CIRCUMSPECTION - THE BRIDE'S DUTY

The Bible gives the Bride her marching orders in Ephesians 5:21-33. She is expected to purify herself. Verse 27 specifies that she is to have no spot, wrinkle, or any such thing, but be holy and without blemish. How do spots, wrinkles, and such things occur, and what must she do to be found holy and without blemish?

Other writings in this ministry point to the prospect that the Bride is extracted from the Body of Christ, rather than being the entire Body of Christ. The catching up of the Bride may be foreshadowed by the Wheat Harvest of Exodus 34:22. We would note, however, that this harvest is performed in two segments, i.e. the First Fruits Wheat Harvest and the Ingathering Wheat Harvest. One day very soon, I believe the Holy Spirit will judge the fruit of each individual Believer, and determine which Believers have fruit ripened unto harvest. We are not told when this day will be, but only those with the first ripened fruit (the First Fruits or Bride portion of the Body of Christ) will be harvested (taken home) at this time, then Tribulation will begin in earnest. The balance of the Body of Christ will "remain" behind to refine their souls during the Tribulation before being taken to the Judgment Throne of the Son later in the Tribulation Period at the Ingathering Wheat Harvest.

The Holy Spirit will determine how ripe the fruit of a Believer is based upon the condition of the soul. Unfortunately, many within Christendom will be found with blemishes, having spotted and wrinkled souls at this time. To avoid being a part of this group, it may be rather important to understand what must be done in order to merit the necessary status of purity when the Holy Spirit judges the fruit of the Body of Christ!

As we who aspire to be Bride look to the potential departure of the Bride of Christ, we should acknowledge that we are being changed to prepare for our transport. In order to understand what is happening a bit better, let's look to momentarily to the New Age instructors. They teach that there is an "ascension" for those who desire to put away evil and draw nigh unto godliness. Now please do understand that this is the worldly counterfeit version of the true plan of God's for His people. (To get the whole scope of the picture, I would direct the reader to Nether Nuggets, the new book by this ministry, now available online.) However, they can help us see what may be happening! They are teaching that those who are striving toward ascension are undergoing physical changes within. They profess that these people are, in essence, being "rewired". Their DNA structure is being altered to align to a higher frequency format, and the strands are being increased to 12 or 13 instead of the double helix strands we now have in this 3-D human body. We would note that their "ascension" process constitutes a relocation from this third dimensional realm to a higher frequency dimension, and the human body must be adapted to transform during this transition. They assert that while we cannot physically view the changes within, a number of health related side effects may be strong evidence that such change is occurring. I would contend that such change would not be limited to those of the New Age persuasion, but may relate as well to those of God's children who are aspiring to become the spotless Bride of Ephesians 5, as they too may be facing a dimensional shift!

While no member of the Body of Christ can be assured of Bride status prior to the selection of the Holy Spirit at departure time, I believe all who aspire to be Bride are changing in this manner with the expectation that they may be accounted worthy of that honor. I count myself among that number. I believe the end times are upon us, and I sense within me that changes are occurring. For those who are changing in this manner, the body may experience unexplainable aches, pains, tingles and vibrations, the ears may ring, flu symptoms may occur periodically, and numerous other isolated symptoms may be noted. However disruptive these may be, the most disturbing symptom may be the emotional volatility. While feelings of joy and love are sometimes experienced, many are reporting unbelievable bouts of anger and hostility that have been firmly in check for years. Road rage, for example, is skyrocketing. Even those who are stalwart in the faith are reporting that they now contend with periodic instances of blind rage, very intense and impure thoughts, and extreme vulnerability and volatility of emotion.

At the same time people are coping with this emotional instability, there are often increased stresses, pressures, and expectation placed upon us. It is so easy in these times to be short fused. Lashing out in anger, we can be quick to criticize, or biting in our remarks. We are not to do so, as this caustic attitude in turn instills undesirable emotional surges in the one with whom we are relating.

