How do we know that when our children grow up and leave home, that they will be loyal to God?  How do we know that when they face the giants of life and experience struggles, temptations, and suffering, that they will put their confidence in God? How do we know that they will not forget the works of God and that they will obey Him in spite of their circumstances?

Psalm 78:7 says that the answer to these kinds of questions is the main goal of parenting. That when our kids leave home, “That they should put their confidence in God; And not forget the works of God; But keep His commandments.”

Pastor Bill’s message on "Arrows in the Hand of Warrior" is a must listen for every parent.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers in the 19th Century, said, “When home is ruled according to God’s Word, angels might be asked to stay with us and they would not find themselves out of their element.”

It could be added to that, “Where Christ is Lord in the home, angels might be asked to stay with us and they would find themselves right at home.”

Both of  these statements are the result of a Spirit-Filled marriage. The secret of harmony and unity in the home is the fullness of the Spirit. It is power from within not pressure from without that holds the home together. And the fullness of the Spirit is how a home becomes a godly home of influence for the Kingdom of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When I love my wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, I serve her and minister to her a servant of Jesus Christ. When my wife respects me as her husband, she ministers to me as servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The first thing required of every wife, required of every husband, is a servant’s heart toward one’s mate; to be submissive to one another in the fear of Christ, to minister to one another as Christ would minister to your mate if He were physically present in the home.

Husband, God gave you your wife so that you might be a minister of Jesus Christ to her.

Wife, God you your husband so that you might be a minister of Jesus Christ to him.

The Apostle Paul’s teaching on marriage creates a head-on collision with the beliefs and practices of our culture. A congressman once argued, “We need to get past the medieval ancient concept of marriage between a man a woman.” Much misunderstanding concerning marriage occurs today because we fail to understand the great mystery of marriage that Paul reveals in Ephesians chapter 5.

 The “great mystery,” as Paul calls it, is that marriage was designed by God to be a living illustration of the relationship between Jesus Christ and His Church. The question if not what same-sex marriages and unions say about our culture and society, but the question is, “What do same-sex unions communicate about the relationship of Jesus Christ to His Church?” That is why we don’t mess with the institution of marriage because in doing so, we miscommunicate and profane the spiritual reality. It takes what is holy and makes it unholy.