The Bride of Christ thread (2)

[kisstheson]

Look at this picture. what do you see concerning what the angels are doing for Jesus? How can we do the same?

 

[MyLordIsMyLife]

we can show our love and adoration to Jesus. He wants our very souls to be part of Him- what better way for this than to love Him as He deserves by loving others.

 

[kisstheson]

Thanks Jonathan! I agree!

let's see...what stands out first and foremost to me is that the wounded Christ is reclining on soft couch cushions supporting his head and body. one angel has placed a white robe over the back of Jesus covering his wounds. I'm not sure what the other angel is holding but on first glance it looked like a kingly robe and crown. we through our worship and obedience "dress" Jesus in kingly robes and crown him and supply all these comforts for Jesus.

There is also a basin, perhaps to pour soothing water on his wounds and two erns symbolic of worship.

in the foreground is a peacock, the most beautiful of male birds...a symbol of Christ Himself.

 

[MyLordIsMyLife]

There is also a basin, perhaps to pour soothing water on his wounds and two erns symbolic of worship.

"You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows." Ps 23: 5

we should anoint Jesus with praise and love always.

 

[kisstheson]

"you have ravished My heart.." -song of solomon

(a love song from Jesus.)

YouTube - You Have Ravished My Heart

 

[MyLordIsMyLife]

what a beautiful and touching song. I wait for the day when we will be united to our beloved Jesus forever and ever. Come sweet Lord, we need, love, adore, and long for You!

 

[irenemcg]

"you have ravished My heart.." -song of solomon

(a love song from Jesus.)

YouTube - You Have Ravished My Heart

beauiful!

I am sharng this poem from my ebook

HOW BEAUTIFUL YOU ARE MY BRIDE

How beautiful you are my bride,
Please do not try to hide,
I have gone before you,
And I have prepared a way for you.

Every promise I will keep,
For I have already made a conquering leap,
No matter what comes against you,
Know that I am with you.

My resurrection power is greater than your problems,
You just need to claim the victory over them.
Speak to your mountains and they will be removed,
For that mountain of fear, grief or debt I have conquered.

There is no temptation that you cannot withstand,
Just come with me as I take you by the hand,
I will lead you in the way that you should go,
Stay by my side and my ways you will get to know.

Oh my darling one, my bride come away with me,
The beauty of my Kingdom I long for you to see,
Winter is passing , we have the promise of spring,
Come away with me a new song to sing.

I look a leap upon the Mountain of Calvary,
But on the third day I rose victoriously,
And I did it that your sins might be forgiven,
So that you my bride might be with me in heaven.

Do you know that I want to heal your sickness,
I want you to start to your faith release,
For there is no circumstance where I am not in control,
I want you healed up totally my bride and made whole.

Do you know I will guide you and equip you always?
You will carry the sweet fragrant aroma of my presence,
I am with you every second of every day,
And I have given you my Spirit to help you be me my witnesses.

Ah, my, sweet lovely bride how beautiful you are,
Please do not try to glimpse at me from afar,
I have so much more to reveal to you, I long for intimacy,
I want to embrace you with my kisses, come out of your complacency.

Come away with me, my sister, my bride, my beloved ones.
It’s time for you to come and enter into my throne room,
Behold my glory and the beauty of my countenance as you gaze upon me,
There is so much more I have to teach you from this place of intimacy.


Copyright ©2009 Irene McGough

 

[Amylisa]

That poem really speaks to me tonight Irene, thank you.

I will be back tomorrow to watch the beautiful video!
Going to get some sleep now. May God watch over us all through the night, love to you all.

 

[kisstheson]

Irene thanks for the poem. Its so comforting to know that Jesus cares about us in so many ways and that he so longs for us to be close to him. praise him that he is the great overcomer! I always appreciate your reminders.

let's go to him right now!

