Newlyweds and Church

Newlyweds and Church

Q. Does Marriage release newlyweds from activities in the Body of Christ?

A. Your question surprises me since quite the opposite should result from a young, godly couple being married.

Once, long ago, someone suggested, in jest, that a couple should have a year off to settle into married life. They took their thought from Deut 24:5, When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.

War was almost a way of life in those days and while ‘settling in’ has a certain validity, we live today in God’s Day of Grace with Christ residing in Believers and the Holy Ghost filling and empowering them. Their hearts will be directed in the will and purpose of God and He will be uppermost in their minds – and Marriage – unless their commitment to Him is less than healthy.

Someone I know honey-mooned with his wife en-route to a faraway country where they were immediately thrust into God’s Work 10 days a week!

In these pleasure-seeking days, people’s walk with God can easily take second place to His call on their lives. Career, business, family, entertainment all scream for attention until they are either satisfied or conquered.

Which now begs the question, What is God’s purpose for a married couple? People and their circumstances, and call in God, are different, but there is an overall principle defined for Marriage in God’s Word.

Your Marriage is designed to fulfil and satisfy the drives God has placed in you and, in the process, enable you to raise children – for Him! But, above that is the clear directive in Ephesians 4 that your Marriage has been designed in Heaven to reflect and fully express the union between the Lord Jesus and His Bride. The implications are far reaching and too many to be dealt with here; ask your Elders to give you their wise counsel on this vital subject.

Rather than slinking away into the Church’s back seat, a godly newlywed couple should be stepping up a notch or few in their service and usefulness in the Body of Christ. Their union will openly show the love of Christ and His order and priorities. Their home will not be a sealed castle for themselves, but a pavilion of God’s love, a veritable lighthouse shining out His glory and welcoming people inside to discover Jesus for themselves.

I suspect that Marriages will fail if Christ Himself is not their very Foundation. In Him alone are true life, purpose and happiness. Ask long-weds!