and tortured by the Jews that were following them in whatever the world was throwing at them in the particular city that they found themselves in. But we don't want to be a burden to you. We wanted to preach you the gospel and you are witnesses and God is also a witness.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 9:37

You know how we treated you devoutly, justly, blamelessly. We behaved ourselves among you. You know how we did that. You know it was an outstanding character and integrity. You know that. And you know that we continually exhorted you, we comforted you, we challenged you, we charged you. We said, as a father does his own children, and I like that. He's using this family metaphor again. First it was like a mother's nursing a child and now he brings in this fatherly type of metaphor, like a father challenges his sons to get up your loins, be a man, do what's right in God's side, be strong in that. We challenged you to do that so that you would walk worthy of the God who called you into his kingdom and his glory. I like this family analogy that Paul brings into this because, as a father who's married to his wife and has three children, I starting to see how parenting is so much like ministering in the kingdom of God. It's almost identical the feelings that you have the lungs of what you want your children to become, knowing what God's calling is for them, and to struggle through it and to work with them and toil with them and to struggle through all of the things that they struggle with, because you desire to see Christ in them.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 11:09

He continues in this letter, in chapter two. He says what is our hope? What is our joy? What is our crown of rejoicing? What is it that really gets us going in the Lord? What gets us high spiritually? Isn't it you making it to see the Lord Jesus face to face, to be in his presence? And he flat out says in verse 20, you are our glory, you are our joy. So all of this heart is being poured out in affection and cherishing them and longing for them because they I mean it almost as if their life is meaningless if they don't get the fruit out of them. There's no purpose in what they're doing If what they're imparting unto the people is not transferring or transforming them into being who they are called to be in Christ.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 12:07

He says in chapter three. He says in verse five for this reason I've went away. I've been ministering and I can't come back to you. Paul is saying we can't get back to you. So you know we could no longer endure it. We had to find out what's going on in the Thessalonica, what's going on with the Thessalonians. I sent to know your faith.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 12:29

Paul sent Timothy because he was concerned that, you know, the tempter might have come in, because he had always been preaching about hey, be careful of the wolves and sheep's clothing. He knew that from the Lord. Be careful, because the enemy is rising up amidst them, to take them out, to take them down, because he didn't want his labor in them to be in vain. So he sends Timothy. And now Timothy has come to us from you and he's brought us good news. He's telling us of your faith, he's telling us of your love and that you desire to greatly see us too. So there's an affection that's reciprocated. Now it's not just Paul pouring himself out, but finally, when he sends Timothy, Timothy's coming back and say hey, they want to see us too. They long to see us like we long to see them. And so he says we are comforted, we don't care what we're going through, we don't care if we're being persecuted. We don't care about the afflictions or the stresses of our day. We don't care. We are so happy, we are so overjoyed because we are comforted, knowing that your faith was not in vain. We're so happy, we're so joyous.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 13:54

He's look at what he says in verse eight. For now we live if you stand fast in the Lord. This is what gave the apostles purpose. This is what gave them joy to know that the people that they were ministering were standing fast in the Lord. I mean those of you that our parents know, when your children are standing fast in the Lord, you are overjoyed. All of the worries and the concerns are there, dispelled. You are just so ecstatic. He's standing in the Lord. I see him struggle, but he's standing in the Lord. She's standing in the Lord. She's staying faithful, she's keeping herself pure. She's standing amidst all of the pressures. He's standing amidst all of the temptation. He's standing in the Lord. We're so proud! Not because they scored a goal or did this. We are proud when they are standing fast in the Lord and they are making their testimony of him known to others.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 14:59

And so he says in verse 10 night and day, we're praying exceedingly because of all the joy and all the rejoicing. For your sake and God, we want to see you even more now. We want to see your face to face because why not? Just so he can say, oh, I'd love to see my friends again, I love to see my family again. What is he saying In verse 10, he says because we still want to perfect what is lacking in your faith.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 15:22

