Month: November 2018

 

 Keyword:

 Song of Solomon 7 New Living Translation (NLT)

7 ⁴ Your neck is as beautiful as an ivory tower.
Your eyes are like the sparkling pools in Heshbon
    by the gate of Bath-rabbim.
Your nose is as fine as the tower of Lebanon
    overlooking Damascus.
⁵ Your head is as majestic as Mount Carmel,
    and the sheen of your hair radiates royalty.
    The king is held captive by its tresses.
⁶ Oh, how beautiful you are!
    How pleasing, my love, how full of delights!

 As Queen’s go, I would think that Queen Elizabeth II is probably the greatest living monarch of our times. This woman has been a constant, stable and unflinching epitome of British dignity and comportment. One can only wonder the weight of responsibility she has had to carry all these years. I am a confessed monarchist and I love the Queen deeply, but I really think she models the very best. Another Queen that stands out for me is Queen Rania of Jordan. Her stunning beauty aside, she has distinguished herself in the way she has taken on causes across Education, Health, Youth, Finance and even technology. She is simply one of the most articulate people in that stratosphere. Her elegance, fashion sense and poise only add to the effortless royalty of Queen Rania.

These two royal women are great not just because of birth circumstances or what marriage to a monarch bestows, but more because of the substance of their person. What they do in a sense only justifies who they are and when history is written, I have no doubt these two queens will feature in no small way. But great as they may be, they pale into insignificance when you consider Queen Ecclesia. Her husband paid her dowry 2000 years ago and left to go and prepare a befitting palace for her and then come back and fetch her for the wedding that would be the greatest spectacle in all creation. What a night that would be! Selah.

But Queen Ecclesia has not been idle. She has not just been twiddling her thumbs and counting the days. Yes she looks over the horizon once in a while and sometimes wonders when The KING will return, yet she has dedicated herself to upholding the values of the Kingdom and spreading the influence of the age to come in a world that seems to have lost its direction.

Over the years, Queen Ecclesia has been growing in influence and stature. She is present in nearly all nations of the earth in one form or the other, even beyond the planet earth. She is involved in the slums and pits of human degradation as a source of light and hope, as a helping hand, as a binder of wounds and mender of broken lives. She has built schools to spread light and improve the lives of many. Hospitals, orphanages, farms, media houses, the list is endless. She is present in every facet of society. She is always willing and ready, never sleeping, never refusing anyone, but simply stretching herself to make sure everyone gets to experience Her Husband’s love. She has stood against tyrants and with her prayers she has brought despots down and caused great reformation across whole continents. She cares for people from the day they are born till they die and beyond. She helps families start, keeps marriages together, teaches people to love each other and has always been a constant example of selflessness and sacrifice. She is extravagantly generous, but in all these she remains humble and dignified.

Queen Ecclesia is sublimely beautiful. Delicate, yet quite rugged. She is a heart stopper. Looking at her people stand with mouths agape. Is it possible to be so beautiful and yet so hardworking and humble? Well, read these words from her husband.

^{Songs of Solomon 9}

Shapely and graceful your sandaled feet,
    and queenly your movement—
Your limbs are lithe and elegant,
    the work of a master artist.
Your body is a chalice,
    wine-filled.
Your skin is silken and tawny
    like a field of wheat touched by the breeze.
Your breasts are like fawns,
    twins of a gazelle.
Your neck is carved ivory, curved and slender.
    Your eyes are wells of light, deep with mystery.
    Quintessentially feminine!
Your profile turns all heads,
    commanding attention.

But Queen Ecclesia is being misrepresented in some quarters and her once impeccable reputation is being sullied by some of her subjects. They have decided that the King’s mandate is not for them, yet they really want to be referred to as part of Ecclesia’s family. They are not lovers of God or people, they love themselves. They are not servants, they expect to be served. They are not selfless, they are selfish. They are not obedient, they are extremely disobedient. The King left a commission in Matthew 28:18-20. He asked Ecclesia to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. Yes, Ecclesia’s mandate is to disciple all nations. This means she must go and influence the nations and teach them the ways of the King and His Kingdom, such that all nations will be living and operating under the principles, tenets, laws and statutes of the King’s Kingdom.

Will Ecclesia regain her position and recover her reputation? Will Queen Ecclesia find her poise and step again? Will she walk in majesty? Will her powerful, yet gentle voice turn nations over again? Will her subjects conform? Will she liberate this world from imminent doom? Will she regain her beauty? My informed answer is a resounding Yes. If the Word of the King cannot return void. If the word of the King cannot be broken. If the declaration of the King cannot be reversed, then I know Queen Ecclesia is about to rise again and shake herself from the dust and put on her finest most delicate robes and take her scepter in hand, don her crown and rule with equity, righteousness and love again. Actually her best days are just ahead. Just ahead.

The world is about to witness Queen Ecclesia in full bloom. In full manifestation. In full flight. Yes, She will fly…but only after she has fully accomplished her commission. She will fly! 2000 years of waiting! She will fly to her eternal throne and live with Her King and Husband in eternal love and bliss. Are you ready for the flight?

