May 12, 2025 • 23 mins
What makes a Christian marriage thrive beyond mere companionship? The secret lies in discovering how marriage was designed not just as a relationship but as a ministry partnership with divine purpose.
Marriage transforms when viewed through the lens of Ephesians 2:10, where we're reminded we're "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand." When couples embrace this calling together, they unlock extraordinary potential for kingdom impact while simultaneously strengthening their bond in ways nothing else can.
Aquila and Priscilla exemplify this powerful dynamic. This biblical power couple worked as business partners in tentmaking, hosted church gatherings in their home, mentored younger believers like Apollos, and even risked their lives for Paul's mission. What made them remarkable wasn't just what they did but how they functioned as true equals—complementing each other's strengths while united in purpose.
The benefits of serving together extend far beyond the service itself. Couples who minister together experience synchronized spiritual growth rather than developing on separate trajectories. They build deeper emotional connections through shared meaningful experiences. They learn to appreciate their spouse's unique gifts while witnessing firsthand how their complementary strengths create something greater than either could accomplish alone.
Before couples can effectively serve outward, however, they must master serving each other. This internal ministry of marriage—washing dishes without being asked, offering emotional support during difficult times, verbalizing appreciation—builds the foundation of selflessness and humility necessary for kingdom work. As Philippians 2:3 reminds us, we must "count others more significant than ourselves," starting with our spouse.
Ready to transform your marriage through shared service? Start by identifying a ministry opportunity matching both your interests. Set a specific date and commit to serving together—not for recognition, but praying that God will be glorified through your unity. Even small beginnings like hosting dinner for neighbors or volunteering at a local charity can spark profound change in your relationship and community.
Whether you've been married for decades or are just beginning your journey together, serving side-by-side unlocks the divine design of marriage as a powerful force for good. Subscribe to continue exploring how you were made for good works—together.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Welcome to Made for Good, the podcast where we
explore how to live out ourpurpose through good works.
Guide about biblical truth.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Hey, I'm Josh and I'm Mark.
Today we're talking aboutmarriage and service, really how
husbands and wives can worktogether in service to glorify
God.
Josh, marriage is more thanjust a relationship.
It's really a partnership inlife and in faith.
So when married couples servetogether, they not only can
(00:36):
strengthen their relationship,but they can kind of double
their impact on or in God'skingdom.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Yeah, very true.
You know, I did say a coupleepisodes ago that this was one
of the more challenging episodesthat we discussed.
I will say about this onespecifically within marriage.
You've been married for a longtime.
Right, how many years?
Over 30 years, 30 years, that'sa long time.
I've been married for 13 years.
I've been married most of yourlife.
You have.
I didn't say that you did.
I've been married for 13 yearsas of this coming March, and
(01:07):
he'll be happy that I rememberedthat.
What I was going to just say,though, is that it's much easier
to talk about marriage whenit's just me and you in the room
.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
But you know what?
I have some information toshare with you.
I know for a fact that ourwives have subscribed, as we've
asked everybody else to.
Our wives have subscribed andthey will probably hear this.
So I'm just saying be careful,good advice, okay.
So hey, let me ask you what doyou think makes serving together
(01:38):
really such a powerfulexperience for Christian couples
?
Speaker 1 (01:43):
It just flat out.
It creates unity, it builds asense of purpose, it strengthens
our bonds as husbands and wivesand, instead of this trap of
just growing side by side, we,as husbands and wives, grow in
the same direction which ispretty cool towards Christ.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
We go back to our foundational verse that we've
used in almost every episodeEphesians 2.10.
You know it says for we are hisworkmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works.
But we haven't really focusedon the latter half of that verse
very much so far, and I want tofocus in on these words, which
God prepared beforehand that weshould walk in them.
(02:22):
Josh, who designed marriage?
Go ahead.
Do you think that that is oneof the things that God prepared
beforehand this idea of marriageand serving together in
marriage?
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, I believe that too, and Ibelieve that he designed it
(02:42):
originally as a partnership.
Who were supposed to take careof the Garden of Eden?
It was Adam and Eve.
I think that there was apartnership in their work, their
service there in the Garden ofEden, and they were walking in
the good work that God preparedfor them to do.
Now they messed that up, as wedo in our own lives, but God
(03:07):
prepared the concept of marriageas a part of His workmanship
and he prepared good works thatwe should walk in them.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Absolutely.
The Bible, which I love, givessome incredible examples of
couples serving together, andone of the best examples that we
we love to talk about is Aquilaand Priscilla, and Paul wrote
about them in Romans 16.
If you want to read along withus, we'll be in verse three and
four of chapter 16.
