Serving Together as a Couple

By Linda Nuñez

“Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise greet the church that is in their house.”—Romans 16:3-5 (NKJV)

Some things just go better together and are almost never mentioned separately, like peanut butter and jelly, milk and cookies, and chips and dip. Some couples are similar, and you can’t mention one without the other. Take, for instance, Romeo and Juliet, Fred and Wilma, Miss Piggy and Kermit, and of course, Minnie and Mickey Mouse. 

Would you believe there is such an inseparable and amazing couple mentioned in the Bible, too? Meet Priscilla and Aquila—a brave and missional couple in the New Testament who were so vital to Paul’s ministry that he mentions them six times by name in his epistles to the churches (Acts 18:2–3, 18:18, 18:26; Romans 16:3, 1 Corinthians 16:19, 2 Timothy 4:19). 

We are first introduced to this dynamic duo in Acts 18:2–3 (NIV), where we learn they were not only a married couple but also servants of Christ and tentmakers like Paul: “There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.”   

What’s noteworthy about this couple is that they were a team working to help proclaim the gospel. Secondly, this couple is held in such high regard by Paul that he specifically salutes and calls them out by name in his letters. We learn from historians that these life-long friends suffered for the kingdom with Paul. They risked their lives for Paul, and we learn they were church planters and even had a small church in their home, too.  

Still, what’s most admirable about Priscilla and Aquila is that they are always mentioned together in the Scriptures; you can’t say one without the other—like mac and cheese! This brave couple was the hands and feet of Jesus—two as one flesh, serving shoulder-to-shoulder. This takes us to an important topic of serving with your spouse. 

Serving with your spouse has many benefits. For starters, it can give you a sense of stronger purpose as a married couple. It can also help strengthen a deeper bond and greater admiration for one another. I know personally when I serve with my husband, I find him more attractive! It’s such a beautiful and strong picture to see his gifts and talents being used for the advancement of the Lord’s kingdom.  

Lastly, working alongside your spouse will not only help you follow the Great Commission, but it will help you grow more spiritually intimate with your spouse.  Serving alongside your spouse creates a special bond between you two, but more importantly, it can help deepen your faith in the Lord.

How awesome is it to see the Lord mention a married missional couple in His Word by name! It’s truly encouraging to make connections with characters in the Bible, as in this case, married co-laborers in Christ. Let’s pray we can be modern-day Priscilla and Aquila, where others always say our name and our spouse’s as one, but even more, so others see God in our marriages and that we may be a beam of hope for others marriages, too. 

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”—Hebrews 10:23–24 (NIV)

Pause: Think about it: Why does God emphasize two’s or pairs throughout His Word? Ecclesiastes 4:9 (NIV) says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.” Think of the importance of Priscilla and Aquila’s names being mentioned together six times in the New Testament. How can you and your spouse leave a legacy similar to Priscilla and Aquila? How can you and your spouse be the hands of feet of Jesus and serve alongside in your church or community?

Practice: Grab your calendar and set aside some time to discuss with your spouse ways in which you both could serve as a couple in your church or community. You could also take time to focus on a particular couple the Lord has put in your path that you can counsel or disciple. Consider maybe hosting a small group in your home. You could even consider supporting missionary couples overseas and co-laboring with them in their ministry.

Pray: Good Father in heaven, thank You for those couples like Priscilla and Aquila who have invested in my marriage and taught me to love others as you have loved me. Please help my spouse and I identify and fine-tune our spiritual gifts so we can learn the best ways to serve others for Your kingdom. You are faithful and true, and we want to help advance Your liberating Word in the lives of others. Guide us and show us where we can be Your hands and feet. Please help my spouse and I be a team committed to Your mission in making disciples, so Your name is glorified in our marriage. In Jesus' name. Amen.