Agent of Perfection | Ep. 152

Inspired by a vision from Elder Rayford Strange, we unpack the biblical concept of perfection, challenging traditional definitions and offering insights from figures like Noah, Abram, and Hezekiah and others. Through these accounts, we reveal the divine requirements of a perfect heart and the significance of sincere devotion to God's word.

Join us as we delve into the transformative power of God's love, reflected through Jesus' teachings and the commandments to love God and our neighbors wholeheartedly. This exploration highlights how agape love empowers us to live our faith fully and pursue spiritual perfection. We also examine the challenges faced by historical figures in maintaining a perfect heart and discuss how alignment with God's truth shapes our journey. 

From the steadfastness of Noah to the teachings of Jesus, we explore how embracing righteousness, repentance, and obedience leads to spiritual growth. The challenge is set for all believers to renew their commitment to living a life worthy of their calling, with the promise of being made perfect in Christ Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. 

Chapters

• 0:03 Vision of Blood Cells
• 7:46 Understanding the Concept of Perfection
• 24:10 Pursuing Perfection in Spiritual Growth
• 41:29 The Heart's Quest for Righteousness
• 50:30 Pursuing Perfection Through Spiritual Growth
• 1:04:53 The Essence of God's Love
• 1:18:46 Journey to Spiritual Perfection
• 1:26:12 Maintaining Peace Through Obedience

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. I guess if we get with you individually or with families, we can do that and share. I'm not going to make this about me or my family or our trip, but, as I always do when I come up here, it is a privilege and an honor and I count it a very holy thing to be able to come up here and be asked to share a word with you that I believe I've received from the Lord. And so I do that very humbly and I ask that your hearts would be open to receive the word of the Lord and if somehow my flesh gets in the way, just throw it to the side and stick with what the Spirit is saying. So let us be as Jesus said to the churches let us hear what the Spirit is saying and speaking. As I was asked to share this message, I was asking the Lord what is it that I've received as of late, because I've been gone for two and a half weeks and, to be honest with you, getting into the Word has not been a regular thing for me because I've been so busy with so many different things. But, like my wife said, over the last part of our trip maybe the last half there was so much fellowship with the brethren, with saints, that it was almost like you were exchanging meat. You were exchanging the word of God verbally as you conversed and as you dialogued. You know, to get up in the morning and fellowship for almost two to three hours, I mean you just sat there at the breakfast table and just sat and conversed and talked and heard the different testimonies of the Lord and I know I've shared and taught on the testimonies of the Lord, are sure, and to hear that again was almost like I'm receiving of the word of the Lord. Hear that again, it was almost like I'm receiving the word of the Lord. And the couple that we stayed with over the last week is Elder Strange at least that's how I know him Elder Rayford Strange and his wife Marie Strange, sister Strange.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 2:37

And as I was seeking the Lord, I was reminded of a testimony that he gave to me. That began to be the catalyst for the message for today, and I'm going to share with you what he shared with me. It was a vision that he had, or he might say that it was a dream, and as I read it, I just want you to listen to the words. And when I give the message, if you can't get the scriptures, don't worry about it. I think what's really important is that you hear what the Spirit is saying. If you can get notes, fine, I understand that. I'm very much like that. I've got to write it down. I have to do a lot of things with it. I can't just, although I'm good at hearing, I've got to write it down, get it ingrained. But for right now, just listen. And if you can get notes, you know, do that, but try.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 3:27

Let me pray, Father, in the name of Jesus. I just pray, Father, that everybody's hearts here is open to you, to your word. I pray, Father, that it be closed to every other spirit, not of the Holy Spirit. I pray, Father, that their hearts would only be open to your word and that they would only receive of your word, Father, so that they can receive the word of life, so that they can receive the word of prophecy that they need from you, o God, and I pray, Father, that I would just simply be a vessel speaking forth your word, Father, and no other word. Let every voice, let every thought, vain imagination of the enemy and every shared with me.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 4:08

He said, not really sure of the time, but it was late in the night or early hours after midnight when I was slowly but partially awakened to faintly realize that there was a man standing at the foot of my bed looking down at me. There was no sense of fear, as there would have ordinarily. Instead, I focused my eyes as I seemed to awaken a little more. Nothing was said at the moment. Finally, I became awake enough to fully realize that I was not dreaming, that there was actually a man standing there looking down at me. Presently, he raised his hands with palms facing each other, about two or three feet apart, and said the church is far from perfection, given the lateness of the hour, and I merely kept looking and listening. He then turned to walk from the foot of my bed to the far corner of the room. He turned and looked at me again for a moment or two. He then asked me a series of questions which I may or may not quote in exact order here. He asked if you preach healing from the word of God, what do you suppose will happen? Of course, the answer to that is simple. I muttered something from yet my drowsing condition that was consistent with those that hear and believe are healed. He said yes, that is correct. He then went on what do you suppose will happen if you preach repentance? Again, I answered those who truly believe the word will repent on hearing the message of repentance. Again, he affirmed that I was right. What would happen if you preach the message of perfection, he asked, for whatever reason that I cannot account for, I did not answer. It was obvious where he was going with the question. I can't remember if I turned my head for a moment or if I simply closed my eyes momentarily, but at any rate, when I looked again he was gone, still in a state of peace. I soon went back to sleep, leaving me to ponder the strange event.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 7:05

Over the years In time, so many scriptures having to do with the message of perfection preached by Jesus and his apostles have pressed themselves upon my mind, and I have often wondered what the state of perfection would be like once the church of Jesus enters into that state, once the church of Jesus enters into that state. I want to talk to you today about the agent of perfection. We can go into Vine's word studies for Old Testament and New Testament. Look up the word perfect and it'll probably give something like this where the word is tamim, it acts like an adjective. Perfect acts like an adjective and it means perfect,

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 7:49

blameless, sincerity, entire, whole, complete and full. It could also mean to be complete in the sense of the entire or the whole thing. You can do a word study on this. It also means to be intact, to not be cut up into pieces. It could also mean incontestable, free from objection. In other words, the word means that the one so described eternally meets all the requirements of God's law. He has no blemish, as defined by God. There is nothing in the outward activities or the internal disposition that is odious to God of that man. So they'll use the word perfect and it describes his entire relationship with God.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 8:41