And the Bible says this greetPriscilla and Aquila, my fellow
(03:38):
workers in Christ Jesus, whorisked their necks for my life,
to whom not only I give thanks,but all the churches of the
Gentiles give thanks as well.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
You know, their story is really amazing.
It's one of my favorite onesand I think that it is
interesting that in somereferences to Aquila and
Priscilla, priscilla ismentioned first.
I get the idea that she was apowerhouse and a pillar of faith
(04:09):
and such a strong person forAquila to have as a partnership
in service.
We're going to look at a fewthings that kind of describe
their life as we have itrecorded.
So let's first we look at thefact that they were Jews that
lived in Rome but they wereforced to leave Rome.
That was due to the governmentpersecution there, but they
(04:32):
continued to serve.
When Paul met them in Corinththey understood hey, he's a tent
maker, we're a tent maker,let's bring him into our
business, tent maker, let'sbring him into our business.
And we were told that in Acts18, verse 2 and 3, that they
were welcomed really into thetent making trade with them.
(04:52):
And then they left, as you know, they left Corinth with Paul
when he went to Ephesus and theywound up.
We read later in 1 Corinthians16, 19, that they hosted a
church in their home.
Lots of people today have beenable to do that in kind of
remote areas where there's not achurch building for them to
meet in, and this verse that youjust read says that they risked
(05:16):
their lives for Paul's mission.
We're told later, in Acts 18,verse 24 through 26, the story
of them, both of them bringingApollos aside and teaching him
more accurately about the gospel.
So you've got these, thisJewish couple that live in Rome.
They probably thought we'regoing to live in Rome.
(05:37):
Rome's our home.
We're going to be here, we'regoing to live and we're going to
make our, make our, run ourbusiness.
And then the government startsto persecute them and they have
to up and leave.
I mean, who knows, they mighthave left everything behind.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Yeah, there's so much that we can learn as married
couples from Aquila andPriscilla One of the things that
we see just based off thethings you talked about.
They weren't just partners inmarriage, they were partners in
ministry.
Their story shows us how astrong marriage can become a
powerful tool for God's work.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Yeah, I see them as being.
They were persistent in theirfaith and their dedication.
They were adaptable, flexible.
I read them as being positivepeople, active people, proactive
people.
I mean Apollos was the preacher, so they brought him aside and
(06:30):
said, hey, you don't have itexactly right, so let's talk to
you about that's showing loveand compassion.
I'm sure that was done in arespectful way and Apollos
benefited from it.
What an example for marriedpeople to follow today,
absolutely.
Let's take a look at a versethat we've already looked at
before in Ecclesiastes, inchapter 4, verses 9 and 10.
(06:53):
This is one that's familiar tous.
Two are better than one becausethey have a good reward for
their toil, for if they fall,one will lift up his fellow and
you could say, maybe his fellowspouse.
So two are better than one.
You mentioned before in theprevious episode that Jesus sent
them out two by two In marriage.
You've got two and they arebetter than one.
(07:15):
They can bring complimentarystrengths know, complimentary
strengths and encouragement andjoy into the service.
In fact, let's look at some ofthose, some of the benefits of
serving together.
I would say that if you'reserving together, it really it
strengthens your faith.
Couples growing spirituallywhen they work toward a common
(07:35):
goal.
I think is part of God's designfor marriage.
For them to be in syncspiritually is a great benefit,
and one can strengthen the other.
One is down, One is having achallenge, the other can help,
because all the verses that weread about in the Bible about
how we should help our fellowChristian If your spouse is a
(07:57):
Christian, guess what theyqualify for that help as well,
and it can happen in your ownhome.
I think it also deepens anemotional connection.
We've talked about iron,sharpening iron and those sorts
of things.
Serving together with ourbuddies, with our friends.
I think that in servingtogether as a married couple,
(08:20):
those experiences can buildtrust, they can build intimacy,
they can build confidence thatyour spouse is seeing the world
like you see them, that they'reseeing the world like you see it
, and that they care about thesame things that you care about
and that they love the Lord theway you love the Lord.
(08:40):
These last two I want to talkabout, I think, are very
powerful as well.
It uses complementary strengths.
So I don't know about you, butmy wife's got skills that I
don't have.
Yeah, and she does.
Thank you for that affirmation.
He's trying to be an encouragerat the moment, but what we see
(09:05):
spouses bringing their uniquegifts to the service.
Maybe your spouse is more awareof something, but you have the
ability to actually plan to meetthat need.
So they see the need and youknow how to meet the need and
you put those two together andit's super powerful and so using
each other's complementarystrengths.
(09:26):
I think is is again part ofGod's plan for married couples
to to serve together and one ofthe things that is sometimes
unavoidable but but it'ssomething that serving together
and one of the things that issometimes unavoidable, but it's
something that serving togethercould prevent a separation.
