The Church as the Bride of Christ

 

Jesus is longing for a pure and whole Bride who has made herself ready for Him. Who is the

Bride of Christ? We are – the worldwide church. Are we making ourselves ready for our

Bridegroom? Will we be found ready and waiting when our Bridegroom returns? (Mt 25:1-13)

Are we – the Bride – crying out with the Spirit, “Come!” ….(Rev 22:17)

Is that the cry of your heart? Or would you be more likely to stay where you are if you knew

Jesus was in the next room….what makes you hesitate to enter into His glorious presence full of

light…to run to Him….can you be truly honest with yourself?

Is it not the sin hidden in our hearts and lives….the things we’d rather not disclose to

anyone….we rather keep our secret sins hidden and in the closet….it seems so much safer in

the dark as oppose to exposing them to the light of day. Ugh….my prideful flesh says, “yes…..it’s

okay, to keep indulging in self-pleasure and self-gratifying behaviors….cheap

pleasures…temporarily relief from reality.”

But reality is my spirit is dying inside…..what once satisfied no longer does…and I keep having to

have more to scratch that itch…only to find it doesn’t truly satisfy either….I’m left empty and

dissatisfied…longing to be filled with true love, pleasure, purpose.

And that is exactly what Jesus, our Bridegroom, offers each of us…true love, pleasure,

purpose….His word (Jam 5:16) says when we confess our sins to each other, and pray for each

other and we will be healed. Did you catch that?…”confess our sins to each other” not just to

Him but to other believers…..we need to come out of isolation and out of that dark, secret

place where we are dying- into the light.

Where is the church? Where is brothers and sisters…who won’t condemn or judge us but will

stand beside us in the fight for freedom? A safe place of refuge where we can be honest about

our sin…confess and repent together? And find freedom as we exercise the authority we have

in Christ and storm the gates of hell….taking back the ground the enemy has stolen from us –

the purity of the Church – His Bride.