The Churchtown Weekly Thursday, June 6, 2024
Learn-Grow-Become-GO!
Shout it in the assembly.
Shout it to the world. (Psalm 40)
Building a Life
One evening a while back, Kelly and I were eating dinner and I looked up and saw this sitting on the shelf. Kelly had purchased it at a craft store and placed it there without my knowing. When I noticed it and asked her, “Why did you get that?” She simply responded, “Because I love the life we’ve built.”
This may sound very sweet and romantic, and it certainly is, but it is also quite profound, and, to be sure, we know that it was not just us. The implications of this simple statement for Kelly and I go 41 years deep and involve almost constant relational growth, intentionality, and maintenance. Relationships, especially the marital relationship, between two deeply flawed individuals (which describes everyone) are difficult, to say the least. Anyone who has delved into the realm of emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and physical intimacy with another person will tell you that this is the truth.
Although the biblical precepts regarding marriage are applicable to other relationships, let us focus on the most intimate of all earthly relationships, the marriage of a man and a woman.
The picture of marriage that we receive from scripture is absolutely beautiful. There is much to be said about Adam and eve before and after the fall – how they went from “naked and not ashamed,” to being covered by the first animals killed so they could cover their shame; but I want to look at the “big picture.” In the beginning, God created the Adam – the human – and this human was alone, partnering with only Yahweh to do the work of tending the garden. This situation, however, was never the final plan and as God put the man in a deep sleep, Yahweh separated the man and from him created woman.
It is important to understand that this separation was not only physical – creating the design for procreation – it was in every way – emotional, spiritual, intellectual, AND physical. The Adam was “less complete” after God’s work of separation, and this set the stage for re-union – for marriage.
This is what Jesus means when He teaches in Matthew 19:2-9 when the Pharisees challenged Him about the breaking of this union, “4And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
Many simplistically interpret this as a reference to sexual union, but that is much too superficial. Man and woman are joined together in marriage, and this makes the human being (both man and woman) complete once again.
But there is a catch. the marriage that we experience today is AFTER the fall. As I stated above, this is why marriage between a man and a woman really translates to the union of one very flawed man and one very flawed woman. Thus, we must build – work hard – dedicate ourselves not only to the other person, but to the process of relationship building and maintenance.
It is easy to love love. It is easy to feel love for a person. It is not so easy to love marriage – not so easy to love the process of building and maintaining the relationship. The trend today is to cohabitate without taking vows. Men and women believe that this will provide the “out” necessary if things go sideways – no harm, no foul. There are two problems with this, however. The first is that the intimacy that is created through cohabitation coupled with sexual union simply doesn’t “go away” if things go sideways in the relationship. The second is this, things WILL go sideways in the relationship.
So, what are we to do?
As followers of Christ, this is where the power of God comes in. Remember the words of scripture, “what GOD has joined together?” This is why the Christian stands before God and family and speaks the vows of marriage; and this is the power that will not only join husband and wife, but the power to move relationship forward – learning, growing, and becoming the people, and the marriage, that God sees.
But the husband and wife must be committed to marriage. They must be committed to the process, to the work, and this brings us back to the verbs
Verbs like “loving,” “speaking,” “praying,” “communicating,” “failing,” “suffering,” “understanding,” “becoming,” “sharing,” “giving,” “submitting,” “trusting,” “enduring,” “choosing,” “giving,” “receiving,”
BUILDING
Every one of these verbs can be undertaken in our own strength or undertaken in submission to God and empowered by the Spirit of God. But, as always, do not take my word for it.
“4Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” (1 Cor. 13:4-7 NLT)
These are some of the most beautiful and descriptive words about love ever written. Nearly every couple I have ever counseled before marriage wanted to include them somehow in their ceremony. The problem is, as I would teach and they would soon find out on their own, they are also impossible to achieve – without the power of God. In fact, being as flawed as we are, even with the power of God’s Holy Spirit leading, these attributes of intimacy are difficult to achieve, let alone maintain.
