Ministering: Rev. Lanre Oluseye
Topic: Happily Ever After (2)
Text: Amos 3:3 (NLT)
If a marriage is going to work, the couple must make certain agreements.
1st Agreement: Agree that the marriage will be based on the Word of God as the final authority.
There are 3 different kinds of marriage in the world today –
1. Traditional/Cultural marriage: Favours the man; it is patriarchal. The man is the provider and women are usually victims of abuse. In a traditional marriage, the woman is dependent on the man. This is prominent in African countries.
2. Contemporary marriage: Favours the woman; it is underpinned by equality. Men usually suffer abuse and the woman is independent of the man. This is practiced mostly in Western countries.
3. Kingdom marriage: Favours the purpose of God for marriage; it’s hinged on unity. The man and the woman are interdependent (I Corinthians 11:11 (NIV)) and the Word of God is the standard. In kingdom marriages, both spouses submit to the mission – the kingdom agenda for the marriage, not minding what roles they have to physically play (Genesis 2:15,18). Ephesians 5:22 (NLT) – The woman submits to the man and the man submits to God. Ephesians 5:21 refers to submission in church for the sake of order.
Marriage is God’s invention. It will only work when we go back to God. Contemporary and Cultural marriages cannot withstand the pressures of today. The Kingdom is the standard. Heaven is your state of origin, therefore you must represent the standard of heaven.
God made man the Head of the home by His Word, not because he’s richer.
One of the biggest problems of Cultural marriage is the issue of providing. I Timothy 5:8 has been misinterpreted over the years to target men who are financially unable to provide for their families. The passage in context refers to family members who ought to provide for widows in their household – (I Timothy 5:1-16 (NIV, NLT)). It is not directed at husbands providing for their families.
2nd Agreement – Agree to put the past in the past. Stop exhuming the stench of yesterday to disrupt the aroma of today. Digging up the past weakens the resolve of your spouse to be vulnerable to you.
3rd Agreement – We must agree to change. Life is in ebbs and flows – marriage goes through different cycles so change is inevitable.
Prayer: Father we agree to work towards the mission. Your purpose for our union is better than our preferences. May the Word of God remain the final authority in our marriages in Jesus name. Amen
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