Ambrose J. Chakre
[dropcap]H[/dropcap]ow can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your Word. Psalm 119:9
Modern romance as I call it is what depicts the waywardness of weak willed adulterous brides who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires ( 2nd Timothy 3:6). It is a form of evil which has seductively seduced the beauties as we call it to its unholy relationships of evil passions with the sinners who are either of the same or opposite genders. The evil desires of the flesh exist in schools, institutes and colleges and unless the students involved in it renounces it, the future torments of these young lovers will not be as pleasurable as their present pleasures are.This is how high the sins are and lest the sinners take heed their evil acts will lead to their own death and destruction. The Teacher writes “Be happy young man, while you are young and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment ( Ecclesiastes 1:9 ). In this world there will be temptations because of sins but we are commanded by the Word to live righteously for the cause of what we believe and will inherit. The point is this: Even if the world becomes unholy, we must become holier to fulfill the purpose of the quest. In these last days the wickedness of sinners are destined to increase but we urge the lovers of Christ to be truly committed to God in love, in truth, in holiness and in the Spirit.
Holiness is a means to purity without which no one will ever see God. This has to be embraced and it is by how we embrace it which will determine how holy we become in the future. The Word teaches us to say “No to ungodliness and worldly passions, and live self-control, upright and godly lives In this present age ( Titus 2:11-12 ). Since we live in a sin polluted world we must be careful not to stain ourselves by its sins. This vision statement of the mother of adultery came to late Rev Delievi. The sacred document states “A beast was seen with flowers growing from its horns. Two people, a male and a female were riding on its back. On each of their foreheads was a cross in upside down position. The beast turned towards its back and smiled. This means that the beast, the mother of adultery sows the seeds of lust in the eyes of people. This has resulted in the rapid growth of the number of Christians committing adultery.”
Every evils in us should be purged out perfecting ourselves in holiness through Christ. The fear of God should always be in us. God’s judgment against adulterers and the sexually immoral will be severe and unless the sins of it are forgiven, it remains unforgiven. Truth is, God forgives when we confess and we must be determined not to sin again after we confess. The truth states “Whatever is bound on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever is loosed on earth will be loosed in heaven. There is a power in every verse and whoever lives in the ways of it gets empowered in the truths of it.
The holy movements of the past were fierce and powerful but the holy movements of these last days will be fiercer and more powerful separating the holy ones from the unholy ones, which will ultimately cause the rising and falling of many. This is what the predictions are and the signs of it will only become clearer as we see the day approaching. Just as we see it happening we must be firmly secured in the truth. The Holy scriptures states “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2nd Timothy 2:22 ).
Forsaking sin in this unholy world will win us more of God’s love and favor in this life and most importantly in the New Age of Holiness that is to come. All sins of ungodliness must be totally destroyed through the powers of the blood of Christ and all desires of holiness must be passionately embraced in the truth. For the brides who are destined to be married to Christ, we have this to write that relationship is all about love, faithfulness and a commitment in the truth. The truth states “Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with the inscription: “The Lord knows those who are His” and everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness ( 2nd Timothy 2:19 ).
This calls for faithfulness on the part of the Bride of Christ and it is we who must live in the powers of it till the end making our calling and election sure. Being who we are it is pertinent to understand that we must strive towards perfection in our romance and affair with God. The bride who has the seal of Christ who is the Holy Spirit will be eternally secured because of the presence of the holy powers within her (Ephesians 1:11-14 ). It is this bride’s faith which will uplift and transform her into the complete likeness of her Lover.
The Church is the Bride and it is by her devotion to her maker which will establish her in love, in faith, in holiness and in the Spirit. The Patriarch King David’s passion for God was so strong that he was considered as a man after God’s own heart. In his psalms David writes “My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws. Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws. I remember your ancient laws Lord, and I find comfort in them. In the night I remember your name, O Lord and I will keep your law. At midnight I rise to give thanks for your righteous laws. The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold. My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word. Your word O Lord is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. To all perfection I see a limit.; but your commands are boundless ( Psalm 119:20,30,43, 52,55, 62,72,81,89,96 ).
This gives us a clear indication of what love and devotion is and of what passion and commitment is. God desires His bride to be passionate in her affair with Him. The bride who truly loves Christ will truly love Christ. It is by how much we love which determines how we love. The anointing of Jesus by Mary Magdalene is a passionate example of a devote bride’s devotion to her Lover. This passionate woman in remorse of her sins wept, wetting Christ’ feet with her tears, wiping it with her hair and than she kissed it and poured the perfume on them. The Pharisee in his accusing nature said to himself “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him, and what kind of woman she is-that she is a sinner. This clearly depicts the accusing nature of sinners against sinners and it also clearly shows the passion of the woman who repented, confessed and threw herself at the feet of her Lover. She did what the others didn’t and as the result of her acts she gained favor with the Man she loves. (Luke 7:1-50\).
A passion as strong as this is to be desired and it is what God expects of us. The acts of her passion led to the forgiveness of her sins for she loved much. The love and devotion the Church gives to Christ is always desired by God and it is by how much the Bride loves her Husband which determines how she loves. This holy passion of Christ has to be embraced by every bride, by every Church and by everyone who calls on the name of the Lord. The stronger our love for Christ is, the hotter our passion will be. The point is this: The more we are in love with Christ, the more our tears will flow. The longing of deeper passion and intimacy will inspire and fire us up for more truths, more passions and for more holiness. In another of his Psalms, the psalmist states “My eyes fail, looking for your salvation, looking for your righteous promise (Psalm 119:123 ).
It speaks of his commitment to the truth and of his passion in holiness. This is what God desires of His bride and as we represent His passions and His desires, we must live to fulfill the desires of our Lover. The promises are great and it is for us to embrace it by living in truth and in the Spirit. God expects the Bride of Christ to passionately love Christ in the way that is expected of her. The devotion of the Bride of Holiness will always means so much to Christ and it is by how much she loves Christ which will determine the depths of her worship, devotion and commitment to Christ. The Church of Christ writes this to promote the ways of God to all the lovers of Christ.
This is a sacred invitation to all the brides and lovers who are destined for the Wedding of Holiness in the next life. The Church prays, its members cry and we speak and write in the truth to connect the hearts of everyone to Christ. God desires the devotion of His Bride to be intimate in holiness, passionate in love and to be faithful in her commitment to Christ. Think of this, embrace what we embrace and love what we love. We are the Church of Christ.
The Church of Holiness and the Bride of Holiness is what we are. This is an investment for the future. The message for the eternal bride is this: God will bring every deed into judgment and since we represent holiness we must be in step with holiness. This is an intimate message for the Church of Christ. Embrace this and feel with us. This is an intimate invitation to the Church of Christ.
The writer is founder President of Ambrose Foundation in Christ, Kohima.
