So divorce injures the children involved emotionally, the husband and wife are damaged, and those of us that aren't even involved are paying a price as well both financially and as a society.
God created Adam and gave him Eve. He didn't give Adam any backups in case Eve didn't work out.
The sad thing is that the divorce rate among Christians is just as high (50%) as among those that don't know Christ. (Some stats actually put the Christian divorce rate higher)
This means that half of Christians sitting in your church on Sunday are either divorced, going through divorce, or heading towards a divorce.
The church can no longer sit back and let marriage get destroyed.
Has your church leadership ever intervened in a potential divorce among members in your church? (this is a rhetorical question) If not, why not?
8 comments:
Amen and well said. It is very unfortunate to think that some people enter into marriage with the escape clause in the back of their minds...if it doesn't work, there is always divorce. To me, it seems that marriage is doomed from the start if you bring that thought into consciousness before you are even married. God did intend for it to be a permanent union with him at the helm. Though I can't attend (a little far away for me) I will certainly pray for great attendance and for hearts to be changed. Offering prayers of thanksgiving for putting out such an important message and that your church may be able to strongly and positively affect your community.
Hey, for the price of admission, any married couple within a reasonable distance should attend! $15 which includes lunch and workbooks! WOW.
My hubby and I have been married for 17 years. It wasn't until we really got focused on the Lord did our marriage become a GREAT marriage. Key for us is accountability for all sorts of issues that arise in marriage. We also realize that while we always love each other, we don't always like each other! We try to remain realistic about expectations on each other. No one, NO ONE, can be ANYONE'S everything. We also try to keep our priorities straight. God first, then each other, then our kiddos, then career. With God at the helm we are pretty sure we have what it takes to make it across the finish line!
It is interesting to note that while 50% of all marriages end in divorce, 70% of all subsequent marriages fail as well. Any marriage without God at it's very core is doomed. I know I've been there -
I've thought about the divorce issue a lot. Clearly, the Bible teaches that it's a sin (Jesus gives adultery as the only reason for a divorce) yet so many ppl sitting in the pews every Sunday have been divorced themselves. I wonder when divorce became so "okay" within Christian circles...any thoughts on this? Was it something that seemed to happen overnight, or do you think that it was something that slowly crept into churches?
rhea-
my guess is that over the years the church has adapted to the culture in the area of marriage rather than influencing our culture we were influenced by our culture.
I also think it has been an issue that the church has turned a blind eye to or swept under the rug rather than confronting the issue head on.
If a couple is going to proceed with a divorce that isn't Biblical and break a covenant they made with each other and with God shouldn't the process of church discipline be put into action?
Probably if more churches in the past had taken a firmer stance on divorce we wouldn't be where we are today with a high divorce rate in the church.
I'm proud to say that my church has taken a firm stance on divorce and has brought people under church discipline who were not willing to work through their marriage but sought the easy way out. Often it involves adultery but we had one couple who were brought up under church discipline and then were reconciled and now have recommitted themselves to their marriage...they have said that it wasn't until the church really got in their face about their sinfulness that they realized that this was the big issue in their marriage. Churches should not turn a blind eye to divorce but she be the catalyst that helps a struggling couple work through their issues and make their marriage work.
elj:
I'm really encouraged to hear that your church does that. That's awesome!
What I think is difficult too, going back to the church as adapting to culture, many (certainly not all) churches are the "feel good" type churches where pastors are not speaking to the sin of divorce, sexual immorality, etc. in an effort to move away from the hellfire and brimstone preaching that has turned so many off. Many are treading lightly on the subject of sin and are heavy on the love and forgiveness aspect. Our preacher did a great job last Sunday preaching on the subject of the responsiblity of men in regard to marriage and raising a family. It had a lot of harsh truths in there, but was done in the spirit of love.
Still praying that your marriage conference goes well and that many couples commit to letting the Lord take the lead!
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