The Bride to Be

To understand anything about the glory of the church we need to understand what she is supposed to be doing. In this article, we'll discuss the church and what she is to do to become this powerful Bride. 
So, let's start with Ephesians 5:27 which says: “that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” KJV. I also like what the Amplified version says: “So that [in turn] He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy (set apart for God) and blameless.” AMP. That's great! That's wonderful! But how are we supposed to get there? What is it that the church is supposed to be doing to look like that? Let's face it; most of the church doesn't look anything like this for the most part right now. From this verse alone we can see that Jesus is coming back looking for a bride that is as sinless as he is – without spot or wrinkle, without any blemishes (tattoos, unforgiveness, bitterness, hate, and other sins). This also indicates that Jesus is looking for powerful bride (glorious splendor) because he also is powerful. You might wonder what it is that the church is supposed to be powerful in. What the church is supposed to be doing is in direct connection with what Jesus did here in his earthly ministry. Isaiah 61:1 says, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.”

So what is the church supposed to be doing?
1. Preach good tidings to those who are meek (quiet, gentle, easily imposed upon):
The quiet and gentle spirit God loves is the one that holds her composure no matter what is being spoken to her or about her. She's not moved by the rantings and raving of an uncontrolled people. This spirit is in full control of her own actions and only behaves according to the word of God. In this scripture above, this “quiet and gentle” is referring to those who are NOT easily intimidated, living in doubt and fear, etc. That would not be a picture of the powerful Bride that God called her to be or that Jesus is coming back for.
2. Bind up the brokenhearted. We all suffer hurts and wounds and some are so deep it keeps us from living the Zoe life God made available to us. This zoe life refers to or is described as the uncreated and eternal life of God. It speaks of physical and spiritual vitality and is always maintained and sustained by God himself. In this 2nd activity, we are to help those suffering to see themselves as God sees them. God sees our hurts and wounds but he always sees our end and how we have overcome because of what he has done for us in and through Jesus. If you are one that can easily give a good word of encouragement that is filled with power and anointing you have a divine mandate to set people free from these deep hurts.
3. Proclaim liberty to the captives. Liberty is defined as a state of freedom from oppressive governmental restrictions on a person's way of life, the way they choose to worship God, and their political choices. This is exactly what the United States of America was founded on. The simple truth is that we are not to be bound by silly government restrictions and laws that keep us from living the life of liberty that Jesus made available to us.
4. Proclaim the opening of the prison to them that are bound: You know, sometimes our thoughts hold us captive and it can be little thoughts to overwhelming, degrading, manipulative and controlling thoughts. Some of those “thoughts” lead some to commit suicide. In 1642 a poet, Richard Lovelace, wrote “To Althea, From Prison” in which his final infamous stanza read, “Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage.” That's the kind of freedom and liberty Jesus died to give. We, as Christians, bear a significant assignment to set the captives free. We do this through encouraging words and being used by the Holy Spirit to offer divine insight into the person’s problems to help them see just how free they truly are or need to be. There are many other things out there that hold us captive, such as this tirade of human trafficking. This is violates us spirit, soul, and body. This is horrible stuff going on here.

Now, in light of this, does this look like the church today? Do we hear about things like this? No, satan has made sure to keep the church preoccupied so that he can keep her from being that pure and holy Bride, that powerful bride to be so he can keep people bound up in any kind of prison.Let's also look at John 14:12, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my father.” Thank God for his Grace - right? Amen?
Notice that in this verse, we see the words verily, verily. Recall that it is extremely important to take notice anytime you see this in the scripture because the words coming right behind it gives a powerful truth; a powerful truth that you can't just simply toss around or dismiss. Read this verse again and pay attention to the truth presented. I ask again, does this describe the church by and large? Most of the time all we hear about is that some church is in revival and sometimes it spreads to other areas. Revivals are great and necessary, but people don't take that strength home with them beyond the door through which they leave. They don't take that strength and do the works Jesus did. If people who come out of a revival would take the time to share it with others, our world news would be full of reports of miracles of all kinds, endless testimonies of how people have been set free, the brokenhearted would be healed spirit, soul, and body, and Jesus would be glorified. Hallelujah!

This is what Jesus is coming back for, a powerful Bride that is not easily intimidated and knows when and what to say or do in any given situation. To accomplish this, we must choose Jesus. We must be so vitally connected with him on a daily basis and filled with the Holy Spirit to be led by God in doing miracles, We are called by God to do the works Jesus did and do them in a greater way because now we have the internet and can post articles, launch websites and blogs / vlogs, we now have a way to travel worldwide to help others whereas in Jesus' day it wasn't like this at all.

Let's consider the following verses in closing:
Acts 2:43 says, “And fear came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.”
Acts 5:12 says, “And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch).”
Mark 16: 15-18:
15) And he said unto them, Go ye (men & women) into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Parenthetical emphasis mine)
16)He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but the that believeth not shall be damned.
17) and these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18) They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”
Lastly, vs 20 say, “And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. (Italic emphasis mine)
Do you see that the Lord was working with them? He was working with them after he ascended. He gave these words, told them what to do and then he ascended into heaven, but his work didn't stop there. Thank God that Jesus is still working with us from heaven helping those of us who are left here on earth. This is us co-ruling and co-reigning with Jesus here on earth to affect his covenant blessings in our lives and the lives of those God brings our way. 

This, my friends, is what the Glorious Church -the Bride of Christ- is all about. Become a part of this Bride today by asking God to forgive you of any sins and to help you live a life for him. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and to fill you with his precious Holy Spirit. Learn more at Getting to Know Jesus.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
All to His Glory,
La Donna