We want to see the perfection of God. We know that the work is not done. We just laid a foundation and we know that other ministers might come and start building up on. But we want to make sure. We want to come back and make sure that your, your faith is perfected, it is fully matured is another word for perfected. And so that's kind of how the Paul's heart and those that he was minister, that's how kind of ends. There's just this desire in this longing to be with them, to see them, because he wants to see them perfected.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 15:58

And so we get another letter. And no, Ephesians didn't come next, or Colossians, or Galatians or any of the up. No, the next letter was second Thessalonians. And so we see in second Thessalonians, chapter one, verse three, he says again we are bound, we are obligated to thank God for you always brethren? Because it's fitting. Why are we thanking God? Listen to what he says? Because your faith is growing exceedingly.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 16:25

This is what's turning the apostles on to what they're doing for the kingdom, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other. Isn't that what we want to see in our own children, can we not? We don't stand I speak for myself. I can't stand when I see my children fighting with each other, arguing with each other, being mean and unkind to each other. It breaks my heart, it breaks my wife's heart. But we see what joys, what brings up this overwhelming flood of joy and Paul's heart is that he hears their faith is found faithful and he hears them abounding. That means overflowing with their love for one another.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 17:11

And don't we, as parents, just love it when our children are treating each other in kindness and tender mercies and all of these compassion and building them up and helping them up when they're struggling, and being constant encouragement. That's what love looks like, does it not? And so when we minister in the kingdom, it's very parental. It's got this parental perspective because the ministers of God are the ambassadors of Christ. They are the representations, the manifestations of Christ in the earth. You should be exhibiting that type of heart to those that you're ministering to.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 17:54

He says in verse four, so that we ourselves, we boast of you, man, don't we do that with our own kids when they're doing something great and awesome and we want to tell everybody about? Look at what they're doing, look at how they took the instruction and, bam, they ran with it. And look at what God is doing in their life. And we want to tell everybody about it because a testimony of what God is doing to someone who responds to his word, that's what we want to do, that's what the apostles want to do and that's what you should all desire in your heart as you're ministering to other, not so that you can get something out of it, but so you can see God and work in their life like he's at work in yours.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 18:38

And yes, there's persecution, yes, there's tribulations, but they endure. It says that when you go through the persecution is in tribulations and you endure, you become the manifest token, the evidence of the righteous judgment of God, because God has judged you to be righteous. If you walk in righteousness in this world, you will be persecuted, you will have tribulation, and there's nothing wrong with that, doesn't it say in other places in the truth, rejoice when you are under persecution, rejoice when you're in tribulation, because Jesus has already overcome the world and this is nothing but the evidence, so that you are accounted worthy of what the kingdom of God. So he says in Second Thessalonians one, verse 11,. He says, therefore, we pray always for you. There it is again. They're always praying for them. They don't cease to pray for them. They're on their hearts.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 19:42

They may be ministering elsewhere, but they're writing letters that say we're constantly praying for you, guys, that our God would count you worthy of his calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of faith with power. We want to see the power of God at work in you. We want to see God's power work on your behalf as you commit your life in sacrifice, in living sacrifice to him that, at the name of our Lord Jesus, Christ may be glorified in you and you and him. So now it's, it's culminating. We want to see you again because we want to perfect the faith that was in you. We want you to become perfect, but we want to see Christ glorified in you. We want to see you glorified in Christ.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 20:31

And then he says in chapter three, verse five, because he's getting to this really gist of what I feel we really need to have if we're going to be the ministers of God is he says he prays for them. Now, may the Lord direct your heart into the love of God, the love of God and into the patience of Christ, into the being patient and enduring, waiting for the coming of Christ. But direct your hearts into the love of God. He reminds them that you yourselves know in second Thessalonians, chapter three, verse seven through nine, how you ought to follow us. Why should they know how they should follow the apostles?

