Beautiful Bride … a Church Following Jesus

By Carla Ives

Written from Pastor Carla Ives’ heart to the global church in a time when Christain values and beliefs are challenged and the unity of the church is threatened, Beautiful Bride … A Church Following Jesus, comes as a healing balm.

Ives takes you back to the basics to re-examine your moorings, and she asks you to:

• remember your first love for Jesus.

• renew your commitment to His Word and ways.

• recommit to following Jesus as a true disciple.

• rediscover Christ’s love for His bride, the church.

• relearn the biblical perspectives and responses of a Christ-follower.

• remember why you’re here and refocus your priorities.

• re-engage with the family of God.

• make Jesus the center of everything.

Filled with foundational truths, Beautiful Bride … A Church Following Jesus encourages you to rediscover the absolutes of God’s word and renew your first love for Christ and his bride, the glorious church.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664243620

Carla Ives

Carla Ives, a pastor, is co-founder of Potter’s House Global Network, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. With her husband of forty years, Pastor Ron Ives, they pastor The Potter’s House Family Worship Center in Mount Pleasant, Michigan and lead the network, equipping the global church with discipleship training, resources, and humanitarian aid. Ives is a prophetic speaker and author of many materials for adults and children, discipling them in how to live and experience God’s word in personal application.

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 Carla Ives.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means,

graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by

any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author

except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher

make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book

and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in

this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version® Copyright © 1982

by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living

Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale

House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4361-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4360-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4362-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021917588

WestBow Press rev. date: 09/23/2021

To my husband of forty years, Ron Ives, who

taught me what following Jesus truly

looks like.

Thank you for sharing this grand adventure!

Special thanks to:

My mother, Shelby Keefer, who planted a love for Jesus,

His Word, and His church in my heart long ago

Chris Zeien, my co-laborer and dear friend, who

helped me with this book and so much more

The Potter’s House Family Worship Center congregation in Mount

Pleasant, Michigan, who has been both family and friend for

thirty-five years. I learned the beauty of God’s family through you!

Contents

Foreword

Prelude: Why I Love the Church

1  The Bride’s Beginning

2  Real Salvation

3  The Real Jesus

4  A Real Jesus Follower

5  Real Ministry

6  Jesus-Following Families

7  Jesus and Justice

8  Real Conflict

9  The Cause of Christ

10 The Real Church

Foreword

I have known Carla now for a couple of decades. When I say that she is the real deal, I know that phrase can sound cliché. But I really mean that she is both very real, carries a lot of substance, and knows how to open people to truth in ways that are practical, memorable, and life-giving. What she writes here in Beautiful Bride – and teaches everywhere around the world – are foundational truths that are intended to deeply ground believers in their relationship with Jesus.

So let me tell you a little about Carla.

If she is one thing, she is deeply, fervently, and passionately committed to Jesus. And that passion for Jesus translates into compassion for people. Sometimes, we find people who are passionate about God but may not be as focused on people. And then there are those that are all about people but can neglect their intimacy with God.

Carla is one of those people who walks in a marvelous blend: Passion for Jesus and compassion for people. And her stories reflect that. She has proven the truths that she writes about here over and over again in the crucibles of life experience. The gold that you will read in these pages has been refined in the fires of life’s adversities.

She is a teacher, a preacher, but also a leader. And that’s important to say as well, because what she teaches has not only been shaped in her personal life, but shaped in the interaction that comes from leading people. That’s why I can recommend her teachings to leaders because these teachings have been honed and polished over many years of leading others on mission.

Now let me tell you why this book is so important.

In Beautiful Bride, Carla calls us to rediscover our love for Jesus’ Church. It is not just a timely message but essential foundation. I don’t think that, in my lifetime, I have ever witnessed such massive disillusionment, disinterest, disregard and even disdain for The Church. And what Carla seeks to do is reinfect us with a love for what Jesus died for. He gave Himself as a sacrifice for the world, but it is The Church that he will take with Him for eternity.

