The Nature of Spiritual Ministry
Greetings and good morning brothers and sisters. This is Dr. James Perry continuing with our series
where we seek to explore the deeper meanings of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Over the years,
the heavenly Father has revealed many revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them
with you. This morning we seek to understand the nature of spiritual ministry.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Nature of Spiritual Ministry
"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace and joy in the
Holy Ghost." Romans, Chapter 14, Verse 17.
Brothers and sisters, we know that in this life, the heavenly Father provides spiritual ministry to his
children. If we look at what the Father's ministry is not, while grasping what it is, we can avoid
certain errors that may tend to derail our faith momentarily. I say momentarily because faith will
always rises over any obstacle if allowed to by the believing soul. Yes, faith can overcome physical
error, emotional error, intellectual error, and even moral error. Since faith is the manifestation of the
Father, and since the Father is all powerful, absolute, and eternal, there exists no force that can defeat
the faith of the living spiritual Father. Only the mortal creatures who refuses to ride the wave of this
faith as it overflows all barriers that stand in its way can defeat it since the Father has given us free
will concerning the choosing of Himself.
The Father has sent from the heights of Paradise his glorious spirit to live in our minds and souls,
to minister to our souls even while we live the life in the flesh. We have much traveling to do, and
in the process of all of this, to become perfect even as the Father is perfect. And as we carry out our
assignments in this life, the Father ministers to us in the form of his divine spirit, his Spirit of Truth,
his angels, and other spiritual influences. Being material creatures, it is somewhat difficult for us at
first to discern this spiritual ministry, as we invariably associate it with our material difficulties,
desires, and urges. It is natural to want to be delivered from the sometimes painful suspense that
besets our lives. It is only natural that we would like to be delivered from the sometimes painful
existence that many of us experience. The uncertainty, the pain and suffering, and those constant
reoccurring disappointments create a desire that sends us scrambling for an exit.
Our temporal happiness and satisfaction are so short lived; even before we can savor it, it vanishes
before our very eyes. It is as if we were in the process of eating a delicious meal that suddenly
disappears before we can finish it. We are constantly harassed by our imperfections, by our inability
to end our disappointments and sufferings. And as we look towards the future, all we see is more and
more. As these material bodies of ours breakdown, we wonder how in the world we will make it. But
through all of this struggle, spiritual ministry is at work, spiritualizing our minds and souls.
The first of the spiritual graces given to us is faith. As stated above, faith is unconquerable. No
matter how erroneous the things that we associate with it, no matter how much error we embrace
with it, spiritual faith remains strong. It even grows in our experience. This spiritual faith like all of
the other spiritual graces is best discerned when we consider our past experiences. We can look back
and see how this spiritual faith has sustained us, and kept us on track, always reminding us of the
goodness of the Father. This spiritual faith that we have for knowing our heavenly Father inspires
hope.
Hope has the sure effect of infiltrating every experience, enjoyable or unenjoyable. If the experience
is unenjoyable, then this hope unerringly projects our consciousness towards the future, where the
experience has been successfully traversed and reflects the feeling of success back to the present. If
the experience is enjoyable, then this grace of hope unfailingly creates the consciousness of more
to come in the glorious future. This hope has the effect of strengthening the resolve of the soul so
that the soul never sinks into that eternal despair that lies beneath temporal sorrows. Hope is like a
rescuer who pulls the victim out of the waters of disaster. Hope says that no matter how sorrowful
or how disappointing an event, there is no need for despair. Hope looks over the eternal panorama,
and all that it sees is true, beautiful and good.
The next spiritual grace that basks our souls is trust. Trust is essential. While hope is rescuing us
from the waters of disaster, trust is actually there with us through all the ups and downs of life. It
never leaves the side of our soul. It remains with us as a pledge of the Father's commitment to our
eternal welfare. Trust is like a security blanket that warms our souls against the cold of doubt and
despair. This trust is also unconquerable. As long as we insist on staying within its cover, nothing
can derail us or cause us to stumble. Trust causes the soul to joyfully cry out, "I don't believe You
brought me this far to leave me now."
Then we experience the grace of long suffering. This grace is essential to tranquility of spirit. It
always speaks to the soul with the eternal voice, quietly whispering "this is a time-space journey. Just
as it had a beginning, it will have an end. Be patient!" The grace of long suffering also is eternal and
unconquerable. It causes the soul to remain unmoved as its potential is actualized. It takes times to
get from here to there, and you can't get there from here without the exercise of eternal patience.
We move on to realize the love of the heavenly Father for us. This realization causes the soul to
respond to the challenge of temporal life and equips it to face the challenge of the eternal. If the
Father loves us with an unconditional and eternal and infinite affection, then we can rest assured that
not only can no real harm befall us, but that our experiences--subject to His will--are filled with
divine values and meanings, the comprehension of which equals divine perfection. And as we
acquire these divine values and meanings, our souls are restrained to rejoice with ever-increasing joy.
And then there is the grace of mercy: the fail-safe life boat. This grace of mercy is designed to rescue
the soul that becomes overwhelmed, panics, and loses its footing on the temporal slopes. Sometimes
the struggle of the temporal life can be so overwhelming that it shocks and paralyzes the soul so that
it "faints" or becomes "unconscious." This grace of mercy takes note of the soul's attitude before it
was overwhelmed and lovingly carries it through the storm. It gently places the soul on a sound
foundation, where it realizes that "God was here all the time."
But the greatest of all the spiritual graces is that which is prompted by faith to seek, know, and
execute the Father's will in the face of every disturbance, no matter how great or how trivial. When
we do this we are in effect seeking to know the Father's character and to display that character in the
face of a disturbance. Finally this ministry stabilizes the emotions, endows the soul with courage,
reinforces spiritual purpose, and gracefully propels the soul through each and every crisis, until the
finally crisis is met with majestic calm. Choosing the Father's will at all times and under all
circumstances successfully allows us to master this life and all other lives with ever heightening
satisfaction and happiness.
This concludes today's message on understanding the nature of the spiritual ministry. We hope you
find something in this message to ponder and pray about as you go about your day.
Until next time, this is Dr. James Perry.
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The Nature of Spiritual Ministry