James 1:13 says:

I believe God knew in advance which of his children would be such "firstborn among many brethren" (i.e. First Fruits), and He says here that they will be "conformed to the image of" Yeshua. Yeshua and the Father are ONE (singular in essence) per John 10:30 and related verses. Thus, Yeshua maintains the character of God, and "does not tempt" any man. Neither are those who are to be conformed to His image to "tempt" any man unto evil. This word "evil" in James 1:13 is Strongs 2556 "hames" in the Greek. It means "to have yeast added"; "be leavened"; "to be cruel"; "oppress"; "to be stained crimson"; "to be grieved"; "embittered". Now leaven is symbolic for sin throughout the Word, and stained crimson is likewise an obvious inference to being stained by sin. Then too, being cruel, oppressive, grieved and embittered are symptomatic of and/or consequences from the ravages of sin. If Yeshua did not tempt any man to be stained by sin, yielding to grievance and embitterment, then neither are we who aspire to be First Fruits to do so, as we are to be conformed to His image.

Our insensitive words can prompt this very result. Even words spoken without the intent to provoke can do so if they are misunderstood, or spoken in the wrong tone or with improper inflection. I have been guilty of this far too often, and hope to do better in the future! Relationships, however, are two way streets, and it is very easy to become embroiled in combative verbal exchanges when one of the parties feels that he or she is being verbally attacked by the other.

Words spoken during a heated exchange may come back to haunt us. Yeshua states in Matthew 12:36-37:

The word "idle" here means nonproductive. Not only hurtful words are an issue here, but if our words are not spoken with the intent to provide nourishment to the Body, maybe they would be better left unsaid. Whereas I don't believe some casual conversation is problematic, if it leads to impure thoughts, gossip, backbiting, carnality, or is in any manner COUNTERPRODUCTIVE to the moral character development of the hearer, then there may be spiritual issue with which to contend. If such idle words (intentionally or incidentally) bring sinful thoughts to the mind of the hearer, we may be accountable for those thoughts we instill! Romans 14:13 says:

The one trying to walk in purity may be greatly hindered by idle words which prompt impure thoughts (no matter how subtly these words are cloaked in the context of the conversation). Such words are better left unsaid than to be said and create a stumbling block which may cause a stain of sin on the soul of the hearer. We may be accountable for such words some day!

It is not only important to choose carefully what words we say, but to be careful about the manner in which we say them. The luxury of being able to say whatever we want, to whomever we want, in whatever manner we want is not a luxury the one seeking First Fruit status can afford. The emphasis of the entire third chapter of James is to bring the tongue under control, ending strife and contention between the Brethren, and restoring purity, peace, gentleness, mercy, and righteousness within the body of Christ. James 4:11-12 states:

We are told here NOT to judge our fellow Brethren. We just saw this in our Romans 14:13 text as well. However, various other Biblical references DO indicate that we ARE to judge the FRUIT OF a Believer, and the quality of the fruit of that Believer should determine how much interaction we have with him or her. One such passage centers around Ephesians 5:11. Furthermore, we are told in this verse that when we DO see dark fruit (works), in our Brethren, we must reprove them regarding it. Any such reproof should be administered under the constraints of Colossians 4:6, which states:

The salt of our rebuke is merely to be a seasoning not a main course! We are to offer such rebuke in GRACE - respectfully, lovingly, and discretely. All such reproof should also provide Biblical reference to support the rebuke.

Some would say that such Biblical reproof would be "using the Bible" AGAINST the Brethren. God's Word says otherwise. II Timothy 3:16 states:

You see, we are commanded in Ephesians to reprove when necessary, and told in II Timothy what to use when we do so. God's Word is the very tool we ARE to use in such commanded reproof, as God's Word speaks for itself, and its two edged sword will not cut away anything that does not NEED to be cut away, removing only what should be removed.

We are told in Proverbs that we must also receive such reproof or suffer consequences for rejecting it. When appropriate reproof is Biblically presented to us, we should not only receive it, but we should do so graciously! To reject such reproof is to reject the God who authored the Biblical references used to present it, and puts us on very dangerous ground. Proverbs 10:17 says:

Later in Proverbs 12:1 we read:

Proverbs 15:10 is a bit more severe, as it states:

Conversely Proverbs 13:18 says:

Likewise Proverbs 15:5 reads:

Again it should be stressed that all such reproof must be offered without malice. Given in love, it should be likewise received in love, without defensiveness or offense, and even with appreciation.

