God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow ... And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:9-11

Friday, July 13, 2007

The Bride is for Christ our Bridegroom

   
 
The fabulous reality of Christ being the bridegroom reveals to us the passion of God for His people. I want to focus on the main aspect of this: His union with the bride!  

John the Baptist tells us that he rejoiced that he heard the voice of the bridegroom. Before that he reveals that the bride is for the bridegroom. This speaks of nothing else than the union of Christ with His people; an intimate, passionate union that the church over the centuries has neglected.  

It has to be considered extremely important that the one chosen to testify that Jesus was the Christ, from the beginning revealed Him as the bridegroom, and that the bride was for Him.  

The bride of Christ belongs to only Christ and no other. He is jealous for her. He died for her. Yet most substitute something else for the bride to present unto Christ.  


We will do well to remember this: The bride is for Christ, the bridegroom.  
What is the significance of this? It’s the union of Christ and the bride that is significant. Without this, the mention of a bride and bridegroom is without meaning.  When Christ died and the veil was rent in two, access to God was of course reinstated to those who believed on Him. Then as a consequence of belief, the Spirit was sent by Christ to dwell within all of those who believe on Him. 

Most of us don’t comprehend what this truly means to us. It is an offer of intimacy with Christ beyond any of our comprehension. It is an offer to eat and drink of Him that was passed up at the beginning of creation, but now was offered again to all of those who were hungry and thirsty.  

While the Spirit of God dwells within every believer, few take the journey of intimate fellowship and union with the bridegroom. And yet there is more to it than that. Not only are we to experience this individually, we are much more importantly to experience it corporately.  

Yet, the very entering into this journey causes problems immediately. The great majority of things that we see in the organized church begin to cause problems with that part of us that hungers for Christ and Christ alone.  

That’s why those of us that have been given the opportunity to see these things, will continually live out these things outside of any man-made system.  There is a love relationship that exists between Christ and His church. No man, or system created by man, can be allowed to come between the Lord and His bride. That’s why we show forth history and where a lot of the practices of the church have come from so that you can see clearly what the purpose of God is in the earth. Now it is hidden in many ways because of the choice of many to substitute something else in the brides’ place. This is a tragedy that must be turned from.  

Are you part of the living bride of Christ outside of any system and carnal control of men? Are you yearning and hungering after Christ and Christ alone? Do you desire to be part of something bigger than yourself that has been in the heart of God from before the beginning of creation? If you can answer yes to these questions, than you may truly be ready for the adventure and exploration of a lifetime. I hope to meet you on this journey.

Gary

1 comment:

  1. I really love the article and the picture on the right side.

    ReplyDelete