By Ben Stuart
Marriage is a team, a partnership, a union. Whereas God calls singles to uniquely pursue Him as singles, married couples live on mission together. Our marriage will only be as strong as our commitment to each other and to a common set of values.
Understanding our unique roles helps us understand how to relate to each other. The problem in many marriages, however, is that this is where the discussion ends. Little work is done to understand what a husband and a wife are to do as they interact with the world as a couple.
Every human being has two basic desires: belonging and meaning. And the most intimate communities are formed around the deepest causes, whether sports teams, businesses, nonprofits, or marriages. The strongest marriages share a common vision and a common set of values.
The stronger the vision for your marriage and its mission, the stronger the marriage itself. Three qualities characterize a couple on mission together. Aquila and Priscilla, whom we first meet in Acts 18, embody these qualities.
1. A couple on mission is hospitable.
As soon as Aquila and Priscilla arrived in their new city, they opened their home to Paul.
How would you define hospitality, as demonstrated by Aquila and Priscilla? According to this definition, are you a hospitable couple?
Aquila and Priscilla leveraged their home and business to help Paul and to tell others about Jesus. What do you have in your life that you could leverage for the same cause? Think about ministry in addition to the local church context. Could your home be a place of ministry? What about the marketplace, if that’s your current calling?
2. A couple on mission is willing to see themselves as a part of the solution.
They seek to be a part of the solution instead of adding to the problem. In Acts 18:24-26 Aquila and Priscilla took the initiative to correct and guide Apollos, a gifted but misguided teacher.
Are there needs in your church or community that you find yourself thinking about? Are there ways to serve that God might be putting right in front of you? Are you ready for a challenge in ministry? How do you know?
3. A couple on mission is faithful to the end.
In 2 Timothy 4:19 Paul mentioned Aquila and Priscilla for the last time in Scripture. Paul encouraged Timothy to greet this hardworking, faithful couple.
How do you plan to cultivate active, engaged ministry throughout life?
The couple who lives on mission together experiences indescribable joy and has an impact that lasts throughout eternity.
Ask God to help … [you] be on mission together as couples. Pray that you’ll put into practice the lessons you’ve learned … Submit your lives and relationships to His will, asking Him to teach and bless you through them.
Ben Stuart
Ben is the pastor of Passion City Church, Washington D.C.
This content is partially excerpted, shortened, and adapted from Ben Stuart’s Bible Study Life + Love: Navigating Singleness, Dating, Engagement, Marriage. Find out more about his study to equip those you know to navigate through life’s relational stages.
