Let’s return to our previous little story about every little girl daydreaming about her wedding day. If you recall, at the end of that story, you saw that on August 21, 2017, The King Of Kings presented the world with The Perfect Engagement Ring.
For men, once again, you may have to really stretch your imagination, but let’s look at what Scripture says:
“All of you who have been baptized to show you belong to Christ have become like Christ. God does not see you as a Jew or as a Greek. He does not see you as a servant or as a person free to work. He does not see you as a man or as a woman. You are all one in Christ. If you belong to Christ, then you have become the true children of Abraham. What God promised to him is now yours.” (Galatians 3:27-29 NLV)
We see here that those who are believers in Christ are one in Christ. So men, this is how you are included as the bride of Christ. So now that this fact is established, we know Jesus has gone to prepare a place for His bride.
So yes, gentlemen, as strange as it may sound, you, too, are the bride of Christ. That’s part of the paradox that is God.
So returning to our story- we have been presented with The Perfect Engagement Ring. Jesus Christ, Messiah, Savior of all mankind, has gotten down on one knee and proposed to anyone who will accept. For those of us who have accepted His proposal, His Engagement Ring brought great excitement, even as there is an urgency within us for those who have not accepted His proposal.
When we plan for a wedding, there are so many things to be done. Planning a wedding is no small feat and can be very overwhelming. As a bride, you want everything to be perfect for your perfect day, just as this scene from “Steel Magnolias” depicts:
While in Truvy’s beauty shop, Mom, M’lynn, and daughter, Shelby, are discussing the details of Shelby’s upcoming wedding with the other ladies in the beauty shop:
Shelby: “My colors are blush and bashful”.
M’Lynn: “Her colors are pink and pink.”
Shelby: “My colors are blush and bashful Momma.”
M’Lynn: “How pretentious is this wedding to going to get I ask you?”
Shelby: “My colors are blush and bashful, I have chosen two shades of pink, one is much deeper than the other.”
Down to the tiniest detail of the different shades of pink, the bashful dreams of the little girl become the realities for the blushing bride.
How much planning have you done for your wedding day? Let’s get a little help from a professional wedding planner to make sure we don’t forget a thing! Our wedding planner has everything scheduled by the months, but we know that God’s time is not our timing, which is why so many who have been betrothed to the Lord Jesus have gotten tired of waiting and have fallen asleep. For this reason, we will not use the scheduled time-line our wedding planner suggests, but will simply rely on what Scripture tells us.
PLANNING FOR OUR WEDDING
• CHOOSE WEDDING DATE: CHECK- Our Father in heaven has chosen this date for us
• CREATE BUDGET: CHECK- The Price has already been paid- Jesus Christ, our Bridegroom, gave every single drop of His Blood, His sweat, His tears, and even His very Life to purchase us, His bride
• CHOOSE VENUES: CHECK: Our Father in heaven, and our Bridegroom have made all the arrangements for us, which we know for certain will include the 24 Elders
• MAKE GUEST LIST: ONGOING- It is the bride’s job to continually invite others to the Wedding, as her Bridegroom draws others to Him through His Holy Spirit- Make Disciples of all nations
• CHOOSE WEDDING PARTY: CHECK- Our Father in heaven knows the details of the wedding party
• CHOOSE WEDDING COLORS: CHECK- Crimson Red, the color of the Blood our Bridegroom shed for us; White, as snow, the color we have now been washed with His Blood
• CHOOSE WEDDING DRESS: CHECK- He has given us our Wedding Dress, and Revelation 19 tells us how VITAL it is that we make keep our wedding dress on, keep it clean, and make ourselves ready for our wedding
• CHOOSE BRIDAL BOUQUET: CHECK- An interesting Revelation has occured during the preparation of this planning guide for the bride of Christ. It’s always been this author’s understanding that Jesus is The Rose of Sharon, that He is the Lily of the Valley. However, when we look at Scripture in depth, it is actually the bride that is speaking in this passage of Scripture:
“She: I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.
He: Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the young women.” Song of Solomon 2:1-2
• INVITATIONS: CHECK: The Invitations were written more than 2,000 years ago, and we were not only given the authority to hand out invitations to everyone we know, we were COMMISSIONED AND INSTRUCTED to give out invitations all over the world:
The Great Commission
“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20
Since it’s the bride’s job to give out invitations everywhere she goes, in the digital day and age we live, and the closeness of the Wedding Day, it’s so very important that we give out as many invitations as possible before the door of opportunity closes.
