Intimacy

Is Jesus not calling His people to the bridal chamber in these days (SS)? True intimacy with Him--- How He desires us to love Him with all of our heart, mind and soul (the first and greatest commandment). In John 17:26 we read, "---that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them." You can believe that if Jesus prayed this, then His Father heard Him and answered His prayer. How He desires that we love Him more than life itself; not allowing anyone or anything to stand in the way of that love for Him. When we come to that "level" of intimacy with Him, then the things that we so desire to happen in our lives will---the signs and wonders that we pray for---all of these things. My students are always asking me why they don't see miracles happening in their ministry. Then I ask them, "How much time do you spend with Him?" The more time we spend in His presence the more we become like Him. Revival? Let us pray for personal and corporate renewal first; that we will allow Him to totally capture our hearts; our deepest desire will be to reflect His image in every aspect of our lives. This is when we will see the greatest of all revivals!!!

I read a book recently that was amazing. It is not as theologically deep as I know many of us here are into, but love is not theologically deep. Those on milk understand it just as well as the meatiest of us.It's called Falling in Love with Jesus by Dee Brestin and Kathy Troccoli. It's purpose is to help readers see themselves as Christ's bride, and truly love Him in a personal and intimate way.They use humor, contemporary love songs, real-life stories, adn solid Biblical teaching to really put it into perspective. As a Snow White fan, I have to say I laughed when I saw one of their sections titled "Someday My Prince Will Come". :)Kathy even shares parts of the journal she's been writing to the husband she prays God will bring in His timing. They are such powerful parallels to the Shulammite maiden expressing her longing for her future bridegroom in Song of Songs.There are so many ways to approach our Lord...as His servant, as His chosen child, as His bride. I have a friend who never had a father, so has a hard time seeing God as anything but her Master. She has a really hard time saying "Abba" in prayer. For anyone...male or female...who can't seem to appoach Christ in an intimate and personal way...what a book to read.

Thank you for sharing about this book. I am going to order it right away. I have been studying the SS for over a year now, and God will not release me from it, nor do I want to be released. It's interesting that this book is called the Song of Songs---In Hebrew thought this means the highest of the high. Could this be the Song of the Lamb that is spoken of in Revelation? I've done some interesting research in this area. Very interesting research, indeed. I believe this revelation is about to break forth in the days ahead, and the intimacy that God is calling us to is going to totally change the Church. When we have this kind of intimacy with God, then there is no stopping the Church (the Bride) from being all that God wants her to be. Talking about a revival!!! There will be nothing like it----the greatest revival that the world has ever seen. Yes!!!!

Hi Trish,I posted this under "book reviews" so i'll just copy it. One With Christ by Hudson TaylorOnce again I have a new perspective of the deep intimacy between the Lord(groom) and the Church (bride). Taylor covers the Song of Solomon and explains it in such a beautiful way. I came away feeling more in love with the Lord and knowing how much He cares for me as well as His Church as a whole.This also helped me fully understand the idolatrous/adulterous church today as the Lord sees it- it is just like Israel in Ezekiel, Hosea, etc... He has given me many mesages about the adulterous church today but I never fully understood until I read this book.Now I do not see why anyone (the church) would not want to please their Beloved, as He cares so much for us and waits for us to come to Him with our all."The bridegroom of the Church longs for communion with His people more than they long for fellowship with Him, and often He has to cry, "Let Me see thy countenance, let Me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely." (song 2:14)In His love, Chanin

Well said, Chanin. Your comment: "Now I do not see why anyone (the church) would not want to please their Beloved, as He cares so much for us and waits for us to come to Him with our all."I guess in answer to your question, I would have to go back to Jesus's time period. I believe the Jewish religious leaders knew exactly who Jesus was. And yet they rejected Him. How on earth could they have been so blind? Reason!! They were concerned about position, money, popularity... opposed to being concerned about their own hearts and their eternal destiny. Their world was the present world of their day. Their lives were based on what made them feel good (lust of the flesh, pride of life). They chose the path they wanted to choose and Jesus wasn't a part of it.The church today??? What is the true Church? A name on the sign out front doesn't make a church a Church nor the building itself, but the Church is in the hearts of the people. If people do not desire to love the bridegroom then do they really know Him to start with? If they do not have a heart for their lover, can they truly be intimate with Him? Do they even have a desire to go into the bridal chamber?I know I have asked more questions---but ones that perhaps we need to ponder.God bless you.