Around the world, wedding ceremonies occur in various locations, from church buildings to local parks. In this post-pandemic time, destination weddings are still popular, and couples choose to invite their guests to a favorite locale, be it tropical or in view of a snow-capped mountain.

You bet. Biblically sanctioned.

Christian wedding customs have varied throughout history and largely depend on the culture where the ceremony occurs. Time-honored U.S.

The celebrations have grown to include groom’s and couples’ showers to honor and equip the man and woman for married life. The wedding ceremony begins with music selected by the couple and is timed according to the arrival of the guests.

A clergyman or other officiate settles in the front center, facing the assembled guests, and the groom stands and faces the spectators in front of the clergyman and to his left (spectators’ right). Once the groom is in place, his groomsmen accompany the bridesmaids to the front of the sanctuary and separate at the front — the men go to the groom’s side and the bridesmaids go to the left, all facing the sanctuary.

The usual progression is the father gives his daughter to the groom by placing her right hand in the groom’s. The officiating minister then performs the ceremony, thereby marrying the couple and then presents them to the assemblage as, Mr.

__________. A reception held after the wedding gives family and friends an informal way to honor and celebrate with the newly married couple.

As expected, the weddings mentioned in the Bible were Jewish, and without explicit details, we can glean the following: The father of the groom chose the bride for his son.

The groom would make all preparations for the wedding day, and upon his father’s approval, the wedding feast day (which lasted up to seven days) commenced when the groom went for his bride and brought her back to the house he had prepared for them. Herein lies the crux of the matter.

Because God instituted marriage, it must conform to His guidelines and purposes. As such, a Christian couple is to:

Make sure they are equally yoked (2 Corinthians 6:14). Both the man and woman are to be true Christians, that is, people who have surrendered to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior according to the Gospel.

Meet and pray with their pastor for marriage counseling so there is a greater understanding of what a Christian marriage entails. Once their pastor approves based on what the Bible says, they can then move forward.

Secure a marriage license from the authorities God has placed over us for our protection (Romans 13:1). In the sight of God and men, a man and a woman are joined in holy matrimony.

Arrange for a date and a venue for the wedding ceremony to be performed by their pastor (or another Christian officiate). And be very discerning to make sure the pastor provides a biblical wedding ceremony.

Whether the couple has their wedding in a church or somewhere else, the important factor is meeting all the criteria listed in the four points above. In marriage and in all of life, we are to honor the Lord (1 Corinthians 10:31).

When a woman marries the man God has chosen for her, she is obeying the Lord in her submission to her husband as the spiritual head of their household, and each should honor the other as they love the Lord first (see Ephesians 5). We are the church, so true believers always get married “in” the church no matter the location of the ceremony (assuming a Christian couple would not choose a questionable site).

The sacred setting lends itself to the solemnity of the couple’s vows as they make their covenant to each other before the Lord. But to reiterate, it’s the hearts of the couple that matters as they come before God to pledge their love and loyalty until death separates them.

Amen.”. While our thoughts are on weddings and spouses, let’s look at what the Bible says will happen when we are in glory.

The Lord Jesus answers this question about marriage in heaven: “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage.

“But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage. for neither can they die anymore, for they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection” (Luke 20:35-36).

The number of people in heaven will not increase or decrease – it will remain the same. Believers will be married to Christ and have even deeper relationships than we have ever experienced on the earth.”.

“’Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. to her it has been granted to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure’ – for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

A wedding is a beautiful affirmation of a Christian couple’s covenant to each other before the Lord. It should be a joyous event for everyone involved, no matter where the wedding ceremony takes place.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Rawpixel.

She writes fiction and nonfiction. In addition to writing for the Salem Web Network, Lisa serves as a Word Weavers’ mentor and is part of a critique group.

Lisa and her husband, Stephen, a pastor, live in a small Ohio village with their crazy cat, Lewis.

I once officiated a wedding in a beautiful barn.

After the ceremony, I realized that high at the top of the barn, behind where I was standing, was a tiny window. A pigeon was trapped on the inside of the barn and was sitting on the window sill, repeatedly smacking its head on the window trying to get out.

Too often wedding days are full of pomp and circumstance, but marriages feel like a pigeon banging its head on a window. In Scripture, we see that marriage is always supposed to be a representation of the vulnerability, intimacy, love, commitment, and oneness of God.

Marriage represents the coming together of two people as one.

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and isunited to his wife, and they become one flesh. (Genesis 2|24).

Jesus is so united with the Church that he is considered the “head” and we are the “body.”. In the Old Testament, God explained His covenant with Israel as a marriage vow.

In the New Testament, holiness is connected to marriage covenants.

Husbands and wives are to love each other selflessly, an example of the love of Christ for his Church. In this way, as husbands and wives grow in selfless love for each other, they are becoming sanctified.

Genesis 1|27-28 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them. male and female he created them.God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number.

Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”. First, God created Adam in His own image.

But it wasn’t long before Adam got lonely. Genesis 2|18-23 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.

Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them.

So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky, and all the wild animals. But for Adam, no suitable helper was found.

and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”. That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

He also made her in His own image to be a partner with Adam. Because she was taken from Adam, the uniting of husband and wife is symbolic of the two humans becoming one flesh again.

In Matthew 19|4-5, when Jesus is questioned about the law on divorce, he responds by reinforcing God’s institution of marriage by quoting Genesis 1|27 and 2|24.

He then adds, “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”.

” Jesus says the reason Moses allowed divorce was because of hardened hearts, not because it was God’s will for marriage.

Jesus later talks about how it is better to remain single than to make a marriage commitment you aren’t able to keep for life.

Through sharing genuine concern for one another, respect, and honor, husband and wife relationships are intended to be examples of deep and committed friendships at their core. Ephesians 5 puts some great language around this and summarizes Paul’s regular instruction to husbands and wives within the church.

Like friends, the marriage relationship is designed to strengthen each other’s relationship with God through mutual submission, and selfless care for the other’s needs. It is a relationship of deep love.

Many people have 1 Corinthians 13 read at their weddings because it defines love. But if you think about the 1 Corinthians 13 definition of love it represents any deep friendship as much as it speaks specifically to marriage:Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

Love never fails. After Jesus discusses the marriage covenant and why divorce laws are an indication of hardened hearts, his disciples say: “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”.

For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”.

Paul also seems to affirm this teaching. In 1 Corinthians 7|1 he writes: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”.

But each of you has your own gift from God. one has this gift, another has that.

(1 Corinthians 7|7-8). It is clear that Paul gives room for singleness to be a calling.

I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord.

An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit.

I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in the right way in undivided devotion to the Lord. The Bible teaches that God designed sex to be enjoyed within the context of a marriage covenant.

Within the marriage covenant, the New Testament writers seem to indicate sex leads to a more complete understanding of holiness, as it gives us insight into the deeper heart of God through intimacy, pleasure, and trust.

In Acts 15, the question came up about what Gentiles must do to be included in the church. It was a given that they needed to place their faith in Christ alone and be baptized.

19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood.

Because the overall governing ethic of the New Testament church was then based on Paul’s teachings on “sexual immorality,” here are some scriptures that speak to what Paul taught.

that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God. (1 Thessalonians 4|3-5).

All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God.

you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery. (Galatians 5).

(Colossians 3). In addition, it is unclear who wrote Hebrews, but important to mention this verse:4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

Editor’s Note: Pastor Roger Barrier’s “Ask Roger” column regularly appears at Preach It, Teach It. Every week at Crosswalk, Dr.

Email him your questions at [email protected]. Dear Roger,.

He lives in the country with little to no communication with others, other than a small number of work companions and his parents. He has never been married.

He tells me he loves me and wants us to be together forever. He says we have a commitment under God to each other.

It is another man made law where the government can get money from you. I have researched this as best I can and actually have not found that I won’t go to heaven if we do not have a marriage license.

I do know fornication will keep me from heaven, but as he states, we are committed and a marriage is a commitment, not a “piece of paper”. Will God keep me from heaven if I do not have this license.

Confused Bride-to-Be. Dear Confused,.

Why would a license be needed.

When was the first wedding.

After every act of creation, God declared that it was “good.” But when God saw Adam, he said it was “not good” for him to be alone, and God made a helper perfectly fit for Adam. “Who gave this woman to be married to this man.

Adam and Eve became “one flesh” and bore children. God must be the center of your union.

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”.

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. God has established the authorities that exist.

The United States provides valuable benefits and protections for couples obtaining an official marriage license. (See the list at the end of this article.).

Abraham took great care to obtain a godly woman for his son Isaac. God answered Abraham’s prayer by “cattle-watering.” The patriarch’s servant presented a dowry to young Rebekah, and an agreement was made between families.

Boaz received permission to marry Ruth by approaching the elders at the city gate. Instead of a license, he used a sandal.

Jesus first miracle was performed at the wedding at Cana. He would not have attended such an event if He did not approve of what was occurring.

Also, Deuteronomy 24:1-4 is one of many examples where Jewish law required a certificate of divorce to dissolve a marriage. The fact that a divorce certificate was needed indicates that a Jewish marriage was a binding relationship under the law.

Just as a wedding ring reminds a husband and wife of the vows they made to love, honor and cherish each other, a license is a binding document of the covenant made between a man and woman.

If God is convicting you to get a marriage license, then do not violate your conscience. It will impair your relationship to God and to your potential mate.

Now, as promised, here is a list of benefits and protections for couples that choose to become legally married in the United States: A legal document probably won’t change how whether or not you “feel married.” You value what God values when your heart is changed, and this only occurs when you place your trust in God so you are in agreement with Him.

I hope this helps.

Roger Barrier retired as senior teaching pastor from Casas Church in Tucson, Arizona. In addition to being an author and sought-after conference speaker, Roger has mentored or taught thousands of pastors, missionaries, and Christian leaders worldwide.

The value of including new generations is deeply ingrained throughout Casas to help the church move strongly right through the twenty-first century and beyond. Dr.

His popular book, Listening to the Voice of God, published by Bethany House, is in its second printing and is available in Thai and Portuguese. His latest work is, Got Guts.

Pray the Prayer God Guarantees to Answer, from Xulon Press. Roger can be found blogging at Preach It, Teach It, the pastoral teaching site founded with his wife, Dr.

Photo courtesy: Pexels.com.

Just as every couple’s story is unique, so is each couple’s big day—especially when it comes to the wedding ceremony order. Typically, all that’s required of couples who want to wed from a legal standpoint is a completed state-issued marriage license, an exchange of vows, a verbal agreement to enter a marriage contract and a proclamation that the couple is legally wed.