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 21:12

Look at their example when they were working with them, toiling with them, when they kept ministering to them, when they were encouraging them and exhorting them, all the things that he wrote in the first letter. You know that that's how you should walk, that's you should be following us in that respect. Well, we were not disorderly among you, nor did we eat anyone's bread free of charge, but we worked, we labored, we toiled night and day that we would not be a burden to any of us. He's reiterating again the same point he wrote in first Thessalonians, not because we do not have the authority, because he's also being very honest. Listen, we had the authority as apostles to do that, but we didn't. But we did it because we didn't want to be a burden to you at all. We wanted to be a blessing to you, to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 22:05

It ends in verse line. So the apostles have a heart to not only minister to gospel, to give up their very lives, if necessary, for the sake of those that they're ministering to you and being an example. They realize the responsibility they had in the office, that they had in the ministry that they had, that they had to be an example unto them. So they made sure that everything that they did was scot-free, without stain, without blemish, without wrinkle, so that they would follow in line in suit. And so that's his heart in first and second Thessalonians. Those are the first two letters. The next letter is Galatians, and I look at the first two letters of Thessalonians and I look at wow, that's like that's how a parent is with their very young child.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 23:01

You can't do much of anything. There's not much you can be dissatisfied with. There wasn't a lot of correction in first and second Thessalonians. There was a lot of encouragement, there was a lot of instruction, but it's not like there was a lot of bad things going on as a lot of correction. Kind of like when you have your first born, there's not really much to complain about. I mean, he may give you that occasional night you can't sleep, but what can you say about? What can you complain about? This adorable little thing is in my hand, I get to hold him and I get to adore him and there's not much. And you get to go back and forth and it's all lovey-dovey right, but at some point in time there's got to be some maturation.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 23:38

And so we read in Galatians this is another church that he established during his travels in Galatian. He says in Galatians, chapter four and there were some issues in Galatians. You can read all of it. I'm not reading all of it, I'm just going to highlight the parts where the Father's heart is just coming out, it's exuding out. He says in verse 13 of chapter four you know that because of the physical infirmity I preach the gospel to you at the first, when I was ministering to you.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 24:04

You know that I had some type of physical infirmity. I don't know what it was. It really doesn't matter particularly what it was Just he's recognizing, it's trying to remind them. You remember, I was in pain, I was going through some physical issues, but I continued to minister to you the gospel, and even though I was going through that trial and it was in my flesh, you didn't despise me. You didn't reject me because I was sick or I was struggling in this physical infirmity. But what does it say? You didn't reject me. You received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 24:46

His ministry must have been so powerful, so exuding with the love of God, that they began to receive him like he was an angel from God, even as Christ Jesus. What, then, was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if it were possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me, paul, and say I made such an impact in your life and you so saw the power of God through me, that you would have, in turn, plucked your eyes out for me Again, that reciprocating that affection, that love, that desire, because you saw how much he sacrificed in you. Yeah, man, you would have taken your eyes out for me.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 25:38

And I remember the script. As I was reading this scripture, I said this love is such a powerful effect, a powerful influence on others that I thought of the scripture Behold what manner of love the father has bestowed upon us. I just thought of that. That's how we respond. We just like, wow, how powerful is the love of God for us. And when you taste of heaven, when you taste of the love of God, you then reciprocate it. You feel obligated to reciprocate that love because you appreciate the love of God for you, the sacrifice that he made for you, and you see this as he's writing these letters.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 26:21

He says in Galatians four he brings back that family dynamic, my little children, for whom I labor, until what Christ is formed in you. That's the work of the ministry. It is to form Christ in you. I saw many ministries that are just wanting you to be a part of the routine activities of the week and they've missed the point. To me, the point is right there. The point of ministry is that Christ be formed in those that are receiving the ministry. I want to be present with you now. I want to change my tone because it was a letter that he's had to do a little bit more correcting there are different Population of people, because he said I have doubts about you.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 27:20

But he says in Galatians 5 and here's where that love of God comes in again he says for the law is fulfilled in one word even in this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. The love of God at work in the children of God is the agent of perfection. It's not knowledge, it's not how much Bible you know, is not that you could quote scripture, chapter and verse and page number, and Paul is wanting the love of God to be formed in them. He says in Galatians 6 brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual, in other words you who are mature, restore such a one. How, in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted, bearing one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Bearing one another's burdens is another word for love, because he just said the law is fulfilled in one word you shall love your neighbor as yourself. To bear one another's burdens is to fulfill the law of Christ. So what was he so excited about in 2nd Thessalonians? That the love toward one another was a bounding In acts. It shares with us how the love was just a bounding in the people, and they were freely, willingly, giving up their belongings, their material possession To help out one another. That's bearing one another, that is love. The focus is always on those that are minister to and Christ being formed in them, not what I can get out of it.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 29:16

