You And Me Forever: Marriage In Light Of EternitySýnishorn

"Marriage According to Matthew 28"

Judging by the actions of the majority of Christian couples, we seem to have made happy families our mission. 

If you are a typical couple, a large portion of your time and energy goes into building and maintaining a happy family. But families are not the goal. Happiness is not the mission. 

Something far greater is at stake.

Jesus’ mission was discipleship. From the very beginning, Jesus was making disciples—leading them, teaching them, and sending them out. When He first called Peter and Andrew, they were fishing. Jesus approached them and said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). The disciples followed Jesus for three years, then He sent them out with these simple words: “Make disciples” (Matt. 28:19).

That was the mission Jesus gave His original disciples, and it has been the mission of the church ever since. It remains our mission today. 

Many Christians separate their lives into tidy compartments: work, spouse, kids, friends, church, etc. So we might be tempted to see these pursuits as separate tasks we have to fit into our schedules. But that’s not how it works. Making disciples is not a compartment of your spiritual life. Making disciples is the mission.

That means your marriage is not an end in itself, your marriage is one important area in which you need to pursue the mission of making disciples. This will mean husbands and wives pushing one another to become better followers of Jesus, but it will also mean working side by side in an effort to make disciples. 

Discuss with your spouse: What steps can you take to make your marriage more discipleship focused?