Not sure where to start. Below, we’ve rounded up a variety of wedding ceremony outlines with advice from experts to use as a foundation for the order of events for your own nuptials.

The phrases “traditional wedding ceremony” and “non-religious wedding ceremony” are used interchangeably because neither involve any religious traditions or adheres to a religious structure. This secular ceremony is legally binding and, depending on what the couple wants, comes in many different forms.

During this part of the wedding ceremony, your immediate family, wedding party and, finally, you and your partner walk down the aisle.

Typically, the groomsmen stand behind the groom, and bridesmaids stand behind the bride, but recently some couples have been switching it up. Instead, the bridesmaids stand behind the groom and the groomsmen stand behind the bride.

Another way some couples are straying from tradition is by choosing to walk down the aisle together instead of separately. This method acts as a symbol of the couple continuing, not starting, their love journey together.

This part of the wedding ceremony order is also called the invocation. Once everyone has settled into their place at the altar, the officiant will welcome everyone to the wedding ceremony and thank guests for being present as witnesses.

Wedding readings are texts that you and your partner feel represent your relationship. The readings can be from poems, spiritual texts or even your favorite movie.

Additionally, if you’re planning to include a unity ceremony, such as a sand ceremony or handfasting, that ceremony element can take place at this point in the service. Now it’s time to say, “I do.

Once that is addressed, you can exchange vows. You can deliver your vows publicly or privately if you want more intimacy.

After the declaration of intent and vow exchange, you and your partner exchange rings. The officiant gives each of you the other’s wedding ring.

Now you and your partner are officially married. The officiant will pronounce you and your partner as newlyweds and say you can finally have your first kiss as a married couple.

Generally, the recessional follows the reverse order of the processional, which means the couple leads the way and the officiant is the last to leave. The officiant may exit down the center of the aisle or exit to the side after giving closing remarks and offering instructions to the wedding guests.

Some religions have similar structures while others have strict rules that must be abided by or else the wedding isn’t official. To help ease your mind and make you feel more prepared, we’ve compiled everything you need to know about these religions’ wedding ceremony outlines.

There’s definitely a specific script that most Christian denominations adhere to for the wedding ceremony order of events, but there’s some room for flexibility depending on the denomination. With that said, there’s certainly a basic wedding program template you can follow for a typical Christian ceremony.

After the processional, the officiant welcomes the guests and makes their remarks. Then there are the wedding readings and vow exchange.

Once the couple has their wedding rings on, the officiant pronounces them newlyweds, and they are encouraged to share their first kiss as a married couple. Finally, there is the recessional, which is in the reverse order of the processional.

Check out these fully detailed wedding ceremony program templates below: Baptist Wedding Ceremony Order.

Episcopal Wedding Ceremony Order. Greek Orthodox Wedding Ceremony Order.

Methodist Wedding Ceremony Order. Presbyterian Wedding Ceremony Order.

Before the processional can commence, the couple has to complete two important Jewish rituals, the signing of the ketubah and the bedeken. A ketubah is a marriage contract that the couple signs in front of two appointed witnesses, that aren’t blood-related, before the ceremony.

This ritual comes from the story of Jacob in the Bible, who was deceived into marrying his intended’s sister because she was so heavily veiled.

It’s important to note that for Jewish wedding ceremonies that have both a bride and groom, there’s traditionally a different altar set up than most ceremonies since the groom and his party stand on the left while the bride and her party stand on the right. Next, the bride and groom make their way under the chuppah, a canopy representing love, home and support from loved ones.

(Modern Jewish couples have changed the tradition to the bride and groom circling one another three times and then making a circle together to show equity between them.) The next step is the betrothal blessing, where the rabbi blesses a cup of wine and the couple drinks from the cup. The couple then exchanges rings while the rabbi reads from the ketubah.

The groom then stomps on a glass in a cloth bag, some think this tradition represents the fragility of human relationships, and everyone shouts “mazel tov,” which means congratulations.

Usually, the ceremony is performed in a mosque and officiated by a religious leader, also known as an Imam.

Instead, all the women usually sit around the bride while all the men sit around the groom. Throughout the Nikah ceremony, the bride and groom aren’t allowed to see each other.

The mahr is a ceremonial presentation of cash, gifts or other offerings to the bride from the groom. Once the gifts are exchanged, the Ijab-e-Qubool ritual starts with the Imam asking the bride “Qubool Hai” three times.

My topic for this chapter is “Marriage lived for the glory of God.” The decisive word in that topic is the word “for.” “Marriage lived for the glory of God.” The topic is not: “The glory of God for the living of marriage.” And not: “Marriage lived by the glory of God.” But: “Marriage lived for the glory of God.”.

There is an order of ultimacy. And the order is plain: God is ultimate and marriage is not.

marriage is less important — far less important, infinitely less important. Marriage exists to magnify the truth and worth and beauty and greatness of God.

Until this order is vivid and valued — until it is seen and savored — marriage will not be experienced as a revelation of God’s glory but as a rival of God’s glory. I take my topic, “Marriage lived for the glory of God,” to be an answer to the question: Why marriage.

Why does marriage exist. Why do we live in marriages.

Why do you exist. Why does sex exist.

Why do animals and plants and oceans and mountains and atoms and galaxies exist. The answer to all these questions, including the one about marriage is: All of them exist to and for the glory of God.

Not the way a microscope magnifies, but the way a telescope magnifies. Microscopes magnify by making tiny things look bigger than they are.

Microscopes move the appearance of size away from reality. Telescopes move the appearance of size toward reality.

God is unimaginably great and infinitely valuable and unsurpassed in beauty. “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3, ESV).

God cries out through the prophet Isaiah (43:6–7, ESV), “Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory” (emphasis added). We have been created to display the glory of God.

To him be glory forever. Amen” (11:36, ESV, emphasis added).

all things were created through him and for him” (emphasis added).

No, the term “for his glory” and “for him” means, “for the display of his glory,” or “for the showing of his glory,” or “for the magnifying of his glory.”. We need to let this sink in.

The universe is his creation. It is not coeternal with God.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

All things were made through him” (John 1:1, 3, ESV). All things.

So once there was only God. Therefore God is absolute Reality.

The universe is not. Marriage is not.

The universe is of secondary importance, not primary. The human race is not the ultimate reality, nor the ultimate value, nor the ultimate measuring rod of what is good or what is true or what is beautiful.

God is the one ultimate absolute in existence. Everything else is from him and through him and for him.

If we get this wrong, everything goes wrong. And if we get it right — really right, in our heads and in our hearts — then marriage will be transformed by it.

This leads to a very simple conclusion — so simple and yet so far reaching. If we want to see marriage have the place in the world and in the church that it is supposed to have — that is, if we want marriage to glorify the truth and worth and beauty and greatness of God — we must teach and preach less about marriage and more about God.

Most young people today do not bring to their courtship and marriage a great vision of God — who he is, what he is like, how he acts. In the world there is almost no vision of God.

He is simply and breathtakingly omitted. And in the church the view of God that young couples bring to their relationship is so small instead of huge, and so marginal instead of central, and so vague instead of clear, and so impotent instead of all-determining, and so uninspiring instead of ravishing, that when they marry, the thought of living marriage to the glory of God is without meaning and without content.

What would the “glory of God” mean to a young wife or husband who gives almost no time and no thought to knowing the glory of God, or the glory of Jesus Christ, His divine Son.

How are people going to live their lives so that their marriages display the truth and worth and beauty and greatness of this glory, when they devote almost no energy or time to knowing and cherishing this glory.

That’s our assessment of the need. Until there is a passion for the supremacy and the glory of God in the hearts of married people, marriage will not be lived for the glory of God.

And there will not be a passion for the supremacy and the glory of God in the hearts of married people until God himself, in his manifold glories, is known. And he will not be known in his manifold glories until pastors and teachers speak of him tirelessly and constantly and deeply and biblically and faithfully and distinctly and thoroughly and passionately.

So I say again, if we want marriage to glorify the truth and worth and beauty and greatness of God, we must teach and preach less about marriage and more about God. Not that we preach too much on marriage, but that we preach too little on God.

He is not the sun around which all the planets of our daily lives are held in orbit and find their proper, God-appointed place. He is more like the moon, which waxes and wanes, and you can go for nights and never think about Him.

For most of our people, God is marginal and a hundred good things usurp his place. To think that their marriages could be lived for his glory by teaching on the dynamics of relationships, when the glory of God is so peripheral, is like expecting the human eye to glorify the stars when we don’t stare at the night sky and have never bought a telescope.

It’s true in marriage, as in every other relationship: God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Here is a key that unlocks a thousand doors.

Ephesians 5:22–25 makes plain that husbands take their cues of leadership and love from Christ, and wives take their cues of submission and love from the devotion of the church for whom he died. And both of those complementary acts of love — to lead, and to submit — are unsustainable for the glory of God without a superior satisfaction in all that God is for us in Christ.

There are two levels at which the glory of God may shine forth from a Christian marriage:. One is at the structural level when both spouses fulfill the roles God intended for them — the man as leader like Christ, the wife as advocate and follower of that leadership.

But there is another deeper, more foundational level where the glory of God must shine if these roles are to be sustained as God designed. The power and impulse to carry through the self-denial and daily, monthly, yearly dying that will be required in loving an imperfect wife and loving an imperfect husband must come from a hope-giving, soul-sustaining, superior satisfaction in God.

Marriage will be preserved for the glory of God and shaped for the glory of God when the glory of God is more precious to us than marriage. When we can say with the apostle Paul (in Philippians 3:8), “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing.

The details of wedding sermons depend a lot on the religious beliefs of the couple and that of the officiant. It is also a bit dependent on the type of wedding being held.

Is it secular unconventional, non-denominational, religious or unreligious.

Either way, if you are designated to officiate a wedding and you need ideas for wedding sermons, so here are a few we have been able to dig up from wedding ceremony scripts for your reference.

Wedding ceremony sermons are usually handled by the minister/officiant of the wedding. This entails either a religious or perhaps even non-religious speech on marriage and an exhortation of the couple to take marriage seriously and love each other throughout their time together.

While there are different types of wedding sermons, a lot loosely follow a standard outline. Here we have one which you can adjust or edit to create your own.

martailardo_photos via Instagram. There are different types of wedding sermons, and when writing a wedding ceremony, it is usually guided by the type of wedding taking place.