Another letter that came after was to the letter of the Colossians. He says in Colossians, chapter 3 as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put this on. He's telling the Christians in collage put this on like like a garment, like clothing, put on tender mercies, put on kindness, put on humility. And Colossians, chapter 3, verse 12, put on meekness, put on long suffering. Bear with one another, forgive one another if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ also forgive you, so you must also do. These are all aspects of love at work in individuals Mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering, bearing with one another. Isn't that, that is that what fulfills the law of Christ? Isn't the law fulfilled in that one word? You shall love your neighbor as yourself. These are all aspects, attributes, if you will, of love. And what is God? God is love. And then he says in verse 14, in case you missed it all these little attributes, but above all these things meekness, kindness, humility, long suffering, mercies, bearing one another, forgiving one another. Above all of these things, put on love, which is the bond of Perfection. Like I said, the agent of perfection, love at work in you, the love of God at work in you, will bring you to perfection. And so we have that great chapter in first Corinthians.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 31:04

First Corinthians was a mess. The Corinthians were a mess, I Mean you read from chapter one all the way through to chapter 13 or 12. You read about all the different issues and things that had to be corrected and there were schisms and there were different heresies and there were different clicks and just Carnality in one word carnality. But isn't that what happens when we grow into our adolescence? Carnality is flourishing In our adolescence. So I look at first Corinthians and I think we had first Thessalonians and infant newborn Galatians there, maybe a toddler or something you know, grown, but color Corinthians. We got the middle school or high school Adolescence just overflowing in carnality.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 31:50

Yeah, they may have had the gifts and they may have been able to do this and that, but there's no love. So we read about first Corinthians 13 and we could talk about all the gifts, we could talk about prophecy and we could talk about tongues, but he says basically, if you don't have love, even though you're talking tongues, tongues of men, tongues of angels, if you have not love, even though you have a gift for prophecy, if you have not love, even though you understand all mysteries and knowledge and have all faith and you could remove mountains and get them moving from here to there, if you have not love, even If you bestow all goods to the poor, even if you give your body to be burning, you sacrifice it. If you have not love, it's not. So when I see this, this culmination of this heart that is being exuded through the apostles, love is the preeminent thing that should be in a Christian's life. It is the thing that allows the agent of perfection to be at work in love.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 33:01

What love does? What love does not do? It continues in in in this chapter of 13. Love does not envy, it doesn't parade itself, it's not puffed up, it's not rude, it doesn't seek its own, it's not provoked, it doesn't think evil, it doesn't rejoice in iniquity. I Look at all of those things and I think of Adolescence. What causes the problems in our schools? There's no, there's envy, there's pride, there's people puffed up, the people act rudely, people that are seeking their own, constantly provoked thinking, thoughts of evil. That's, that's adolescence in a nutshell. Because there's no, there's no, there's nothing holding it down, there's nothing holding it back.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 33:52

I see it in our children Bickering and fighting over the Insane, nonsense things, just ridiculous things. And why? Because all of this is at work, because the love of God is not perfected in them. And if we're having those issues as adults, the love of God is not perfected in us. That's what love does not do.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 34:17

But what does love do? It suffers long, it's kind. So when you walk in those things, ah, the love of God is at work in you, especially if you come into covenant with God, and we'll get to that. Why I say that in a few minutes? But love, it suffers long, it's kind. It rejoices in what, the truth, it bears all things, it believes all things, it hopes in all things, it endures all things. And here's the thing it never fails and God is love. God never fails. You can have prophecies, they'll fail. You can have tongues, that's gonna stop. You can have knowledge, it's gonna pass away. Faith, hope, charity, faith, hope and love. But what's the greatest? Love? Charity. All the other things are bits and pieces, but the love is what brings you to perfection, not prophecy at work in you, not knowledge at work in you, not tongues at work in you, it's the love of God.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 35:46