The adjective means complete or perfect, perfect, sound or wholesome, morally innocent, having integrity. It's also used as a noun completeness in the following sense of being in the fullness, innocency, simplicity, integrity, and it's used as a verb to be complete, to be finished, to be consumed, to be without blame. It means to be finished or completed, and that's just a quick word study, just to sort of kind of lay, a kind of superficial foundation, so that we're all on the same page of what it means to be perfect. But there's another word that is very similar to it and it came out. I mean, the other word that is used for perfect is complete. So I looked up the word complete in Vines and it's a verb and it means to finish, to complete, to repay the reward. Kings

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 9:36

The Hebrew denotes perfection in the sense that a condition or action is complete. Perfection and completeness is primarily attributed to God. He is deficient in nothing, his attributes are not marred by any shortcomings, his power is not limited by any weaknesses of any kind. God reminded Job that he was uninhibited, he was completely independent and absolutely self-sufficient. He was without any deficiency, his, without any flaw in executing justice, his judgment. God is likewise never lacking in mercy and power to bestow any kind of benevolence of every kind to any man that he so wishes to do. The God of perfect justice and goodness expects total devotion from his creatures and, as an adjective, God demanded total obedience from his people. He said let their heart therefore be perfect with the Lord, our God, to walk in his statutes, to keep his commandments. That was 1 Kings 8, 61. But it also was used in Solomon In 1 Kings 11, 4,.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 10:58

Solomon failed to meet this requirement of being perfect. It said his heart was not perfect with the Lord, his God. In contrast to Solomon, you have Hezekiah, one of his great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandsons, and he says I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart. Lord, when the prophet came to him and said you're about to die, but Hezekiah, all of his days, all of his reign, his heart was perfect before the Lord and he said it to him. He reminded him but, lord, I was perfect before you, I walked in your truth, with a perfect heart, and you know the response. The prophet walked away. And then Lord spoke to the prophet, told him turn around and said I'm going to give him another 15 years. So with that in mind, my son is going to try to keep up with me on scriptures. Again, just listen to the word.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 12:00

The word perfect is used in Genesis 6 regarding Noah. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations and Noah walked with God. Now, the definition of perfect to you, to me, to man, I believe, is different than God's. And the only way you're going to find that out is if you look in the scriptures and come to grips with "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, yet Noah was said to be perfect. So, whatever you think of perfect to be, knowing that every man has sinned, yet God still called Noah perfect, then your definition is out of line with his. You need to be renewed in your mind with the word as to what God means when he says that man was perfect. So I'm making a list here. I'm going to give you some scriptures about perfect, and right now I believe in this scripture Genesis 6, 9, that perfect is tied to being just, which is to be righteous. It is tied to allowing one the opportunity to walk with God. Because Noah walked with God.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 13:23

It says in Genesis 17, 1, regarding Abram, who was 99 years old, and the Lord, god Almighty, said to him walk before me and be thou perfect. That right there tells me that it is required by God that you walked before him and you be perfect. Whether you like that or not, whether you think that's fair or not, he requires that of you. He requires that of me to be perfect. So it is a requirement and it is commandment. It is a command of the Lord.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 14:01

We can turn to 1 Kings, 8, 6, 3, 1, which I believe we just read let your heart therefore be perfect. And from that scripture I get that to be perfect has something to do with the heart of man. Not that it doesn't have anything to do with actions, but God is tying this word to the heart of man. So when he said to Abram be perfect. And it says in first Kings, let your heart therefore be perfect, he was talking about his heart, the inward man, the inside of you. Yet it says be perfect with the Lord, our God. You can't be perfect without him.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 14:51

I'm breaking it down in little bite-sized morsels so that you don't just read over and overlook things. Because you just read the word perfect you say well, I can't be perfect. Yes, you can. With the Lord God, you can be perfect. And what will it look like outwardly. It says to walk in his statutes and to keep his commandments. So now he's taking something spiritual, a principle of that's in the spirit. It is in the heavens, it has been declared in the heavens and we're seeing it declared in the earth to be perfect and it has to do with the heart and you can't do it without the Lord God, and it's going to look like you're walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 15:40

It says of Asa, who was another king. I remember I told you this before because I talked to you about the kings. This was last summer but the high place remember, the high places were not removed, but Asa's heart was perfect with the Lord all of his days. So what does that show me? That your heart can be perfect in the midst of people around you, in idolatry. You can do it. You can do it. It said of Asa that it was perfect in all of his days. That speaks to me that if you're going to be perfect, you need to endure to the end. You can't be perfect for a moment. You need to be perfect all of your days. I've talked to you about Hezekiah. When he had a perfect heart, he walked before him.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 16:38

In truth, when we read 2 Kings 20, verse 3, that's what it says, and when we go to 1 Chronicles 12: 38, it said all these men of war, David's men, all these men of war that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron. What were they going to do there? They came with a perfect heart. Oh, to make David king over Israel. And all the rest, also of Israel would of one heart To make David king. They came with a perfect heart. They came all in agreement. They came all utterly convinced. They came all fully persuaded. They came all singly, devoted to backing up David, the king of Israel. So to have a perfect heart is to be fully persuaded, to be complete in agreement. Now, they were in agreement with each other that they were going to make David a king.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 17:49

But if you're going to have a perfect heart toward the Lord, you need to be in complete agreement with His word. You need to be utterly convinced that these are not stories. These are historical accounts of what happened. These are the testimonies of the Lord and they are sure. 1 Chronicles 29.9 tells me. Did I say 1 Corinthians 12.38? Okay, if I said that I didn't mean that I'm in 1 Chronicles.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 18:23

Okay, when I'm in 1 Chronicles 29.9, here's something else that's attached to having a perfect heart. Then the people rejoiced for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart, they offered willingly to the Lord. That tells me that a man, to have a perfect heart, he must be self-willing to give of himself to the Lord, to give whatever it is that is necessary to the Lord. He's not going to rape you, he's not going to tie you up, he's not going to force you, he's not going to possess you like the enemy does, but he's going to give you the ability. That's why He poured out his Spirit To give you the power, to cause you to walk in his statutes and to guard his just judgments Ezekiel 36. You must be willing, it must be in you to seek after him. It must be in you to cry out for him. It must be in you to submit, to surrender to him, to his ways, to his commandments, to his statutes, to his judgments. It must be in you, and if it's not, then you will remain imperfect.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 19:56

