A Prepared Bride 4 – Four Walls

I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. Rev 21:2-3 NIV

As you read through the rest of the chapter (I am assuming that you will be that curious and/or diligent!), you will discover a description of this New Jerusalem. Among the things that are revealed is that the city has four walls and that the city is about 1500 miles wide, 1500 miles deep and 1500 miles high. That equals 3,375,000,000 cubic miles! It is no insignificant place. Remember, however, that this is not a place but a people, you and I, those who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

For the sake of illustration then, and to provide some continuity to what I am about to share, I would like us to look at these walls in the following manner.

Worship
Fellowship
Discipleship
Stewardship.

I want to remind you that we are this city and that it is we who, by the grace of God and power of His Spirit, must prepare ourselves to be a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. Therefore, since we are this city as well as a bride, we must keep our walls in good repair. If we do then the enemy cannot gain access to our city and we can grow having provided an environment for bearing much fruit.

Today, I will highlight these four walls, these areas of responsibility that we have, these ministries which which we have been entrusted.

1. Worship – the recognition that all of our lives must be an act of worship to the Father
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. Matt 22:34-38 NIV

2. Fellowship – the recognition that we can only grow by being a part of God’s family
And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matt 22:39-40 NIV

3. Discipleship – the recognition that our calling is to introduce others to Christ and grow them up in Him.
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." Matt 28:18-20 NIV

4. Stewardship – the recognition that all that we have and are belongs to God.
"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matt 24:45-51 NIV

I will allow you to ponder these but fear not I will be greatly expanding each of these topics in future blog entries!