The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Perfecting of the Church

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:27)

The seven feasts of the Lord portray the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. They also typify the process of redemption working in the life of the individual Christian as he or she is brought from the lowest pit of bondage all the way to the Throne of God and of the Lamb.

In addition, the feasts of the Lord symbolize the perfecting of the Christian Church, the Body of Christ, and also the setting up of the Kingdom of God on the earth.

The process of the redemption of the believer, and the perfecting of the Christian Church, are closely related. The perfecting of the Church depends on the perfecting of each member of the Body.

There are some thoughts, however, we may wish to consider. Individual disciples are free to press into Christ and to work with the Holy Spirit on their own time schedule. Meanwhile the Christian Church as a whole is moving ahead on many fronts.

It is our point of view that all true Christians are members of the Christian Church, the Bride of the Lamb. We believe also that before Jesus returns there will take place a worldwide revival in which multitudes of people will believe and be baptized, and after that there will be a reduction in number of those who profess faith in Christ and only a purified remnant will be ready to meet the Lord when He comes. It may be true that the majority of believers will not be raised until the end of the thousand-year period. The Bride finally will be without blemish. Many are called but few are chosen.

As we look about us we can observe Christians making headway as they progress toward maturity in Christ. Not all groups of Christians are at the same point, some are further along in holiness and spiritual understanding. The Holy Spirit is working with each group that will cooperate with Him.

When we are discussing the Church of Christ we of necessity are discussing the Temple of God. The Church of Christ is being created by the Lord as a dwelling place for God Almighty in the earth.

It is impossible, in the present hour, for God to live among men—God being who He is and what He is, and we being who we are and what we are. Nevertheless, it is God's intention to live and rule in the earth among His creatures. His purposes and workings are directed toward this end (Exodus 25:8).

God is perfectly at rest in His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, because Christ is righteous, holy, and obedient to God—always doing the things that please the Father. God wants more "living stones" in His Temple. Therefore He has "broken" Christ, so to speak, and shed His blood, making possible the creation of a bride for the Lamb and also an enlargement of God's Temple, His dwelling place in the earth.

The Church begins as assemblies of believers. These are the local churches. When God is finished, every believer will have been created in his individual place in the Temple of God, the Wife of the Lamb, the holy city, the new Jerusalem. This is the destiny of the Church and of the individual disciples as well. (from The Feasts of the Lord)