Fist Fight

I think my wife is beautiful.  In fact, I think she's smokin' hot.  If you tell me that she's ugly, I'm probably going to ignore you, consider you an idiot and jerk, and choose not to be your friend.  If you tell me she's ugly twice, you and I are going to have words.  If you keep insisting that she's ugly, you're going to find yourself in a good ol' fashioned fist fight.  Of course, no one has ever told me such things.

However, I'm amazed at how many people think it's okay to tell Jesus his wife is ugly.  You didn't think Jesus was married?  Sure he is.  The Bible says that the Church is the bride of Christ, and you better watch calling her ugly.

It's popular to poo-poo the Church these days, and she's got her flaws doesn't she?  One of our sister churches in our local denomination is going through a split, and there are a lot of ugly things being said about the Church through it all.  It's one thing to point out my wife's flaws.  She's got some.  It's one thing to call her out for her mistakes.  She makes them.  It's another thing to call her ugly.  The Church is not perfect.  She makes mistakes.  She's got her warts and scars.  She's hidden things she shouldn't have, said things she shouldn't have and not done a lot of things that she should have done.  She's made up of people.  She's gonna be hard pressed to ever be perfect because of that.  People make mistakes.  It's necessary that we call the Church out for her mistakes from time to time.  I do that.  Leaders should do that.  But be very careful about calling her ugly.  She is the Bride of Christ and the vehicle through which Jesus has chosen to connect with the world.  You might get frustrated with her, you might get disenfranchised with her, but watch what you say about her.  I'm amazed at the number of people who call themselves Christians who keep telling the Church that she's ugly.  A long time ago, when I was first coming into ministry and several young clergy were sitting around complaining about everything that was wrong with the Church said, "You call my wife ugly, you got yourself a fight on your hands.  Be careful about calling the Bride of Christ ugly or you might end up picking a fight with Jesus."  I think that's one dude I don't want to fight with.