The King’s Bride

By Shaun Smit

Like many others, as a pastor, I faithfully represented what I had been taught and what had been modeled for me. I am a pastor. I have a gift. I present the gift to my church every week and almost every day. I want them to love me. I need them to respect and honor me. I want them to be so excited about me and my gift that they come every week, get involved in all the activities and bring others to the meetings where I preach, teach and pray.

Of course, if I’m more traditional, and if I don’t believe in being charismatic, praying for the sick, prophesying or casting out devils, then I’m going to be as harmonious and as agreeable as possible, so you will like me and support me.

We see this being reproduced as people invite others to their church to listen to their pastor. I did this faithfully every week. Year after year. Oh, how I needed the church—my church—to love me, to need me, to accept me and to help me grow my attendance. Typically, I’m not a showy person. Surprising to many, I am shy and an introvert. But when standing in the pulpit, I would come alive with the “anointing.”

Over the years, I’ve seen others who are real performers. I’ve attended church meetings where the pastor is so filled with the anointing that he is revered, ushered out after the meeting and unable to talk to anyone.

You know what I’m talking about . . . I did it, too. But one night, around the year 2000, I had an encounter with the King. On this particular night, sleep eluded me. All night, I was restless, tossing and turning in my bed. I began to worship the Lord, just focusing my attention on Him.

Suddenly, I had a vision.

Now let me preface the narration of this story by saying I am not one to declare every other day, “The Lord has told me . . .” or, “The Lord has shown me . . .” That is another teaching for another day. I have had three or four encounters with the Lord that have altered my life in transformative ways. This was one of them.

In the vision, I was in the chamber of a king. His wife, his bride, stood off to one side. She was stunningly beautiful. In absolute shock, I watched as I was trying to catch her attention. My speaking, my behavior and my animations were all directed at capturing her attention. I wanted—no, I desired—her to be attracted to me. I flashed my armor, used my eloquence, tantalized her with my humor. All of it was for her attention. I wanted her to need me, to want me, to admire me. It was about me. All about me!

And then, suddenly, I heard the King speak: “What have you done with and to My bride, son?” Instantly, I saw the King begin to reach for the sword strapped to His side. Deep in my spirit, I heard the sound of the hard metal of a sword ring as it was withdrawn from its scabbard. I was undone.

I fell to the floor from my bed and began to weep as I realized what treachery I had been committing against our King. I wept for days in repentance. I still do, at times, when I recount the encounter to others. This encounter, this insight, affected me deeply.

In the moment I saw this vision, I saw how, as a representative of our King, Christ Jesus, I had used the gift, the personality, the power He had given me, to try and seduce His bride, the church.

We call people “my people,” “my church.” But they are so much more than that. They are His people, His possession, His church and His bride. I was using all He had given me to try to seduce His bride, His lover, His wife, to need me, to want me, to honor me, to entreat me and to accept me as her husband. What was I doing?

The sound of the sword being drawn was the signal of judgment. Christ the King would not tolerate His servant touching His bride in this inappropriate way. He would not permit this adulterous behavior to proceed in His presence. He would no longer tolerate the seduction, the abuse, the manipulation of His prized possession. Judgment was coming.

I repented and repented. I saw what I had done. I couldn’t believe it! How could I have been so foolish?

Seduction is defined as the act of enticing, persuading or captivating someone, often with the intention of initiating romantic or sexual relationships. It involves the use of charm, allure and manipulation to attract and seduce another person, often by appealing to their desires, emotions or vulnerabilities.

Seduction can manifest in various forms, including verbal communication, body language, gestures and behaviors, and it may occur in both interpersonal interactions and broader social contexts.

While seduction is often associated with romantic or sexual contexts, it can also extend to other domains, such as sales, marketing and persuasion, where the goal is to influence and persuade others to act in a desired manner.

It was then that the scripture in 2 Corinthians 11:1-2 became very real to me: “I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.”

Other translations read as follows:

“… for I have espoused you to one Husband” (KJV).

“… for I have betrothed you to one Husband” (AMPCE).

“… I have brought you to Christ, like a pure bride who marries one husband” (EASY).

“… your love should be for Christ alone, just as a pure maiden saves her love for one man only, for the one who will be her husband” (TLB).

Paul was clear. He directed the church’s love only to Christ, her husband. There is a line between ministering for the King and performing for the King, and then preparing, wooing, betrothing the bride for her Husband, the King. This is a line we cannot and should never cross.

In the aftermath of this encounter with the King, deep inside of me reverberated the words of Paul to the Corinthian church: “What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task” (1 Corinthians 3:5-9, emphasis added).

There was a reason the kings of old would only permit eunuchs to minister in the court of their queen and their bride. Such eunuchs could not desire or seduce their bride. They were to serve with purity in motive and behavior.

When we stop seeing the bride of Christ as a resource or tool to build our church, as our crowd to love and respect us, and as the credit to our status, then maybe the glory of the bride will begin to manifest. Maybe then she will begin to mature and grow into the church the King has always purposed.

Her glory is the revealing of the love affair she has with Him. We are not to have a love affair with Christ’s bride. We must have a love affair with Him, as His bride. But as leaders and servants of the King, we must call for and direct the church’s—His bride’s—love and attention to Him. Only Christ can empower and supply what’s needed for her growth, maturity and intimacy with Him.

As a young pastor, I was warned by a fellow leader that at least 10% of the women in the church would sleep with me if I gave them the opportunity. This shocked and astounded me. I was so naive to these things. But I made a strong mental note of this fact.

My question was, “Why?” This leader then explained, “It’s the glory of God they desire. They see that in you, and they want it. They see you representing the King. They want Him, but see it in you. Never assume it’s about you, your gifting, how great you are, how handsome or desirable you are.”

This was my first major lesson in leadership. Over and over again, I’ve seen leaders over the past four decades fall for this very deception, thinking the admiration, adoration and accolades were for them. We should realize we are only servants doing our duty of directing the attention to Him.

Luke 17:9-11 says, “Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do’” (NKJV).

John the Baptist said, “It’s not me you’re looking for, it’s Him, whose shoelaces I’m not even worthy to tie.”

In comparison to the King and His glory, who are we? Even Jesus would not take the Father’s glory: “If you’ve seen Me, Philip, you have only seen the Father! I represent Him and His glory, Philip. Not my own.”

This encounter with the King, this revelation, transformed my life. I have never been the same. I have never been able to view the people—His church—or treat them the same again. I’ve never been able to stand before the church the same again.

I pray, as a leader, you too would have an encounter with the King, for the bride’s sake. And for your own. “The greatest among you will be your servant” (Matthew 23:11, NKJV).