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One Wife |
Dear Brethren,
Who is going to marry Jesus Christ at his return?
We believe that it is you and me. We know that it is all the Brethren who are led
by God's Holy Spirit. It is the Greater Spiritual Community which
will be the "Wife of Jesus Christ".
The problem with this scenario is that many of the brethren
who "know" that they are going to be the bride of Christ,
won't have anything to do with one another. The wife of Revelation
19:7 is not a loose federation of divided brethren. The Spirit
that is held in common by those comprising the "Wife of
Christ" is the strongest bond that exists. Jesus
is not going to return to an estranged people who will not have
anything to do with each other.
Are we doing what we are supposed to be doing? Another way to ask
that same question is this: What must the wife be doing to make
herself ready for the marriage of the Lamb? She will be ready! We
are certainly not ready now. We must heal the
breach, or die trying. The will of God is perfectly clear:
"That there should be no schism in the body; but
that the members should have the same care one for another."
(1 Corinthians 12:25) In this verse, the body, is the Body of
Christ, and the "one for another" referred to are all those who
have God’s Holy Spirit in their minds - leading them in God's way.
Our hearts must be receptive. God demands that we must be a part of
building close relationships across Church lines. Brethren, we will
not be prepared for the wedding until we truly seek to remove
obstacles between ourselves and all of God's people. How do we
bind up the wounds of those who are afraid of being hurt again?
Who's responsibility is it to apply the healing balm? The answer is
that it is every Christian's duty, before God, to seek out others.
"Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort
the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men."
(1 Thessalonians 5:14)
Christ is unified. We all know that. But, do we know this - the
Body of Christ - His true brethren, are not divided? That most
certainly means that those brethren who are to make up the Bride of
Christ cannot be divided. If a member cuts off all fellowship from
his former brethren - that is division - plain and simple. One or
the other is going to miss out on that precious opportunity - the
wedding supper! We cannot seek to save ourselves while saying in
effect, "I don't care if others make it into God's Kingdom or not."
There are members who are not following the lead of God's Holy
Spirit in their personal lives. The scriptures are clear - we are
not to fellowship or socialize with them. There are ministers who
have disfellowshipped brethren, not for sin or heresy, but for their
own personal political purposes. They are no longer ministers of
Jesus Christ if they persist in that un-Godly conduct. Within the
Body of Christ, serious personal sin, ministerial abuse, and
doctrinal heresy cannot be condoned. Are we mature enough as
Christians to be able to discern between conduct which ought not be
taught by the leadership, and that which is truly Christian? "But
now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is
called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a
railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no not to
eat." (1 Corinthians 5:11)
Just before He died, Jesus Christ told the apostles to love one
another. Again, everybody knows that! All the corporate groups
would say that they uphold this principle. But they do not!
Have various Church leaders chosen a mistakenly narrow viewpoint in
determining who to include in the "one another," that they are to
love? Do these leaders teach their congregations to have a closed
circle of contact? It is indeed an arrogant attitude of
self-exaltation that is willing to sacrifice others for
self-aggrandizement, justification and vindication of self.
How many organizations would say that their group is God’s
favorite – who are pleasing God the most? Brethren, are we blind to
the divisiveness of that kind of rationale? Without the
words actually being spoken, members are being taught by the
attitude and behavior of leadership that there are lesser brethren
who just don't measure up. Their message is clear, avoid mixing
with brethren from other groups.
Can we be so foolish as to come to the conclusion that we have
been released from the commandment to love one another? Do we
make void the commandment of God by loving only the people in our
own group? Everyone with the proper reverence for
God's way of life will be including all the Brethren in their
personal fellowship. There are no exclusions in
the following verse. "Then they that feared the Lord spoke
often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a
book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the
Lord, and that thought upon his name." (Malachi 3:16)
Those groups that are betting that God will choose only the
members of their organization to go to the place of safety and be
the wife of Christ do not understand the mind of Christ. When we
consider the meaning of 1 Corinthians 12:24,
we learn that the mind of Christ is exactly the opposite of
what is commonly in practice in the various Churches of God today!
"For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the
body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which
lacked," because, God hath set the members, every one of
them, in the body, as it hath pleased him."
How much longer do we have to get our act together? Jesus Christ
is going to look each of us in the eye and ask, "When did you,
not your leader, reach out to your brother and sister?"
"Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness
of mind let each esteem other better than themselves."
(Philippians 2:3 )
Soon, the brethren who are led by God's Holy Spirit will be
together in mind, attitude, and spiritual community. This does not
mean one earthly organization or group. It will be a miracle when
it happens. The lines must be crossed - the barriers will come
down. Jesus will have only One Wife.
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