The Bride: She is whole

As I continue to pray for the bride that God has for my son, I pray that she be whole. It is my prayer that she be one within herself, that she be one emotionally and spiritually. For if she is divided within herself, how then will she be able to become one with him? I believe that God the Father is looking for His Son’s bride to be whole.

As Sarah and I were preparing to get married, we went through some extensive pre-marital counseling (something I recommend to all those who are planning to marry). The pastor who facilitated that time is a great man of God (P.S. Pastor Cook- Thank You) and I will never forget one of the first things he said to us in our meetings. He said, “You do not marry someone to feel whole. You need to become whole so that you can present yourself wholly to the other person.” When we are not whole as individuals and we marry, there will always be a portion of ourselves that we never give to our spouse. As the bride of Christ we need to be sure that we present ourselves wholly to him.

But if we look at the bride of Christ, can we really say that we are whole? Are we truly one within ourselves? Sometimes I look around at all the differences that we have amongst ourselves and often find myself asking, “Would I want to marry someone who is so divided within herself?” We have denominational differences, liturgical differences and musical differences. Are we going to be seeker friendly or prophetic? There is “mega-church” versus “house church”. We argue about whether or not the gifts of the Spirit are for today. We are so divided within ourselves that we couldn’t possibly be ready to offer Christ a bride that is whole.

In John 17, Christ prayed that we would be one, even as he and the Father are one. What will make us whole? What will bring about that unity that Christ desires in His bride? One of the early church fathers said it this way, “In the essentials, unity; in the non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” The apostle Paul in his book to the Philippians said that we must be “like minded, having the same love and being one in spirit and in purpose (Phil. 2:1-4).” When the bride of Christ can come to a place where we are whole, then we can wholly offer ourselves to him for his service.

Now please don’t misunderstand or misinterpret what I am saying. I am not trying to be critical of the church whether it be corporate or individual. Nor am I saying that one point of view is better than another. What I am saying is that the bride of Christ must be unified in its purpose. We must be unified in our cause. It is the cause of Christ, to reach a world lost in sin and see His Kingdom established on earth (Jn. 12:17; 18:37). It’s not about any individual church; it’s about the kingdom. It’s not about filling buildings; it’s about filling the Kingdom. The Father is looking for His Son’s bride to be whole.