She specifically has the next generations in mind as she writes these pages, because, as a wise mom in the faith, she knows that only those who build their lives on the rock Christ Jesus will be able to thrive in the coming years of greater uncertainty and change.

She takes us back to the basics at a time when we deeply need to re-examine our moorings. She asks us to look at the present divisions within the church and calls us to a new perspective on unity; she asks us to re-examine our salvation, and calls us to a fresh grasp of the Lordship of Christ; she summons us to a bridal relationship with Jesus, and calls us to recommit our lives to being his disciples; she urges us to consider our priorities, and calls us to center our lives on loving Jesus, serving Jesus, and being on mission with Jesus.

And she does it as a storyteller, and that’s what makes this book so arresting. She liberally sprinkles her teaching with striking personal stories and testimonies that prove the power of what she preaches.

That’s why this is not just any book, but a very valuable pathway for re-grounding our lives as believers and resetting The Church on the foundations of faith that will victoriously propel us into our future.

Let this book not only nourish your soul, but reanimate your vision of who God is and what He can do through you, and what He will do through His Church!

For Christ and Christ alone,

Steve Fry

President, Messenger Fellowship

Lead Pastor, The Gate Church, Franklin TN.

I’m so glad Carla Ives has written this excellent book on the church! I truly love and believe in the church, the one global family that Jesus is building and that He promises will not be overcome by its enemies. Carla does a wonderful job of defending the church and helping the reader regain enthusiasm for the fellowship of believers which is still the best thing on planet earth. She is very specific about why we need to be involved in a local church, each of us individually in our own lives, and why the church helps us respond to the troubling issues of our day. She shares exciting stories about her adventures in following Jesus that read like the book of Acts. Carla is also very honest about her personal journey of change. Transformation comes in our lives as we get to know Jesus personally, and get to know His family by being meaningfully connected to the church. Thank you Pastor Carla for this loving tribute to the bride of Jesus Christ!

Love in Jesus,

Nancy Honeytree Miller

Honeytree Jesus Music Pioneer

This book made me cry and laugh. I remembered that I was the beautiful, yet broken bride of Christ.

I was reminded that in all its flaws the Church has not lost its value in society. As a matter of fact, we now live in a world that needs the bride more than ever.

Each chapter acted as a mirror revealing my own issues. I discovered that as we judge the church, we are also judging ourselves. We are the Bride of Christ.

Brian Pruitt

CEO & Founder

Power of Dad Ministries

Carla Ives has written an outstanding treatise on the splendor of the church. In a lucid style, she reveals an imperfect institution which is also a beautiful bride, peppering admonitions with encouragement, candor, and heart-touching stories. In Beautiful Bride, Carla is an articulate advocate of the church as it is coupled with a thrilling vision of the church as it can be; a glorious church under Christ’s headship. I was moved to tears more than once reading these pages. Your heart will be lifted and you’ll be inspired to contribute personally to the church’s high calling, vital ministry, and redemptive mission.

David Shibley

Founder / International Representative

Global Advance

Beautiful Bride is a powerful voice sounding the need for us to fall in love with the church again. As believers if we are going to love Jesus, we will also love His church. This book captures this message with powerful examples viewing the challenges and conflicts in the church through the lens of Scripture. Carla Ives shares both personal examples and events that have happened in our society these past years that have caused division and pain and shows that God has a way to bring glory in His church even in the hardest of times.

Beautiful Bride is a wonderful tool to reset our hearts on Jesus and to see His love reach the world. I encourage you to use this wonderful tool to help refocus on God’s plans and purpose for every member of His church. Beautiful Bride will encourage you, challenge you and allow God to grow you in powerful ways.

Lisa Betz

The Eden Principle

Author, Speaker

Prelude:

Why I Love the Church

In 2021, I will celebrate forty years of marriage. If you would have asked me back in 1981 if we’d be so happy together this many years later, well …

I still remember my anxiety the night before the wedding. I wanted to be the perfect wife. I was crazy in love with my handsome guy! I decided to make a list of all the things I would be and do to make an ideal marriage. Afterward, I slipped the note in my Bible to serve as a remembrance. As I laid back down to rest, however, the anxiety returned.

