Truth has some attractive qualities; it will eventually win, and it will always remain. Because Christ is The Truth, and because the true church is the Bride of Christ, the church shares in these qualities. There will be no divorce. That is one reason why some people are so concerned to promote right thinking about the church. Not everything that is called the church is the church – unfortunately. Some people “get it,” and because they are not primarily part of any denomination or “movement,” it is impossible to count them. But it is not difficult to recognize them. They can be found in every part of the world, even buried deeply in all sorts of human institutions. But at least in principle, they get it, and sooner or later, they will break free from whatever is not permanent; they will break free in this life or the next. Things that are not and can never be part of the true church, the Bride, cannot see the kingdom of God, so must be left behind. Actually, the sooner the better.
But, by God’s grace working with imperfect people, they produce fruit. All kinds of fruit. Always it has to do with nourishing and cleansing the Bride in preparation for the coming of the Bridegroom. We can never list nor even discover all the different sorts of fruit they produce, but by their fruits we can know them. This area is one small place where people who work hard to “build, bind, and beautify” the bride, as one missionary statesman put it, can be noted. Not that they seek recognition. They don’t. But people who hunger for the truth about the church can be helped and encouraged by knowing them, watching them, and listening to them. It’s something we can do.