WCTLC

The Holy Spirit is your marriage power for bringing the life and ministry of Jesus into your life and ministry.

The Life And Ministry Of Jesus In A Marriage Takes The Supernatural Power Of God

Once a person who is married, has properly followed the Biblical patterns for loving and respecting their spouse, all kinds of things can be done through the life and ministry of Jesus. But, it has to be done in complete harmony within the marriage. This presents a real problem. Conflict can arise between a husband and a wife and that conflict can keep them from being able to work together. They can’t just leave each other and go find someone else to do the ministry with, they are one flesh.

Acts 15:36-40 (NIV) Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.

As you can see, if you aren’t married to the person, you can just choose someone else and the life and ministry of Jesus keeps on going. But, the life and ministry of Jesus being done in a marriage presents a whole new set of problems. THEY ARE STUCK WITH EACH OTHER. It is at this point where we start wondering whether or not the marriage was a mistake. We feel like Adam did when Eve fed him that fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Don’t Look Back; Seek God For Your Present And Future

Gen 3:9-12 (NIV) But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman YOU put here with me--she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

Can you hear the blame here? Adam is blaming God for giving him the wife he was given. Our spouse can be a real problem with being able to live the life of Jesus and do His ministry. Our relationship in the marriage can be so difficult that it can look impossible for us to be able to work with them. However, they are the one we have. Even if they aren’t a Christian, we are going to have to learn how to work around them in such a way that we meet their needs while yielding to the life and ministry of Jesus.

This Is How It Should Be Done

2 Cor 6:14-16 (NIV) Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

The Bible tells us to not marry an unsaved person; and, if you aren’t married yet, then you need to pray and get God’s strength to not break this Biblical principle. But, let’s say you have already broken this principle of God. Now what are you to do?

1 Cor 7:12-14 (NIV) To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

This Is How To Handle The Broken Principle Of Being Married To An Unbeliever

1 Cor 7:15-16 (NIV) But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

This isn’t an ideal situation; but, God will empower you with love, respect, and wisdom on how to live the life of Jesus and do the ministry of Jesus in any and all situations. You may be persecuted in your own home; but, God will give you grace. This, however, isn’t saying that you should not separate yourself from a spouse who is physically abusing you. It that case, you should separate yourself and stay unmarried until they either change or decide to marry someone else.

1 Cor 7:10-11 (NIV) To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

Jesus’ Rules For Divorce

Separation is one thing; divorce is quite another issue. Mat 19:9 (NIV) I [Jesus] tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.” Mark 10:11-12 (NIV) He [Jesus] answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.” Luke 16:18 (NIV) Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

But, if you are able to successfully pray and get the miracles of God in the marriage relationship, here is how your life and ministry from Jesus can go:

Acts 18:1-5 (NIV) After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.

Acts 18:18 (NIV) Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken.

Acts 18:24-28 (NIV) Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

1 Cor 16:19 (NIV) The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.

Rom 16:3-5a (NIV) Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. Greet also the church that meets at their house.