Each church has its own unique personality. We can say that it has a personhood. Scripture often refers to the church as an individual, even though it is a group of people. One of her descriptions is ‘The Bride of Christ’.
Consider the ancient picture of a virtuous woman found in Proverbs 31. We find a woman who was well suited to the needs of her time and responded with appropriate actions and attitudes. It’s an ancient picture, but the heart of virtue is eternal and relevant to all of us today.
Let’s consider Proverbs 31’s description of a woman of character and use it as a metaphor for God’s People, as expressed in a local church. As we do let’s identify the kind of church that we want to become, the kind of virtuous church that we can root our families into. Let’s replace the ‘she’ words with ‘the church’.
A) THE CHURCH IS TRUSTWORTHY
Prov 31:10 – 31
10 A CHURCH of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
11 JESUS has full confidence in THE CHURCH and lacks nothing of value.
12 THE CHURCH brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
The church is a group of people called by God to be His singular love. God wants a woman He can trust. There have been groups and individuals who have brought great harm to the Name of Christ but His Bride responds in love to him by doing good works. The trustworthy church is one that has returned to its First Love. She does good to her Lord and she knows that He is happy with her.
B) THE CHURCH TAKES CARE OF THE HOUSEHOLD
Proverbs 31:
13 THE CHURCH selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
14 THE CHURCH is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
15 THE CHURCH gets up while it is still dark; THE CHURCH provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.
16 THE CHURCH considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 THE CHURCH sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 THE CHURCH sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand THE CHURCH holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
We see the virtuous woman worked with her hands, made provision for the household, sacrificed sleep to keep things going and looked for ways to prosper. If we are to be a virtuous church, we need to overcome a welfare mentality. Hard work combined with real love and concern will make a difference between us being a poor church and a church that is prosperous. God has given us ways to prosper in every area. There is a holistic prosperity that comes to those who give their heart and their back to Jesus.
What about you? Has your love for Jesus translated into vigorous good works? Have you found ways to care for your Lord’s household? His Bride knows that she is loved and responds with her whole heart to care for His house.
C) THE CHURCH CARES FOR THE POOR
Proverbs 31:
20 THE CHURCH opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
The sin of the rich man was ignoring the beggar that sat at his gate. Christ’s woman opens her arms and gives to the
poor. We believe that when we embrace the poor we are really receiving Christ. Our husband cares deeply, shouldn’t we?
D) THE CHURCH TAKES CARE OF HERSELF
Proverbs 31:
21 When it snows, THE CHURCH has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed; THE CHURCH is clothed in fine linen and purple.
As a people we need to watch out for each other and make sure that everyone has the best we can give them. Scarlet was actually the finest clothing. We are church that wears ‘work clothes’ when we gather. We tend to dress down deliberately to not draw attention to ourselves. The Pharisees were recognized for their fancy clothes, but they were not clothed in humility. The clothing that Christ has for us is His grace.
It is not wrong for us to dress up. Feel free if you want to. The day will come in eternity when we will all be sharp-dressed by the Master Designer. For now, it is good that we focus on inward adornment, what are the inner things that are pleasing to Christ?
The attitude of the virtuous woman is one of taking care of herself. She wants to be attractive and represent her husband well. Are you taking care of yourself to please Christ?
E) THE CHURCH EARNS RESPECT IN THE WORLD
Proverbs 31:
23 JESUS is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 THE CHURCH makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 THE CHURCH is clothed with strength and dignity; THE CHURCH can laugh at the days to come.
26 THE CHURCH speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
Our good works and good dealings with the world speak well of our husband Jesus. The virtuous church can have a positive outlook because Jesus has taught her how to be wise and faithful in the world. We are God’s representatives and are given authority to do His Good Works in the world.
F) THE CHURCH IS A GOOD MOTHER
Proverbs 31:
27 THE CHURCH watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 THE CHILDREN OF THE CHURCH arise and call her blessed; JESUS also, and he praises her:
29 “Many ORGANIZATIONS do noble things, but THE CHURCH surpasses them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a CHURCH who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Give THE CHURCH the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
The Church is not lazy! The fruit of her labor is a heritage of godly children. We thank God for the hard work and strong character of those who served Jesus ahead of us.
The Church of Jesus is superior to any other organization or group of people when it comes to doing noble things. There are many charming and beautiful people to catch your eye, but it’s a real head-turner when a church shows respect for the Lord.
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