Thus, below we have samples of different types of wedding ceremony sermons to help you with ideas.

Short wedding sermons are great for a couple who want everything brief and straight to the point. So, if you find yourself officiating such a wedding, here is a sample, which might be useful.

We are gathered here today to celebrate one of life’s greatest moments, the joining of two hearts and to give recognition to the worth and beauty of love, and to add our best wishes to the words which shall unite this couple in marriage. Should there be anyone who has caused why this couple should not be united in marriage, Shush.

Who gives this Woman/Man today to be married (optional). Today we have come together to witness the joining of these two lives.

They met each other, fell in love, and are finalizing it with their wedding. A good marriage must be created.

It’s remembering to say I love you every day and it is not just marrying the right person it’s being the right partner. Vows.

I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I, GROOM/BRIDE take you GROOM/BRIDE to be my husband/wife, my partner in life and my one true love.

I Do’s. GROOM/BRIDE do you take GROOM/BRIDE to be your HUSBAND/WIFE.

(“I do”). GROOM/BRIDE do you take GROOM/BRIDE to be your HUSBAND/WIFE.

(“I do”). Rings.

GROOM/BRIDE, This ring is my sacred gift, with my promise that I will always love you, cherish you and honor you all the days of my life. And with this ring, I thee wed.

And with this ring, I thee wed. Closing.

You may kiss your GROOM/BRIDE. I present to you our happy couple.

Some wedding sermons are incomplete without anecdotes or comic relief to lighten the mood. For the very chill and playful couple, this type of sermon would not be amiss, so this sample below might just do.

We are gathered here today to celebrate one of life’s greatest moments, the joining of two hearts. In this ceremony today we will witness the joining GROOM/BRIDE and GROOM/BRIDE in marriage.

For them, out of the routine of ordinary life, the extraordinary has happened. They met each other, fell in love and are finalizing it with their wedding today.

But today is also a celebration for the rest of us, for it is a pleasure for us to see love in bloom, and to participate in the union of two people so delightfully suited to one another. And to have a couple of cocktails in the process.

Words of Wisdom. A good marriage must be created.

It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say, ”I love you” at least once a day.

It is standing together and facing the world. It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.

It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.

VOWS (face each other and hold hands)(repeat after me). I, GROOM/BRIDE take you GROOM/BRIDE to be my husband/wife, my partner in life and my one true love.

I will trust you and honor you. I will laugh with you and cry with you.

Through the best and the worst,. Through the difficult and the easy.

As I have given you my hand to hold. So I give you my life to keep.

I will cherish. our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever.

I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully.

Through the difficult and the easy. Whatever may come I will always be there.

So I give you my life to keep. GROOM/BRIDE AND GROOM/BRIDE I would ask that you always treat yourself and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together today.

When frustration and difficulty assail your marriage – as they do to every relationship at one time or another – focus on what still seems right between you, not only the part that seems wrong. This way, when clouds of trouble hide the sun in your lives and you lose sight of it for a moment, you can remember that the sun is still there.

I Do’s. GROOM/BRIDE do you take GROOM/BRIDE to be your awful wedded Husband/Wife.

Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him/her, and be faithful to him/her. (“I do”).

(“I do”). And Do you promise to love him/her even when he/she is cranky(“I do”).

(“I do”). Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him/her, and be faithful to him/her.

Do you Promise not to whine at him/her when he/she forgets to take out the trash or pick up his clothes from the floor. (“I do”).

(“I do”). Ring Exchange (who has the rings) (repeat after me).

The wedding ring, The Engagement ring, and the suffering. We hope the latter can be held to a minimum.

And with this ring, I take you as my Husband/Wife, for as long as we both shall live. I GROOM/BRIDE, take thee GROOM/BRIDE, to be my Husband/Wife.

And with this ring, I take you as my Husband/Wife, for as long as we both shall live. Closing Comments.

This is the core of your marriage and why you are here today. It will take trust, to know, that in your hearts, you truly want what is best for each other.

It will take faith, to go forward together, without knowing exactly what the future brings. And it will take commitment, to hold true to the journey you both have pledged to today.

The Kiss. You may kiss your HUSBAND/WIFE.

If you’re trying to write a creative wedding sermon, then the standard sermon goes out the window. Your last thoughts would be order and what comes first at a wedding.

Below we have a sample for a medieval wedding sermon. Opening.

Marriage is an incredible journey ordained by God. Keeping Him at the center of your marriage is important, and that’s why these Bible verses about love, wives, and marriage are crucial to hold dear in your heart.

Check out our list, which is sorted by topic — Bible verses about being a good wife, Bible verses about marriage, and Bible verses about love. WANT MORE INSPIRATION AND ENCOURAGEMENT.

The Bible has a lot to say when it comes to being a good wife. In fact, it provides numerous tips that can act as a guide for wives.

“Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.”.

This is an essential ingredient to a successful union. “To be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.”.

This Bible verse about wives and marriage encourages people to think deeper about the roles and responsibility that accompany love and marriage. “In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.”.

This verse is speaking about the roles and responsibilities of wives, but could be applied to husbands as well. DOWNLOAD TODAY: THE FREE PURE FLIX HOPELESS ROMANTIC MOVIE GUIDE.

This Bible verse about marriage reveals the reality that a man leaves his family and joins his wife to become “one flesh.” It underscores the importance of forging a loving union with a spouse. Watch Now: “Indivisible.” The extraordinary true story of Army Chaplain Darren Turner and his wife Heather.

One marriage, one family, under God. “Indivisible” is exclusively available on Pure Flix, this movie about love and marriage will be sure to inspire you today.

Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.”. The Bible calls on older women to be examples to younger women when it comes to love, marriage and motherhood.

Read Also: What’s the Meaning and History Behind the Lord’s Prayer.

The Bible speaks about wives submitting to their husbands and about husbands respecting and loving their wives. There’s an explainer here.

Bible verses about marriage reveal that men should love their wives as themselves — a call that points out the deep respect with which husbands should treat their spouses. Watch Now: “Break Every Chain.” A police officer’s battle with alcoholism, depression, and devastating loss.

Watch “Break Every Chain” and more movies about love and marriage by becoming a Pure Flix member today.

For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

This is a concept that is repeatedly dealt with throughout the biblical text. LOOKING FOR HOPE.

“He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.”. Bible verses about wives tell us the importance of marriage and the blessing that a wife can be for a man.

“Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.”. Similar to Proverbs 18, this verse about wives reminds us that a prudent wife comes from the Lord.

Here are some excellent Bible verses about marriage to keep your love strong. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number. fill the earth and subdue it.

Bible verses about marriage reveal that God created men and women in His image. “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.”. Bible verses about wives and husbands tell us the importance of marital unions.

Watch only on Pure Flix: “Heaven Sent.” Elise, a grandmother hurt by her past, and Patrick, a widowed pastor, have closed the door on love. But with faith and a little help from technology, will their live-streamed romance find a way.

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”. Husbands and wives are called to love one another and treat one another well.

Read Also: 5 Tips for Learning How to ‘Pray Without Ceasing’.

Marriage is an institution God created — one that unites men and women together as “one flesh.” This verse speaks to the importance of the union. “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.

Bible verses about wives and husbands encourage us to consider the power that can come from a partnership — one that can be found in marriage. “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”.

Bible verses about wives and husbands emphasize the importance of the marriage union. Husbands and wives must remember the importance of love — an emotion that can help people overcome fear, frustration and the struggles that can come from relationships.

Watch Now: “Love Is On The Air.” Shock Jock Adam Smasher is on the fast track to fame and fortune, until his deal of a lifetime falls through, his car breaks down, and he is stranded in the middle of nowhere. He turns to small-town radio host Eve Cassidy and her show “Heart Smart” as he tries to reinvent himself.

Watch “Love Is On The Air” and watch other movies about love by becoming a Pure Flix member today. “There is no fear in love.

The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” – 1 John 4:18. “Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-5. “Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm.

It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love.

If one were to give all the wealth of one’s house for love, it would be utterly scorned.” – Song of Solomon 8:6-7. “Be completely humble and gentle.

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” – Ephesians 4:2-3. “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” – Colossians 3:14.

“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” – 1 Corinthians 13:2. “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you. bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” – 1 Peter 4:8. For more ways to build your marriage and live in love, check out this free Romantic Movie Guide.

With each passing year, more and more people claim that marriage is “archaic” and “old school.” Marriage rates across America have drastically dropped since I was a child, and divorce rates have risen. Statistics show that marriage is getting pushed off to later in life or pushed off indefinitely, and many are wondering, “are there really any benefits of marriage.

“, especially for the Christian life.

From the beginning of humanity, God saw that it was not good for man to stay single. Genesis 2:18 says, “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone.

Adam was alone with God in a perfect garden. No sin.

No thoughts about how will God provide, do we have enough money, what will happen in the future. Adam was alone with God forever.

God said, “It is not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). According to God, this union between man and woman was a gift and for us to be with God together.

God is our ultimate source of help, and yet he is the one who claimed that man needed another human helper. God knows that there is a massive physical, emotional, financial, mental, and spiritual benefit to having two humans mutually dedicated to one another.

Look what Solomon, the wisest man ever to live, says about this. Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). Think about it practically.

Help us pay the bills, get groceries, cook meals, do laundry, mow the lawn, care for the house, fix cars, etc. When we are single, we have to figure out how to do everything alone.

As a result, we can get twice as much done in half the time. If we fall emotionally or mentally, we have someone present who can help us process, listen to us, tell us what is true in our thoughts and hearts, or what may be a lie we believe.

We have to all admit, we need a helper, and the greatest helper in our life is our spouse. Throughout Scripture, God calls himself our husband (Isaiah 54:5).

When we are selfless and serve our spouse, it points to how Jesus served us. As we forgive our spouse, we remember he forgave us.

The truth is that every aspect of married life points to our union with Christ. Marriage, daily, preaches the gospel to us and all of those watching us.

When Paul gives us instructions on being married, he always points it back to Christ. Watch how many times he compares marriage to our relationship with Jesus.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.

One of the most significant benefits of marriage is that it makes us more like Christ. Is there any greater benefit than that.

Should Christians Really Give Up All Their Possessions.

When it is dull, he holds it up to another piece of metal and presses them against each other. Sparks fly as the metal grinds against metal, and rough edges chip off (Proverbs 27:17).

A sharp blade ready for battle. Marriage will sharpen us like nothing else.

We can put on a face at work or the coffee shop, but when we are tired, at home, and the day is done, the side of us that we are trying to hide will come out. The same goes for how we spend our time, finances, and every other detail of our life.