If it's my goal to be amissionary in the most remote
(09:50):
parts of the world, okay, that'sgreat, that's a good word.
If it's taking me away from myspouse that I am, potentially,
if I don't keep that balanced,I'm neglecting my
responsibilities as a husband,and so if you can find ways to
serve together and stayconnected, not only in your
(10:12):
faith but in your purpose and inyour service, then it really
prevents that separation thatyou can have.
Now.
I know that there are preacherswho do travel to remote parts
of the world to preach.
I know some who do take theirwives, and I think that that's a
wonderful example.
It's very powerful because now,as we mentioned, they have that
shared experience and then theycome back home and they're
(10:36):
closer.
They've endured maybe somehardship together and even while
they were there they wererelying on each other for
strength and for support.
If you ask a preacher who mayhave traveled to another part of
the world if they would preferto take their spouse or not,
then I would say most likelymost of them would.
(10:57):
If they had a good marriage,they would want their spouse
there with them to help them.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
You know, and when I was younger, there was a saying
I'm sure it's been aroundforever and it was that you
could be anything that youwanted to be, and really that's
a lie, yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
I cannot be a major league pitcher.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Yeah, and I thought too I had aspirations of being a
baseball player.
Guess what, I retired in juniorcollege with an arm injury, so
early right.
But my point was saying thatbut you've got all that NIL
money that you got oh tons.
That was a big thing back then.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Oh wait, no that's more recent right, so you didn't
have it.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
But my point is saying this is and spiritually
speaking, you can be whoever youwant to be and you can grow
into that, especially in amarriage.
If you look around your homecongregation, you can see a
couple that you respect, loveand you want to be like.
Well, guess what?
You could take stuff from theirmarriage and make it your own.
There's so many ways that youcan serve as a married couple
(11:55):
and some of the things that youdo see around you.
So take the time to look at thestrengths of couples that have
been married for a long time.
One of the things that you cando is just being hospitable,
Hosting a Bible study.
Think about you mentioned thisearlier inviting people into
your homes is a powerful way toserve together.
Another way that you can serveand this does take time you have
(12:16):
to be mature in your marriage.
You have to have went throughsome stuff together.
Years have to pass by, but youcan mentor relationships with
some younger couples orindividuals by teaching them the
gospel or just how to have ahealthy marriage in general.
And then I love that we'vetalked about this before but
(12:37):
just volunteering with yourspouse, that helps a community
and that keeps you so encouragedas a couple and motivated to
continue to do good, not justinside of the church building
but outside of the walls as well.
And then we have to havesupporting missions in order to
really thrive as a marriedcouple, and one of the ways this
(12:58):
can happen is if you justpartner in your evangelism
efforts.
That can be a really helpfulthing to work through this
together.
And then the most obvious thingto do as a way to serve
together in a marriage is justraising a Christ-centered family
.
That takes a husband and a wifein order for that to happen.
But you got to serve togetherright and parenting and faith.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Josh, that's a great list, Something that really we
can look back to Aquila andPriscilla and look at them as
the power couple example.
They did those things, theywere hospitable and that they
hosted the church in their home.
They showed skills inmentorship and teaching,
(13:42):
particularly with Apollos.
You know that they were hostingthe church in their home.
They probably volunteered tohost that church in their home,
so volunteering to serve theirchurch family in that community
there in Ephesus.
You talked about supportingdifferent missions.
Well, they obviously supportedPaul's mission and, although we
don't know about whether theyhad children or not, you got to
(14:05):
think that their family wasfocused on Christ and them
serving together as a pillar offaith in their church family as
well as in their community.
Absolutely, what we're learninghere is that serving together
not only blesses other people,the recipients, it actually
strengthens the marriage andreally builds up God's kingdom,
(14:28):
as we've talked about before.
This network of love, stitchingtogether, building a body
working together, together,building a body working together
.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
These are concepts of unity that permeate all of
these different examples thatwe're talking about.
But, mark, you know, beforecouples can really serve
together, you have to practiceserving each other.
Marriage is built onselflessness.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Wait, wait, you said selfishness.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
I hope my wife didn't hear that.
Selflessness, selflessness.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Okay, I got it.
I'm sorry.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
And mutual care.
And the Bible commands this in1 John 3, 18, where it says let
us not love in word or talk, butin deed and in truth.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Okay, and so while that verse can be applied
universally in everything thatwe do, as we mentioned before,
it most certainly applies tomarriage, and we read in
Philippians 2, verse 3, it saysdo nothing from selfish ambition
or conceit, but in humility,count others more significant
(15:26):
than yourselves.