One would like to believe that such rebuke would always render the desired change in behavior, but this is not necessarily so. If the behavior pattern persists, we are clearly told in our Ephesians 5:11 text that we are to break fellowship with such an one, as we are warned to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. Maintaining strong family ties is encouraged throughout the Bible, and leaving a spouse is strongly discouraged. However, Matthew 19:29 indicates that some may have to leave families or a spouse for Yeshua's sake. Yeshua understood that it is particularly grievous to sever fellowship with one whom you love, and He promises here that one who chooses to do so in an effort to abide more closely with Him will be bountifully rewarded.

Proverbs speaks five times of the pitfalls one entails when interacting with an angry and contentious person. Such contention stifles maturity, and the purification process suffers intensely. When one is fervently attempting to grow in spiritual stature, and this growth is consistently curtailed by hurtful words, stumblingblocks, and strife, it may be necessary to sever fellowship with the offending party for a time in order to seek seclusion, mend the injured soul, and restore the proper vertical link to God.

This rewiring is a dangerous time in our relationships with those near and dear to us, and it is likewise a dangerous time in our walk. Especially now, due to this rewiring process, it is essential to lift one another up and encourage one another, avoiding at all cost words which would be hurtful and instill anger or negative emotions. Even words said in jest can be hurtful and tempt improper thoughts and responses. Remember - ESPECIALLY during this somber reflective time, we should sever ourselves from fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness (Ephesians 5:11). Those among the Body of Christ who are struggling to overcome the world and become the First Fruits Bride must put away malice and strife. We must strive to edify one another - ESPECIALLY at this crucial time. We must be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). Seeking unity in the mind of Christ, we must lift one another up, reproving only as necessary. Even this reproof must not be accomplished through vindication, but only with love and a true commitment and desire to assist in the remolding process that would lead to righteousness for all involved.

The body of Christ is instructed in I Timothy 6:11-14.

We see here that we are to interact with others in love, patience, and meekness, remaining unspotted and unrebukable until Yeshua appears! As we do so, we also encourage the unspotted condition of those with whom we interact. Conversely, disdain, impatience, an overbearing and/or demanding nature, unkind words, and stressful interactions prompt negative responses and tempt the soul of the recipient to respond in kind, marring that soul with the blemishes of sin as well. James 3:2 says:

It is toward this end that the one who seeks to overcome must strive!

There are some protocols listed in the Word which lend merit to the concept that all verbal communication between the Brethren should be bathed in temperance. When this protocol is observed by all parties, the chances of a heated exchange are greatly reduced, and harmony is much more likely to result. One such reference is Ephesians 4:1-3, which states:

Ephesians 4:29-32:

The words of this chapter lead into text which relates the attitudes and character we are to develop as the Bride of Christ in chapter 5, and we are reminded to produce the fruit of the Spirit (goodness, righteousness and truth) in verse 9. We are cautioned to walk circumspectly in verse 15, and told in 14-16 to arise from our sleep, awake from the dead, and redeem the time. I believe it is time to take our walk as Believers more seriously. As I was grasping for an adjective to describe the urgency of circumspection I now sense, the word "austere" came to mind. I had to question it, as I wasn't really sure what it meant. Prompted to check it out, I pulled out Webster and did my research. I was bowled over with the wording I found. I could not have more aptly described the urgency I felt. The word "austere" means: "harsh", "somber", "grave"; "morally strict"; "simple and unadorned"; "giving little or no scope for pleasure"; "severe". I believe the time for earthly pleasures is behind us. For those who would aspire to be Bride, I would suggest a shift in focus. I realize that some responsibilities will not be expendable, but anything of a material nature which may be consuming your time and energy that IS expendable may need to be put on a back burner. I believe it is time to get serious with God. We can no longer afford to give room to the compromises we used to allow in our world. We must become separated from the iniquity of this society and the thoughts which it brings to our minds and hearts. We must become hermits with God and allow Him to show us what we need to do to bring us back to a state of purity. I would encourage all who would be Bride to find some time - indeed to MAKE some time to be alone with God. If we are afraid to do so, we should be asking why. If we are not afraid to do so, we should do so immediately.

In these end days, spiritual growth and nurturing must be a priority to all those who aspire to be First Fruits. If we allow the cares and concerns of the world to prevent our healing and development, we may come up short when the Holy Spirit evaluates who is worthy and who is not. Time may be very short indeed!