Fellowship: Marital Issue (1)

The past few days the Lord has been burdening me to pray specifically for some brothers whom the Lord was pleased to use me for their salvation. With one of them, I had a fellowship over the phone last Lord’s day night and prayed together.

Today, I received a surprise call from the same brother requesting for a time of fellowship. My innate reply was on the affirmative and promptly told him that we could fellowship right away. So the fellowship began.

Confession

First, my brother frankly opened up about his situation and the failure he had recently. Then, he requested me to talk to his wife as they both needed an urgent and an impromptu fellowship, to which I readily agreed. I patiently listened to whatever the sister had to say as she even broke down desperately and cried out for help as she did not know what to do and was insecure of her future due to the painful discovery of what her husband had done just confessed. I simply turned to the Lord as I listened and prayed for the Lord’s speaking through my fellowship with both of them.

Marriage is of the Lord

Marriage is of the Lord and unto the Lord

I began with the truth concerning their marriage life that it is from the Lord. There is no question of any separation or divorce for whatever reason. Officially, legally, and biblically, they are married and they are indeed made and meant for each other and that they are one. The church had witnessed it and I myself witnessed their marriage as I attended their marriage meeting. I firmly confirmed and strengthened the fact that they are married and that they should stay married unto eternity. Any thought of "breaking" this God ordained union is of the devil and must be completely rejected. And I made a very strong statement to both of them that their marriage is of the Lord and it will remain so, no matter what. 

Live by the Spirit 

I expounded to them that since man is of three parts, it is possible to live in any one of the parts as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1 and 2; soulish, fleshly, or spiritual. 

“But a soulish man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he is not able to know them because they are discerned spiritually. But the spiritual man discerns all things, but he himself is discerned by no one.” (1 Corinthians 2:14-15, RecVer)

“And I, brothers, was not able to speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to fleshy, as to infants in Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:1, RecVer)

When one is in the spirit, the world, Satan, sin, and the flesh are overcomed. 1 John 3:9; 5: 4. 

“Everyone who has been begotten of God does not practice sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been begotten of God.” (1 John 3:9, RecVer)

“For everything that has been begotten of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory which has overcome the world — our faith.” (1 John 5:4, RecVer)

Otherwise, the works of the flesh will be the result of not living by the spirit. So the only solution in not falling into the hands of Satan is to live and walk by the Spirit as in Galatians 5:16, 24. 

“But I say, Walk by the Spirit and you shall by no means fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16, RecVer)

“But they who are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and its lusts.” (Galatians 5:24, RecVer)

For this, human cooperation of putting the practices of the flesh to death is a necessary step one has to take as in Romans 8:13.

“For if you live according to the flesh, you must die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13, RecVer)

The Blood of Jesus

In case one falls into sin, though we should not, the Lord has given us the best provision, not an excuse for repeated sinning, the blood of Jesus that can cleanse us from every sin as in 1 John 1:7 with a condition that if we confess our sins as 1 John 1: 9.

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin.” (1 John 1:7, RecVer)

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, RecVer)

Prayer 

I requested that we all pray together one by one, starting from the brother, then the sister, and finally me. The brother confessed before the Lord, his sins with tears. The sisters also confessed her desperateness in prayer with tears and asked the Lord for grace and guidance. Then, I prayed for the Lord to cleanse us from all sins and unrighteousness, for His covering grace, and for the forgiveness of one another and that their marriage be preserved and be blessed by the Lord.

Oneness

“I beseech you therefore, I, the prisoner in the Lord, to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, bearing one another in love,” (Ephesians 4:1-2, RecVer)

I expounded Ephesians 4:1-3 on the prerequisite to keep the oneness and that they should, on their part, keep the oneness even as they trust the Lord to preserve them in oneness. I also gave my testimony of prayers with my wife for us to be one with the Lord and one with one another, love the Lord and love one another.

Exercise

Satan attacks the married believers couples in at least three major points: sex, money, and self. Therefore, to overcome these attacks I encouraged them to exercise to have morning revival together every morning, pray together, spend personal time with the Lord every day, and read the Bible every day. And to also fellowship and meet with the saints as much as possible with those who gathers together in oneness for the Lord’s testimony where there is mutuality and multi-directional fellowship for the building up of the Body of Christ. Besides, I also encouraged them to have a timely family planning which will strengthen their marital union and lead them into new and higher responsibility and commitment towards one another.

After all these fellowship, I prayed for the couple to be preserved by the Lord in oneness and that they would even be a part of His testimony, and become pillars of the church.

After the fellowship, my heart was fully filled with burden, praying for them and a couple of other couples who have similar marital issues.

May the hand of the  Lord follow up on all the points of fellowship, cover the couple from the attack of the enemy, and bless the couple for His testimony!