This idea of counting othersmore significant than yourself
is true, so important inside themarriage.
So really, what we're saying isthat serving each other means
that we're meeting each other'sneeds, and that's being aware of
and responding to physicalneeds, emotional needs,
(15:48):
spiritual needs.
It means expressing lovethrough actions.
We've talked about some smallthings in a previous episode.
Small gestures, strength in amarriage.
If I wash the pan that I cookedan egg in for breakfast, I'm
not sure of the scoringmechanism, but I think I get
(16:11):
bonus points if I wash it andput it back up.
And so, just again, littlethings.
Um, making the bed.
Maybe your wife makes the bedmost days.
Uh, you jump in and you makethe bed once.
Little things like that showI'm aware of what you do and I'm
, I'm giving you the day off.
I'm going to do it for us, yeah, and it's really a partnership
(16:35):
and it's showing that you lovethem.
And it's through small things,small actions, also encouraging
and supporting one another.
I mean, this is more, maybe,verbal.
It's providing this spiritualand emotional support.
I know you're going throughsomething Both times, when I
(16:55):
lost my parents and I told mywife the very first thing that I
did she just grabbed me andhugged me, and so she was there
for me when, uh, when, I neededher, and so providing that
support it's a small gesture,but it means so much.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
You know, as men, we tend to think something but not
say something.
So one of the things we'vetalked about throughout our
episodes is when you feel, doyeah and in the case of our
spouses it should be magnifiedIf you think the oh, she looks
pretty, or say it, or you, oryou're so thankful that she did
(17:33):
fill in the blank, say it, yeah,it.
You know, our wives are allwives, are all there for us.
We need to be there for themwith what we say.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
Absolutely, and one of the things that putting other
people's needs and,specifically in this case,
putting your spouse's needsbefore your own that we just
read in Philippians 2, verse 3,it practices humility, yeah, and
serving others, counting othersmore significant than
(18:01):
yourselves.
Boy, that is hard.
I have needs.
I did this.
Any conversation that startswith I is a danger for us.
In this context, when we'retalking about serving together
in marriage, we need to behumble and we need to put our
spouse's needs before our ownBecause, in learning it in this
(18:25):
context of marriage, when it'sjust the two of you, you're
exercising these actions andthoughts and compassion and love
.
You're exercising it in themarriage so that you both can
then take it out and serve toothers in the same way.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Right, and what we're saying with all of this is
husbands and wives who serveeach other in God's kingdom,
create and have a strongfoundation.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Okay, that's good Now .
So we're to our missionchallenge for the week.
This is going to be a fun one,I think.
Yeah, something that you bothhave complimentary or maybe the
(19:19):
same skills, interest, andsomething that you both can be
excited about.
So choose something that alignswith your strengths and your
interests and plan that out, andthen the next step is to set a
date.
I'm trying to be in there's theword intentional we're trying
to, as we've said before, makethe decision to do it, and we're
(19:41):
and also, as we said before,speak it out loud, talk about it
, and then your spouse can holdyou accountable and you can hold
them accountable.
Set a date for when you'regoing to do it and follow
through.
Now it could be something verysimple.
This does not have to be agrand thing.
It could be something likewe're going to go volunteer at
the food bank, or you could evenhost somebody in your home.
(20:04):
Yeah, I mean, just host adinner and maybe be strategic
about who you invite.
Invite some people that youknow maybe very well, but also
some people that you don't knowvery well or maybe that you know
are alone.
So we sometimes try to mixcouples and single people,
because a lot of times, singlepeople don't get invited to
dinners, and it's not thatyou're trying to matchmake or
(20:27):
anything, it's just like we seeyou.
You count as well.
We want to spend time with youand to encourage you and be
encouraged by you, and then, ofcourse, as always, to encourage
you and be encouraged by you.
And then, of course, as always,you know, pray before you serve
, and what you're really askingfor in this prayer is for God to
use you again, as we said atthe very beginning, for his
(20:51):
glory.
I think if we get into a habitof when we pray, you know,
obviously we want the good workexercise that we're going to
undertake to go well and to bebeneficial.
We also need to prayspecifically that God be
glorified in all that we do, andI think throwing that blanket
of to God be the glory on top ofwhat we're doing ensures that
(21:16):
we're covered and people onlysee the glory of God.
They're not seeing our ownindividual efforts.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
We understand that, if you're listening to the
mission challenge this week andyou're not married, that it's a
challenge.
Matter of fact, we know thatthis episode has been really
hyper focused on a husband and awife, and the first thing we'd
like to say is that you areneeded in God's kingdom
Absolutely, and so there is achallenge for you as well.