RSVP’s ARE REQUIRED!
MANY RSVP’s have been received already. They continue to trickle in…
But…. (cue crickets playing in the background….)
… there are still MANY RSVP’s that have been put in a basket, other things have been piled on top of the Invitation, and the basket is now on a shelf.
** Receiving RSVP’s is typically one of the most stressful portions of planning a wedding! In fact, it can actually be a nightmare, because the majority of your plans depend on the RSVP’s you receive. This means you are depending on other people to respond to your invitation, but so much of the time, the invitation is received, put in a basket, placed on a shelf, with the intent to answer soon. Days pass by, and the invitation is forgotten, stuffed under other mail that comes in that takes priority over your invitation. How can you prepare for an event when you have no idea how many people will be attending? You may begin to wonder such things as: Why are other people not as excited about your big day like you are? Is it not important to them? Do they even remember that you are engaged? Do they remember that a date has been sent? Do they want to be a part of your special day, or is it too big of a hassle for them? Are they too busy with their life to spend time with you, celebrating your special day? Do they even care about you at all? **
*** If you have been given an invitation, PLEASE DO NOT DELAY IN RESPONDING! You do not want to show up at the Wedding without the proper attire on, because you will be thrown out into the darkness!!! *** Accepting The Invitation is childlike and as simple as ABC. Very simply:
A- Acknowledge that you are a sinner (Romans 3:10 ; Romans 3:23)
B- Believe Jesus Is Lord (Romans 10:9-10)
C- Call upon His Name and Confess that Jesus Is Lord of your Life (Romans 10:9-10 ; Romans 10:13 )
If you have accepted Jesus’ proposal, you are His bride. He has prepared your wedding feast, and He has given you the task of inviting everyone you know to your wedding. Very, very, VERY soon, He is going to come take His bride away
and we will begin our celebration at the Wedding Feast Of The Lamb. He has given His bride time to prepare and make herself ready for her wedding. Sadly, and very unfortunately, many of the virgins have not been preparing for their wedding day. Still others who claimed to accept His proposal have even prostituted themselves out to the corruptions of this adulterous world.
If you have accepted The King’s proposal, are you looking forward to your wedding? Are you anxiously awaiting the return of your Bridegroom? Or have you become too busy in your “field or business”?
You see, “… many are invited, but few are chosen”, because many of the betrothed have not made herself ready. Many have said yes to the proposal, but have foolishly allowed themselves to be distracted by the things of this world, and, therefore, have not filled their lamps with oil.
All too often, the foolish virgins have allowed their short attention spans to forget that their Bridegroom will be coming back for them. Because, in their short-attention spans, and in their minds, He has been “a long time in coming”. They’ve gotten bored with watching and waiting, have become distracted with the ways of the world, have become drowsy and have now fallen asleep. They do not have enough oil in their lamps, because they have not prepared for His soon return.
There are many virgins within the body of Christ that are at risk of finding out all too late that the door of the wedding banquet has been shut, their lamps have no oil, and their wedding clothes are not on. PLEASE DON’T LET THIS BE YOU!!! MAKE SURE YOUR WEDDING DRESS IS BRIGHT AND CLEAN SO YOU ARE READY FOR THE WEDDING FEAST!
“ But now for the good news: God’s restorative justice has entered the world, independent of the law. Both the law and the prophets told us this day would come. This redeeming justice comes through the faithfulness of Jesus, the Anointed One, the Liberating King, who makes salvation a reality for all who believe—without the slightest partiality. You see, all have sinned, and all their futile attempts to reach God in His glory fail. Yet they are now saved and set right by His free gift of grace through the redemption available only in Jesus the Anointed. When God set Him up to be the sacrifice—the seat of mercy where sins are atoned through faith—His blood became the demonstration of God’s own restorative justice. All of this confirms His faithfulness to the promise, for over the course of human history God patiently held back as He dealt with the sins being committed. This expression of God’s restorative justice displays in the present that He is just and righteous and that He makes right those who trust and commit themselves to Jesus.” Romans 3:21-26 (VOICE)
““Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” Revelation 19:6-8