All of these sides of us that are rough around the edges will get exposed, and our spouse will be right there to rub against us, keep us accountable and chip them off. Sparks may fly, fights may happen, pain may occur, but if we both have hearts to grow and submit to the Lord’s hand, He will sharpen and sanctify us into who He wants us to be.

Many churches, though, haven’t responded well to it. Instead of showing God’s heart for sex, we have shamed it, acting as though it is from the devil.

The Apostle Paul even declares that marriage is the answer to sexual immorality and urges married couples to have sex to escape sexual temptation from Satan (1 Corinthians 7:2–5). That does not sound like a God who thinks sex is wrong.

The answer is marriage. Marriage is the only way to fulfill our sex drive in a godly manner.

But within marriage, sex is a beautiful gift from God to bring union, connection, healing, trust, and so much more between our spouse and us. What a benefit and gift from God.

There are many more benefits to marriage in the Christian life, like starting a family, reflecting righteousness, finding deep healing, and much more. I encourage you to study the Bible and ask other married believers to discover other benefits found within marriage.

For further reading: What Is God’s Created Design for Marriage.

What Is the Biblical Definition of Marriage.

What Is the Biblical View of Submission.

Taylor Jensen is a missionary, pastor, and world traveler. His passion is to help equip believers with practical ways to ignite their faith and bring Jesus into the world around them.

Want to Learn How to Hear God’s Voice. Subscribe here to get his Free Ebook “8 Biblical Ways to Hear God’s Voice.” Reach out to him any time through his blog or through his social media accounts @taylorcjensen.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Salem Web Network and Salem Media Group. WATCH: 10 Sins Christians Downplay (and Why They’re So Destructive).

Stock Footage & Music Courtesy of Soundstripe.com Thumbnail by Getty Images. READ: 10 Sins That Often Go Overlooked in Christian Community.

“God created man in His own image..male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply.

Marriage is a basic social institution that has been around for as far back as we have historical records—either in secular sources or in the Bible—although it has taken different forms at different times and in different cultures. The Bible goes on to say that after God created Eve “He brought her to the man.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:22-24). This account of the very first marriage highlights the fundamental characteristic of a godly marriage—a husband and wife become “one flesh.” Obviously, they remain two individuals, but in God’s ideal for marriage the two become one—in purpose.

They work together to build a strong, godly family and raise their children to be good, godly people. It’s important to note that God initiated this very first marriage in Eden.

And His union of Adam and Eve illustrates God’s ideal for marriage—one man and one woman joined together in a life-long commitment to each other, working together to form strong, godly families. Obviously, human beings haven’t always followed that ideal, but God’s way is still the best way.

The Bible has a lot to say about marriage, so let’s make a “Top Ten List” of the most important Bible texts about marriage—and then look at each one more closely. 1) Mark 10:6-9 = God instituted marriage and gives it His blessing.

Hebrews 13:4). 2) Genesis 2:18 = God created humans with an innate need and desire for the close bond that marriage provides.

3) Genesis 2:23, 24 = Husband and wife become “one” in the marriage bond. (See also Matthew 19:5, 6).

(See also Proverbs 5:18). 5) Ephesians 5:28, 33 = Husbands and wives are to love and respect each other.

(See also Deuteronomy 7:3, 4. Genesis 24:3, 4).

(See also Leviticus 18:20). 8) Matthew 5:32 = Adultery is the only biblically acceptable reason for divorce.

(See also Isaiah 54:5. Ephesians 5:25).

“Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled” (Hebrews 13:4). We have already seen that God performed the very first wedding at the end of Creation week and blessed the new couple (Genesis 1:27, 28).

This is important, because it tells us that marriage is a good thing. It is one of the blessings that God has given us from the very beginning.

Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate” (Mark 10:6-9). “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone.

After each of the six days of Creation week, God reviewed what He had made and saw that it was “good.” But there was one thing in Eden that very first week that was not good. All the animals God had created, came in pairs—a male and a female.

That is when God created Eve and performed the very first marriage (Genesis 2:21-24). God made men and women to complement each other—physically, mentally, and socially.

That’s why the Bible says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord” (Proverbs 18:22). “He [God] brought her [Eve] to the man.

she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:23, 24). Have you ever noticed how couples who have been happily married for many years often seem to blend together on so many levels.

They can finish each other’s sentences. They have so much history together that they almost feel like the other is an extension of themselves.

“Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your.

life” (Ecclesiastes 9:9). There is a reason the traditional marriage vow includes the phrase “till death do you part.” Marriage, as God intended it, is a commitment for life—during good times and bad.

Let each one of you.

so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Ephesians 5:28, 33). Without mutual love and respect on the part of husbands and wives, a marriage cannot last.

Look for the positive qualities in your spouse, and nurture that respect and love that first drew you together.

For what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness. ” (2 Corinthians 6:14).

Marriage doesn’t extinguish individuality. But if there is a broad divide in religious beliefs or other important issues, it will be much more difficult to achieve the oneness that God envisions for an ideal marriage.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife” (Exodus 20:17). “You shall not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife, to defile yourself with her” (Leviticus 18:20).

There is a great lack of sexual restraint in society today, but it would be infinitely greater without the divine mandates restricting sexual activity to marriage and the social constraints that try to do the same. Sexual infidelity is devastating to a marriage—even for those who have little or no religious beliefs.

This grows out of the principle stated above—that sexual faithfulness in marriage is vital. Jesus’ statement is a difficult one.

Jesus doesn’t offer any exceptions or alternatives. But it is not easy to know how to apply it in the dysfunctional world we live in today.

“As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you” (Isaiah 62:5). Throughout the Bible, God presents Himself as the husband of His people.

Marriage is the closest, most intimate relationship we can experience here on earth, and God uses it to illustrate the intimate relationship He wants to have with you and me.

For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts in her” (Proverbs 31:10).

Proverbs 31 has been called a description of “The Ideal Wife.” And it’s true that the chapter, as written, focuses on the wife. But in reality the ideal qualities given in this chapter apply equally to a husband as well as to a wife.

Here is a list of characteristics based on Proverbs 31. Look up the verses and see for yourself how they are described.

One of the ways the Bible teaches us is by stories and examples (1 Corinthians 10:11). And in the area of marriage, the Bible gives us examples of good marriages and bad ones.

You’ll find it in the short, Old Testament book of Ruth. It’s only four chapters.

Ruth and Boaz lived in a very different time and culture than we do today, so some of the details may seem strange to you. But the principles of a good marriage are timeless.

It’s told in chapters 14, 15, and 16 of the book of Judges. Look for the reasons this marriage was doomed from the beginning.

Notice particularly the tragic ending. We can learn a lot from the examples of others—good and bad.

It says that marriage is a blessing given to us by God to make our lives richer and more fulfilling. It says that a good marriage not only draws us closer to our spouse, it can draw us closer to God.

The wedding ceremony script is an outline for what will be said and by who during the ceremony. Once you have an outline and decide on how the ceremony will be structured you can start to assign specific readings, vows, and other elements you would like to have.

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If you’re not comfortable speaking in front of a large group, work with your officiant to write the vows in a way that your answers can be short, but still reflect your own thoughts and feelings. However as personal, as you want to make them you still need to include two things in your vows, a declaration of intent (I want to marry this person) and a pronouncement (that you are married.) Steps:

If the bride and groom are of the same faith, or of different faiths but want to honor their beliefs with a religious ceremony, they will follow the customs of those faiths. Each faith has different traditions and those guidelines will help the couple incorporate them into the ceremony.

maktographymk via Instagram. Marriage is considered a sacrament in the Catholic Church so the ceremony traditionally includes a full Mass and communion and can last about an hour.

While a Catholic ceremony follows many of the same rituals of any wedding, it includes scripture readings and a sermon by the priest. You can personalize the ceremony by asking family members or friends to perform the readings or participate in other aspects of the service.

Everyone present rises as the entrance song comes on. The ministers, priests, and servers go in first, followed by the wedding party.

The vested priests and servers may choose to greet the bridal party at the door, then they all proceed. Or the presiding officiates will go in first, but the priest always leads the procession.

The priest will greet the assembly and the audience will respond. Opening prayer.

He offers prayers for the couple, after which they all sit for the liturgy of the word. Liturgy of the word.

And when the reading is over, the lector will say…. “The Word of the Lord,” and the assembly responds, “Thanks be to God.”.

And at the end of it, the lector repeats…. “The Word of the Lord,” and the assembly responds, “Thanks be to God.”.

Everyone sits and the priest or deacon offers a homily taken from the scripture reading. Using the text, the priest talks about the sacredness of Christian marriage and the dignity of conjugal love.

Celebration of matrimony. The couple flanked by witnesses come to the altar.

Dearly beloved, you have come together into the house of the Church so that in the presence of the Church’s minister and the community your intention to enter into Marriage may be strengthened by the Lord with a sacred seal. If both parties are Christian: Christ abundantly blesses the love that binds you.

And so, in the presence of the Church, I ask you to state your intentions. Address and statement of intentions.

This will border on their freedom of choice, fidelity, and acceptance of bringing up children (if necessary). (Name) and (Name), have you come here to enter into Marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly.

The groom and bride each say: I have. Are you prepared, as you follow the path of Marriage, to love and honor each other for as long as you both shall live.

The groom and bride each say: I am. Exchange of consent.

And if you’re writing your own vows, you’d have to prepare a wedding ceremony script with vows. The groom says:

I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life. The bride says:

I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life. Blessing and giving of rings.

The groom places the ring on the bride’s finger first and she goes next. Both of them will say this vow….

The prayer. The priest and the audience sing or say the Lord’s Prayer in unison.

The priest asks the couple to kneel as he prays over them and also says a solemn blessing all that gathered. Dismissal.

Recessional. The ceremony is at an end.

This is accompanied by music.

maktographymk via Instagram. With many different denominations of the Christain faith practices in the United States, there are many variations in the traditions of the marriage ceremony.

There are many places where a couple can make the ceremony more personal, they can suggest specific biblical readings as well as secular poems and have friends and family read the selected passages. Welcome and introduction.

Marriage is a gift from God, given to us so that we might experience the joys of unconditional love with a lifelong partner. God designed marriage to be an intimate relationship between a man and a woman.

A reading from the Bible is also quite prominent in the Christian wedding ceremony. A passage from Corinthians isn’t mandatory.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.1 Corinthians:13.