(21:45):
What we want you to do ifyou're a Christian and you're
single, we want you to pray, butwe also want you to find a
Christian couple that you love,that you respect, and we want
you to offer to serve alongsidethem, and here's why, when you
do that, you'll learn from theirexample, their unity in faith
(22:07):
and service.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
Yeah, that's fantastic and you know, we'd
like to hear about yourexperiences in this.
And, of course, as we mentionedbefore, we're on X and
Instagram and Facebook.
Um, you know, share yourcomments, share your questions.
Again, this is not a place tohumble brag.
We're not asking for that.
What we want to do is stir oneor other up to love and good
(22:29):
works.
We want to glorify God, andmaybe your experience can do
both of those things.
So that's it for today'sepisode.
Um, can do both of those things.
So that's it for today'sepisode.
Be sure to subscribe so youdon't miss the next one, and we
hope you found this helpful.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
Consider sharing it with a friend.
Until next time, serve together, build your faith and remember
you were made for this.
You.
Welcome to Made for Good, the podcast where we
explore how to live out ourpurpose through good works.
Guide about biblical truth.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Hey, I'm Josh and I'm Mark.
Today we're talking aboutmarriage and service, really how
husbands and wives can worktogether in service to glorify
God.
Josh, marriage is more thanjust a relationship.
It's really a partnership inlife and in faith.
So when married couples servetogether, they not only can
(00:36):
strengthen their relationship,but they can kind of double
their impact on or in God'skingdom.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Yeah, very true.
You know, I did say a coupleepisodes ago that this was one
of the more challenging episodesthat we discussed.
I will say about this onespecifically within marriage.
You've been married for a longtime.
Right, how many years?
Over 30 years, 30 years, that'sa long time.
I've been married for 13 years.
I've been married most of yourlife.
You have.
I didn't say that you did.
I've been married for 13 yearsas of this coming March, and
(01:07):
he'll be happy that I rememberedthat.
What I was going to just say,though, is that it's much easier
to talk about marriage whenit's just me and you in the room
.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
But you know what?
I have some information toshare with you.
I know for a fact that ourwives have subscribed, as we've
asked everybody else to.
Our wives have subscribed andthey will probably hear this.
So I'm just saying be careful,good advice, okay.
So hey, let me ask you what doyou think makes serving together
(01:38):
really such a powerfulexperience for Christian couples
?
Speaker 1 (01:43):
It just flat out.
It creates unity, it builds asense of purpose, it strengthens
our bonds as husbands and wivesand, instead of this trap of
just growing side by side, we,as husbands and wives, grow in
the same direction which ispretty cool towards Christ.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
We go back to our foundational verse that we've
used in almost every episodeEphesians 2.10.
You know it says for we are hisworkmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works.
But we haven't really focusedon the latter half of that verse
very much so far, and I want tofocus in on these words, which
God prepared beforehand that weshould walk in them.
(02:22):
Josh, who designed marriage?
Go ahead.
Do you think that that is oneof the things that God prepared
beforehand this idea of marriageand serving together in
marriage?
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, I believe that too, and Ibelieve that he designed it
(02:42):
originally as a partnership.
Who were supposed to take careof the Garden of Eden?
It was Adam and Eve.
I think that there was apartnership in their work, their
service there in the Garden ofEden, and they were walking in
the good work that God preparedfor them to do.
Now they messed that up, as wedo in our own lives, but God
(03:07):
prepared the concept of marriageas a part of His workmanship
and he prepared good works thatwe should walk in them.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Absolutely.
The Bible, which I love, givessome incredible examples of
couples serving together, andone of the best examples that we
we love to talk about is Aquilaand Priscilla, and Paul wrote
about them in Romans 16.
If you want to read along withus, we'll be in verse three and
four of chapter 16.
And the Bible says this greetPriscilla and Aquila, my fellow
(03:38):
workers in Christ Jesus, whorisked their necks for my life,
to whom not only I give thanks,but all the churches of the
Gentiles give thanks as well.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
You know, their story is really amazing.
It's one of my favorite onesand I think that it is
interesting that in somereferences to Aquila and
Priscilla, priscilla ismentioned first.
I get the idea that she was apowerhouse and a pillar of faith
(04:09):
and such a strong person forAquila to have as a partnership
in service.
We're going to look at a fewthings that kind of describe
their life as we have itrecorded.
So let's first we look at thefact that they were Jews that
lived in Rome but they wereforced to leave Rome.
That was due to the governmentpersecution there, but they
(04:32):
continued to serve.
When Paul met them in Corinththey understood hey, he's a tent
maker, we're a tent maker,let's bring him into our
business, tent maker, let'sbring him into our business.
And we were told that in Acts18, verse 2 and 3, that they
were welcomed really into thetent making trade with them.