In 2 Chronicles 19.9, it says he charged them saying Thus shall ye do in the fear of the Lord, faithfully and with a perfect heart. So to have a perfect heart, it is required of you to fear him and to be faithful, which has to do with enduring unto the end. In all of his days, asa's heart was perfect. You're going to see this repetitiveness. You're going to see God saying the same thing in different words, and what we're doing is we're not looking at Vine's definition Not that he was wrong. We're not looking at Vine's definition of what perfect is. We're looking into the scriptures and we're allowing the scriptures to dictate to us what it is that he meant when he used that word. We're looking for the definition contextually in the scriptures so that we have a proper understanding. We've done that before. Bishop has tried. I don't know if it's worked, but he's tried to teach us to just don't take the definition that's in the vine or the thematic or the topical index, but just look in the scriptures. It'll define itself.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 21:09

God hasn't done anything that he needs to have a secondary book on the side so that you can understand. He doesn't require you to be a scholar in the seminary so that you can understand his word. He's already translated it into your language. That's all you really need, and he took care of that for you too, because you weren't there back in 1611 when they translated it for you. And he still is giving you aids to just help you. Make sure that you're on the right track and you didn't get some bastardized version of the scriptures that perverted it completely and watered it down to where it doesn't make anything what God intended it to be. We have enough, so let's not make any excuses.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 21:49

It says of Job. There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and this man was perfect. Yet it said all men have fallen short of the glory of God. And just to make sure that you didn't think that it was just a writer that was saying it of Job, that he was perfect and upright and one that feared God. In verse 8, it says and the Lord said unto Satan have you considered my servant Job? There ain't none like him in the earth. He's perfect. God said that himself. And he's an upright man and he fears God and he eschews evil, he turns away from that. He doesn't walk in that. So what that tells me in the scriptures is that to be perfect is to be walking upright, not like an animal, not like a beast. You walk upright in integrity, in honor, in charity, in integrity, in righteousness, in truth, and you fear God. There it is again. Fearing God is integral to having a perfect heart and eschewing evil. That means you're not walking in evil. That means you're turning away from it, and the fear of the Lord does that. You've read Proverbs enough, you would have realized that already the fear of the Lord will make you turn away from evil. You won't have nothing to do with it.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 23:03

In 1 Kings 11, 4, it says of Solomon, for it came to pass when Solomon was old that his wives turned away his heart after other gods and his heart was not perfect. So if I look at the other side, what it is, what it is, what it is to be perfect. What it is not to be perfect is to have your heart turned away after other gods, idols. And we think, well, we don't do that today. We don't carve up idols, we don't put them on our doorstep or we don't put them hanging in our cars. The idols are all over the place and they are in your heart. That's why they're not seen. And it is he that looks into the heart of man. He does not look at the appearance. You could be flashy preacher from the richest mega church on earth and you could be the most crooked criminal. That's looked that good and you're deceiving the masses.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 24:10

It says in 1 Kings 15, 3, of another king, king Abijam of Judah. And he walked in all the sins of his father, rehoboam, which he had done before him, and his heart was not perfect with the Lord, his God. Contextually, that's telling me that if I'm going to walk in the sins of my father, then my heart is not perfect. You cannot be walking in the sins of your ancestors. And he says in 2 Chronicles 25, too Interesting, this one really hit me, so I hope it hits you in the same way.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 24:47

And he did, speaking of this man, and he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. Sounds good, so far right. But then it says but not with a perfect heart. So you can look like you're doing right in the sight of the Lord and you can still not have a perfect heart Because your actions are not the be-all, end-all. Judgment of what is really in you To have a perfect heart is not always easily judged by what you've done. By action it is in a sense, but not fully, and only God, who sees all, can judge that matter. So I've given you a lot of scriptures and if you want me to email them to you, I will, and you can look at them on your own.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 25:42

But I think that is the type of definitions that we need to use these connections between fearing the Lord, being able to walk with God, to be just, to be righteous and to do it all of your days and to continue in it, walking in truth, to be fully persuaded, to be fully and utterly convinced, to be completely devoted, in agreement with his word and his ways, to be completely willing on your part to do these things, to keep his commandments, his statutes, his judgments, to fear the Lord and to do it faithfully all your days, not or parting away from evil. That's the definition we need to have for perfect, because we think of taking a hundred question test and getting every answer right that's perfect. We think walking this life and not making a mistake, that's perfect. Not stumbling, that's perfect. But look at these men who were said to have perfect hearts before the Lord. How were they able to do it when they did not have the Holy Spirit? Ha ha ha ha Thought about that. They were perfect and they did not have the Holy Spirit Not indwelling, like us who have been born again, who are in the covenant, who have absolutely no excuse whatsoever. Think on that.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 27:12

It says of Jesus that He is the author and He is the finisher of our faith, in Hebrews 12:2. He is the author. He is the finisher. He is the beginning. He is the end. He is the first. He is the last. He is the root. He is the offspring. What's in between? He starts it, he ends it. What's in between?

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 27:48

It says in 2 Chronicles 16, 9, that the eyes of the Lord are running to and fro throughout the earth to show himself strong. He wants to show himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward him. He's looking all over the earth for people who have a perfect heart toward him. It says in Job 8, god will not cast away a perfect man. He won't do it. That's who he's looking for. That's who he wants to embrace. That's who he wants to embrace, that's who he wants to capture to his heart.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 28:29

It says in Psalm 101, 6, verse 6, mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land. That they may dwell with me. He that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me. That is the man that God can use, because that is the man that is humble enough, that is willing enough, that has made himself available enough to walk in his truth, to walk in his way, to walk in his truth, to walk in his way, to walk in his righteousness.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 29:10

What's in between of the root and offspring, what's in between of the author and finisher is us and what we decide to do. What we decide to do with what he has done for us. That's what's in the middle. His word is sure His children, his people, those that are led by the Spirit, are the sons of God. He has promised to complete them. Amen. He has promised to complete them. He has not promised to complete the world.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 30:08