Again, the is similar to the traditional declaration of intent wedding script, but has the addition of including the father and/or mother of the bride as the ones who are willingly passing the union of the family on to the new husband: Who gives (Name) to be married to (Name).

Sharing Of Vows. Wedding vows have been updated over the past few centuries.

The vows had a fairly pronounced emphasis on the “obey” side of “love and obey”. Today wedding vows have a focus on love and commitment.

/ This is my solemn vow. Ring Exchange.

Over time, a ring became an overwhelming item of choice. Why.

just like a healthy the love you have for your future husband or wife. May I have the token of Groom’s/Bride’s love for (Name).

/ With this ring, I thee wed. Prayers and Blessings.

Since marriage is the strongest sacrament of the faith it’s customary to ask God to protect it: Lord, You guided them to each other, now guide them in this new journey as husband and wife.

This we pray in Your name. Amen.

The officiant will quickly review the steps you’ve taken, and ask you to seal your contract with a kiss: (Name) and (Name), since you have consented together in holy matrimony, and have pledged yourselves to each other by your solemn vows and by the giving of rings, and have declared your commitment of love before God and these witnesses, I now pronounce you husband and wife in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

There are many details that make a wedding ceremony special: the music, the decor, the venue itself. Another element that makes a huge impact is the person who performs the ceremony.

For instance, can a notary marry someone or perhaps a ship captain. And more specifically, can a friend or family member serve as the officiant.

Read to learn more about the specifics of who officiate a wedding, including who can marry you outside of a house of worship. In this article:

Orsella. “In all cases, it is always best to confirm qualifications with both the state and local jurisdictions where the ceremony will take place to ensure someone can legally marry a couple.” Keep reading for more specifics on who can officiate a wedding.

A licensed minister can perform weddings. “Some states require proof of licensing and, in some cases, even registering with the town clerk where the wedding is taking place,” Hughes notes.

And if you’re wondering: can an ordained minister marry someone in any state. The answer is also yes.

“Whether the officiant’s ordination is religious or civil through an online accredited program, the local town jurisdiction has the final say on whether or not they can legally perform a ceremony in the state where the wedding is taking place,” Hughes says.

However, there are some caveats as to whether a justice of the peace can marry you anywhere. “In many states, residency is required in order to legally marry a couple,” Hughes says.

Checking with the local town clerk where the wedding will take place is always the best resource to confirm any questions.”. According to Hughes, some states allow a notary to add wedding officiant to their credentials.

So if you’re looking to have a notary officiate your wedding, she recommends checking your state laws and the local jurisdiction of where the ceremony to take place to ensure the notary can legally perform the ceremony. So can a ship captain marry you.

Similarly, Hughes says a chaplain can legally marry a couple, but only if they are ordained or licensed ministers or have credentials as a justice of the peace, magistrate, or judge. Nope.

You can, of course, also opt to hire a professional officiant to marry you. Pro tip: The Knot Vendor Marketplace is an excellent resource for finding vendors.

However, there are some things to keep in mind. “Whether the officiant’s ordination is religious or civil through an online accredited program, the state and local town jurisdiction has the final say on whether or not they can legally perform a ceremony in the state where the wedding is taking place,” Hughes says.

So can anyone marry a couple. And more specifically, can anyone get ordained, such as a friend or family member.

However, Hughes says they must have all the state and local officiating requirements before the wedding ceremony.

Getting ordained to perform a wedding is the most common route when having a friend officiate your wedding. To do so, Hughes says they can use online ordination options to sign up to become legally eligible to perform marriages.

“The legal requirements to officiate a wedding are always available on the state and local town clerk’s websites for where the ceremony will take place,” she says. “It is important to research where the ceremony will take place and not the residence of the couple or the officiant.”.

First and foremost, ensure you research the requirements to officiate a wedding, including the logistics of getting a marriage license. “Both you and your family/friend are new to the wedding ceremony process.

“Additionally, it is the legal responsibility of the wedding officiant to return the marriage license in the envelope provided by the town hall within the days specified by their laws.”. Whoever you choose to officiate your wedding must be comfortable speaking in front of an audience.

For this reason, she recommends asking them to rehearse the ceremony at least three months in advance to avoid reading a script word for word. Also, she suggests having them at the rehearsal to ensure they feel comfortable in the ceremony space before the big day.

“Too often, couples fall for the ‘the officiant just stands there and talks’ description and that couldn’t be further from the truth,” she says. “Be sure you provide them with all of your wedding ceremony expectations, including readings, vows, prayers, music, etc.

Does God pick your spouse for you.

In all my teenage thoughts of romance and marriage, nothing seemed better. Spending a lifetime pursuing God with the woman He wanted me to be with for life.

I firmly believed that the best romance and marriage is the one that God builds, not me. You’ve probably heard Christians talk about how you should “wait for the spouse God has for you” or “seek God’s will” in your love life.

This is often because (1) Christians want to obey God’s will in their lives or (2) believe that God knows the best possible match for them. However, 1 Corinthians 7 paints a different picture.

It might seem odd to us that God would want us to make such big decisions rather than yield them to Him. Understanding why God gives us the choice becomes easier when we look through the lens of the following three reasons:

Maybe you’ve heard the saying that you shouldn’t take a robot to the prom because she doesn’t really love you. It means that anyone who’s forced to love you doesn’t really love you.

If it were God’s will for us to marry a particular person, refusing would be disobedience. We would have to marry that person in order to obey God.

That would eliminate the opportunity to love freely and genuinely. But God wants us to love freely and genuinely.

That freedom gives us space in which to love. Finding the right match is a popular idea in modern America.

But this is a backward way of thinking. Even the best of matches will experience conflict eventually, and even the best of matches can be ruined if conflict isn’t handled well.

Even worse, we bring God into it. Some Christians want God to pick their spouse because they think He, with His infinite knowledge, knows who the absolute best match is.

But God wants us to love rather than put our stock in matching. Matching is certainly important, but a more poorly matched couple that loves will do better than a well-matched couple that doesn’t love.

Regardless of how good a match we marry, God is present, teaching encouraging us to love selflessly. God didn’t have to choose us.

He was free to reject us. He loved us anyway, because God is love.

He’s inviting us to become more like Him, loving our spouse with the same constant selflessness with which He loves us. When we imagine marrying someone God has picked for us, we often imagine a divinely blissful marriage marked by much joy and little trouble.

He calls us to live out the limitless love that is constant even when everything is falling apart. It’s the love that says, “I love you.

I’m never leaving you, come hell or high water.” God is calling us to love our spouse the way He loves us. Often, we want God to choose our spouse for us because that seems safer or easier than choosing to love someone without knowing how difficult or painful that will be.

He’s called us to love Him and love others. One big way that happens is in freely choosing to commit to someone in marriage.

Like any good father, God will always give us guidance and counsel in making a wise choice of a spouse. But God doesn’t want to control our love lives.

In doing so, we take the same adventure of love that He took when He chose to commit to loving us.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download. You can win your husband without a word to avoid being a nagging wife (1 Peter 3:1-2).

For the wife can win over the husband by being righteous. Read or listen to this chapter from Your Marriage God’s Way to learn more.

I am praying God uses the book and workbook to strengthen marriages and exalt Christ. Through my ministry Living God’s Way, I put on marriage conferences across the country.

They almost always ask me questions that are difficult to answer, and oftentimes they hope that I can help fix a problem they’ve been experiencing for years in a five-minute answer. For example, a wife will ask, “My husband won’t lead our family spiritually.

” If a woman married an unspiritual man, what are the chances that I can tell her something that will encourage him to be spiritual.

What am I supposed to do. ” If a man married a rude and obnoxious woman, how can I tell him, in a brief conversation, how to have a gentle, respectful woman.

These kinds of dilemmas typically take hours of counseling to resolve. There is one question I get asked at almost every conference, and ironically, it’s one of the easiest to answer: “Should I submit to my spiritually immature or unbelieving husband.

Because the answer is spelled out in Scripture: “Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear” (1 Peter 3:1-2). These verses are directed to wives and once again deal with submission—but with a new twist.

But is a spiritually mature wife expected to submit to a spiritually immature husband. According to 1 Peter 3:1-2, submission is called for not only to a spiritually immature husband, but also to a spiritually bankrupt husband—or more specifically, an unbeliever.

Each human author of the Bible has a recognized style of writing. When Peter mentioned husbands who “do not obey the word,” we know that he was referring to unbelieving husbands because he used similar terminology for non- Christians elsewhere.

While obedience is not what saves us, Scripture makes it clear that believers should be obedient. In 1 Peter 2:8, he similarly described unbelievers as “being disobedient to the word.” Because Peter used “obedience” to refer to believers and “disobedient” to refer to unbelievers, we can know that when he wrote about men who “do not obey the word,” he was referring to unbelieving husbands.

He may be kind, affectionate, and hold to a high moral standard. However, if he has not taken the first step of obedience—that is, the obedience of faith, which leads to salvation in Christ—then he is properly identified as disobedient.

Because God’s Word commands wives to submit to unsaved husbands, how much more willing should wives be to submit to spiritually immature believing husbands. A Christian husband might not be as spiritually mature as his wife longs for, but at least she can be thankful that he is indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

Through a wife’s example of godly submission, her husband may be won to faith in Jesus. In a parallel passage found in 1 Corinthians 7:13-16, Paul explains why a believing wife is called to submit to her unbelieving spouse rather than leave him to find a spouse more compatible with her spiritual commitment:

For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband. otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.

a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.

Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife.

First, a believing spouse is called to remain in marriage to an unbeliever. “Sanctified” means “set apart” or “holy.” By staying married, the believing spouse can have a spiritual influence on the unbelieving spouse, who is “set apart” due to constant exposure to the believing spouse’s faith.

Logically, we understand that one of the best ways for unbelievers to come to salvation is through relationships with believers. An unbeliever could have no more intimate relationship with a believer than through marriage.

The alternative breaks up the home, possibly leaving the children in the custody of the unbelieving parent. In 1 Corinthians 7:13-16, this issue is directed primarily at the believing wife—perhaps because at the time Paul was writing, husbands had sole legal possession of any children born within a marriage.

As Paul concluded, a believer staying in the marriage may provide just the influence necessary to bring an unbelieving spouse or child to faith. It is not guaranteed, though, for Paul wrote, “How do you know….

The second matter Paul addressed was that of an unbelieving spouse choosing to leave the believing spouse. While believers are instructed to stay in the marriage and be an influence to win their spouse to faith, they can’t force an unbelieving spouse to remain.

