On the day I was married, I looked for my bride at the back of the auditorium ready to walk the isle to become my new wife. If she had slipped in the mud a few minutes prior to her entry, what do you think my reaction would have been? To reject her? Certainly not! I’d have done whatever it took to clean her up to prepare her for the wedding.
Our Lord is preparing a bride for Himself. This bride (the church) has been soiled and badly wrinkled during the past 2000 years. Its track record has often been marked by the frailty of man—filled with corruption and selfish ambition. Although the fires of revival have burned in various parts of the world through the ages, the church certainly has not yet become the vital force God created it to be.
However, our God is committed to cleaning up His church and presenting her to Himself as a glorious church, perfect in every way! He has promised to return for a church (a bride) that is without spot or wrinkle (Eph. 5:27). Jesus told His disciples clearly, “… I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it!” (Matt. 16:18 NLT). This gives me great hope for the future church of Jesus Christ!
There are many flavors and expressions of the Lord’s church in our communities. All who proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and honor His Word are cherished by our Heavenly Father. There is no single church or denomination in any given city or region that has all the truth. We are all needed!
In light of this, we should be careful what we say about our Lord’s bride. If someone ever speaks against my bride LaVerne, he will have to deal with me. Likewise, if we speak against the bride of Christ, we will have to deal with Him! He loves His church, even though she is still in the process of becoming all He has intended her to be.
Christ is in us! He is our “hope of glory” (Col. 1:27)—the very Word of hope personified! When we—as the church—fully grasp the life which is ours through Christ, we have confidence for His church. Specifically, we have confidence for the new generation of leadership He is raising up among us.
I meet this new breed of leaders week after week as I travel and speak throughout the world. Humility and servanthood marks this new generation of leaders. They embrace and honor their spiritual parents who believe in them and coach them. They have no desire to build their own empires.
These new leaders see their gifts and anointings as just one of many critical pieces of input needed as they find the mind of Christ together. They honor and lift up other ministries, churches, leaders and believers in their regions. They are secure in their identity and in the Lord’s call on their lives as they bless those around them.
Two weeks ago I was the guest speaker at a youth Bible study in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Within the past two years, this interdenominational Bible study has grown from less than a dozen to one thousand young people coming together for worship and teaching from the scriptures each week. It is a grass roots movement that is led by a group of young people training other young people to be cell group leaders and disciple the new believers coming to Christ. They encourage these young people to serve faithfully in local churches and to honor their church leadership.
Many of our future leaders are presently serving as leaders of cell groups in churches of all denominations. Our God is preparing them for future leadership and ministry. I have great hope for the church of Jesus Christ and the leadership that is emerging among us in our day. If Jesus says He will build His church, you can count on it!
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