The True
Bride of
Christ
By
Harry
Oliver
As we
move
closer
with
each
passing
moment
to the
coming
of our
Lord to
retrieve
His
bride, I
am
filled
with
both
overwhelming
joy, and
grief as
I am
made
aware of
daily—
that the
largest
most
ignored
mission
field
that
needs to
be
evangelized,
exists
not in
some far
off
country,
but in
the
culture
of the
church
right
here in
America.
Let’s
examine
the
difference
between
the
bride of
Christ
and the
cult of
the
popular
church
culture.
“For the
grace of
God that
brings
salvation
has
appeared
to all
men,
teaching
us that,
denying
ungodliness
and
worldly
lusts,
we
should
live
soberly,
righteously,
and
godly in
this
present
age,
looking
for the
blessed
hope and
glorious
appearing
of our
Great
God and
savior
Jesus
Christ,
who gave
Himself
for us,
that He
might
redeem
us from
every
lawless
deed and
purify
for
Himself
His own
special
people
zealous
for good
works”
(Titus
2:11-14).
The
tragedy
of
tragedies
is that
the
blessed
hope is
no
longer
blessed
for the
vast
majority
of
professing
believers,
in the
cult of
popular
church
culture!
Christianity
today is
abundant
with
people
professing
faith in
Christ,
“living
in what
one
writer
called a
“Fools
Paradise”
which is
a false
sense of
comfort.
They
arrogantly
claim
they are
in
Christ,
they
boast
that
they are
saved
and
eternally
redeemed.
The
clear
teaching
of the
Bible is
that
when
someone
is saved
his/her
life
will
most
definitely
change
heavenward
as
he/she
is a new
creation
(a
Christ
creation),
the old
is gone
and the
new has
come (2
Corinthians
5:17;
Romans
8:28-29;
Ephesians
4:24).
A true
born
again
believer
will
strive
to bring
glory
and
honor to
Christ
by
living a
life
that is
pleasing
to Him
(1 Peter
1:13-16).
The
natural
out-growth
of true
saving
faith
will be,
fruit
produced
by the
Spirit
of God
that
will
result
in good
works in
the life
of the
believer,
with a
passion
and
longing
to be
with
Christ
(Galatians
5:22;
James
2:17,
26).
Thus if
there is
no fruit
of the
Spirit
in one’s
life,
and a
longing
for
Christ
to come,
a
careful
self-examination
is
certainly
called
for (2
Corinthians
13:5;
Hebrews
9:28; 2
Peter
1:1-12).
Any
profession
of faith
that
does not
result
in a
changed
life and
the
fruit of
the
Spirit
of
Christ
is a
false
profession
of faith
and
consequently
such a
person
is not a
true
Christian.
The
Scriptures
also
speak
about
people
who call
Jesus
Lord,
speak
the
language
of a
Christian,
but are
told by
Jesus,
“I never
knew
you,
depart
from me
(Matthew
7:13-14,
17-23).
The
people
of the
world
are lost
in
darkness,
spiritual
blindness,
consumerism
and
materialistic
idolatry,
with the
pursuit
of
wealth,
status,
position
and
power.
Tragically
this is
an
accurate
description
of many
of those
who
profess
to know
Christ.
In this
end-time
state of
blindness
and
spiritual
myopia,
most of
the
professing
church
has
surrendered
to the
spirit
of this
age, and
is
engulfed
in the
darkness
of a
false
light,
controlled
by the
impulses
of the
carnal
human
appetite.
All in
the name
of
Jesus!
Adrift
in
spiritual
confusion
people
in the
cult of
popular
church
culture
have no
sense of
urgency
of the
times,
because
they are
willfully
ignorant
of the
signs of
the
times
crying
out from
heaven
“JESUS
IS
RETURNING
SOON.”
Some
might
say they
have an
urgency
of the
times
but
their
motives
are
self-centered
and they
are not
genuine.
Publicly
they
have one
persona,
but
behind
closed
doors
they
display
characteristics
of an
unsaved
person
with
little
or no
genuine
relationship
with the
Holy
Redeemer.
