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The Bride Has made itself Ready PDF  | Print |  E-mail
Written by Ps Lu Luthra   
Friday, 07 May 2010 15:15

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife
hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and
white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” Rev. 19:7, 8.

The desire of God and the purpose of salvation are not merely to get a man saved and land him in
heaven. The man’s salvation is not unto heaven. (That is given to him as a place after death).

Salvation is “unto” conformity to God, His image and likeness. Remember, heaven is a condition
before it is a location. Even if you consider heaven in purely material terms, as golden streets, etc.,
your power to enjoy, understands, and correctly fellowship there is “first” determined by condition.
The disciples were very concerned about a material kingdom (which was right and will eventually
come) but Christ corrected them and placed the emphasis where it belonged then and now. “The
kingdom of God is within you” Luke 17:21. Heaven is never spoken of as the “goal” of Christian living,
but the perfection of Christian character is, and is clearly taught by Christ. “Be ye therefore perfect,
even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” Matt. 5:48.

The work of the Spirit today is the conforming, molding and shaping of the individual into the likeness
and image of God. He is after Christian character. “For whom He did foreknow, He also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son” Rom. 8:29

Do not be deceived, Christian character is never given as a gift. Righteousness is imputed to us on the
basis of His redemption, but never Christian character - this is the product of training, overcoming,
discipline, trial, hardship, and intensive spiritual living. I cannot work and earn salvation, but I can
apply myself to intelligent and spiritual living and build a character.

Many today are busy with the world and their ministries, and are not getting ready to become the bride, Can you imagine the disappointment and ache in the heart of Jesus to find in that day that so many
have not valued His deepest fellowship enough to cultivate and build a life for it here and now? God
does not arbitrarily say, “You go to heaven; you go to hell. You reign over ten cities; you are cast out.
You may enjoy the kingdom; but you can’t come in.” That is silly and very unscriptural. Each soul
determines his own destiny. The sinner goes to hell because he so chooses.. The carnal
Christian even though baptized in the Spirit may be saved, but miss the reward and glorious privilege
Christ holds out for him.

He that is spiritual suffers the loss of all things that he may know Christ in the deeper and fuller
relations. His garment is the Christian character wrought in him by the Spirit as he surrenders. “Thou
hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in
white: For they are worthy.” Rev. 3:4.

Do not confuse the gift of salvation with character. No one experience can change you so you are thus
qualified. The prize is given to “him that  overcometh” - not to him that is saved, or baptized, or is a
great worker. Look at Rev. 2:7, 17, 26, and Rev. 3:12, 21. All this relates to the saints overcoming and
thus qualifying - not to a sinner getting saved.

So by His grace let us enter into these days of preparation because He is after us-His people.

As we look for His coming “And His Bride hath made herself ready’ These days are trying and God is leading His own into trials and testing and is faithfully disciplining the souls who dare and love Him enough to die and let go to the natural, and live in him and discover the joy and wonder of a walk with the Lord, and be His Bride.

 

 
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