Marriage: An act of worship

If you’re a part of the faith community (those who are confessed believers in Jesus Christ), you’ve likely heard at least one person say, “Marriage is ministry.” When you hear it, maybe you think little or nothing of it. Perhaps you’ve even brushed it off as simply a cliché. But when we look beyond the surface of the world’s view and definition of marriage and into the depths of how it is denoted to Scripture, we’ll find that the phrase carries more validity than we may have first considered.

To understand this, we must start with a clear picture and clarity of ministry. When done according to the Word of God, ministry is a form of worship—a manner of servitude as well as a way in which to amplify God. Boosting God was clearly King David’s definition of worship. In Psalm 34:3 he says, “O magnify the LORD with me and let us exalt His name together.”

From that, we can deduce that worship is the act of magnifying God. By far, it’s the description that best embodies what it means to worship the Lord. It’s like holding up a spiritual magnifying glass that broadens our vision of Him while also amplifying His image to a world that often chooses not to see or recognize Him. And just like every other facet of worship, marriage should attract couples closer to God while also enlarging the world’s view of Him. Everything we do can (and should) be an act of glorifying God, from our character to how we speak and interact with others to how we give and how we live. Worship is our reaction, both personal and corporately, to God for who He is, and what He has done; expressed in and by the things we say and the words we speak.

In the New International Version of Matthew 5:13-16, the Word of God says, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

We live in a twisted society where we are encouraged—even by others who profess Christianity—to keep the light of God hidden. This seems to be especially true when it comes to romantic relationships, whether we’re in the dating phase or already under covenant. Those that we interact with will often stress to us how important it is to keep our happiness to ourselves. Don’t talk about it to others, they’ll say. Don’t blast it on social media. Keep it to yourself, they’ll advise, or else someone will see your joy and do what they can to destroy it.

We, as a so-called Christian nation, encourage the hiding of love and harmony, but we have absolutely no apprehensions when it comes to blasting things that spread hatred and discord. Before you challenge us on that, look at the Facebook timelines of many of your Christian friends and see how regularly they post things that fan the flames of political, racial and social dissension and how seldom, in comparison, that they post messages that magnify God and His divine agenda.

Many times, those who press us to keep our joy a secret will call it “using wisdom,” when in fact, what it really is, is a cunning tool of satan to keep the message of Jesus Christ and His love hidden from the world at large. As we often stress when teaching couples through Royalty Relationship Coaching, the relationship between a husband and wife is intended to be the earthly display of God’s love for mankind (Ephesians 5:25). Atrocities such as infidelity and abuse should never be named among married couples. Christ was never unfaithful to us nor did He ever mishandle us. God is love (1 John 4:8), and those who are married and allow God to be the head of their union should have the most loving marriages of all. And yes, if the devil can convince us to keep that covered and tucked away, surely he will.

Everything we do is a reflection of the God (or god—small “g”) we serve. That’s right. Our actions are a collective indication of both who we are and WHOSE we are. They are displayed images of who is being magnified in and through us. Covenant brothers and sisters, how each of us treats marriage denotes our own beliefs of God. Our worship on Sunday is in vain if our lives Monday through Saturday look just like the rest of the world’s and does not mirror the worship that we displayed. For our marriages to be an act of worship, our motivation has to transform from being self-centered to Christ-centered. We must make some changes to become “living sacrifices” to Him and demonstrate that through our marriage.

One might be tempted to ask, what does marriage have to do with worship?

Hebrews 12:28 reads, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’” This appeal to worship is not speaking about worship in the narrow sense of worshiping God only when we gather together in His name; rather, this influence should govern all of life.

Marriage really is an area that has to be ministered to in our lives. It is indeed ministry. Marriage and family are large parts of that life expectancy; therefore the abovementioned command is that we honor and worship God in our family lives as well. For couples under covenant, that includes our marriage. The Bible tells us that God ordained marriage, and because God ordained it, He also honors it. That being the case, worship, on our part, must be out of respect and reverence to the one who authored and authorized all that exists within the institution of marriage.

The man and the woman were created after the very image and likeness of God; therefore, worship is hardwired into our spiritual DNA. We should honor marriage and family because they, alone, are the introductory divine means by which God chose to introduce Himself to the world. Without the marriage establishment between the first man and woman (Adam and Eve), there would be no family, no church, no state, no nation, no population. The earth would be void of human life, as we know it today.

Marriage is to be honored, because it exemplifies the most glorious relationship possible—the supernatural union that exists between Christ and His church. This amazing, everlasting closeness and relationship with Christ, the Head of the church from whom we receive all good things, is symbolized by marriage.

Marriage, when it is approached the way God intended, is such an amazing and extraordinary institution!

Although modern society sometimes diminishes marriage and even portrays it as undesirable and despicable, that doesn’t negate its awesomeness. Thus sin-infested world encourages and even glorifies adultery, fornication, lesbianism, homosexuality and almost every other form of sexual indiscretion known to man, but regardless of God’s plan and His Word does not change. It remains the same, and it remains true. Marriage is to be honored (Hebrews 3:4).

Because marriage is ordained by God and is to be honored, it is vitally important to understand that we should seek God for His will as we move toward marriage. We should never make this decision based solely upon our five senses (sight, hearing, feeling, taste, and touch). These fleshly radars can fool us.

Marriage is worship. Marriage is ministry. What message is yours preaching to the world?

Drs. Michael & Kendra Holmes are the senior pastors of Deliverance Revival Church in Houston County, the founders of Royalty Relationship Coaching, LLC, the authors of the 31-day devotional, “Cross-Fire: Igniting Passionate, Purposeful, and Powerful Relationships,” and guest hosts of the television talk show, “The Marriage Circle Connection.” W.A.R. is an acronym for “We Are Royalty,” the official slogan of Royalty Relationship Coaching, LLC. Visit the website at www.RoyaltyRelationshipCoaching.com.

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