A Bride
(2 Cor 11; Eph 5; Rev. 21). We are part of the most beautiful woman in the world. Jesus Christ is our Bridegroom. There is an unending romance going on between Christ and His church. She was made first and foremost to be the recipient of Christ’s torrential love and unbridled passion. In turn, she loves Him and expresses His beauty in the earth.
Test 4: Do the members of your church see themselves as part of the fiancé of Jesus Christ? Are they actively engaged in being loved by Christ and loving Him in return?
Beyond the Bride, the church is . . .
An Army
(Eph. 6). As followers of Christ, we are in a war against God’s enemy. But that war is fought by a corporate army. The armor described in Ephesians 6 is put on the church, it’s not given to an individual. We are soldiers in God’s army, and Jesus Christ is our Captain, Commander, and Chief. Spiritual warfare is a corporate exercise. The weight of it belongs on the shoulders of the church, not the individual soldiers. Spiritual authority is based on growth in spiritual life. The more maturity in spiritual life that a church experiences, the more spiritual authority the church wields.
Test 5: Do the members of your church see themselves as part of one army that is growing in spiritual life? Does your church understand that spiritual authority is tied to growth in spiritual life? Is spiritual warfare an individualistic or a corporate exercise? Is the church making an impact on invisible realms?
Beyond an army, the church is . . .
A Holy Priesthood
(1 Pet. 2; Rev. 1; 5). Jesus Christ is our Great High Priest, and we are priests unto God through Him. As priests, we minister to the Lord at any moment of the day. We also function as ministers and servants in the church’s corporate gatherings.
Test 6: Do all the members of your assembly function in the meetings of the church? And do they minister to the Lord during the week?
Beyond a holy priesthood, the church is . . .
