Christ’s Vision for the Church (7)
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 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. Ephesians 5.25-27
A call for holiness
The Church and all its members are the Bride of Jesus Christ. We enjoy a mysterious, intimate, passionate, joyous, and wholly pleasurable relationship with the One Who has bound us to Himself in love. We see Him enthroned in splendor; we meet with Him in His glory; we know the reviving power of His Presence and grace; and we serve with Him according to His purposes in the world.
A day is coming when the followers of Jesus Christ will be united with Him and one another in an eternal dwelling place of perfect joy and holy, complete pleasure. Toward that day all that Jesus is doing in building His Church is intentionally and consistently directed: He pours out His Spirit to prepare His Bride. He sends out His angels to assist in making her ready. He works all things in history and the cosmos to build, prepare, and endear His Church to Him.
Here is a call for holiness. Churches that have set their focus on the horizon of eternity, in anticipation of meeting their heavenly Bridegroom, will work hard at removing every spot, stain, or semblance of worldliness and sin with which they might be tainted.
This means regular and faithful attendance on the ministry of the Word on the part of every member. It means a conscious and diligent effort on everyone’s part to increase in the beauty of the Lord and to lay aside every vestige of fleshly living. It also means mutual accountability and encouragement in the pursuit of holiness, as individuals and congregations, looking toward the day of our being united with the Lord.
A call for good works
Here also is a call for good works, so that by our persistence in doing the works of the Lord we may be seen by all to be a fit for being united with Him.
The Lord sees His Church as the joy and beauty of the earth (Ps. 48.1, 2), reflecting His splendor and goodness to the watching world. But when churches spend the bulk of their budgets and energies on themselves, it’s hard to see how they can be of much good in their local communities.
Churches that reach out to the poor and needy, express concern over local moral and social issues, discover the needs of their neighbors and work diligently to address them, look for ways to bring beauty and joy to their neighbors, and, above all, are faithful in proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom to their communities—such churches show that they are preparing themselves for eternal blessedness with the One Who went before them in just such ways as these.
A call for worship
And here is a call for adoring worship. The church that looks forward to eternity with her Lord will grab at every foretaste of that bliss it can know. This is part of the purpose of worship, to train our hearts on the Lord and to cultivate our affections and priorities so that we please and find pleasure in Him as our all in all.
Worship that takes as its starting point the needs and interests of people cannot rise to the heights of adoring worship of her heavenly Groom. We need Christ-focused worship to accomplish this. Worship is only about us to the extent that it engages us in celebrating Jesus.
In Jesus’ mind, the Church is the temple, nation, servant of the Lord, and agent of the Kingdom of God—the light, salt, and leaven of the world. Believers bring to the world a foretaste of eternity, a glimpse of the resurrection life of Jesus, and they do so together, as communities of His people, always looking forward to the day of His appearing in glory to gather them lovingly and eternally to Himself.
The Lord is coming to receive His Church as His Bride. We must make ready. We must show the world that a great wedding is in the offing, and we are the objects of our coming Savior’s devotion and love. And we must go into the highways and bi-ways of our lives, living for our coming King and Savior and calling others to come with us to the feast, to join us as His temple, nation, servants, and agents of change, inviting them into the intimacy of Jesus’ love and the power of His resurrection life.
Let us, and let us help our churches, prepare together in holiness, good works, and joyous worship, so that we may be found a suitable and ready Wife for our heavenly King.
For reflection or discussion
1. As you think about being the Bride of Christ, what’s the most important aspect of that for you? Why?
2. What is involved in “making ready” for the great wedding feast toward which we are journeying? How should such preparations affect our relationships with the people in our Personal Mission Fields?
3. What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from this study on Jesus’ vision for the Church? How are you planning to put that lesson to work in your walk with and work for the Lord?
Next steps—Preparation: How can you help your church better prepare to meet Jesus when He comes? Begin that effort today in prayer, seeking the Lord’s guidance and grace.
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Men, check out our Spring Men’s Reading Groups. Great reads, sound learning, warm fellowship.
This week: Our Read Moore podcast is looking at the Kingdom of God in our book, The Kingdom Turn. In our Crosfigell teaching letter, we are looking at the state of pastors and churches during the period of the Celtic Revival, using contemporary witnesses. And in our Scriptorium column we are studying the sermon on the mount. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
