"A Bride From His Side"

"But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced 

his side, and forthwith came there 

out blood and water."

(John 19:34) 

Almighty God has a reason for everything that is done under heaven.  When the spear was thrust into the side of Jesus Christ at Calvary, blood and water flowed out simultaneously.  The medical explanation is that hypovolemic shock causes fluid to gather in a sack around the heart and lungs.  The fluid gathered in the membrane around the heart is known as pericardial effusion and the fluid gathered around the lungs is called pleural effusion.  The piercing of the lungs and heart by the spear then caused blood and water to flow from the side of Jesus.    

The blood and water coming from the pierced side of Jesus Christ was also symbolic of two things:  As God took a rib from Adam's side to form a woman, so God gave us blood and water from His side to institute His Church.  Adam was in a deep sleep when the rib was taken from his side to create Eve, so the blood and water came forth from Jesus' side after His death. 

Clarke's Commentary states the Roman soldier threw the spear into Jesus' body to determine if he was, indeed, dead.  "They moreover tell us that this man was converted - that it was he who said, Truly this was the Son of God - that he traveled into Cappadocia, and there preached the Gospel of Christ, and received the crown of martyrdom." 

The Bride of Jesus Christ, His Church, goes forth with the Gospel: the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ manifested by repentance (symbolic of Jesus' death), baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (symbolic of Jesus' burial, ie immersed in water), and the infilling of the Holy Ghost (symbolic of the resurrection of Jesus by the Spirit giving us newness of life).  It all adds up to the beautiful equation: "A Bride From His Side." 

"Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger and

behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it

into my side: and be not faithless, but believing."

(John 20:27)

Thomas wouldn't believe Jesus was alive without touching His spear-scarred side, much the same as people today have trouble believing the Holy Bible, the gospel, and that Jesus Christ is coming again.  How is the matter settled?  Receive the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and You will feel Him in Your hands, in Your feet, in Your heart, in Your spirit, and when You speak in tongues as the Spirit gives You utterance.  It Is Real!  Then, when You are baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, You are ushered into His Church, His Bride  ...  You will become new, washed in His blood, with rivers of flowing water buoying You above the "You" that once was, but now Your sins are forgiven and You are alive in His presence and glory  ...  You're His bride!  

The Bible states every time a new soul comes to Jesus and receives His Spirit, the Angels desire to look into it.  It is a phenomenon the world is looking into!  The Holy Ghost is being poured out in every denomination, every Nation, every kindred and tongue.  Why?  People are hungry for more!  They want to know that there is more to God than stained glass and Church steeples; they want to feel Him, hear Him, know Him, and the Holy Ghost and fire does that.  

When Thomas touched the Lord and felt His scar, He said, "My Lord and My God!" (John 20:28)  You will say the same thing when You feel His Spirit living in You!  His whispers will console You; His Spirit will sustain You; His love will embrace You; His presence will awe You, and His protection will convince You that you are His bride  ... He Lives!

"This is the one who came by water and

blood--Jesus Christ.  He did not come by

water only, but by water and blood.  And it

is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit

is the truth."

(I John 5:6)

The Lord Jesus Christ, the soon coming King, is the Savior, the Redeemer of the world.  I John 5:8 says, "And there are three that bear witness in the earth: the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one."  Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin; the Lord Jesus Christ took our place on the cross and His blood was shed for all mankind.  We receive Him as our Savior and His blood washes us clean; our sins are cast as far as the east is from the west; we are innocent as a newborn babe when we burst from the waters of baptism in the name of Jesus Christ; and we converse in God's own language when we are filled with His Spirit and speak in tongues. 

We're the apple of His eye, the light of the world, His beloved; 

we are: "A Bride From His Side."

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.)

Pastor Kenneth Phillips

(He's bringing the Nations into the "Bride," the Church!)

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas

Services Sundays 10:30 am and Wednesdays 7:15 pm

~~~~~~~~~Live Streaming~~~~~~~~~

Please send us your prayer needs, and if you would

like to sow seed in holy fertile ground, give online 

@ promiselandchurch.net.  Thank you, and may 

God richly bless you; I know He surely will!

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     We magnify and glorify the name

of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Please join us on Sunday for a special
"Love & Family" service!

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{Special thanks to cooltext.com}