The Bride vs. The Body of Christ

Dear Friend,
How are you?  I’m well.  It’s already May.  Time does fly!

Have you ever felt that you don’t share any more on your faith in common with your once-close friend?  

In one of the latest YouTube posts in April this year, “One element of the bride versus the body of Christ,” Pastor John Fenn shared what the Lord said during one of His visitation: how friendships would actually come to an end in the future because of people being moved to grow in and go on in him and others who stayed where they were in him.  And Pastor John went on to say about the bride vs. the body of Christ.  His video came in, echoing his weekly thoughts, posted back in July last year, “Making Miracles a Normal Part of Your Life”, soon after I just read it.  I think he wrote a few times about the Lord’s saying on how friendships will come to an end and what he shared was very much in line with what the late Pastor Neville Johnson shared from one of his visions.  Pastor Neville saw a mountain in a vision and there were a group of people on both ends of the mountain.  Then, the distance between the two ends of the mountains became wider and wider so that the gap between the groups of people on each side became wider accordingly.  And Pastor Neville said the relationships in the body of Christ will be like this.  One move further to the Lord and the other stay lukewarm so that the bigger gaps between them, I paraphrase.  And it already came to pass in my life.  As I pursue more of Him, I talk less and less to one of my Christian friends.  Sometimes, I even think talking to unbelievers is better than to lukewarm believers, as my expectation is different.  But the Lord didn’t leave me alone.  I became closer to those who are on the same page on faith.  In the relationships with them, there is no barrier such as nationality, educational background, financial status and so forth.  We have something in common in Him and we love Him and we love one another.  My pastor in Singapore has been encouraging the participants of our monthly zoom meeting to pray for having a close friend or two and fellowshipping with one another face to face.  He said the married couples are one flesh so that they would also need a friend or two other than their own spouse.  Friend, I also would like to encourage you to pray for having a close friend or two who are on the same page on your faith, if you don’t have any yet.  I’ve been praying that He would provide me with one to have face-to-face fellowship in a new season when He moves me, no matter where it will be.  And more importantly, it’s my desire and prayer that we become the bride, not the lukewarm church who loves the world and the things of the world.  

Friend, I’d like to close my writing here, but share part of Pastor John Fenn’s writing “Making Miracles a Normal Part of Your Life” posted in July 2021.  I think it’s in line with what my pastor in Singapore encouraged and it’s prophetic on things to come. I hope this will bless you.  

Have a bliss!
Yunee

“Jesus said in Matthew 25: 31-46 when He comes and sets up His kingdom He will separate the nations as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Those on ‘His’ side will include ones who gave to His brethren, water, clothing, food, hospitality, and who visited the sick and imprisoned (In those days people in prison relied on family and friends for food and clothing). 
You have to be in relationships with people to know those situations Jesus described. Look at your life now, do you have genuine relationships? Are you involved with people you know to help them through life?
When Peter and John were released by the authorities in Acts 4, it says in v23: “And being let go, they went to their own people…” Do you have a ‘people’ you can go to? 
His higher ways are not the world’s higher ways. They usually are not flashy. They do not draw attention to you or Him. He is meek and lowly of heart. Learn of Him as He said. Learn humility, meekness. That’s where you learn. His ways are normal, everyday life, walking in love and looking to do good. 
His kingdom laws include valuing a cup of water to a child. Helping a brother or sister in the Lord with food and clothing and shelter. The Great Commission is ‘teaching others to observe what I’ve told you’ – it means they have to be close enough to you to observe you implementing God’s ways into your own life. 
When a person settles in their hearts that they don’t care if they are seen of men, but want to be seen by God, they will move about this life humbly, transparently, in His higher ways and thinking His higher thoughts. 
As the world becomes increasingly dark, their ways of envy, strife, division, murders, witchcraft, sexual sins and perversions, and other sins listed in Galatians 5: 19-21 as works of the flesh, will become more prominent in culture and society. By contrast those walking in the Father’s higher ways of love, joy, peace, gentleness, long suffering, patience, meekness, self control, will reflect lives of the opposite values and results. 
We will have people come to us asking why we are in such peace, why does our life seem to have an order to it while theirs doesn’t? On the one hand you will have people increasingly dependent on the government for things Jesus taught should be shared among one another – care for each other as we walk through life together. When government fails. 
When bureaucratic systems clog and grind to a halt, there will be many realizing they are alone with no-one in their life to help. And then they will see their Christian neighbor, their Christian co-worker, their Christian family member, and come running for help. 
The early church didn’t saturate the sprawling Roman Empire over the course of 300 years by having large evangelistic meetings, or ‘invite a friend to church’ Sundays. They met in homes, evangelized among family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. They took turns hosting, took turns leading, and walked through life with that group of people. When they outgrew a home, because all who could were used to hosting and all took turns leading, they simply multiplied out to start rotating among themselves, from the ground up filling the Empire, family to family, house to house. As in Acts 4, they had no needs in their lives because they made sure all basic needs were met in their midst.  …

The days are coming when the difference between those living in the works of the flesh are notably different from those walking in the higher ways of the fruit of the spirit. The days are coming when people on the outside of the Biblical Christian culture will see those living in the higher ways of God’s relationships and kingdom culture, and how their needs are met, how they have peace, how they are prospering – and want to know how they can have this Jesus.”