And Galatians still go back. He said something very interesting because, again, I believe love needs to be preeminent above all things in a Christian's life. If I had to put it another way, love has to be the foundation. With the love of God as the foundation, then we can build, then you can move forward, then the agent of perfection could be at work in you. But he says in Galatians 5-6, paul says in Christ Jesus there is incircumcision or uncircumcision. It avails nothing, he says, but faith. What does it work through Love? Faith working through love, not the other way around. Now we can go back a chapter in 1 Corinthians 12, because I went to 1 Corinthians 13 because I want you to understand love was the preeminent thing. The end chapter 12 would say but let me show you a more excellent way, because there were issues in the Corinthian church.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 36:48

And at 1 Corinthians 12, he starts talking about now, concerning spiritual gifts. Yes, they're there. Yes, yes, there's diversity of gifts. Yes, yes, there's diversity of ministries. Yes, there's diversity of activities, there's different kinds of operations of God. But you know what, regardless of all the different gifts and all the different ministries and all the different activities and the operations of God, it's still the same spirit, it's still the same Lord, it's still the same God who is working all in all these manifestations, the diversities of the gifts and the ministries and the operations, these manifestations of the spirit are given.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 37:25

Why? What is the whole reason that all of these gifts are given? To benefit and profit all. It is not for the individual. It is to bless others. The apostles were sent, not for themselves, not to better themselves, because they needed to go out and be a blessing to others and needed to. What was given to them by the revelation of God needed to be given out to others. It was to profit all, not to just profit them. We could talk about the word of wisdom, but you can only function in the word of wisdom by the spirit of God. We could talk about the word of knowledge, but you can't function in the word of knowledge without the spirit of God. We could talk about faith. We could talk about gifts of healings. They all function through the spirit of God, but without the spirit of God you can't function.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 38:20

The working of miracles, prophesying, discerning of spirit, different kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongue all of these come from the same spirit. All these things are distributed through the body as he wills. Corinthians had an issue. They had some issue with the gifts and maybe their issue was well, because I can prophesy, I should be leader, or because I can interpret the tongues, I should be more important. And he's acknowledging all the gifts, but he's saying all the gifts work by the same spirit. It's not you better or less or more, because you can do this or that or the or you can't do that. It's all by the same spirit of God.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 39:08

And so then he starts talking about the analogy of the body. Yeah, the body is one, but the body has what many members. I got five fingers, five, five, 10 fingers, five, 10 toes, you know two legs. I got two nostrils, I got two ears, but without one of those things I lose out somehow. And then we got some parts of the body that I don't know if you've ever seen. I don't know where I saw it. I saw it on TV.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 39:36

Someone was able, with their feet, they were able to pick up a champagne glass and bring it to their mouth and drink. Wow, fascinating how impressive. I'm thinking that's retarded. That's why would you do that? You know, yes, you can do it. Okay, but is that the purpose? That in which you were made? Is the feet supposed to be grabbing glasses so that you can drink, or grabbing a fork so that you can eat? No, not really. I mean, you could do it, but that doesn't work right, it's what you have hands.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 40:15

So he starts talking about the body being many members, and no member is more important than the other. The hand is not more important than the body, or the eye, or the hearing, or the smelling. I love the way Paul teaches. He gets very practical. So you understand. None of you should be feeling like you're over anybody else. The apostles were not over them. As a matter of fact, they were under them, serving them. Because when do you see the great big King leader on his feet, serving, on his knee, serving what member? Help? I work with you. I told you day and night, day and night. I wasn't sitting on my back on the couch so that you can make everything for me. No, that's not the way it works.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 41:04