Notice what Paul’s instruction is based on: “God has called us to peace.” If the conversion of one spouse to Christianity has become the source of continued conflict, then the believing spouse should not quarrel over the unbelieving spouse’s departure. This would be antithetical to the Christian’s calling to peace.

It is more important to be true to the Christian testimony of peace than to attempt to keep an unbeliever in a marriage by force or argumentation. This elevates the Christian faith above even an unstable marriage.

This brings us to an important point: Paul’s permission for Christians to allow an unbelieving spouse to “depart” should not be interpreted as permission to divorce. As we already discussed in connection with abuse, a separated spouse is commanded to remain single while seeking reconciliation: “If [a wife] does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband.

see also Romans 7:2). The principle is that even when separated from an unbelieving or sinful spouse, a believer may still be an influence for change and repentance through faithfulness to the unsaved person.

I will be the first to acknowledge that marriage can be difficult enough for two people who are already believers—and much more so for believers married to unbelievers. But how tragic it is—and disobedient to God’s Word—for Christians to divorce an unbelieving spouse when that believer constitutes the unbeliever’s greatest chance to be drawn to faith.

I don’t doubt what they say, but in my mind I am thinking: Yes, this sounds terrible, but the worse you make the person sound, the more obvious it is just how much your spouse needs Christ. And that person needs to be exposed to Christ through you.

Let’s take a closer look at two important contrasting points in 1 Peter 3:1: “[Husbands], without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives.” Wives are told. In Genesis 3:16, God told Eve, “Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” This verse reveals two struggles husbands and wives face because of the fall.

This often manifests itself as nagging, which we find described in Proverbs: Not only is the tendency to nag ongoing, but as Proverbs 27:15-16 confirms, it’s virtually impossible to stop.

Can a married couple have oral sex. Is it a sin to have oral sex.

As a biblical counselor who often talks with couples who are preparing for marriage, have just been married, or are struggling in marriage, oral sex is a common topic. Similar to anal sex, Christians over time have handled this issue in various ways.

all other oral sex is sinful. Furthermore, today, as throughout the rest of the series, I am answering issues that often flow out of conversations with counselees in counseling.

I appreciate what John Piper said in regard to this issue: “Questions relating to sexual intimacy should, I think, be handled with what you might call verbal modesty, rather than shocking or crass words. I think dressing and talking in immodest ways are both ways.

These are real concerns. I am okay with this question.

People want biblical guidance, and so here is my effort at biblical wisdom.”. Today we focus on “What does the Bible teach about oral sex.

Oral sex as a term or a specific practice does not appear nor is it described explicitly in the Bible. The Bible is silent as it relates to oral sex.

Without question, Song of Solomon is a love story between Solomon and his bride which celebrates their love together. I reject any allegorical interpretation of the Song as a love story between Christ and the Church.

Any serious Bible expositor must exercise extreme caution when dealing with this text. The metaphors are used in total to describe the beautiful love and sexual relationship that flows out of that love between Solomon and his bride.

John MacArthur describes the Song this way: “Of course.

There is no exegetical way to decide what the various jewels, flowers, scents, oils, and other sensual pleasures named in the poem represented in the author’s mind. He purposely leaves them vague.

rather they are general emblems of beauty and desire. Solomon uses the symbolism instead of saying anything explicit—which (by definition) makes these metaphors euphemistic, too.

Song of Solomon is deliberately veiled in poetic euphemisms that are beautiful by any measure. Some of the imagery is fairly obvious, some highly debatable.

This is a vital point: The style of communication between these two lovers beautifully conceals all but the most essential meaning of their love songs in a way that guards the deeply personal (and divinely intended) privacy of the marriage bed. ….

It is a perfect description of the wonderful, tender, intimate discovery that God designed to take place between a young man and his bride in a place of secrecy. We are not told in vivid terms what all the metaphors mean, because the beauty of marital passion is in the eye of the beholder—where it should stay.”.

4:16. 5:1.

Again, care must be taken as to whether or not these verses apply to oral sex. At best, they are used in a veiled way to discuss it.

First, the text does not prescribe oral sex in any stretch of the imagination. Some pastors such as Mark Driscoll have inaccurately suggested this.

Therefore, at best, this emphasizes oral sex as private between a husband and his wife. In the previous blog, I developed six questions to consider related to sexual activity in marriage.

They provide us guidance as we answer this question (some of the responses are similar to the previous blog). What makes a particular act sinful.

Is oral sex sinful. No, but it possibly could be depending upon answers three through six.

I would love to hear from you. Please Click Here.

In preparation for the next blog on sex, you can consider this question, “What does the Bible say about masturbation. ” Talk with you then.

Part 2: What is the Ultimate Purpose of Sex.

Part 4: What are the benefits of good sex.

Part 6: How can you understand the struggle of a man’s desire for sex in marriage.

Part 8: Wife, are you cheating your husband.

Part 10: What Does the Bible Teach about Sex. Sex in Marriage is Pure and Holy.

Part 12: What is a Christian Allowed to Do in Sex. What is Permissible.

Part 13: What does the Bible teach about anal sex.

Watch a classic black-and-white movie, and you pretty much know how it’s going to end. In an old-fashioned Western, the white-hatted hero will ride into the sunset.

The monster won’t survive to the credits (until the next sequel comes out, that is). And if it’s a romance, you’re bound to hear wedding bells — a Hollywood-made happy ending.

But today, in real life, wedding bells aren’t ringing all too often.

According to a Pew Research Center study, the number of “never married adults” is at a historic high. In fact, single people outnumber married people in the U.S.

The study cites several reasons.

These statistics raise a couple of logical questions: “Is marriage a dying institution. And do we still need it.

A young man at a marriage conference where Erin and I were speaking once asked me, “Why get married. I love my girlfriend and I’m committed to her.

Why do we need a couple of expensive rings and a piece of paper to prove our love. ”.

It’s a good question. And to answer it, we need to start with the apostle Paul.

When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he had a lot to say about marriage. “ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is profound,” he wrote in Ephesians 5:31-32.

And he’s right. The commitment we make when we enter into a marriage — when we become “one flesh”— is indeed profound and mysterious.

In God’s eyes, marriage is much more than a formal declaration of love and commitment between two people. Here are nine reasons to get married, although there are undoubtedly others:.

Why do great civilizations collapse. What happened to Carthage, Egypt, Greece, Rome and other ancient superpowers.

“History shows that the strength of any nation depends upon the strength of its families,” writes Gerald Flurry in The Trumpet. “Family is the rock-solid foundation on which a country’s superstructure is erected.”.

Families provide built-in support systems, financial security and health benefits for people. They ensure children are educated and communities thrive.

“The family is the first and vital cell of society,” Pope John Paul II once said. “As the family goes, so goes the nation, and so goes the whole world in which we live.”.

Those families begin with a husband and wife, and their union welds society together. Creating a stronger world for your kids to live in is a pretty good reason to get married.

During a traditional wedding ceremony, the man and woman make this vow: “I take you to be my wedded wife/husband, and I do promise and covenant, before God and these witnesses, to be your loving and faithful husband/wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death.”.

When you get married, you’re making a lifelong promise to God and each other. You don’t do this if you’re cohabitating.

But God certainly does. Take a look at Matthew 19:4-6:.

He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’. So they are no longer two but one flesh.

God is involved in a marriage, which is what makes it a sacred agreement that’s supposed to last a lifetime. This is just one of the reasons marriage and living together are vastly different.

Compared to singles, married people tend to be happier, healthier, safer and wealthier. They enjoy certain tax deductions, have better health insurance coverage and statistically have the most satisfying sex on the planet.

According to federal law, there are 1,138 benefits, rights and protections provided on the basis of marital status. As romantic as a good tax break sounds, these advantages would never inspire someone to get down on bended knee and beseech their beloved to spend a lifetime together.

But I did know that the marriage would benefit me. I wanted to experience life with my best friend.

The anticipation of experiencing these and many other wonderful things for the rest of our lives is why I married my wife. Who wouldn’t want that.

Married parents tend to provide a safer and healthier home environment for their kids. On average, children in these families:

And did you know that the way your kids see you treat your spouse is how they will treat their own spouse someday. A son learns how to be a husband and how women should treat him by seeing how his parents interact.

So if you love and respect each other, your children will want to do the same in their marriage. Your marriage is your child’s blueprint for intimacy and relationships.

When two people make a lifelong commitment before God and to each other, they create a level of safety and security that can’t be replicated in any other human relationship.

When spouses truly trust the vows they made on their wedding day, they’re willing to be naked and unashamed, just as Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:25). They can be completely known by their spouse at the deepest levels: spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically.

I’m not suggesting that every married couple actually reaches this level of intimacy, but the potential is there — and it’s unique to marriage. How’s that for a reason to get married.

The Oxford Dictionary defines synergy as “the cooperation of two or more elements to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.” You could almost define marriage the same way.

Let me repeat what Paul wrote in Ephesians: “The two shall become one flesh. This is mystery is profound …” The profound mystery is how a man and woman, even with all of their differences, can be united as one in marriage.

This “oneness” is a superpower. When a husband and wife are unified, they can accomplish amazing feats together.

Pastor Francis Chan said, “Picture marriage as a vehicle for mission, an opportunity for Christians to carry out our mission to make disciples of all the nations.”.

God wants you to use your superpower, your oneness, to bless others and do extraordinary things for the Kingdom of God. He doesn’t want you to hoard the power He’s given you.

Inwardly focused marriages are not fulfilling. Find a vision for your marriage that you both are passionate about and use your synergy to benefit others.

Is marriage designed to make us “happy” or “holy”. Actually, it makes us both.

That’s why holiness always outweighs happiness. In fact, God’s preeminent goal for your marriage is not your mutual happiness at all — it’s Christlikeness.

emphasis added).

Now, you’ll surely find happiness if you cooperate with God’s purpose for your marriage. But He wants so much more than happiness for you.

He wants impact. He wants your marriage to have significance and spiritual power and a compelling attractiveness that turns people’s heads.

This process isn’t easy. It’s not supposed to be.

This seems so simple. a great marriage is the outcome of becoming Christlike.

That said, to suggest that marriage is only designed to bring spiritual growth through fiery trial is a complete misreading of God’s intent. If marriage points to the final wedding of Christ and His Church, then there must be a sense in which it’s designed to bring joy and bliss.

Genesis 2:18 says, “The LORD God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone. I will make him a helper fit for him.’ ”.

