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Disciple Now is a weekend event for students to grow closer to God together through teaching, music, small group time, and spending time together. We have a guest speaker coming down to teach us more about missions! This is open to all students! The cost is $30 which covers everything for them. If you have any questions, please reach out!
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Adventures in Marriage is NOT a counseling program. AIM combines Christian principles with the latest research, and teaches couples practical, attainable skills anyone can learn to love well and create the marriage they have always wanted. Come away with us on a great adventure to discover how to build the marriage you have always wanted with the spouse you already have!
Schedule
FRIDAY, Jan 31st (5:30-9pm)
Dinner @ 5:30pm
9:00 Evening Conclusion
SATURDAY, Feb 1st (9-3:30pm)
9am Kickoff
Noon Lunch
3:30pm Conclusion
SUNDAY, Feb 23rd
1-4pm Final Sessions
Celebrate Recovery is a safe place with kind people who are working together to deal with hurts, habits, and hangups. Have questions? Contact our CR Leader - Tim Hughey
Check our website for upcoming events and over lots of past teachings on many different topics.
Help us forward the mission of Fellowship to share Jesus with young and old, with people across the street and people across the ocean. GIVE ONLINE or at the Giving Boxes at each exit.
2: The Marriage Model: God’s Invention & Intention
“Our marriages are supposed to be saying something about the gospel …little dramas of redemption put on display for the world.” (Denny Burk). Today we discover how God’s ideal for marriage can become real for us.
What kind of impact have the marriages you have seen played in your life? Your grandparents & parents? Older mentors or close friends? Have you seen a marriage that makes you think: “If that’s marriage, no thanks” OR “if that’s marriage…then I want some of that!”?
Marriage: God’s Invention
Adam recognized that Eve was God’s great gift to him. God had designed her. Now He presented her to Adam.
She was LIKE HIM...yet different - a GOOD different.
- Do you still view him/her as a great gift given by God to you?
BIG TRUTH: Marriage is BIGGER than you & me, intended to be a Bond of 3.
God brought man and woman together. Woman blesses man, man blesses woman, & together these people bless the ONE who created them in His image (Gen. 1:27).
Since there were NO OTHER people on the planet at this time...they didn’t have parents.
So why is this written here - that “a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife”?
- This is the Marriage Model, setting the pattern for all future marriages.
Leave parents: This is not a command to move away from parents, but a command to establish his own home, his own family. Too many times the couple leans on parents rather than one another. To leave father and mother means that married couples find their greatest provider, their greatest defender, their greatest cheerleader - in their OWN home.
This relationship is now to SUPERSEDE all others. This is what it means that the couple is to be bonded together.
This passage certainly hints at sexual oneness - “they become one flesh"; but this "one flesh" is to be remembered from the earlier reference that the woman was taken out of man (Gen 2:22). Now the TWO will be ONE, united in purpose and purity. This was the marriage model, clean before God and clean before one another.
There was no shame because there was NO GUILT. And there was no guilt because there was no sin.
Adam & Eve later disobeyed God and the consequences of sin impacted every area of their life - including the marriage relationship. Suddenly, the man & wife were HIDING from God instead of running TO Him. Once united, but now divided.
This is not a question about physical location, but spiritual reflection. God asks, “Where are you, now that you have left ME?”
Can we ever get back to what God intended for marriage, a place where we are pure again; a place where we can become the Marriage Model for our children and grandchildren, a place where we demonstrate that…Marriage is BIGGER than me, intended to be a Bond of 3?
In Ephesians 5, the apostle Paul points back to Genesis 2 to remind us of God’s invention & intention of marriage.
As followers of Jesus Paul calls for ALL BELIEVERS to…
Ephesians 5:21 (NIV) Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Now notice how this happens inside of marriage relationships, where both husbands & wives honor & serve each other out of reverence for Jesus.
The Wife’s Response to Her Husband
HOW MANY persons are IN this marriage relationship? 3 - wife, husband, & the Lord Jesus. Throughout the passage you can see the continued correlation.
- The wife’s role is paralleled to the church. Her submission to her the husband is like the submission of the church to Jesus. In this way her life communicates that Marriage is BIGGER than me, intended to be a Bond of 3
- The church trusts the One who sacrificed Himself for her. Ideally, it is easy for the wife to submit - or willingly place herself under her godly husband’s leadership.
- That isn’t always the case as some husbands aren’t godly. In that case, the Christian wife is still to submit to her husband’s leadership to influence him for Jesus (see 1 Pet. 3:1-2). Obviously, she should not submit when her husband tells her to disobey what Jesus says.