 

[RobinLayne]

Yes, Amy, I stand corrected about the wounds. As far as his hands, feet, and side, we know they were still wounds when he appeared to Thomas, and so they probably still are. As for the rest of him, I am inclined to agree with your fiction that they were at least partly healed. Otherwise, he would still have a visage marred "beyond all mortals." I heard that one witness wrote he was so messed up he couldn't be recognized as human! Some snide young people refer to "zombie Jesus." I was shocked when I first heard the phrase. Jesus is more alive than any of us. Hardly a zombie! Although in some of the movies, he moves rather like one, even before his sufferings. Directors and actors must have thought that what is holy is stilted and stiff and unnatural. We know better, don't we? Which reminds me of a "vision" that came to me when I was pretty young. A person was going through an attic filled with things, all the things that crowded his life. He came across a "typical Jesus picture"--effeminate, rolled-up eyes, unnatural, unreal. He shurgged it off or tossed it aside; it meant nothing to him. The man continued rushing about his life, through all his things. Then he ran straight into the Jesus picture again--breaking right through it. On the other side was a whole other world, in which Jesus ran toward him with a great big grin on his face--alive, strong, masculine, hilariously joyful, and calling out, "Come on! I've got a million real things to show you!"

I simply loved your words, Jon! And Amy, the grief on John's face in the painting made me start to cry, after you mentioned it and I looked again (sometimes I need some prodding to really look at things and feel them).

As for if I should ever leave Jesus. I feel your sentiment. However, I have a confession to make. At one point in my life, I lost my way, and for quite some time didn't know whether to call myself a Christian. (I should think of this when I fear for my daughter; I have so little faith for her, God forgive me!) It happened because I was deeply depressed and many of the things I had learned didn't pan out and didn't show themselves as true. I claimed scriptures for things, and my prayers went unanswered. My faith felt like too heavy a burden to carry. And in my college classes I was bombarded with things that mixed with my depression to feel despair over the things of God. I was so sad I felt like killing myself. Faced with the recognition that my life was not worth living, I realized two choices: Kill myself, or make my life worth living. I chose the latter, for various reasons. Where I was at right then, as I understood things, the only thing I knew to do was radically change my approach to life. I couldn't distinguish what voices in my head were God and what were destructive forces. I chose not to listen to any voices but my own. So, no listening to God. Just do what came to me as "me," choosing what things made my life worth living.
I felt like I was watching a ship sink. But I sensed that God still loved me.
This loss of faith went on for months, possibly years. At some point, I started going to church again, to a lower-key church with a lot of intelligent people in it with mixed views, but when the pastor said, "We are a people of the Book" I felt nervous, because I didn't trust the Bible at that time.
Over time, I somehow crawled out of the hole. I discovered that the burdens I had borne had more to do with garbage I'd picked up from my family background than with following Jesus. The point I want to make is that even the strongest of us can fall, but I discovered that God will never let us go. I can be confident that even if I lose faith in Him, He will never let go of me. He will bring me back. Not that I intend to lose it again. I'm stronger with Him than I was before I fell away. I fell away because of mistaken ideas and baggage from the past. I know Him better now, and I know life better. I am glad he didn't kill me because I lacked in faith in Him for a while, because He's brought me closer and allowed me to be a blessing to others since then.

