Yesterday we saw the difference between being a wife and a bride. A wife is the one with whom the wedding contract has been established, but it is the Bride who enters into the consummation of the marriage. Being a wife is not enough, just like being one of the ten virgins was not enough, for she must also prepare and be ready for when the Bridegroom returns. That means having oil in our lamps and wedding garments in which to be dressed. Being the Bride is about adornment, about being beautiful and fully compatible for the Groom. John sees in Rev 21:2 the New Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven like a Bride beautifully dressed for her husband. So if the wife is to be dressed, how does she receive her wedding garments? Rev 19:8 says “And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” This verse makes the connection between being and doing. Between what it means to be dressed like a Bride and the actions taken by her. For the “fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints” Being requires doing, for in the process of doing we become. Paul makes this connection between who we are and the work required in order to grow, very well when he writes to the Ephesians in 4:11-16 saying “11 And he gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists and some pastors and teachers; 12 For the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:13 Until we all reach unity in the faith, and in the knowledge of the Son of God, growing into a mature man, with a stature measured by the fulness of Christ: 14 Then we will no longer be children, tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of teaching by the trickery of men who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes; 15 But speaking the truth in love, we should grow in every way into Him who is Christ our head: 16 From Him the whole body grows, fitted and held together through every supporting ligament, as each one does its part, the body builds itself up in love.”
There is a progression here in Paul’s writing. First of all we learn there have been gifts given which we know as the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. But when we look at this passage from a Bridal perspective, we realise that these appointments are given by the Bridegroom so that His Bride can get ready. She has to grow up into maturity. How will you know that she is fully grown, well Paul gives the answer when he writes, she will have a stature measured by the fulness of Christ. That happens when each part of the body is equipped to do the work of the ministry, and as each part does its work, so it builds itself up in love. So in answer to our question: How does the wife get dressed? The point that I am making is that there are works for her to do, but more, in fact I believe there are bridal assignments that only she can fulfil, because it will take the church with a bridal mindset and relationship with each other in oneness, to have bestowed upon her the anointing and authority necessary for the assignment to be achieved. How will know recognise if the Bride is getting dressed? Well, one sure way is that she will take a resemblance to her Bridegroom more and more. In fact Jesus Himself said to His disciples on their last supper together in John 14:12-14 12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