After a few moments, I knew what I would have to do if I were going to sleep at all. I got up and grabbed another piece of paper. I quickly started writing a new list. This was a list of what I would do when he left me. I needed to have a plan so I would be prepared. It seemed inevitable. In my heart, I couldn’t imagine him staying with me for too long. With a deep sigh, I folded the second list and tucked it away in the back of the same Bible.

How depressing is that? I adored Ron but struggled with a secret expectation that our marriage would not last. You see, I knew my hidden weaknesses and insecurities. I couldn’t imagine anyone sticking with someone like me. I’d lost so many others who became weary of my struggles. Why would my new husband be any different? I’d disappointed so many of my family members through the years. I expected to disappoint him too.

I was just nineteen years old when I nervously made my way to the altar the next day. Somehow we both made it through the vows to begin our new life together. Our early years were rough. No lying. I suffered outbursts of anger and panic attacks that scared me, let alone him (poor guy). My hurts from the past crept into the present and made our lives together incredibly difficult at times. However, Ron’s consistent and patient love for me eventually encouraged me to trust his commitment. He never left. He gave me time to grow. He believed the best. He prayed over me, for me, and with me. He held me when I cried and refused to engage when I raged. As Jesus continued his own healing work inside of me, I changed. Our marriage became sweeter. Our love deepened. I eventually threw away the lists in my Bible. Forty years later, we’re still together and more in love than the day we said, I do.

Why am I sharing this story with you? Throughout scripture, the church is addressed as the bride of Christ. The relationship between husband and wife is compared to the covenant between Christ and the church. Whenever I am trying to understand the condition of the global church, I see her as His beloved. As I look at her through His eyes, hope fills me.

"Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife’" (Revelation 21:9 NKJV).

Like me, the church is a bit of a mess and ill-prepared for her walk down the altar. Like me, I think many people expect to see disappointment in the eyes of the waiting groom. They look at Jesus and see how wonderful and perfect He is. They love Him so! They wish the church to be all He wants her to be. Yet they look at themselves and the others she includes and are filled with doubt. Look at the bride! She’s made up of a hodgepodge of messy people doing messy things. She’s divided, diverse, and very defensive. Her garments are stained and torn. Her veil is crooked, and the crown seems to be slipping.

How could this church ever be what Christ hoped for? To answer that question, you must step into His shoes. From where He’s standing, she looks so much different. Jesus paid a huge dowry for His bride. He sacrificed His very life. He descended into hell and ripped the chains loose that once bound her to sin, hell, and the grave. Not once did He complain. Jesus endured the suffering silently. Then He returned for her as quickly as He could. Three days after His horrible death on the cross, He came back for His bride. She was worth the dowry to Him. She was His beloved.

We were His beloved. Jesus knew everything about the church—past, present, and future. He knew the mistakes she made and would make. He knew she would be unfaithful at times. He wasn’t surprised by her inability to love Him as she should. Because Jesus knew her history, He knew the time and effort it would take to make this marriage work. He committed to the process before He called her to himself. He’s never wavered and never left. Jesus is still here.

38958.png Lesson from the Lawn

One day I became frustrated with my imperfections once again. I looked back and was reminded of when I mowed the yard as a young girl. I would push that big mower and think I was doing a perfect job … until I turned around. Then I would see the blades of grass standing tall in the spots I missed. Then came the big sigh and even bigger frown. All I could see was what I didn’t do right.

I did the same thing with my spiritual walk the other day. I looked back and saw only the things I’d missed, the things I’d done wrong, and the ways I’d failed. Then I heard God’s whisper, Lift up your eyes and look at the rest of the lawn. Ahhhh! I knew what He was saying. He was saying, Look at all you did right! Focus on the positive progress.

Many books and commentaries are being