It says he died for the sins of his people, does it not? No, I caught you on that one. He died for who? The sins of the whole world. That means he's given every man the opportunity to make the right decision. Choose you this day. Whom you will serve? Choose life, choose death. The choice is yours. Right in the middle of what Jesus is going to do, whether you cooperate with him or not, is your decision to cooperate with him or not. It's all up to you. Jesus has made it possible for you to be perfect. What will you do with that? In our day and age, we've taken the what do you call it? Potential energy of a river and we've harnessed it with these things so that we can get electricity, so that we can get energy. We had to decide that, but the potential was always in that river.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 31:29

The river flows from the throne of God throughout this earth, giving wisdom, crying out from the rooftops. Who will listen? Who will heed? Who will respond to my call? Because many are called but few are chosen. You are chosen because of the choice that you make. Then you become chosen.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 31:58

This is not a doctrine of predestination. You don't get a choice in the matter. Yes, you do. That's a lie from the pit of hell to make you think that you don't have anything to do about it. That doctrine will send you straight to hell because it'll leave you in your sofa waiting for God to do something, when God has already done everything. He's waiting for you to get in the river Flow with him. Where is he going? Go with him, don't he going? Go with him. Don't get stuck on shore. Don't get stuck in an eddy Flow in the midst of the river of truth, for wisdom is the principal thing. Let wisdom be your guide. That's all Old Testament scriptures. By the way, I haven't even touched the New Testament.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 32:43

The New Testament says the New Covenant says Matthew 5, 48,. Jesus said be ye therefore perfect. What a surprise, what a surprise. Be ye therefore perfect. I wonder why Scripture says Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. No surprise. The requirement of old is the requirement in the new. Be ye perfect, as your Father, which is in heaven, is perfect. He says in Luke 6.40,.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 33:22

The disciple is not above his master. He says in Luke 6.40, the disciple is not above his master, but everyone that is perfect shall be as his master. He was the master. He was talking to his disciples you want to be perfect? Then you will become just like me. You want to be perfect. Take, you will become just like me. You want to be perfect. Take up your cross and follow me. I have left you footsteps. Walk in them. What I go through, you will go through.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 34:04

In Matthew 19, 21,. Jesus said to a man who came to him, who asked how to be perfect, how to be complete, how to do everything that God required of me. And Jesus answered and said unto this man if you want to be perfect, go and sell that thou hast. Give it to the poor and you'll have treasure in heaven. And come and follow me. I find it interesting that I never heard Jesus, and it's not like we had a record of everything Jesus ever said and did. So I understand that, but I never heard Jesus say that to anybody else. Work with me now, given a little latitude. This tells me, because he said other things to other people, what they needed to do, but he didn't say this.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 35:04

In order for you to be perfect may not be what is required in order for you to be perfect. Everything that we just define perfect to be is required and necessary, but there's some specific things in regards to you and in regards to how he made you and how you've responded to life, how you've responded to the trauma and the experiences that you have, that he requires specifically of you that he may not require of him, and you need to respond to that specific word from God in order for you to be perfect. Go and sell all that thou hast Does not mean the same for everybody. You can go from generation to generation past About how people were thinking it was the end of the world. We're going to go sell everything and it ain't the end of the world. And they all thought the same thing. But you know why they thought carnally. We must understand that his word is spirit and it is discerned spiritually and it is discerned and given meaning and interpretation by the spirit of God for you. And what he says to you doesn't negate or contradict some other person, but it means that he's speaking specifically to them. But it does have all of those other requirements that we talked about from before.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 36:35

Some people laugh at the things that I had to give up in my life. Over 10,000 comics, over $10,000 worth of comics, all in the garbage Music that I listen to, all in the garbage, burned up. That's what I had to do Stephen King books, litter, litter, lacrosse Throw them away, fire them up. I needed to do that so that I would get rid of the things in my life that were making my heart imperfect and divided. Does he require that of you? I have no idea. I can't say, oh, he's going to require everybody to get rid of their comics, he's going to require everybody to get rid of their music. I can't say that. That's what he said to me and for me. I needed that. I could testify of that. That's what he said to me and for me. I needed that. I could testify of that. Now, I needed that because I would spend weekends spending over $100 a weekend buying 30, 40 comics and spending the whole weekend reading them, and if I didn't finish it, then I'd go through the week. I literally did that. I did, but I'm not ashamed to say that because that's what God got me out of, and some people might laugh at that. Well, that's ridiculous. That's funny. Okay, I'm where I am today because of the things that I sacrificed, because I wanted Him.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 37:58

Jesus prayed for us in John 17. In verse 23, he said I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one. Perfect has to do with being in one, in agreement on the one that we talk about for years now, on the one. That's what perfect is, to be perfect in one, that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved me, and that thou hast sent me and hast loved me and that thou hast loved me. So to be of one heart, to be of one mind, to be of one spirit, to be of one accord, to be of one body, requires that you have an undivided heart. That I can say blankedly forever. You must have an undivided heart. You cannot have other idols there. There should be one throne on your heart with one Lord seated upon that throne, but a lot of us like to call him our Lord and our Savior. He's the throne of our heart and we've got all these other altars to other idols in our heart that nobody sees. And I can name a list of all these other altars to other idols in our heart that nobody sees, and I can name a list of all these natural things that distract us from the ways of this world.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 39:11

But if you're going to hear the Spirit of God, then you need to hear for yourself. What are your idols that you need to get rid of? Because I can say that the Lord has spoken and counseled and instructed so many here and it's almost like there's been an invisible barrier right here, because the word has been spoken. It went right to the ear. It like deflected, like a bullet off a Superman. It just went. It didn't even get in there, it didn't get received because there was no change, there was no acknowledgement.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 39:49

One of the signs of repentance is that you acknowledge the truth. You could shake your head in our faces all you want, and months down the line, when you're still stuck in the same position that you were in before and you're still struggling with the same position that you were in before and you still struggling with the same mess that you were before. Don't come to me, because you ain't listening. Don't come to God either. You ain't listening. You don't come to God until you have obeyed him and you've done it His way.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 40:22