Let’s Pray: Lord help us to get a fresh glimpse of the Church. Help us to make the adjustments so we can fully play our role as members of the Church. Amen.

 

 

Psalm 45 : 13-15

“The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace;
Her clothing is woven with gold.
¹⁴ She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors;
The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You.
¹⁵ With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought;
They shall enter the King’s palace.”

 

Abuse. This word evokes many feelings, mostly unsavory and unhappy. But ponder a moment with me and let us dissect this word together. The word abuse comes from two simple words. Ab and Use. Ab simply means away from, or wrong or miss, whilst use means apply. So abuse is actually the wrong use of something. Wrongful application. Now most times abuse comes from pure ignorance. Simply stated, when the use for something is not known, it can so easily be abused. Let’s go deeper. Men who abuse women are mostly ignorant of God’s design for women. They have a warped definition of the woman and that informs the abuse we see. Clearly understanding the beauty and excellence of God’s creation in women and the unique role they are ordained to play will fill you with awe and respect and as such the last thing on your heart will be to abuse them.

As deep and evocative as this subject is, it is not the object of this piece. I may however visit it in future as God leads. I am gripped today by the abuse of one unique lady. A most important woman. An exceptionally beautiful Woman. The betrothed wife of the most Noble of Men. Actually the wife of the perfect man and perfect God. Permit me to introduce you to the Church. The Bride of Christ. I see her abused in no small measure and I am no longer able to stand aside and watch. I consider myself as one of the many groom’s men, a friend of the Bride Groom, tasked with the role of watching over and keep His bride and preparing her for the imminent wedding. But she is today being raped, ravaged, pillaged and abused by so many, most of all other groom’s men.

In my attempt at mitigating or correcting  this I am simply going to try to help inform on who the Church is and what her function is, and why we need to reappraise our relationship with her, if we are to allow her reach her full potential. Perhaps by the grace of God, repentance may ensue.

The church or the bride of Christ is not the product of any man’s imagination. The conception of the Church is not from this earth or of this world. The Church was born in the heart of God and brought forth in a most mystical way, that it requires deep immersion in the heart of her creator to even begin to grasp the beauty, splendor and intricateness of this grand betrothed holy lady.

To understand this, let’s go back to the book of Genesis. God declared it is not good for man to be alone. He said He would make man a helper comparable to him. Then God did something strange. He put Adam to sleep and opened his side and took out one of his ribs and out of this He formed the woman. Let’s get this straight. The woman is not the rib of a man, but she has at her core the rib of a man. God built the woman around the rib. To understand this process, we need to look into the original text, the Hebrew to see something quite interesting. In Genesis 2:7, we read that God formed man from the dust of the earth. This word is the Hebrew word Yasar, which means squeeze or compact together, or like a potter, mould. This was the word used for the creation of man, but in Genesis 2:22, we read that out of the rib God took from man He ‘made’ a woman. This word made is not the same as form or squeeze. The Hebrew word here is bana, which actually means to build, to repair, to set in order or established. From this word we also get the sense of continuing and building a dynasty or legacy. So man was formed, but woman was built. She was built with intricacies that are not in man, because she has a unique role to play in God’s eternal plan for His Kingdom. Now how does this relate to the church? Jesus the last Adam, was put to sleep (died) by His Father (GOD) and out of His side He brought forth the church, the bride of Christ. Notice in Matthew 16, Jesus also stated “I will build My Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. This Greek word Oikodomeo, means to buid up, construct. So the Church is being built by God himself and no man fully understands what the dimensions, the layers, the materials, the finished product looks like, so we need to be quite cautious on how we handle this awesome lady.

One more illustration. In Proverbs 31 verse 14, the bible describes the virtuous woman as a merchant ship. This simple sounding description is actually quite profound. First Ships have to be built. Two, they have more inside them than what appears outside them. Thirdly they keep a lot in their belly. Lastly, merchant ships are rugged and can survive the rough seas. If ships are that complex, how utterly befuddling is a woman then, not to now begin to approach the Church. By the way Noah’s ARK was a type of the Church.

Today, I just want you to ponder anew the mystery of the church. The sheer profundity of this wonderful creation of God that we have been graciously called into. Ponder the depth of love her Husband has for her. Stop and think about the price He paid for her. Consider the complexities of her creation and purpose. Understand the trust bestowed on us who are called to look after this lady, preparing her for her wedding day. Think, are you respectful of her? Are you one of her abusers? Her husband would soon return for her, please don’t let Him find you abusing His bride. Selah!!!

 

Let’s Pray: Father God rekindle our love, respect and appreciation for your wonderful creation the Church. Lord forgive us for abusing her. Forgive us for misusing her. Help us to humble ourselves before you and allow you to guide our hearts aright, so we can join you in establishing your eternal building. Help us groom’s men prepare the bride for her Bride Groom. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.