That They May Be One

The Wife of Christ

The Church of God is to wed Jesus Christ at His return.  The church that marries Christ will not resemble the scattered church today.  It will be those whose hearts and lives have been welded together in unity and oneness who will share in the great wedding feast.  The problem with this scenario is that most of the brethren, who think that they "know" that they are going to be "the Bride of Christ," will not have anything to do with one another.

"The marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready."  (Revelation 19:7)

Jesus is not going to return to an estranged people who will not have anything to do with one another.  The Wife of Christ is not one specific organization out of all the different groups.  Nor is it a loose federation of scattered Church brethren.  The Spirit that is shared in common by those who constitute the Wife of Christ is the strongest bond that exists.  The Bride of Christ will have God's Holy Spirit in common.  It is only the greater prepared Church that is called the Wife.  Jesus will only have one Wife.

So, where do we go from here?  What must the Bride do to make herself ready for the marriage of the Lamb?  She will be ready!  But, we are not ready now because we have not developed a real caring for one another.  God expects us to be anxiously concerned for the spiritual well-being of all of the brethren. The breach that exists among the remaining children of God must be healed.  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)

It is not good enough to say that we were not the cause of the problem, because God demands that we must be part of the solution.  How can we bind up the wounds of those who are afraid of being hurt again?  Church division is a spiritual illness.  Whose job is it to apply the healing balm?  The answer is that it is every Christian's responsibility, before God, to give moral support to all others – not only to those in their own corporation or group.  We must have a mind for unity.  We will not be prepared for the wedding with Christ, until we all come to that same mind with all Spirit-led brethren.

"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)

We are running out of time to show God that we consider all of the brethren to be the Bride of Christ.  Soon, those who are truly prepared for the marriage of the Lamb will come together in mind, attitude, and Spirit, no matter which organization they are in.  It will be a miracle when it happens. The lines must be crossed – the barriers will come down.

The true Church of God often has been a grass-roots effort.  God called Herbert W. Armstrong by having his wife Loma meet another woman, who “just happened” to be a member of the true Church of God.  Brethren can courageously and fearlessly cross any artificial line that would separate those who are led by God's Holy Spirit.  We are small.  We are the diaspora – the scattered ones.  But we will be one in unity.

We are a special, chosen people.  We are the children of God – the Family of God.  We love and care deeply for one another.  With all of our substance, we must zealously be teaching the brethren to love one another.  The division and scattering of God's children must be healed.  One by one, we can be the example to the world that Jesus Christ prayed we would be.  We must develop an ever-widening circle of friends and brethren we would die for, if need be.  Our propensity for Christian love must develop and expand. 

This message of unity and oneness must have the highest priority for all of the Church of God.  We must be dynamically enlarging our sphere of involvement beyond those who make us comfortable.  We must reach out to the entire Church of God – and beyond.   God will have a people who are one so that the world may learn of Him.

"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together…"  (1 Corinthians 1:10)

Let us take up the challenge!