As for the painting of the angels with Jesus: I am impressed by the concern and adoration in their faces. I guess I see the crown, and I noticed the robe early on. Jesus said if we clothe the least of the naked, we clothe him. I also noticed that he was leaned back on cushions and honored in many ways.
I am reminded of part of this morning's sermon (by the pastor's son, Israel). He mentioned how much some of us would like to meet with Jesus in the flesh and wonder why it can't be that way. But he asked, what do we do that bring him close? Do we really pray, delve into the word, etc., or do we just talk about it. I thought, I'm not ready to see him yet. I'm not purified enough for him. I want to be as much what he wants me to be first, to bring honor to him. It would be so easy if he offered the level of presence we wanted like a short order cook. But He wants us to reach for Him with all we've got and work at bringing Him close. Israel didn't say this, but some people have reported seeing Jesus face-to-face in the flesh. I believe He does make these appearances. It's rare, but when He has the right reasons for it, He does. But He works differently with each one of us, and we can't tell what the future holds and how much we need, or what things will bring us the greatest reward in Him. I want to be a blessing to Him--to help Him reap what He has earned. I need patience to keep working out my own salvation and seeing Him with faith. Faith really matters to God. Faith is the muscle that God really wants to see stretched.
So don't be discouraged. Keep seeing Jesus with your eyes of faith, and grow strong in Him.
Israel also said that if something isn't growing it's either dead or dying.
A good book to read with the theme about not being ready to see the Lord face-to-face until we are ready is C.S. Lewis' 'Till We Have Faces. If you don't mind the mythological trappings and the human failings that so contrast with the grand romance, you may love this book as much as I do. It's my favorite C.S. Lewis book, and he's my favorite author. The reason I like it so much is I identify with the girl taken in to be "the wife of the god." It is a retelling of the story of Eros and Psyche as written by a Christian, so it's about being the bride of Christ. It's told by Psyche's sister, who feels despair over losing her sister to the unknown--or is it jealousy that she was left behind? Read it and see what you think. In the end, though, the sister is also made beautiful and told, You, too, are Psyche. So I identify with her as well, because I was left behind and ill when it was time for the great divine romance. I hope you all read or have read it so that we can discuss it. If we do, maybe I'll read it again.

 

[kisstheson]

"The point I want to make is that even the strongest of us can fall, but I discovered that God will never let us go. I can be confident that even if I lose faith in Him, He will never let go of me."

Robin I believe this 100% I had a terrible crisis of faith which lasted too long. It was the scariest time in my life and I used to pray for God to kill me because I didn't want to continue living with the thought of denying him. I never actually denied him but these terrible feelings were heaped on me day and night. well what I quoted from you was exactly what Jesus taught me. Now whenever those fears come upon me I quickly retreat into the heart of Jesus knowing he is keeping me no matter how I feel.

all i can tell you about "seeing Jesus" is although I have only perceived him with the eyes of my heart I have most of all experienced total love and complete acceptance, the feeling of being vulnerable yet no sense of shame as he gazed upon the total "me," I have felt like eve...naked and unashamed.

Thanks for your comments about the wounds and the picture.

 

[Amylisa]

Wow, Robin, thank you for what you shared.

Ames, that is really something....i have been going through the same thing as you described! I'd get into bed and especially if I was upset about something, all of a sudden my mind would be flooded with horrible thoughts, thoughts against God.....it was scary. I figured it must be the devil tempting me to deny Him, because the thoughts were accusations against Him. One night the thoughts were against believing in God Himself, the other night it was thoughts against the Bible.

I have read about some of the saints who went through such things, so I guess this is not unusual! That is good to know!

And indeed JESUS is our keeper. He is the author and the finisher of our faith, not us. Thank God!!! "When I am tried, I shall come forth as gold." Amen. Lord please protect each one of us who belong to You. In Jesus' Name amen!

 

[iamjcs]

YouTube - Living Water by Wendy Francisco.

 

[kisstheson]

Wow, Robin, thank you for what you shared.

Ames, that is really something....i have been going through the same thing as you described! I'd get into bed and especially if I was upset about something, all of a sudden my mind would be flooded with horrible thoughts, thoughts against God.....it was scary. I figured it must be the devil tempting me to deny Him, because the thoughts were accusations against Him. One night the thoughts were against believing in God Himself, the other night it was thoughts against the Bible.

I have read about some of the saints who went through such things, so I guess this is not unusual! That is good to know!

And indeed JESUS is our keeper. He is the author and the finisher of our faith, not us. Thank God!!! "When I am tried, I shall come forth as gold." Amen. Lord please protect each one of us who belong to You. In Jesus' Name amen!

This is very important. I wish i had known this at the time because I totally freaked out. I really thought I was a non believer but was too afraid tio admit it.

 

[RobinLayne]

iamjcs,
wow! Thanks for sharing that video. I saw her in concert many years ago when her name was Wendy Talbot--sister, I believe, of John and Terry Talbot. I take it she married Don Fransisco. John, Wendy, and Don are some of my favorite musicians. Guess it would be nice if I kept abreast on what they were doing and singing.
I once went to a costume party at Teen Challenge. I had had my heart broken by the first guy I fell in love with. We were to dress as biblical characters, so I chose the woman at the well because I identified with her. I carried a clay pot.
Another of my favorite musicians is Bob Ayala. He also wrote a song about the woman at the well. Not sure of it's title, possibly "The Scarlet Woman." Let's see if I can remember the words. I know I could try to find it on YouTube but I'm not used to doing that and I like remembering lyrics and typing them.