(04:52):
And then they left, as you know, they left Corinth with Paul
when he went to Ephesus and theywound up.
We read later in 1 Corinthians16, 19, that they hosted a
church in their home.
Lots of people today have beenable to do that in kind of
remote areas where there's not achurch building for them to
meet in, and this verse that youjust read says that they risked
(05:16):
their lives for Paul's mission.
We're told later, in Acts 18,verse 24 through 26, the story
of them, both of them bringingApollos aside and teaching him
more accurately about the gospel.
So you've got these, thisJewish couple that live in Rome.
They probably thought we'regoing to live in Rome.
(05:37):
Rome's our home.
We're going to be here, we'regoing to live and we're going to
make our, make our, run ourbusiness.
And then the government startsto persecute them and they have
to up and leave.
I mean, who knows, they mighthave left everything behind.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Yeah, there's so much that we can learn as married
couples from Aquila andPriscilla One of the things that
we see just based off thethings you talked about.
They weren't just partners inmarriage, they were partners in
ministry.
Their story shows us how astrong marriage can become a
powerful tool for God's work.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Yeah, I see them as being.
They were persistent in theirfaith and their dedication.
They were adaptable, flexible.
I read them as being positivepeople, active people, proactive
people.
I mean Apollos was the preacher, so they brought him aside and
(06:30):
said, hey, you don't have itexactly right, so let's talk to
you about that's showing loveand compassion.
I'm sure that was done in arespectful way and Apollos
benefited from it.
What an example for marriedpeople to follow today,
absolutely.
Let's take a look at a versethat we've already looked at
before in Ecclesiastes, inchapter 4, verses 9 and 10.
(06:53):
This is one that's familiar tous.
Two are better than one becausethey have a good reward for
their toil, for if they fall,one will lift up his fellow and
you could say, maybe his fellowspouse.
So two are better than one.
You mentioned before in theprevious episode that Jesus sent
them out two by two In marriage.
You've got two and they arebetter than one.
(07:15):
They can bring complimentarystrengths know, complimentary
strengths and encouragement andjoy into the service.
In fact, let's look at some ofthose, some of the benefits of
serving together.
I would say that if you'reserving together, it really it
strengthens your faith.
Couples growing spirituallywhen they work toward a common
(07:35):
goal.
I think is part of God's designfor marriage.
For them to be in syncspiritually is a great benefit,
and one can strengthen the other.
One is down, One is having achallenge, the other can help,
because all the verses that weread about in the Bible about
how we should help our fellowChristian If your spouse is a
(07:57):
Christian, guess what theyqualify for that help as well,
and it can happen in your ownhome.
I think it also deepens anemotional connection.
We've talked about iron,sharpening iron and those sorts
of things.
Serving together with ourbuddies, with our friends.
I think that in servingtogether as a married couple,
(08:20):
those experiences can buildtrust, they can build intimacy,
they can build confidence thatyour spouse is seeing the world
like you see them, that they'reseeing the world like you see it
, and that they care about thesame things that you care about
and that they love the Lord theway you love the Lord.
(08:40):
These last two I want to talkabout, I think, are very
powerful as well.
It uses complementary strengths.
So I don't know about you, butmy wife's got skills that I
don't have.
Yeah, and she does.
Thank you for that affirmation.
He's trying to be an encouragerat the moment, but what we see
(09:05):
spouses bringing their uniquegifts to the service.
Maybe your spouse is more awareof something, but you have the
ability to actually plan to meetthat need.
So they see the need and youknow how to meet the need and
you put those two together andit's super powerful and so using
each other's complementarystrengths.
(09:26):
I think is is again part ofGod's plan for married couples
to to serve together and one ofthe things that is sometimes
unavoidable but but it'ssomething that serving together
and one of the things that issometimes unavoidable, but it's
something that serving togethercould prevent a separation.
If it's my goal to be amissionary in the most remote
(09:50):
parts of the world, okay, that'sgreat, that's a good word.
If it's taking me away from myspouse that I am, potentially,
if I don't keep that balanced,I'm neglecting my
responsibilities as a husband,and so if you can find ways to
serve together and stayconnected, not only in your
(10:12):
faith but in your purpose and inyour service, then it really
prevents that separation thatyou can have.
Now.
I know that there are preacherswho do travel to remote parts
of the world to preach.
I know some who do take theirwives, and I think that that's a
wonderful example.
It's very powerful because now,as we mentioned, they have that
shared experience and then theycome back home and they're
(10:36):
closer.
They've endured maybe somehardship together and even while
they were there they wererelying on each other for
strength and for support.
If you ask a preacher who mayhave traveled to another part of
the world if they would preferto take their spouse or not,
then I would say most likelymost of them would.