Having lifelong help from the human being who knows us best is a great reason to choose marriage.

Just to be clear, the Bible makes a big distinction between what we should deal with ourselves and when we should seek help. Galatians 6:5 says, “for each will have to bear his own load.” The Greek word for load means “cargo,” a light problem that individuals must carry.

When you are called by God to be a Pastor, you usually have a fairly good idea of your calling. You know what will be the focus on your ministry.

but that is all part of your calling. You are a servant of God who ministers to those you are to shepherd, as an instrument of the Lord.

“We are all familiar with the idea that we are Christ’s body on earth —His hands, His feet. It is through us that He reaches out to the world.

That’s why seeing your marriage as ministry may require an intentional shift of perspective.” (From the book, “Because I Said Forever”). Your marriage is not something that you can give less priority and attention to it, in light of your ministry to your church family.

1 Timothy 3:1). It’s a noble desire.

But, with this desire comes the responsibility to humbly prioritize one’s life in such a way that prevents a subtle disregard for God’s written word. God has not commanded husbands to love seminary.

In this context, your marriage is more important to tend to than even your pastoral ministry outside of your home. That is because you are representing Christ to your bride (just as Christ is the bridegroom to the church, His bride).

“While the marriages of clergy may be qualitatively the same and no more ‘Christian’ than the marriages of other baptized believers in Christ, the pastor’s marriage speaks more profoundly and loudly about the union of Christ with his body and bride, the church. That is because the pastor is in the office of the Holy Ministry.

Yet, according to the Scriptures the pastor’s life—and particularly his marriage —is to be one of exemplary holiness.” (From the article, “Ministry and Marriage in the Scriptures”). When you married, you became covenant partners with your spouse and with God to help address each other’s aloneness.

That is because of the vows you made when you married. God Himself acknowledged from the beginning, “It is not good for man to be alone.“ He said this even though He was walking and fellowshipping with man.

“And the two shall be one.“. That is part of your role in the covenant of marriage.

Problems can arise however, when a pastor forgets or overlooks the importance of the partnership of marriage. It is important to note:

Both are noble callings. and one is not the ‘higher calling.’ Both were instituted by God for the sanctification of his people.

Elder). You made the choice to go into the ministry.

And with that choice, certain “duties and obligations” came with it as well. Your options changed as far as how much time you can devote to the ministry apart from your spouse and keep your relationship healthy and strong.

When you were unmarried, you had the freedom to be “undivided” in the attention you could dedicate to the Lord’s work. But in 1 Corinthians 7, the Apostle Paul warns you is to realize that things change once you marry.

“I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs —how he can please the Lord.

His interests are divided.

Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world —how she can please her husband.

“I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.”. When you marry, your ministry becomes divided between ministering within the home and outside of the home.

But keep in mind that this doesn’t mean that your ministry is lessened. It just means that it is redirected so that not only do you minister outside of your home, but also within it as well.

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

He who loves his wife loves himself. And after all, no one ever hated his own body.

“‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a profound mystery —but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you must love his wife as he loves himself…” (Ephesians 5:25-33).

But it’s also important that you don’t bruise her emotionally. Your spouse should not be any less important than others that you minister to outside of the home.

“Remember that marriage is Gospel ministry. If you do not hold your marriage in high esteem (Hebrews 13:4), you do not truly hold Gospel ministry in high esteem.

Your marriage is where the audit needs to happen. I think this is what Paul is getting at when he asks, ‘For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church‘ (1 Timothy 3:5).

Keep in mind that your marriage is a living example of Christ’s love for the church, both within your home and outside of it. As others observe how you treat your wife, the love of the Lord should be evident.

It’s another evangelistic vehicle that the Lord can use as you avail yourself. To learn a few tips from one pastor to you, we encourage you to read:

Your marriage is another vehicle that God wants to use to draw others to Himself. As Dr Charles Swindoll says,.

And marriage is one of God’s greatest tools for ministry. Let me say that again … marriage is one of God’s greatest tools for ministry.

It’s to build stronger marriages for a purpose —ministry.” (From the Crosswalk.com article, “The Ministry of Marriage“). The purpose is so that when others see how we interact with each other in ways that display the love of God, it could attract them to our lives, our homes, and ultimately to want to know our God better.

“Pastors act out the Gospel as they sacrificially love their wives even as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Likewise, wives of pastors too act out that Gospel as they, in Christian love and devotion, submit to their husbands even as the church submits to her Lord.

The best way to defend our church body from error is to proclaim the Scriptures boldly. It is also to love our wives nobly.

Plus we make it that much harder for the devil to break through our ranks.” (From the article, “Ministry and Marriage in the Scriptures”). Make sure you strengthen your marriage behind closed doors.

How much of a “ministry” do you really have, when you aren’t ministering to the needs of your spouse as well.

He doesn’t need your gifts or your ministry. If He did, why did He create you so late in history.

Many might say things like this, “I’d lose my mind if I had to wait until marriage to have sex.” “How will I ever find the right, compatible person without testing them as a sexual partner first. ” Or, “Nobody in these modern times waits any more – except really weird people.

It is both wise and God-fearing to wait. And, in this article are 10 life giving reasons to wait for sex until after marriage.

He would bend over and begin to touch them to the carpet, to the chairs, and other things on the platform until the duct tape was covered with fuzz. Then, he would do his demonstration – trying to get the two pieces of duct tape to stick together.

Perhaps both of you have had other sexual encounters and you’ve had sex with each other. Now, when you try to bond, that is, really emotionally trust each other, and feel sexually safe with each other, you find it hard because of the baggage you’re carrying into your marriage.

Waiting for sex may make you better able to bond with your husband or wife. There’s no “fuzz” from the past between you that hinders true union.

Jesus once asked as people brought him trick questions about divorce, “Have you never read, ‘a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. ’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh.” (Matthew 19:5 NIV).

They join in a “covenant of marriage.” All others should be outside of this “one flesh” bond. When you bring to marriage old sexual experiences whether spectacular or miserable, they color your marriage.

There’s a very real phenomenon called “soul ties.” Explained simply, you can still be linked to your former partners and unable to fully bond with your spouse. (Like the fuzz on the duct tape.

Waiting to have sex until after marriage doesn’t mean everything regarding sex will come easy. Of course, there are things to learn about your partner and yourself.

On the other hand, you might be blessed to easily add sex into your relationship. But, here’s the thing.

You will have a higher view of what marriage is about and what is at stake in preserving it – your hearts, your mental health, your extended family’s comfort, your children’s well being. And so, those who wait have a tendency to succeed in marriage more than those who’ve had a casual view of sex, living together, changing partners, etc.

It gets reduced to “I shouldn’t have sex with someone else when I’m married,” but everything else is A-Okay. But we can cheat on that person who will ultimately be our marriage partner well before we meet them by “sleeping around,” or even having just one partner that is not them.

He said, “”You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28 NIV). He then went on to say if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out.

He wrapped up those strong words by saying “It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” God takes sexual sin very seriously even if, in our culture, we don’t. In Genesis, we hear that God “created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them.

We were made in His image – both genders, male and female.

God is One but at the same time, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As you read the Bible, you will find passages describing the intense love of the Father for the Son, the Son for the Father, and the Father and Son for the Holy Spirit.

Without going into any more detail, human marriage is supposed to be a mirror of that internal passionate love of God. One of the highest forms of discipleship is a good marriage where love is profoundly expressed between husband and wife.

(Ephesians 5:25) There’s no room for casualness in that.

As a long time pastor, I’ve officiated at weddings for many young couples. Most of them, if not all of them, had already been living together.

But traditional marriage ceremonies, which many couples still use, start out with something called the Declaration of Intentions. And, they go something like this:

Will you love her/him, comfort her/him, honor and keep her/him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her/him as long as you both shall live. ” These are vows made in front of an altar before God.

And if kept by both, you are safe. When people get used to having sex outside of marriage – and for too many this can even be on the first date – the idea of frequently changing partners becomes normalized.

As soon as there are irritations that person may “split.”. Unfortunately both women AND men can be brokenhearted if they have put their whole person into the relationship – including their body and sexuality.

I was just a casual hook-up to him. ” That broken heartedness can last for a while or color relationships/life for an indefinite time.

Foolishly, people think birth control is pretty foolproof, but it is not. Women get pregnant without intending to far too often – with and without birth control.

The formula for success in life goes something like this: Get educated and working. Get married.

The number of children being born into unstable situations is shocking. Fatherless children do not thrive like those in a two parent home.

Wade was passed remains a tragic testimony to what the “free love” movement of the 60s birthed. Abortion is often simply another means of birth control.

When you jump into sharing sex in a relationship too early, it’s quite possible you won’t see all the ways you are not really meant for each other. By sharing the sex before growing in knowing the other person, you may think, “But, we “sleep” together.

Many people have made the mistake of thinking sex = love. Had they waited, they might have seen how differently they think about many things.

I’m going to keep looking.”. The apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.” (2 Corinthians 6:14) He was talking about not being with someone with whom you are spiritually incompatible.

Sex is such a beautiful gift from God. It can bring so much joy, pleasure, playfulness, peace.

Yet marriage, hopefully, will last “as long as you both shall live.” Seeing sex as one part of an over all devoted love and companionship found in marriage makes sense. At any point in a marriage, your spouse might become unable to have sex.

If everything has revolved around it, and nothing deeper is there, you are stranded. A deep, complete love of the other person will carry you through what the actual vows in a wedding service say:

and therefore, I pledge myself to you.”. At one point in our marriage, I went through a terrible time health-wise.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes. A woman I counseled shared with me that she went with her husband and children to the library one day.

As the kids ran off to their respective sections and her husband went off to his, the wife just stood there, paralyzed. For years her choices had been dictated by either the needs of her husband or those of her kids.

Standing in the lobby of an enormous library with thousands of subjects to choose from, she didn’t know which book she wanted to read just for her own enjoyment. Without personal choice and preference, a spouse can feel lost.

I see this at times when I perform wedding ceremonies. Often a portion of the ceremony includes two candles, which are joined together to light a third candle, thus symbolizing the unity of marriage.

Unless there is an intentional protection and respect for each other’s unique identities, purposes, talents, skills, and callings, a couple is prone to fall prey to a marriage that consumes them rather than compels them both to greatness.

Within the boundaries of the marriage relationship, both the husband and wife are to fully pursue their calling under God — utilizing their giftedness to advance the potential of the other in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect, so long as biblical priorities of the unity of the family are not being compromised.

