Christian Family

Lesson: The Christian Family

I. Marriage: a divine ordinance (Genesis 2:18-24)

A. Marriage is a divine ordinance. (Proverbs 18:22)

1. Marriage was instituted for God’s children. And a godly home is a good advertisement for a life in Jesus.

2. If a Christian couple is living outside a legal and sanctified relationship. Their faith and prayer will not work, and there will never be a real harmony in their relationship.

Note: Sinners living in today’s society don’t know any better.

3. Without marriage as a divine ordinance, you will not have a family. You may have a group of people living in the same house but not a family, you will have living arrangements but not godly relationships.

B. Marriage is honorable. (1 Timothy 3:12)

1. God’s will is marriage. Marriage is necessary to fulfill God’s purposes.

2. You may choose to marry or remain single. It is your privilege. If you want to be single and serve God then He will grace you for it.

a. Paul chose to be single. (1 Corinthians 7:6-7)

3. The myth of singleness

a. People do not have a “singleness problem,” they have an entirely different problem called “being single.”

b. The problem is with the definition, which was given by a cultural, socio-economic system under the ruler ship of Satan (the god of this world) there’s confusion between singleness & “being alone.”

o Singleness = to be separate, unique and whole

o Being single = solitary, desolate, alone

o Man was single, separate, unique and whole

Note: no one should marry until he or she is totally single.

4. God’s view of singleness

1. God said… “it is not good that man should be alone…”

2. God made the woman so that the man will not be alone.

3. Having a companion for Adam was God’s idea

4. God presented Eve to Adam, God did not give Eve as wife. He must choose. (Pick one out!)

Note:, Marriage will not necessarily make two halves whole.

C. The Word of God gives guidelines for a good marriage partner.

1. Must be a believer. (2 Corinthians 6:14)

2. Must agree with your beliefs and goals. (Amos 3:3)

3. Must not be quarrelsome or given to strife. (Proverbs 21:9)

4. Must be willing to change or renew his or her mind (Romans 12:2)

5. Must be responsible and disciplined. (1 Corinthians 4:2)

Note: It takes a good husband and a good wife to make a good marriage

The Christian Family: Page 2

D. Marriage is the greatest gift for God’s blessings, but it could be the greatest tool for Satan’s curse (Genesis 2:24)

1. In God’s plan, marriage brings total fulfillment. (Matthew 19:4-6)

2. Outside of God’s plan, marriage brings total misery.

3. When our marriage is not right, our whole life is not right.

a. Whether it’s the husband’s fault or not, He is responsible for

the marriage to work. (It can be fixed)

b. We are to treat our spouse like we treat ourselves.

c. Our marriage is a mirror of ourselves. Whatever is in the individual is magnified in the relationship.

d. Our personal strengths are seen in our marriage.

5. A good marriage is one of the qualifications for leaders in the church

(1 Timothy 3:1-5; Titus 1:5-9)

Bishop = Gr. Episkopos – overseer, in charge of a group of believers,

Note: in cell church understanding, overseers are cell leaders.

E. A good marriage begins in us

1. A good marriage is simply the relationship between a good man and a good woman.

2. We have all we need for a good marriage in the inside of us.

3. To improve our marriage, we must improve ourselves.

a. We can’t improve our spouse

b. We can only improve ourselves.

Note: The marriage is not what we work on, we work on ourselves.

F. To start a good marriage we must first leave our past (Genesis 2:24)

1. Those who don’t “leave” never “cleave.”

a. Cleave- be joined, united, adhere to

b. Hanging on to your past keeps you from your future

G. Six ingredients of godly and successful marriage:

1. Commitment – a decision and a choice to dedicate your life.

2. Communication – openly express about yourself, hiding nothing. Talking and listening until you really understand each other.

3. Sacrifice – giving of yourself, time, possessions and your rights to your spouse.

4. Intimacy – sharing your spirit, soul and body without reservation.

5. Agreement – growing together in the Word until you think alike.

6. Love – does not demand or take, but gives. – it is the foundation.

H. Both the husband and wife must recognize their differences.(uniqueness)

1. Six key differences between the man and the woman

MAN WOMAN

1. Physically active 1. Likes to talk

2. Majors on majors 2. Majors on anything