(10:57):
If they had a good marriage,they would want their spouse
there with them to help them.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
You know, and when I was younger, there was a saying
I'm sure it's been aroundforever and it was that you
could be anything that youwanted to be, and really that's
a lie, yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
I cannot be a major league pitcher.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Yeah, and I thought too I had aspirations of being a
baseball player.
Guess what, I retired in juniorcollege with an arm injury, so
early right.
But my point was saying thatbut you've got all that NIL
money that you got oh tons.
That was a big thing back then.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Oh wait, no that's more recent right, so you didn't
have it.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
But my point is saying this is and spiritually
speaking, you can be whoever youwant to be and you can grow
into that, especially in amarriage.
If you look around your homecongregation, you can see a
couple that you respect, loveand you want to be like.
Well, guess what?
You could take stuff from theirmarriage and make it your own.
There's so many ways that youcan serve as a married couple
(11:55):
and some of the things that youdo see around you.
So take the time to look at thestrengths of couples that have
been married for a long time.
One of the things that you cando is just being hospitable,
Hosting a Bible study.
Think about you mentioned thisearlier inviting people into
your homes is a powerful way toserve together.
Another way that you can serveand this does take time you have
(12:16):
to be mature in your marriage.
You have to have went throughsome stuff together.
Years have to pass by, but youcan mentor relationships with
some younger couples orindividuals by teaching them the
gospel or just how to have ahealthy marriage in general.
And then I love that we'vetalked about this before but
(12:37):
just volunteering with yourspouse, that helps a community
and that keeps you so encouragedas a couple and motivated to
continue to do good, not justinside of the church building
but outside of the walls as well.
And then we have to havesupporting missions in order to
really thrive as a marriedcouple, and one of the ways this
(12:58):
can happen is if you justpartner in your evangelism
efforts.
That can be a really helpfulthing to work through this
together.
And then the most obvious thingto do as a way to serve
together in a marriage is justraising a Christ-centered family
.
That takes a husband and a wifein order for that to happen.
But you got to serve togetherright and parenting and faith.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Josh, that's a great list, Something that really we
can look back to Aquila andPriscilla and look at them as
the power couple example.
They did those things, theywere hospitable and that they
hosted the church in their home.
They showed skills inmentorship and teaching,
(13:42):
particularly with Apollos.
You know that they were hostingthe church in their home.
They probably volunteered tohost that church in their home,
so volunteering to serve theirchurch family in that community
there in Ephesus.
You talked about supportingdifferent missions.
Well, they obviously supportedPaul's mission and, although we
don't know about whether theyhad children or not, you got to
(14:05):
think that their family wasfocused on Christ and them
serving together as a pillar offaith in their church family as
well as in their community.
Absolutely, what we're learninghere is that serving together
not only blesses other people,the recipients, it actually
strengthens the marriage andreally builds up God's kingdom,
(14:28):
as we've talked about before.
This network of love, stitchingtogether, building a body
working together, together,building a body working together
.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
These are concepts of unity that permeate all of
these different examples thatwe're talking about.
But, mark, you know, beforecouples can really serve
together, you have to practiceserving each other.
Marriage is built onselflessness.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Wait, wait, you said selfishness.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
I hope my wife didn't hear that.
Selflessness, selflessness.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Okay, I got it.
I'm sorry.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
And mutual care.
And the Bible commands this in1 John 3, 18, where it says let
us not love in word or talk, butin deed and in truth.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Okay, and so while that verse can be applied
universally in everything thatwe do, as we mentioned before,
it most certainly applies tomarriage, and we read in
Philippians 2, verse 3, it saysdo nothing from selfish ambition
or conceit, but in humility,count others more significant
(15:26):
than yourselves.
This idea of counting othersmore significant than yourself
is true, so important inside themarriage.
So really, what we're saying isthat serving each other means
that we're meeting each other'sneeds, and that's being aware of
and responding to physicalneeds, emotional needs,
(15:48):
spiritual needs.
It means expressing lovethrough actions.
We've talked about some smallthings in a previous episode.
Small gestures, strength in amarriage.
If I wash the pan that I cookedan egg in for breakfast, I'm
not sure of the scoringmechanism, but I think I get
(16:11):
bonus points if I wash it andput it back up.
And so, just again, littlethings.
Um, making the bed.
Maybe your wife makes the bedmost days.
Uh, you jump in and you makethe bed once.
Little things like that showI'm aware of what you do and I'm
, I'm giving you the day off.
I'm going to do it for us, yeah, and it's really a partnership
(16:35):
and it's showing that you lovethem.
And it's through small things,small actions, also encouraging
and supporting one another.