And 22, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. He even acknowledges that some people on this earth will just seem to be less or weaker or lower. But what does he say about them? That we should give them greater honor, those members of the body which we think to be less honorable. On these we should be so greater honor, we should be lifting them up. I read in the scripture somewhere I forgot what letters it was that you know he was correcting one of the churches and saying to the churches oh, it's in first Corinthians, because that's where it says don't you not know that you will judge the angels and you will judge the world? Well, the reason why he was stating that is because some of the members of the church were taking each other to court. And I said how could you do such a thing? How could you take them before the world court? Don't you know that you are going to want to judge the angels in the world? You should have let the least honorable person that you think is the weakest, the lowliest, you should have let him judge between you two before you take anybody to court. How dare you do such a thing? And see, there's a place for those that seem less honorable. So let them judge between the two of you, if you have ought, with one and over or something.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 42:27

Every member of the body is important, equally important, equally necessary. God composed the body, having given greater honor to the part which lacks. He lifts up those that are not considered as important as others. Otherwise there would be a schism. There should be no schism in the body. The members should have the same care for one another. Whether you're the great, grandiose bishop or you're the newbie that just got born again yesterday, it doesn't matter. You are all equally important in the sight of God. If you suffer, we should all suffer. If you are honored, we should all be honored. If you are overjoyed, we should all be overjoyed with you. And then he ends this chapter, even though I acknowledge all the gifts and the different parts of the body. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But you know what? The more excellent way is love. It should be paramount, it should be the preeminent attribute of God in a child of God's life.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 43:49

We turn to Galatians again. What is the first fruit of the Spirit listed? Anybody know Love. But the fruit of the spirit is love. God was the first thing. Yes, there's joy and yes, there's peace, and yes, there's long suffering and kindness and goodness and favor. The first fruit of the spirit is love.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 44:14

In Ephesians 3: 17, we can talk about all the gifts and the ministries and the diversity of operations, but Paul said to the Ephesians we want Christ to dwell in your hearts through faith. Okay, you can't dwell on your heart without faith, but listen to this, that you being rooted and grounded. And what love? Love should be the foundation of, of which faith worketh through love. Tongues worketh through life. Word of wisdom, word of knowledge, work it through love. Healing and miracles work through love. Tongues and interpretations of tongues work through love. The different offices that God has in his body work it through love. The different Ministries that God has in his body work it through love. The ministry of helps work it through love. It is the foundation, should be the foundation of a child of God's life.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 45:15

Now here's where I get into this covenant, because all that I said only applies to children of God. All that I've said only applies to those that have been bored again, because if Paul is Respecting Christ to be formed in you through the love of God, being rooted and grounded in, love being the foundation, the agent of perfection, then listen what he said to the Romans and Romans 5 5, he says hope doesn't disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit that he's given to us. So when you come in covenant, you have access to everything that Paul has desired of you. And it's not Paul's desire, it's actually God's desire for you. The love of God must be poured in your heart so that the agent of perfection could be at work in you. So when we say, did you receive it? Did you receive it? Did you receive the Holy Spirit, it's not an, it it's a. He Did you receive Jesus, because only Jesus can bring you to perfection.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 46:17

And and here he's using a metaphor, and he's saying it's the love of God, because God is love and Jesus is God. So Jesus is loving. Jesus must be at work in you so that he can form himself in you. He says speaking the truth in love in Ephesians 4, 15 and 16, that Speaking the truth in love, you may grow up in all things into him.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 46:44

He is the head of the. He is the head Christ, from whom the whole body joined and knitted together by what every joint supplies according to the effective working by which every part does it share causes growth of the body for the Edifying of itself in what love? Love is that ligament that keeps all the bones together. It's that thing that knits us one to another. It's that the Spirit of God, is the love of God that causes us to be in one body, and he uses this same idea when he speaks to the To the Colossians in Colossians 2 2 I want to encourage your hearts being knit together in love and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the father and of Christ.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 47:47

It's not that the knowledge is wrong and the revelations are wrong, but it has to start in love. From love springs forth the revelation, and so I end today Hoping that you keep in mind and remember these scriptures and, if you want, I'll send it out to you so that you can meditate it on this more. I hope I wasn't too fast, but to conclude the matter, he says Paul in 1st Corinthians 16 Let all that you do be done with love. Love is the primary thing. The love of God is the preeminent, primary thing that should motivate anyone to be involved in the ministry of the kingdom.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 48:37

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