It’s possible that you may not even realize it. When so much of life converges with another human being, it’s easy to lose who you are and to let your own candle blow out.

But the greatest gift you can give your unity is to maintain your individual uniqueness. Because when two strong and sure people come together under the Lord, utilizing their gifts, minds, and spirits according to His plan, a greater kingdom impact will occur.

To do this work well, we need to activate our spiritual monitoring system to give us a good read on our marriage atmosphere. How do we read this gauge of the unity of the Spirit.

In Ephesians 4:2, Paul listed the primary indicators of this unity: humility, gentleness, patience, and tolerance in love. If you want to see how well you are cultivating a spirit of unity in your marriage, take a look at how these four virtues are functioning in your marital relationship.

Here are some key diagnostic questions to ask: I’d like to propose that each of these indicators point toward one primary threat to unity.

So what is this foundational threat to the unity of the Spirit.

Each of the four indicators in the previous list reflects a life that is willing to submit to the reality of God’s work through His Spirit.

This article was adapted from Kingdom Marriage by Dr. Tony Evans.

What is the role of a wife in a Biblical marriage. Why did the Lord create a woman and how did she come about.

This is different from women in the marketplace, school, in business. We are dealing specifically with marriage.

One of the biggest things people fight about in marriages is these unconscious rules that exist, which people bring into a relationship that does not conform to the Scripture. What I did not say is that a wife is a partner to rule over her husband.

In the beginning, our God created distinctions between males and females. Culture today tries to wash and blur the lines.

I do respect the struggle teenagers can encounter called gender dysphoria. A lot of teenagers and adults struggle with their identities.

The Bible teaches us that Christians are transformed by the renewing of their mind. Gender dysphoria is when you don’t feel that you are in your mind the gender your body biologically gave you at birth.

Culture is ready to mutilate body parts that are actually functioning well because of mental confusion. The Scripture says let’s work with our mind, will, and emotions and bring them into God’s kingdom.

The Bible says God blessed them. God blesses your given gender.

God created you and designed you this way. You might say you don’t like it like that but we submit to God.

Being fruitful doesn’t mean tending a garden or growing trees. God literally told husbands and wives to have sex and produce children.

I find it interesting that after God created everything, He created one human being. Makes another human being out of that human being and then commands them to produce more human beings until they fill the earth.

God did not say they should exercise dominion over each other but that husband and wife are partners with each other to have dominion over God’s creation. The earth is not overpopulated.

Children are a gift from God. The culture kills children and discards them but God loves children.

This is not a diminishing role. God created a wife to help her husband because the husband simply needs help.

It is a very serious role. Men need to submit to this God-given role and allow their wives to help them.

The word “helper” in Hebrew is “ezer”, meaning a person who provides needed help and assistance. This word is used 21 times in the Old Testament, and 16 of those times refer to God.

The role of a wife is really the role God took in the Old Testament to help His people.

he has a purpose, and you have no purpose. your only purpose is to help your husband is completely false and not from God.

God has filled you with gifts and abilities to contribute to his success and him as a person. This helps us as husbands to realize that we need help.

It is often difficult for a man to receive help from a woman and a woman to receive help from a man because the areas we need help are in the areas of our differences. Those are the areas we are usually opposite in.

We want to prove that we don’t need help in that area. Our differences are meant to complement each other as spouses, not bring conflict.

However, later on, opposites tend to attack each other because of their differences. There is a process of learning that those differences are not there to separate you but to complement you.

The husband is the head but the wife is the crown, not the neck. Culture says wives are the neck and many women take pride in this.

The Bible does not give wives the role of a neck but of a crown on the head. The Scripture elevates wives higher than the culture does.

Wives, do not stoop down to the culture’s point of view. The word “excellent” or “virtuous” in Hebrew is “ha-yil” which means “valor”.

The wording of the proverb is very strong and it implies that the wife is either a crown or cancer to her husband.

He might not show you but that crushes your husband’s inner being. That is how serious it is.

Eve influenced her husband Adam to bluntly disobey God and he followed her. Abigail influenced David not to commit bloodshed.

She didn’t start blaming him, accusing him or shouting at him. She used wise words from God.

When we do that, we actually partner with the devil to destroy our marriage. How do you go about it if your spouse is unbelieving.

Some of the women this verse was written to had unbelieving husbands who didn’t come to church with them during the early church period.

Peter doesn’t say just anoint the house with extra virgin olive oil. I do not deny that if he is not a Christian, he needs deliverance but how you get him to the point where he will come for deliverance is first, don’t leave your husband because he is not a Christian.

After you have told him about Jesus and your testimony, then with your conduct, you can win your husband.

When he sees his wife transformed after an encounter with Jesus, even if he doesn’t accept it himself, be different and be honoring. When he is wrong, be loving and prayerful.

Not every marriage will be changed by this but I believe more marriages could benefit if we wives will stop being rottenness in the bones and become the crown we are called to be. “It is your job to love your husband.

You might ask how the wife’s conduct can change the husband. The answer is that the primary need of a man is to be honored and respected.

Wives, your weapon to win your husband to the Lord is your conduct. As a wife, you can respect without even saying a word and a husband will feel it.

The reason you honor your husband is not that he is always an honorable man, it is because you are an honorable woman. We must learn to be godly wives and godly women.

Modern culture does not honor submission. Humans are rebellious by nature after the fall.

The Bible doesn’t teach women to submit to men but wives to submit to husbands. This is specifically for the family unit, not in the marketplace.

Often used as a military term meaning to place oneself under the command of a leader. It was presented as something that’s a voluntary attitude of cooperating with and putting trust in an authority figure.

The moment you have to tell your wife to submit to you, you are wrong. It is Christ who commands that submission.

We see this example in the Holy Trinity in that while they are equal to each other, they submit to each other. Jesus submits to the Father and the Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus.

God gives us a chain of command, not to belittle us but to imitate Him. Heaven’s chain of command is from the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit.

From my many years of experience, I can tell you being a pastor’s wife can be a challenging and rewarding role that requires a unique set of qualities. For me, some of the qualities are naturally part of my personality, and others, I’m learning to cultivate day by day.

I’m a work in progress. See, the Holy Spirit works on me – just as He does you – to conform to the image of Christ.

In this post, I’ll explore the top 5 qualities of a pastors wife I think are important or that have been important to me so far. Read this: If you’ve read my blog before, you know I often eliminate the apostrophe from “pastor’s” or “pastors” wife.

Please ignore it, if you can. 🙂.

The most important quality for a pastor’s wife is a solid strong faith and commitment to Jesus.

I often say I have to be the same Christian woman at Walmart that I am on Sunday mornings.

It also means I exercise patience and strive to be the best Christian ambassador possible.

It’s the other days that challenge us.

It also means I spend time with Him when it’s just He and I. Regular prayer and Bible study – are a MUST to grow in the Christian faith and be a committed Jesus-follower.

A pastor’s wife with a strong faith can be a source of inspiration and encouragement to the congregation (and Walmart. ).

You can challenge him like no one else. When your advice is rooted in God’s word, you’re going to be a good pastor’s wife.

For sure, you gotta be connected to the true vine to be a good pastor’s wife. What do you think.

How important are your personal prayer time and Bible study to your walk as a pastor’s wife. This scripture will answer that:.

A Supportive and Encouraging Nature. Don’t you think a pastor’s wife must have a confirming and reassuring nature toward her husband as well as the congregation.

I think it’s true for all Christians.

Still, I think one of the important qualities of a pastor’s wife is being just as patient with your husband as you are with the church members on Sundays.

For me, it means having some long-suffering with him when he offends me. Or assuming the best intentions when he fails me.

After all, our husbands don’t want to fail us or fall short. They don’t wake up with that on their “to-do” list.

Wait, I tell him what he needs to know.

He’s carrying a load I cannot begin to fully comprehend.

Nope, but I try.

Good Communication Skills and the Pastor’s Wife. One of the top qualities of a pastor’s wife on my list is good communication skills.

Know who you are as a Christian and as a woman. Do not shrink away from anyone or any situation to express yourself.

You’re no better than anyone and NO ONE else is any better than you.

The active listening part is hard for me.

So, learning to listen actively has been something I’ve been working on for some time. Here is a great article about being a better listener.

Talk to the people. Even if you’re an introvert.

Flexibility and Adaptability. Oh, fellow pastor’s wife.

It was when I was dating my husband that I learned my plans are not “MY” plans. Listen, as you know, at any given moment, someone can need our husbands and we must let him go.

So that is why I listed among the qualities of a pastors wife flexibility and adaptability.

As a result, in addition to the things I’ve mentioned before, you have to be flexible in other ways.

Being flexible and adaptable means you’ll be able to handle these situations without losing your ever-loving mind.

As I type this, I’m in the hospital watching my 87-year-old mother sleep. My day was not intended to go this way.

I have to just go with it and trust God for the strength I need and trust Him with the outcome. That’s a lot like being a pastor’s wife.

Flexibility and adaptability…yes.

Either way, you need to embody a compassionate and empathetic attitude.

How a crucial quality this is for a pastor’s wife.

That is the only way you can support them. Ask Holy Spirit to help you hear beyond the “I’m doing good” answers to discern how people genuinely are doing.

This requires authentic care for others and the ability to put oneself in their shoes.

The book, “Emotional Intelligence for Dummies” by Steven Stein is an easy-to-read resource on emotional intelligence.

In his article on Inc.com, Justin Bariso, the author of the book called “EQ Applied” goes into detail explaining how we can boost our emotional intelligence. I think we all can benefit from this information regardless of our temperament.

In the article, he gives us 7 best practices we can use to increase our emotional quotient. My favorite is to “use the pause” which simply means to slow down before responding.

I’ve learned I can ascertain so much more from people when I just pause my own “start talking” button and chill. Again, check out the article.

I’ll let you know on Twitter if I do.

Sure, your personality may make you more prone to some than others, but still, you will always have areas in which to improve. After all these years, I’m still growing and expanding into the woman (and pastor’s wife) God wants me to be.

As anyone who has ever been on a diet knows, it takes time because significant changes do not happen overnight on a diet. At least not on the healthy ones.

So, be gentle with yourself. Save a little of the longsuffering I mentioned above for yourself as you develop and cultivate the qualities of a good pastor’s wife.

God’s got you and even as you read this Holy Spirit is at work inside you…and me too.

Bariso, J. B.

Inc.com. Stein, S.

(2009c). Emotional Intelligence For Dummies.