The
gospel
in the
western
world
has been
gradually
changed
over the
past
fifty
years or
more so
that
what is
believed
to be
the
gospel
today is
no
longer
the true
gospel
but a
false
gospel
that
differs
dramatically
from the
true
gospel.
How does
the
modern
gospel
differ
from the
gospel
of Jesus
Christ?
It
differs
in that
Christ
is no
longer
the
center,
object,
and
desire
of the
message,
but Man
is.
It is no
longer
the
Gospel
of
Christ
it is
the
gospel
of the
sovereign-self.
Christianity
in
America
has been
corrupted
by the
passion
for
pleasure
and the
fulfillment
of self.
The cult
of
popular
church
culture
is
filled
with
misinformed
pseudo-Christians
who are
driven
by
desperate
desires
for
self-fulfillment
here in
this
present
fallen
world.
Professing
believers
in the
cult of
popular
church
culture,
instead
of
looking
for the
blessed
hope and
glorious
appearing
of our
Lord
Jesus
Christ,
are
instead
trying
to build
mansions
of pride
and
selfish
ambition
on the
sinking
sands of
this
hour
that
will not
withstand
the
rain,
floods,
and
winds of
God’s
purifying
judgment
(Matthew
7:24-27).
So the
real
question
is:
WHO IS
THE
BRIDE OF
CHRIST?
(Intimacy
is the
fruit of
a love
relationship.)
Check
your
love
vital
signs:
Are you
after
the
heart of
God
(Matthew
7:13-23)?
The
bride of
Christ
(the
true
church)
will be
characterized
by her
preoccupation
with the
promised
appearing
of the
Bridegroom
(Christ).
After
all,
what
bride is
not
preoccupied
with her
wedding
day? The
symptoms
of
preoccupation
include:
Feelings
of being
unsettled
in this
present,
imperfect
world,
along
with
overwhelming
anticipation
and
longing
for
Christ
to come.
The
bride of
Christ
will
exhibit
faithfulness
in her
daily
living,
because
her goal
is to be
beautiful
for the
king,
having
no spot,
blemish,
or
wrinkle.
She will
be
easily
recognized
by her
heart of
brokenness
and
gratitude,
as well
as her
continual
thanksgiving
and
praise
for the
King,
who
chose in
her
total
unworthiness,
and
lowered
Himself
and
suffered
humiliation,
and an
agonizing
death to
make her
His own.
She
will
refuse
to
forget,
and take
lightly
the cost
of
her
salvation.
She will
also be
characterized
by her
single
mindedness,
focused
on the
wedding
celebration
for
which
she
spares
no
effort
or
expense
to
ensure
that
everyone
in her
circle
of
influence
has been
contacted,
and
responded
to the
RSVP
that has
been
sent
out. The
bride
will
possess
the look
and
obsessive
conversation
of one
who is
madly in
love.
She will
spend
hours
(which
to her
will
seem
like
minutes)
hidden
away in
intimate
conversation
with the
one she
loves.
That
intimate
place
is where
the
bridegroom
confides
in her,
and
reassures
her of
His love
and
faithfulness.
It is
also the
place
where He
unveils
his
heart
and the
secrets
of His
coming
kingdom.
Therefore,
with
great
insight
and
understanding,
the
bride
will
discern
the
signs of
her
wedding
day,
which is
the
consummation
of her
salvation
drawing
near.
My point
is this:
The
true
church—which
is the
bride of
Christ—will
always
be in an
undistracted
posture,
focused
on the
affairs
of the
kingdom;
preparing,
working,
waiting
and
watching
for that
glorious
day when
the King
will
come
back to
take her
to the
place
that He
has
prepared
for her
just as
He
promised.
Now, I
ask you
my
fellow
servant:
What
else in
this
life
could
possibly
be more
important
than
that
(John
14:1-3;
12:25-26;
17:24)?
“Yes, I
am
coming
soon.”
Amen,
come
Lord
Jesus.
COMMITTED
TO
AUTHENTICITY.
Harry
Oliver
holiver11@yahoo.com