Paul’s teaching about Love is embedded in a passage of scripture in which he is teaching about the gifts of the Spirit. The message is simple, the gifts of the Spirit are meant to serve the body, to be sure, but without the power of love, even they become useless – for, as we know, God IS Love.
What we do is important, but only, “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor. 13:13 NLT)
The power of God IS the power of love – and the power of God’s love drives the marriage forward, and driving the marriage forward grows both man and woman into the disciple of Christ they are meant to be. Marriage is a union of a man and a woman on many levels, not the least of which is our journey of discipleship; it is a relationship that is sanctified by God so that man and woman can be made holy, separate, from all of the earthly definitions of love and intimacy that only serve to corrupt and destroy.
When we talk about and pray over couples, marriages, and families, it is serious business. The last thing The Satan wants is a Godly home. As is taught in Ephesians chapter 5,
“21And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. 24As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.
25For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. 27He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30And we are members of his body.
31As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” 32This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. 33So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”
Husband and wife submit one to the other and both to Christ. The home becomes a church and a target of the enemy.
So, let us continue to celebrate our marriages, those newly established and those well established, and the life and light they bring to a dead, dark world. Let’s take every opportunity to love and support these relationships spiritually, as brothers and sisters in Christ, emotionally, as friends whom we love dearly, and physically, meeting any worldly needs along the way that will help ease the path.
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!
You can now subscribe and listen to the “Churchtown Podcast Network!”
Available on both Apple Podcasts and Spotify, just search “Turning on the Lights!” and “Churchtown Church of God Sermons” – subscribe and then leave a rating and a review! More folks will see it!
*Audio and video are always posted on our YouTube channel @churchtownchurch (there are actually 1,100 videos there)
Church Calendar
- Randy is in concert this FRIDAY evening at 7pm in the sanctuary with special guest, earl Galloway
- Saturday evening at 7 is the powerful movie, “Like Arrows” in the sanctuary.
- The Yard and Bake Sale is Saturday June 22!
- Randy is back Saturday June 29th at 6pm.
- Sunday the 30th is a FIFTH SUNDAY CELEBRATION!
- SERVICE OF THE ORDINANCE DATES:
July 21
October 13th
November 27th – Thanksgiving Eve.
Remember, the single biggest reason given for why someone attends church for the first time is that a friend asked them!
As always, we continue in prayer for Churchtown, for our community, for the church universal, and for the lost everywhere.
God is good. God provides. Keep your eyes up and on the cross people.
Be well and do good, my friends. And, as always, Keep Looking Up! The lord comes!
REMEMBER THAT!
Opportunities!
We are always seeking individuals to be trained in technology. We would like to develop TEAMS that could rotate weekends.
There is always the opportunity to provide music – join up with the New Song Singers and / or talk to me about a special prelude or piece.
Gather-Grow-Become-Go
Churchtown Church of God
Sunday, June 9, 2024
Welcome to Churchtown!
We are glad you are here!
The New Song Singers will lead today, beginning with,
“Beloved, Let Us Love One Another.”
#252, “Sweet, Sweet, Spirit”
#101, “His Name is Wonderful”
515, “Since Jesus came Into My Heart”
“Because He Lives”
The Opening Word
Psalm 63 (NLT)
NSS with, “Thy Loving Kindness”
Our Time in the Word
1 John 4:7-21 (NLT)
247, “Spirit of the Living God” – a cappella
Our Time of Testimony and Prayer
“The Lord’s Prayer” – Sung by the New Song Singers
The Final Word: Psalm 3 (NLT)
As a “little” church, we are always asking the question, “What CAN we do?” Well, we can start by caring for the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of each other.
We CAN serve the next person God places before us.
We CAN invite that person to church!
We CAN be intentional about going to church and strengthening ourselves and the body.
We CAN serve our community and show who Christ is to those who do not know Him.
We CAN PRAY, PRAY, PRAY – and we can REMAIN FATIHFUL!
I Love Being Your Pastor and Your Friend,
Brian
0 Comments