And there were many things in my life that I was not sure of, that I was maybe not in agreement with, but my heart was willing to say you know what, Lord, I don't know about that, but I'm going to do it your way, even though I'm not sure how that's going to turn out, because I really kind of I'm not, I'm not unbelief, I'm not paddling my kids was that. And that's why I tell you that Disciplining kids was not in my repertoire, it was not in my experience. For me, well, that's not necessary, I didn't have to go through that, but I had to do it God's way. If I was going to call myself a Christian, I had to do it God's way, according to his word, and trust that God will work out the fruit of righteousness that he promised would come out of that. But that was not really of me, and that's what I mean when I say that. It's not that I had an undivided heart. I just I don't know. I'll do it, but that's the key. I'm willing to do it, regardless of my disbelief, if you will. So to be of an undivided heart.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 41:29

If you turn to Matthew 6, 22-24, Jesus said the light of the body. The light of the body is the eye. Weird stuff he sometimes spoke. The light of the body is the eye. Well, I know of the body, okay. If, therefore, thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. If thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If, therefore, the light that is in thee is darkness, well, how great is that darkness? And to help me understand, I started realizing that the light of the body is the spirit, the spirit of man that is in that body. The light, the candle is the spirit of man that is in that body. The light, the candle is the spirit of man. And if it's full of light, who is light? God, and full, are you in that light? But if the light, the spirit that you have, is darkness, evil, oh how great is that darkness, how great is that evil.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 42:51

No man and then he comes with no man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. You can't be of an undivided heart. You cannot be of an undivided heart, you cannot be of an undivided spirit. The heart of man, if you didn't realize, is the spirit of man. It's the inward man that is spoken of in the scriptures. This body's gonna go away. This is not you. What's in you is your spirit and that's the breath of life that you have. Your spirit cannot serve two masters.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 43:31

Jesus said four chapters later, in Matthew 10, 37. He said you have to be so singly devoted and committed to me that you must. Let me put it his way he that loveth father or mother more than me, that you must. Let me put it his way he that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. He that loveth son or daughter more than me, you're not worthy of me. Well, how could Jesus say that we're supposed to love our neighbors as ourselves? What does he mean by that?

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 44:10

Did he not tell Abraham to sacrifice his only son? I didn't get any answer. Oh my gosh, does everybody know that account? Did God tell Abraham sacrifice your only son, the one that I promised you sacrifice him? Was Abraham willing? He was willing to sacrifice his promised son. Don't know what was going on in his mind, don't know whether God's a boy. You can raise him from the dead. I don't know what he knew, but he was willing to sacrifice his only son Because his heart was after God.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 44:59

It says he was looking for a city whose builder and maker is God, and he was willing to get rid of everything, whatever was necessary, whatever God required of him, in order to have that. And so he had to be willing to sacrifice his son. And so there, god saw okay, you're willing. That's what I need, that is a perfect heart. Did he literally sacrifice his son? No, but there are things in your life that need to be sacrificed. And there are things in your life that you're going to be asked to sacrifice. And you just said okay, now I know your heart is after me. And it's not even that God knew I mean, come on, he's omniscient. It's that now you know that your heart is after me. It was really to show yourself that you really will want me.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 45:45

Because how many times have we failed? How many times have we proven to ourselves my heart is not after him? Forgive me, forgive me, forgive me, Lord, we must have an undivided heart and must be singly devoted to him In the beginning of the end of our perfection, the beginning and the end, the beginning of the end of our perfection, the beginning and the end. The beginning and the end of our perfection is Jesus, and in between, the issue is our heart and what we decide for ourselves. If you turn to Proverbs 11, god always does this. We're doing some sort of devotion with the kids and it becomes a part of the message. So in Proverbs 11, I'm just going to highlight a few things, because it just came to me and I said it to the kids and then my wife's like oh my God, yeah. And then I started really dawning on me wow, how well.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 46:45

Anyways, let me read it so Proverbs 11, verse 3. The integrity of the upright shall guide them. I'm only going to pop out some things here. The righteousness, in verse 4, delivereth from death Righteousness. The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way. The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 47:15

Now, it didn't say the righteousness of God, it didn't say the righteousness of the Lord. It said the righteousness of the Lord. It said the righteousness of the upright. Their righteousness shall guide them, shall keep them, shall deliver them. It says in verse eight, the righteous is delivered out of trouble. It says in verse 18, he who soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward. It says, as righteousness tendeth to life, the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 48:03

In verse 21. 23,. The desire of the righteous shall be delivered in verse 21. 23,. The desire of the righteous is only good. In verse 27,. He that diligently seeketh good procureth favor. In verse 28,. The righteous shall floorth as a branch, and it dawned on me he's saying this to people that are not born again.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 48:42

God is looking for people with the perfect heart, with an inclination to righteousness, even though they may not know it. It is him who he's coming after we talk about. Well, what is God going to do with the people that have not heard the gospel? And I tell you that the Lord is looking to and fro throughout the earth for those whose hearts are perfect toward him. And if one of those people has a heart that's perfect toward him, then he's going to reach out to them Because he sees that their hearts are inclined toward his righteousness and he will come and rescue them. He will come and save them. And if he doesn't, is he not just in his judgment, is he not perfect in his judgment that he knows what was in the heart, whether you saw it or not? Why do you keep coming up with excuses for obeying his word?

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 49:42

And then it said and he's giving these revelations in Proverbs of man, he says the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life. When did you hear about a tree of life? In the scriptures before this point? All the way back in the garden of life. In the scriptures before this point, all the way back in the garden. The fruit of the righteous leads where? To the tree of life. It leads to Jesus. Jesus is looking for that heart that desires to walk in righteousness even when the world around him is not.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 50:30

Noah was that type of man, because the world was as sick as it had ever been in the days of Noah. But Noah was righteous, noah was just. Noah would not conform to their ways. His heart continued to follow after righteousness. The tree of life is the fruit of the righteous. The Lord demands.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 51:05

Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord, thy God. It says in Deuteronomy 32, 4,. He is the rock. His work is perfect. All of his ways are judgment. A God of truth, without iniquity. Just and right is he. His ways are judgment. His ways are of justice and they're in truth, and there's no evil in him. There's no darkness in him. He don't make mistakes, he has no blemishes. His judgment is just and true, for he is truth. It says. As for God, his way is perfect. It says that in several places. It says in several places, first by Samuel and then in the Psalms God is my strength and power and he maketh my way perfect. The Lord's ways are perfect and he makes my ways perfect.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 52:16