- Every team has to have a head coach. Every head coach is wise to listen to & work alongside his assistant coach.
- Wives, do you recognize & submit to your husband’s leadership? Do you make it easy to lead or does he feel like you’re in a competition? What would YOUR HUSBAND say to that question?
The Husband’s Response to His Wife
Wives are to SUBMIT to their husbands. Husbands are to SACRIFICE for their wives.
Men should DIE to protect his wife, to provide for her, and to see her GROW in purity and honor God with her life!
She SUBMITS & he SERVES out of love for their King, understanding that Marriage is BIGGER than me, intended to be a Bond of 3.
- Husbands, do you demonstrate that you LOVE your wife? Do you take care of your wife the way you take care of yourself?
- Do you nourish her? Do you cherish her? If I were to ask your wife if you make her feel that way....how would she respond?
God often compares His relationship to his people like a marriage. God is the groom and His people are the bride.
So too, Paul understands marriage to be a living, breathing example of Jesus & His church.
He sacrifices for her, and she submits to Him.
MEN, would you want your daughter to marry someone who treats her...the way you treat her mother?
How you treat your wives is how you model
- what it means to be a godly husband for your son or grandson.
- what type of husband your daughter or granddaughter should be seeking.
LADIES, would you want your son to marry someone who treats him...the way you treat his father?
How you treat your husband is how you model
- what it means to be a godly wife for your daughter or granddaughter.
- what type of wife your son or grandson should be seeking.
Denny Burk
“Our marriages are supposed to be saying something about the gospel…little dramas of redemption put on display for the world.”
- Marriage is supposed to be a living example of purity, care, forgiveness, trust, submission, sacrifice, teamwork, & commitment.
- - a model to those who come after us, that Marriage is BIGGER than me, intended to be a Bond of 3.
WHAT does/will your marriage say about the gospel of Jesus? Is your marriage modeling your reliance & satisfaction in Jesus?
Pray daily with/for your spouse. It doesn’t have to be long, just sincere.
Serve your spouse. Let your actions and words communicate care this week. SHOW you you love one another!
Serve one another as if you were newlyweds!
Submit to Jesus, daily. Our lives can point others to the love Jesus has for them!
God could use US to see others coming into THE FAMILY of GOD!
Have questions and need some help? …real soon…how about now? Please call or text us soon!
These open-ended questions are designed to help you LIVE what you LEARN with your Family, Friends, or Small Group.
- Opening Reflection: How have the marriages you’ve witnessed (parents, grandparents, mentors) shaped your view of what marriage should or shouldn’t be? What does the phrase "Marriage is bigger than you and me, intended to be a Bond of 3" mean to you?
- Marriage: God’s Invention: Read Genesis 2:22–23. Adam recognized Eve as God’s gift to him. Do you see your spouse (or future spouse) as a gift from God? How does this perspective impact your relationship? How can couples keep the sense of appreciation and gratitude for each other alive as the years go on?
- Marriage: God’s Intention. Read Genesis 2:24. This emphasizes leaving parents and clinging to one another. What does it look like to prioritize your spouse above other relationships in practical, everyday terms? How can couples balance independence from their parents while honoring them in their marriage?
- The Impact of Sin on Marriage: Read Genesis 3:8–10. This describes how Adam and Eve’s sin caused separation from God and division between them. How have you seen sin (selfishness, pride, etc.) impact relationships, and what steps can be taken to restore unity? Are there areas in your marriage (or life) where you’ve been “hiding” instead of bringing them to God? How can you invite Him into those areas?
- Roles in Marriage: Submission and Sacrifice: Read Ephesians 5:21–33. This passage describes distinct roles for husbands and wives. How does mutual submission (v. 21) set the tone for a godly marriage? Husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church. What does sacrificial love look like in practical terms? Wives are called to submit to their husbands as to the Lord. How does this reflect trust in both God and the husband’s leadership?
- Marriage as a Picture of the Gospel: Paul calls marriage a “profound mystery” that reflects Christ’s relationship with the church. How does your marriage (or how could your future marriage) display the gospel to others? Denny Burk described marriages as “little dramas of redemption.” How can couples demonstrate grace, forgiveness, and reconciliation within their marriage?
- Application and Vision: What practical steps can you take this week to better serve your spouse and demonstrate Christ-like love?
- For those not married: How can understanding God’s design for marriage prepare you for a future relationship, help you support married couples around you, and help you appreciate how the Church should respond to Jesus and His love?
- How can prayer play a greater role in strengthening your marriage & family relationships (including church relationships)?
- Take a moment to share prayer needs and lift one another to the Lord!
