God gave us His Holy Spirit to "teach us in all things." John 14 So obviously that includes how we are to be His Bride. Jesus gives us mental pictures of how we are to be His. His Bride, His Church, His army, His Body, the Body Of Christ. A friend of mine had this vision about how the Church is like the city of Jerusalem, with it's walls and gates being like His leaders. It's 12 gates are made up of His leaders as signified by the 12 different gates, and that the walls of relationship between them are the relationship that keeps them together. In the word, Ephesians 4, it says, "He's given some as Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers." In this vision my friend had, these are the gates of authority that God places in each city, and they are to have relationship together and function together as the Lord built them to. Those walls of relationship between them is what the Lord's uses to keep the enemy out. If there is no relationship between the "Gates of the city," then the enemy walks up to the gate (Standing by itself) looks at the Gate, walks around the Gate, admiring, "What a fine Gate," then goes around in (No wall of relationship) and plunders the city. (Do we not see the enemy doing this in our churches?) We believe God builds His Church so that the gates of hell can't prevail against it, against us, His Church, Matthew 16 So if the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers were given to us "for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." Ephesians 4:12 And we don't have this in operation, we are severely lacking, and the enemy has way to many options to come in and mess with us. Along with this also in chapter 4 it says in 1b "to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." So if our leaders aren't doing this, and if we ALL aren't doing this, it will not work, this thing we call church. One faith, One hope...this is a picture of His bride He's coming back for without spot or wrinkle! Ephesians 5:26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So if we are His Bride, and He's coming back, He will build us so the gates of hell can't prevail, and we will be without spot or wrinkle. He's coming back! So what if every pastor, every evangelist, every Apostle, in each city were to be used to help us ALL "come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ?" That would be awesome! Most denominational churches don't teach this, and most of what we'd consider the "church" may not even believe this! Ephesians 4 goes on to say, "13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love." Sp without those gates, Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers, functions together under Christ, the Head of the Church, then we will NOT e equipped. We won't function the way he meant us to. Paul also says in Ephesians 5:32 "This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church." Jesus wants us to be one, He even prayed it: John 17:21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me." And in this Jesus has to make us right in Him, before we can be right with each other. John 17:14 "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth." He makes us one, only He can do that. Without Him being the Head, we are just a headless body. "Lord, make us one, even as You and the Father are one. Please, in Jesus name."