This next verse prophetically reveals the burden and the responsibility that the Lord has over those that are walking in righteousness. He says the Lord will perfect that which concerneth me. Thy mercy, o Lord, endureth forever. Forsake not the works of thine hands. I am a work of his hands and David was crying Don't forsake me, lord. Make all of my ways perfect, everything that concerns me, every little closet that I'm hiding. Make it perfect, clean it out. But I have to be willing. The Lord will perfect the works of his hands. There are more than just me that is the work of his hands. All of creation is the work of his hands. There are more than just me that is the work of his hands. All of creation is the work of his hands. Does not Revelation tell us he is going to restore everything to its pristine, original intention and condition and state Perfection? It was all good, good, good, all very good, he said. But here's what we do.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 53:30

Paul spoke of this in Galatians 3.3. Paul said to the Galatians are you so foolish? What's the matter with you? Having begun in the spirit, are you now going to finish it in the flesh? That's what we do. I'm talking to saints. I'm talking to people born again of the water and of the spirit. We start in the spirit. Everything was initiated in the spirit by Jesus. And then, for some reason, pride rises up and we're content to have gone through the cross, and after that we can begin to walk in our own understanding and we stop doing what was required of us in the beginning.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 54:27

If you were born again, it's because you obeyed. If you were born again, it's because you obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ. But then, after that, you slipped up and now you try to finish in the flesh what was begun in the spirit. You can't do that. You listen to the preacher who was sent to you preach the gospel of the kingdom, and you obeyed and you were blessed and, man, everything changed in your life. And then, all of a sudden, you stop listening to the preacher, you stop listening to the counsel of God because you know better. Well, you didn't know better before. You didn't know better before. You didn't know better before, but you had enough wits about you that you obeyed the gospel. Then afterward you're going to go back. What's the matter with you? You can't finish it in the flesh. You must continue in the spirit. You must continue in the counsel of God.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 55:29

And Jesus left us an example, because it says it became him from who all are all things, by whom are all things? And bringing many sons to glory. It became Jesus to bring many sons to glory. It became Jesus to bring many sons to glory. God made him the captain of our salvation to bring many sons to glory through suffering. Perfect through suffering, it says Hebrews 2.10,.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 55:56

Perfect through suffering. The captain of our salvation, who was to bring many sons to glory, was made perfect through suffering. Take up your cross and follow me, follow me. I went through suffering, follow me. I didn't tell you you would never be persecuted. On the contrary, take up your cross and follow me. I didn't tell you you would never be persecuted. On the contrary, take up your cross and follow me, for they will hate you because they first hated me. They will persecute you I'm not going to hide that from you. And through suffering you will be made perfect, it says Jesus. Jesus and he, being made perfect, became the author, the alpha, the beginning of our eternal salvation. Unto Hebrews 5, 9. Unto.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 56:53

Did anybody know the finish of that? All to them that obey Him, thank you. It's not reserved for the world he may have died for the sins of the whole world, but to be made perfect, to bring salvation, to bring many sons to glory. It is only for them that obey him. Because you know what the law made nothing perfect. It did help not man to know the law. It did not help man to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It did not help man to know between good and evil. It was their downfall, it was their ruin to know it. The law was a shadow of good things to come. That's all. It was just a shadow. And we have dearly beloved saints walking in the law, feeling the need to keep the Sabbath, feeling the need to do all of these ordinances of the law.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 58:03

You're going to finish in the flesh what God began in the spirit. Do you not understand the new covenant? I guess not. The law was not the very image of the things because they needed sacrifices year after year after year. Why would you need to continue sacrifices if the law was going to make you perfect? It didn't do that. But God it says in Hebrews 11.40, provided something better. It's the new covenant, it's the law of the spirit, of life in Christ Jesus, spoken of in Romans 8. How does God begin to work with us when we commit our hearts to Him to have a perfect heart? You can turn to Ezekiel 16. I'm only going to highlight some things. But although this was spoken of, to the origin of Israel, it is easily applied to us if we think spiritually. The origin of Israel, it is easily applied to us if we think spiritually and we discern spiritually.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 59:26

The Lord God said unto Jerusalem, in Ezekiel 16, 3 and on In the day that you were born, I passed by you. I saw you polluted in your own blood, in your own sin. I said unto you. You know what? The first thing I said unto you Live, live. He spoke life. I want to describe what. All of the? Why did he do all of these acts? We're going to get to that in a second. But the first thing he did was he spoke life and he caused the people of God to multiply, to multiply, to multiply. And he said but when I passed over you, when I looked upon you, it was a time of love.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:00:24

Verse eight A time of love. I loved you with an everlasting love. I saw you in that wretchedness and I loved you and I pronounced life upon you because I wanted you, I desired you. That was my love for you. Because I wanted you, I desired you. That was my love for you. And when I loved you, I covered your nakedness. I spread a skirt over you. I covered your nakedness and then I swore to you and I came into covenant with you Because I loved you. And I washed you with water, I cleaned you up. I thoroughly washed away all of your blood, all of your sin from you. I anointed you with oil. I began to clothe you.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:01:15

We can speak about how this he's clothing you in His righteousness. You will have the garments of righteousness in the end, and it will be His righteousness bringing Him the glory. I put badger skins on you. I girded you with fine linen. I covered you with silk. I decked you with ornaments. I put bracelets upon thy hand and a chain upon thy neck. I put a jewel in thy forehead and earrings in thy ears and a beautiful crown upon thy head. I made you majestic. You are full of my majesty. I glorified you.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:01:56

It says in verse 14, for thy beauty went among the heathen. Everyone knew about you and it was perfect through my comeliness. It was my doing all along In Isaiah 30 and Isaiah 4,. There are a people out there that are not people that are perfect toward the Lord. It says in that day, seven women shall take hold of one man, saying we will eat our own bread, we will wear our own apparel, just let us be called by thy name to take away our reproach. That's undivided. Excuse me, that's a divided heart. I want this from you, but I'm going to keep this. I'm going to keep doing it my way. I'm going to keep dressing myself. Just give me your name, let me be called a Christian, but I'm going to still walk in my way.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:03:05

