During this first month of our All Things New series we are encouraging everyone to join us in a month of focused, intentional prayer. Don’t forget to check out our prayer guide to participate.

Discussion Questions

Share with others the expectations and assumptions that you have held around marriage based on your own family of origin? In what ways did they line up with a biblical worldview? In what ways did they fall short?
Read Matthew 22:23—33 and Jesus’ teaching on the temporal nature of marriage. Why do we as human beings tend to make romantic love ultimate? How might this even play out in the church? How can we still honor and value marriage while not ultamatizing it? (See also selections from 1 Corinthians 7).
Why is it significant that God made marriage as a portrait of the gospel? What can we learn about the nature of marriage, the nature of God, and our own marriages when considered from this perspective?
For those who are married, what tangible steps is God asking you to take to bring your own marriage closer to Jesus? For those who are unmarried, Hebrews 13:4 says that marriage should be held in honor by everybody. How might that play out in your relationships with married couples?

Prayer Points

Pray that we would hold marriage in high esteem, while remembering that our earthly marriages are a portrait of the gospel and our relationship with the Lord Jesus.
Pray that God would strengthen the marriages in our church and protect them from harm.
Pray that our loving, healthy, Christ-centered marriages would serve as a witness to those who have yet to believe.
Pray that Jesus would return soon so that we could enjoy the marriage feast of the Lamb forever!