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Here is what love is. It is not that we loved God. It is that he loved us and sent his Son to give his life to pay for our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us this much, we should also love one another. No one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God lives in us. His love is made complete in us (1 John 4:10-12).

Simon Peter answered, \u201cYou are the Messiah. You are the Son of the living God.\u201d Jesus replied, \u201cBlessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah! no mere human showed this to you. My Father in heaven showed it to you. Here is what I tell you. You are Peter. On this rock I will build my church. The gates of hell will not be strong enough to destroy it\u201d (Matthew 16:16-18).

Contemporary Testimony: Our World Belongs to God: The church is the fellowship of those who confess Jesus as Lord. She is the bride of Christ, his chosen partner, loved by Jesus and loving him: delighting in his presence, seeking him in prayer-silent before the mystery of his love (35).

The Bible includes many images for the church, the final one being \u201cthe Bride of Christ\u201d, appearing first in Revelation 19. Because not all of us identify with being a bride, it may feel odd at first blush.

Nevertheless, this image of a wedding celebration, with the church as the bride, has captured the imagination of Christians throughout the centuries. Amid a world in turmoil and facing constant persecution, the notion that we are heading towards a grand celebration has lifted our spirits. It helps us carry on running the race.

There is a particular aspect of the wedding that God seeks to impress upon our imaginations. And it runs counter to normal marriage preparations. In many cultures there remains this: its bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding ceremony. I don\u2019t know where this originated and I don\u2019t put stock in it, but it remains a thing.

Now here is the point: Jesus, the groom, has been preparing the church, his bride, for the wedding celebration from the very beginning. Jesus\u2019 declaration, \u201cI will build my church\u201d, is the first time the word, church, is used in the Bible. He is dressing us in righteousness, right living.

John gets at the essence of the Christian life when he says, God loves us first. Because he has acted on this love by dying for our sins, we are able to love each other. More than that, when we love each other, its God\u2019s love in us. And its only when we love each other that this love is completed.

It is not that God shows up when we love. Rather, when we love, it is God\u2019s love working in us. When this happens, God\u2019s love is fulfilling its purpose. That is what \u201ccompleted\u201d means. God intends to love others through us; so, when we don\u2019t love each other, it\u2019s a big problem. The church will fall apart.

Too often we focus on our failings to love. The church needs to keep her focus on God and his love for us. That is why the Contemporary Testimony says, \u201cdelighting in his presence, seeking him in prayer-silent before the mystery of his love\u201d. God is always the initiator of love. By loving us and moving us to love each other, Jesus is building his church. He is preparing us for the final grand celebration. Through his Spirit, Jesus is getting the church ready for the \u2018wedding feast of the lamb\u201d (Revelation 19:7).

The church is not ready yet. Sometimes we see her still dressed in the filthy rags of sin. This can be very painful, especially when we hurt each other. But Jesus is at work. Jesus will build his church. He will make us ready. Trust him and live in anticipation of that final party.