You were drawing from Jacob's well,
The midday sun was hot and dry.
A scarlet woman, you had much to tell
but you had so much more to hide,
And that was the day the scarlet woman died,
Oh, yes, that was the day the scarlet woman died.

He was talking, talking to you,
I wish I could have heard the words he said
'cause you're not the woman that I thought I knew,
You say he rose you from the dead.

Oh, and that was the day the scarlet woman died,
Oh, yes, that was the day the scarlet woman died,
and now her living water never will run dry.


I'm a little puzzled about the words "will never thirst again," because our pastor is always saying it's important to be thirsty for the Spirit and keep receiving because our well does get leaks. We receive of the Holy Spirit every Sunday night, and it's wonderful. I do sometimes during the week when I am alone or with other Christians, but our church Sunday nights is the most intense experience of God's presence by far.

Last night, our pastor talked about strongholds in our lives that get in the way. I noted two in my life, negativity and a spirit of muteness. He said we could work out these things on our own but if we needed help to come to him. It's unusual for him to name himself as the only person to minister in some way. I have really been noticing the unusual strength of this muting stronghold and wanting to get help, so I met with my pastor about it. He said that we sometimes speak a lot of things out of ourselves that don't end up satisfying. We get hurt, we hurt others, and sometimes we withdraw from speaking in all kinds of situations as a reaction. He said it was important to speak the right words at the right time to the right people. He said, "You can tell God anything." Pastor spoke forgiveness over any idle words I might have spoken, which gave me great relief, and prayed for guidance of when to speak and when not to, to whom, and what words.

Late last night I got up to spend time with my daughter because her cat was having a problem, and we had some quality time together. I discovered that the middle of the night is the best time to talk to her, when she is most talkative and her boyfriend, whom she talks to through the Magic Jack connection every moment she can, is falling asleep.

I also found a book on my shelf called Stop Running Scared! "Fear control training: The new way to conquer fears, phobias and anxieties." It promises to be a help with my silence problems and other fears. What blessings! How fast God has begun to answer that prayer!

 

[kisstheson]

beautiful song! I saw terry, john and wendie in concert too! I thought that wendie was married to terry. LOL! hopefully she is as you said, terry's sister and didn't switch partners.

 

[MyLordIsMyLife]

Crises of faith...I've had a few of those lately. I need my Lord to protect me and hold me close. I pray He holds all of us close to Him in one everlasting family of love!

 

[MyLordIsMyLife]

Today is the second anniversary of the Bride of Christ Thread!


Thank You Jesus for this opportunity to share Your love and praises to You with others who love You!

May God bless all here and may we be one family forever!

and thank you Amy for starting all these wonderful love-threads for our Beloved Lord! may Jesus always dwell in your heart, our dear sister.​

 

[Amylisa]

beautiful song! I saw terry, john and wendie in concert too! I thought that wendie was married to terry. LOL! hopefully she is as you said, terry's sister and didn't switch partners.

Terry Talbot was married to Wendy and I know they have one or two children who are in their teens or maybe early twenties? They did get divorced, not sure how long ago. He is still single and Wendy and Don married awhile back. She has an interesting website, with artwork and also she raises horses and a special breed of cats called Ragdolls. And of course they both have a music ministry. My husband and I listened to Don Francisco a Lot back when we first got married. I have a lot of his older albums and I guess he's made a few in recent years and Wendy has too. I always liked her music too, and we always listened to Terry a lot over the years. I love his music especially. And John Michael of course.

Wendy paints and also makes craft-type animal figures and stuff. If I find her website again I will post the link. I'm sure it can be "Googled." It was only recently that I found it so the posts here reminded me.

 

[Amylisa]

Here is that link~
Wendy Francisco Home Page