That's a divided heart and eventually that leads to what he says in Isaiah 30. A divided heart always leads to this, always because you cannot serve two masters. You will hate one and not the other, or you will love the one and hate the other. It is a spiritual principle. You cannot serve two masters If you have a divided heart. It leads to Isaiah 30 that says Woe to the rebellious children, sayeth the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:03:38

They heard me in the beginning. I delivered them out of Egypt, but afterward they did not take counsel of me. They covered with a covering. They covered them. They dressed themselves. It looked good, but it was not of my spirit. I did not sanction it. I did good, but it was not of my spirit. I did not sanction it. I did not sanctify it. It was the flesh and I will not do that. I will clothe in my spirit, I will clothe in my righteousness.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:04:15

What is the agent of perfection? It was described here in Ezekiel 16. The agent of perfection Jesus was teaching and one of the scribes came to him. You know how they always come to him, try to trip him up, try to ask a question. But this particular scribe, after they tried to trip him up, try to ask a question. But this particular scribe, after they try to trip him up, and he had answers. I mean, he was just he's God, just put their foot in their mouths. He answered all of them.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:04:53

Well, but this scribe asked Jesus, in Mark 12, 28, which is the first commandment of all. Jesus answered him. The first of all the commandments is Hear, o Israel, the Lord, our God is one Lord and thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind and with all thy strength. This is the first commandment, this is an undivided heart for the Lord. You will recognize who he is and you will love Him with every fiber of your being. But he did not end there. He said. The second is like, namely this Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said unto him sincerely well, master, thou hast said the truth, for there is one God and there is none other but he. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the soul and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. He acknowledged the truth. He is willingly acknowledging the truth. And when Jesus saw that, he answered discreetly. He said unto him Thou art not far from the kingdom of God, maybe not to embarrass him, maybe not to, because he was amidst of people and his purpose was not to judge but to save the souls of men. So maybe whisper to him Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that asked them any question.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:06:48

The agent of perfection I'm getting to it now is in John. Well, it's in these verses John 13, 34, for a new commandment I give unto you that ye love one another as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. Now, ezekiel 16 showed how God loved the people whom he called out. You see it in action. He cried out what First to them Live, be made alive. And then he cleaned them up, took care of them, decked them In John 14, 31,. That the world may know that I love the Father. And as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do Arise, let us go hence. For in 15, 12, he said this is my commandment, even so, I do Arise, let us go hence. For in 1512 he said this is my commandment that ye love one another as I have loved you.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:07:47

The love, the love of God. He was very angry with the Pharisees. Woe unto you, pharisees. You tithe, mint and rue and all manner of herbs and you pass over judgment and the love of God. You just bypass it entirely. These ought ye have to done, but not to leave the other undone. Yes, you should have judged righteously amongst the people, but you forgot the love of God. You left the love of God, you left your first love.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:08:29

In John 5, 42, he said but I know you that ye have not the love of God in you. The agent of this perfection in your life will be the love of God, because in Romans 5, 5, it says and hope maketh not ashamed. Anybody know what it says, because the love of God is, is, it's already done, is shed abroad in our hearts. The agent of perfection has been poured out in you, the love of God, by the Holy Ghost which he gave to you when you were born again. I know, you know Bishop talks about how Pentecost fulfilled everything. It made everything possible and it kind of did. When you got the Holy Ghost, when you got the Spirit of Jesus in your life, it was the love of God and that love of God permeates through your spirit to bring you to perfection. It's already there if you've received the gift of the Holy Ghost.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:09:50

It's described this way by Paul and Titus to Titus for we ourselves, we were foolish, we were disobedient, we were deceived. We served our own lusts, we served our own pleasures, we lived in malice and in envy and hateful. We hated one another. But after the kindness of the love of God, our Savior, toward man appeared, it wasn't by the works of righteousness which we have done, it only attracted him. It attracted him to us, but it's not what saved us. It was the love of God that saved us Because, according to his mercy, he saved us Not by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. The love of God is found in the washing of regeneration of his word and the Holy Ghost. The love of God is found in the washing of regeneration of his word and the Holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior. That's Pentecost description. The love of God poured out in us.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:10:54

Paul said in 2 Thessalonians to the saints the Lord direct, and I pray this today that the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, into the patient waiting for Christ. Because after the kindness of the love of God, our Savior toward man, appeared Jesus. In 1 John it says but whoso keepeth, whoso keepeth his word. Notice that the definitions we're seeing of this perfect here are the same in the Old Covenant Whoso keepeth his word in him, verily, is the love of God Perfected. 1 John, 2, 5. Hereby know that we are in him.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:11:47

The love of God, love, that's the word agape. And love, I believe, is sacrificial, it is selfless. It is not about trying to gratify or pleasure itself in any way. It is sacrificial toward the benefit of others. That's agape. It was an exercise of his divine will in deliberate choice. See, even he had to be willing, he had to make a deliberate choice to come after you To rescue you, to clean you, to save you, to declare Live, live, live. That's the nature of God.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:12:32

God is love and when we talk about Christian love, it is primarily expressed, first of all in obedience to his commandments. That's what the scriptures just gave us in 1 John. Love seeks the welfare of all, as it says in Romans 15, 2. It works no ill to any Romans 13, 8 through 10. Love seeks the opportunity to do good to all men, especially toward them of the household of the faith. That's Galatians 6, 10. That's love.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:13:15

And when this love of God from a perfect being toward objects, toward people that are completely unworthy, it should produce in those receiving that love a referential love back to him, not out of obligation. Back to him, not out of obligation. But, my goodness, does anybody remember when they first maybe fell in love and you had the flutter and you just wanted to spend all your time with that person? You just wanted to be with that person. That's how we should be responding to the love of God. I want to be with you, I want to be in your presence, I want to hold your hand, I want to spend all my time with you. Hereby we perceive In 1 John 3, 16, the Apostle John is describing he's trying to communicate, to share, to teach this love of God.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:14:23

