This is the first episode from my series City of Light and it is called the bride. When one considers the city of Light in the context of the Bible, I don't think it can be done without talking about the bride.
If a wedding where a table, the bride would be the centrepiece, to determine its tone, set off the beauty of the linen covering the table, create the ambience and compliment the meal set before the guests of this auspicious occasion.
And if the wedding where a garden she would be the most exotic of flowers in that garden, the one everyone came to see, her shine would obliterate any other and her scent would lure the on looker in wonder and rapt worship of her eternal beauty.
God's bride is the epitome of the quintessential bride, serenity, joy, fruitfulness, perfection. Is it possible that true essence of the bride is almost forgotten. God's bride is possibly the most phenomenal of his accomplishments as creator and father because in the emergence of the bride there is a complete and total realisation of who we are. ..."for only then will she know Him as she is known". It would be the most beautiful of encounters and that is the moment in the ceremony when the veil is fully lifted! The most beautiful love story.
1 Corinthians 13:12 says "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."
Most of the world may try to relinquish itself of many age old traditions but there are still some ancient ones that continue to reveal deep things, they remain so profound and resonant. Though alot of brides may choose not to wear a veil these days...there will still be an unveiling at the great wedding - a simple art of lifting that carries so much significance for us as spirit beings even though it may seem a trival act at the earthly wedding.
The bride of Christ is a really delicate creature and I say this because it is in Gods light she becomes light without the light of God she is simply a dark place. The purpose of this episode is to help us understand the things that enable the entrance of this light, keeping it a glow and basically what God expects in a relationship with her.
In the book of Revelations, God has given us an idea of this bride and it presents a tall order but we have the holy spirit in us to guide us and strengthen, thank the Lord! Is there anyone but me that needs help?
1) The first thing God has impressed on us is to hold him dear as our first love. We need to fall in love with Him and then stay in love. Our God is divinely jealous of us. He wants our full attention and worship. This might explain the behaviour of some husbands ladies just thought to sneak that in.
2) God wants us faithful to the point of death. I know it sounds gruesome. So lets consider Abraham and what he was ready to sacrifice in order to prove his faith in God, yet God provided, God became his sufficiency in that terrible request. You might say, I am no Abraham but consider all the things we have now that Abraham probably didn't back then, we have community, a huge fellowship across the world we can connect with, we have the bible (the bible was not written in Abraham's day, he depended purely on his devotional moments with God so he could potentially have thought himself crazy to attempt to kill his only son. God might call you to do some crazy stuff). Finally and not least we have the holy spirit to help anchor us in all things.
3) God wants every form of idol worship relinquished in our lives. They might be things that we may honour over him knowingly or unknowingly, we need to stop immediately. Why is this so important? The truth is anything we settle our minds on which is not God, limits us, it chains us, we are not free to live the life God has purpose for us because we have been confined to the same places those idols have been confined to. Our God has no limits.
4) Gods wants every form of sexual immorality expunged from our life. There is a time and place to explore our sexuality. We will discuss this further in my series elements of a city. God has given us boundaries which keep us whole, flourishing and beautiful.
5) God wants us fully awake and thriving. Being awake means we are alert to what is going on, what needs to happen and how to position ourselves appropriately to succeed.
6) God needs us to endure even under the hardest of tests. This race is all about endurance, its a long race and sometimes hard but endurance matures us and enables us to do even greater works.
7) God wants us useful and effective not lukewarm. Stay filled with passion and vigour for the race, in other words, keep your light burning, get as many refills of oil as you need!
Each one of these seven prerequisites fulfilled, has a reward that takes us closer to our destination to be seated with Him in heavenly places. In Revelation 3:21 it says,
"To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne."
Ultimately, this procession of the bride from falling in love with the bridegroom, keeping her eyes on Him, steadfastly loving and refusing to idolise anything else and being effective is to set her up as kin along side Jesus on the right hand of God, the father. This procession, involves these seven prerequisites
found in revelations. Seven is the number for completion. God has started a work in his bride, the church and he will see it to its completion.
The picture of God's bride is pure brilliance and the procession of the bride is not an easy one but a necessary one because of the magnificence of the works of the one returning for her, the one with whom she shares a glorious inheritance.
Some of us might want some really practical tools for assembling this city of light and i truly believe there are elements that make us stand out as cities of light here on earth. I would love to share them with you in the next episode titled - elements of a city. Its really gonna blow your mind!
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