I mean, this is more, maybe,verbal.
It's providing this spiritualand emotional support.
I know you're going throughsomething Both times, when I
(16:55):
lost my parents and I told mywife the very first thing that I
did she just grabbed me andhugged me, and so she was there
for me when, uh, when, I neededher, and so providing that
support it's a small gesture,but it means so much.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
You know, as men, we tend to think something but not
say something.
So one of the things we'vetalked about throughout our
episodes is when you feel, doyeah and in the case of our
spouses it should be magnifiedIf you think the oh, she looks
pretty, or say it, or you, oryou're so thankful that she did
(17:33):
fill in the blank, say it, yeah,it.
You know, our wives are allwives, are all there for us.
We need to be there for themwith what we say.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
Absolutely, and one of the things that putting other
people's needs and,specifically in this case,
putting your spouse's needsbefore your own that we just
read in Philippians 2, verse 3,it practices humility, yeah, and
serving others, counting othersmore significant than
(18:01):
yourselves.
Boy, that is hard.
I have needs.
I did this.
Any conversation that startswith I is a danger for us.
In this context, when we'retalking about serving together
in marriage, we need to behumble and we need to put our
spouse's needs before our ownBecause, in learning it in this
(18:25):
context of marriage, when it'sjust the two of you, you're
exercising these actions andthoughts and compassion and love
.
You're exercising it in themarriage so that you both can
then take it out and serve toothers in the same way.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Right, and what we're saying with all of this is
husbands and wives who serveeach other in God's kingdom,
create and have a strongfoundation.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Okay, that's good Now .
So we're to our missionchallenge for the week.
This is going to be a fun one,I think.
Yeah, something that you bothhave complimentary or maybe the
(19:19):
same skills, interest, andsomething that you both can be
excited about.
So choose something that alignswith your strengths and your
interests and plan that out, andthen the next step is to set a
date.
I'm trying to be in there's theword intentional we're trying
to, as we've said before, makethe decision to do it, and we're
(19:41):
and also, as we said before,speak it out loud, talk about it
, and then your spouse can holdyou accountable and you can hold
them accountable.
Set a date for when you'regoing to do it and follow
through.
Now it could be something verysimple.
This does not have to be agrand thing.
It could be something likewe're going to go volunteer at
the food bank, or you could evenhost somebody in your home.
(20:04):
Yeah, I mean, just host adinner and maybe be strategic
about who you invite.
Invite some people that youknow maybe very well, but also
some people that you don't knowvery well or maybe that you know
are alone.
So we sometimes try to mixcouples and single people,
because a lot of times, singlepeople don't get invited to
dinners, and it's not thatyou're trying to matchmake or
(20:27):
anything, it's just like we seeyou.
You count as well.
We want to spend time with youand to encourage you and be
encouraged by you, and then, ofcourse, as always, to encourage
you and be encouraged by you.
And then, of course, as always,you know, pray before you serve
, and what you're really askingfor in this prayer is for God to
use you again, as we said atthe very beginning, for his
(20:51):
glory.
I think if we get into a habitof when we pray, you know,
obviously we want the good workexercise that we're going to
undertake to go well and to bebeneficial.
We also need to prayspecifically that God be
glorified in all that we do, andI think throwing that blanket
of to God be the glory on top ofwhat we're doing ensures that
(21:16):
we're covered and people onlysee the glory of God.
They're not seeing our ownindividual efforts.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
We understand that, if you're listening to the
mission challenge this week andyou're not married, that it's a
challenge.
Matter of fact, we know thatthis episode has been really
hyper focused on a husband and awife, and the first thing we'd
like to say is that you areneeded in God's kingdom
Absolutely, and so there is achallenge for you as well.
(21:45):
What we want you to do ifyou're a Christian and you're
single, we want you to pray, butwe also want you to find a
Christian couple that you love,that you respect, and we want
you to offer to serve alongsidethem, and here's why, when you
do that, you'll learn from theirexample, their unity in faith
(22:07):
and service.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
Yeah, that's fantastic and you know, we'd
like to hear about yourexperiences in this.
And, of course, as we mentionedbefore, we're on X and
Instagram and Facebook.
Um, you know, share yourcomments, share your questions.
Again, this is not a place tohumble brag.
We're not asking for that.
What we want to do is stir oneor other up to love and good
(22:29):
works.
We want to glorify God, andmaybe your experience can do
both of those things.
So that's it for today'sepisode.
Um, can do both of those things.
So that's it for today'sepisode.
Be sure to subscribe so youdon't miss the next one, and we
hope you found this helpful.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
Consider sharing it with a friend.
Until next time, serve together, build your faith and remember
you were made for this.
You.
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