He says we perceive the love of God, we can see it, we can understand it, because he laid down his life for us. And because he laid down his life for us, we ought, we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren, because I can't hug God right now. That's how we normally show affection one to another. Hey, how you doing? We give you a kiss. You know I can't do that with God. What God wants me to do to show him my love is to love my brethren. That's how I show him love. And the great white throne judgment says well, when did you give me drink? When did you do this? When did you do that? Well, you did it when you did it to the least of these. That's when you loved me.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:15:14

We have to change our definition of perfect. We have to change our definition of love and see what God is intending by using that word. Whoso hath this world's good and seeth his brother have need and shutteth up the bowels of compassion from him. How dwelleth the love of God in him, children love not in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth, in action and in sincerity. 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. That's 1 John 4, 9. He's giving a whole teaching in 1 John of the love of God. He says in 1 John 5, 3, for this is the love of God. He says in 1 John 5, 3, for this is the love of God. He's describing what was it like when we perceived the love of God through Jesus. And then he comes out and says 1 John 5, 3, for this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not greediness. That's how we love him. That's how we love him in return In 2 Timothy, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished, thoroughly clothed, thoroughly decked out, like it says in Ezekiel 16,.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:16:33

For what? For good works? James says Whoso looketh into the perfect law Of liberty and continueth the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. When you look into that law, Into the spirit, the spirit that is residing in you, when you receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost and you continue therein, he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. Yes, he most certainly will. He will be blessed beyond belief when Jesus is manifested in him.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:17:23

James spoke of Abraham. Do you see how his faith wrought with his works? Do you see how it worked together with his works? Did you notice that? James is saying Did you notice how Abraham believed God, but works was working together with his faith? And it says by the works was faith made perfect. Are you willing, are you willing to begin listening to the Lord again and get back on track, get back into walking in this spirit, this perfect law of liberty Colossians 3.14, and above all things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. Love is the agent of perfection. It'll make you perfect unto every good work to do His will, because it will be Him working in you, that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:18:46

But I told you before, for some reason, when we get born again. And initially what brought us into covenant was obedience, was listening to the word of the Lord and taking it to heart, and we become born again. And then, somewhere along the way, we start stumbling and we start falling. And it's described in Revelation to one of the churches they did this, they did that. I mean, they were doing all these good things and just like in the Old Testament, it's like, wow, he did that which was right in the sight of God, but his heart was not perfect.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:19:34

You come to church every week. That's not what it's about. Come to Bible study that's not what it's about. Come to Bible study that's not what it's about. Somehow we get lost and the warning that he gave to that church in Revelation is you lost your first love.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:19:56

We came to the cross. We came to the cross. We came to a man, a perfect man, that was whipped, beaten to a bloody pulp. His back was ripped open. He was scarred everywhere, but that wasn't the worst of it. He was ripped up in his soul. Inwardly. All his disciples had left him and he went to a cross and he stumbled, trying a cross, and he stumbled, trying to carry that cross up that street to that place where he was nailed, with nails in his hands and nails in his feet, with a crown of thorns on his head, being mocked as the king of Jews.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:21:04

And we've lost what that taste was like, how it meant something so precious to us and it humbled us. It brought us to our knees to know that a man, a perfect man, died for my sin, for every single thing that I did wrong, in ignorance and with knowledge. He not only did it for me, he did it for the whole world, and knowing that the whole world would not choose him, the whole world would not choose him he is going to save a remnant, a small piece of the 6 billion people that live in this world today and the countless numbers that have lived all throughout the earth. There's only going to be a small remnant. And he still went to the cross, he still died for our sins and we've lost that.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:22:11

That's how you lose your first love, because you forget everything that he did for you and how that should break you, how you should do justly, how you should love mercy, how you should walk humbly with your God. And you don't anymore. You don't listen to his word anymore. You put a deaf ear out there. What is it going to take? Because once you get to the point where you, where you willfully, sin willfully, you cannot be renewed again unto repentance, because what you're doing is trampling under the foot the Son of God and the blood that he shed for you so that you can walk sinfully.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:23:09

God forbid, he will not save a man who refuses to repent, acknowledge the truth and desires to walk in a manner that is unworthy of what he's been called to. You see, jesus said to the spirit, he said to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, to the God and judge, judge of all, to the spirits of just men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, you need to walk in righteousness and God will bring you to perfection. In the day of Christ Jesus, he says I will bring you to completion, I will perform it, but let patience have its perfect work in you, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing Till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure and the stature of the fullness of Christ. That is our destiny. Embrace it and know what it is to allow the agent of perfection, the love of God, to work in you, to bring you where he wants you to be, because Paul said it's not like I've already attained it.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:24:45

I'm not there yet, I haven't been made perfect, but you know what, you know what I follow after it. Paul said I follow after it, after it, if I may apprehend, if I may grab and hold on to what he grabbed on to me, for what he held me for, because I have to follow after it. You cannot sit back and rest on past experiences and past knowledge. You must move on in the spirit of God and the present day word that he's giving you today. Strive, he said, to enter the narrow gate, strive to be perfect, strive to be of a perfect heart before the Lord. Follow after it and the God of all grace, which had called you into the eternal glory by Jesus Christ after you have suffered a while, he will make you perfect, he will establish you, he will strengthen you and he'll set you, for the upright shall dwell in the land. The upright shall dwell in the land and the perfect shall remain in it. Mark that perfect man.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:26:12

The scripture says Behold the upright. The end of that man is peace, shalom, completeness that is the love of God in you. That is where it will bring you. Do not forget your first love. Do not forget to heed the word of the Lord when he speaks to you. Get rid of the idols that cause you to have an undivided heart. Find out from him what it is that you are troubled by, what it is that's causing you this distress in your life, and acknowledge it, repent of it and be willing to do whatever he says to do Amen.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:27:11

If you were blessed and appreciate listening to this podcast and you would like to support us in our efforts, consider lifting us up in prayer first. Then remember these four social media buzzwords share, like, subscribe or follow. Share this podcast link with someone else by text, email or word of mouth in the hopes that they might be uplifted, as you were, like by leaving a positive rating or review with whomever you listen to our podcast with Subscribe to support the show monetarily with you. Listen to our podcast with Subscribe to support the show monetarily with the link in our podcast description. Follow us on all our social media platforms. May God bless you and make you prosperous in Him as you listen and obey His voice.