The Bride

So Manasseh caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to stray so that they did worse evil than the nations Yahweh had destroyed before the Israelites. - 2 Chronicles 33:9

Under the leadership of Manasseh, the Judeans became more wicked than they had ever been previously (quite a statement). The list of their sinful practices included: idolatry, worship of celestial bodies, consulting the dead, and child sacrifice. It was so bad, in fact, that the biblical record states they did worse evil than the Canaanites that God had Israel destroy and replace!

The church is the Body of Christ and it exists to bring glory to the Father and be an agent of transformation around the world. The light of truth in the church should dispel the darkness of paganism that surrounds it. The light of our testimony may sometimes be subtle and often bold, but it should always be present and the evidence of that presence is transformation.

The question we should be asking ourselves is this, "Who is transforming who?" Is our local faith community more like Christ because of my involvement? Are our families? Is our world? Are we making a difference? What kind of difference are we making?

O Jesus, in these days, may we be Your Bride, for if a local church refuses to be Christ's body, then perhaps it just should not "be."

If we think the main mission of the church is to improve life in Adam and add a little moral strength to this fading evil age, we have not yet understood the radical condition for which Christ is such a radical solution. - Michael Horton