There is a compelling force that constrains young people expecting to get married; it is the force of love. They seem to be excited to get everything ready because they envision a future that working toward is no problem at all. Such a constraint of love and more is expected of us as well as believers in Christ expecting our coming bridegroom. This understanding explains to us the verse that says, “His wife has made herself ready.”
One of the things a bride prepares before the wedding is her garment. She wants to appear beautiful and pleasing to her husband-to-be. Meanwhile, you will believe with me that pleasing this man comes with knowledge of what he loves. This is similar to Christ; He has a garment He is expecting His bride to put on; you can’t assume what can please Him; you must know it. You may be thinking you’re beautifully clothed, but if you are not dressed after His heart, you’re as good as not having a dress. The garment of Christ is His word, and the garment of Christ is His Spirit.
Only those who are prepared can go in with the bridegroom. How prepared are you? Do you have your fine linens white and pure? If the LORD stops your breath today, what would be your end? We have an opportunity now; let us use it to prepare and make ready our garment. Folding your garment here on earth is a guarantee for life assurance with Christ. This is what we can refer to as true riches. Don’t spend your life gathering the wealth of this world.
You cannot replace the Holy Spirit with the knowledge you acquire from sermon books. The Bible already told us that knowledge puffs. Without the Holy Spirit, the result of your knowledge of the word is pride. The Holy Spirit is not important; it is mandatory. Therefore, examine what you call the Holy Spirit to see if it truly is the Holy Spirit or mere emotions. Let’s see what the owner of the Church said to us in Revelations 3
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
This is the condition of the church of Laodicea, which is our age, but we should not be found naked because Christ has come to clothe us. The Fivefold ministry is God’s wardrobe for clothing us -God has given them the word of life with which they must clothe us with. There is no other way to be clothe when you refuse them. The prophet of this age, when he was asked if the bride would have a ministry after his departure, he said, “certainly”, the ministry he pointed to is the fivefold ministry. Your private study of the sermon books in your house cannot clothe you. You need God’s given ministry for clothing. You need to see yourself from God’s eyes so you can know where you stand, otherwise, you may be arguing that you’re clothed and wealthy, meanwhile you’re naked and miserable. Yes, you receive the Holy Spirit in a day, but you are being filled with the Holy Spirit daily. Again, the clothe that will cover our nakedness is in the hands of His Servants. You have to come into the message for this hour to be clothed.
And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
14 For many are called, but few are chosen. Matthew 22.
First, we need to establish that you are not named with Christ until you take His name in water baptism. You identify with Him when you take the name of the LORD JESUS CHRIST in baptism, not in any trinity. When you have done this, that is when you can on your knees to request His Spirit. You cannot have the genuine Holy Spirit if your baptism was done in the name of trinity.
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Acts 2:37-39
There is a wedding feast coming up, and your qualification is your pure wedding garment. For you not to be banished, you need to be clothed.