Marriage & You!

A Christian Newsletter
Volume 1, Issue 2 November, 2012
Anointed One Ent. Pvt. Ltd.

Faith frees from the guilt of the past:

Focus: Sexual health in marriage -(contd. from prev. issue)
Christ died for your sin that in him you might have guiltfree sexual relations in marriage. Now let me clarify something Ive said before, namely, that even though the guilt of our sin can be washed away, some of the scars remain. I can imagine a couple just before their engagement sitting together in a park. He turns to her and says, There is something that Ive got to say. Two years ago I had sexual relations with another girl. I was away from the Lord, and it was just one night. Ive wept over that one night many times. I believe God has forgiven me and I hope you can. In the weeks that follow, not without tears, she forgives him, and they marry. And on their first honeymoon night they lie together, and as he looks at her, the tears well up in her eyes and he says, Whats the matter? And she says, I just cant help but think of that other girl, that she lay right here where I am. And years later, when the novelty of his wifes body has worn off, he finds himself inadvertently drifting back in of us have committed sins which, though forgiven, make our present life more problematic than if we hadnt committed them. But I do not want to give the impression that Christ is powerless against such scars. He may not remove all the problems that these scars cause us, but he has promised to work even in all these problems for our good if we love him and are called according to his purpose. Take our imaginary couple I just referred to. I prefer to think that there was a happy ending. (contd .on page 2)

Faith frees from the guilt of the past :Focus: Sexual health in marriage Pages 1 & 2 Looking for a spouse? Email your profile : bestchristianmatrimony@gmail.com

Work at it!
his imagination to the thrill of that one-night fling. Thats what I mean by scars. And all of us have such scars. All

Inside this issue:

Unequally Yoked

1,2 1, 2 3 3 4
3 4

Faith frees...

Secret Relationships Current News

Unequally yoked
2 Cor 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership have right living {and} right standing with God with iniquity {and} lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness? You got it right. It is exactly what this verse above says. There is no hidden, deeper meaning. If you are thinking of marrying a man or woman who is not a believer, you are simply disobeying this Scripture. 1 Cor 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is set apart (separated, withdrawn from heathen contamination, and affiliated with the Christian people) by union with his consecrated (setapart) wife, and the unbelieving wife is set apart Well, what about those who {and} separated through are already married, you may union with her consecrated think, if not ask. Lets read husband. the Scripture below:

Classifieds

Decembermarriage month Marriage-ready

Marriage

Page 2

Unequally Yoked(contd. from pg1)

The Scripture says that if they are married, then the believing spouse consecrates the other before the Lord. So the unbelieving spouse has been set apart from the other unbelievers. It is not good for this to happen, in the first place, but if it has happened, God has given His grace to cover His child and his or her spouse. This only makes one realize what a gracious and loving God we serve. When your heart is totally and completely surrendered to the Lord, His direction is what you will seek in your life. So the question shouldn't be about unequal marriage, it should be What, O Lord, is Your will? . Stops there. You dont even have to say for my life , after the question. If you already are in an unequal marriage, according to Scripture, your belief in Jesus Christ, covers your spouse , when compared to other unbelievers.
1 Cor 7:15 But if the unbelieving partner [actually] leaves, let him do so; in such [cases the remaining] brother or sister is not morally bound. But God has called us to peace.

equally yoked, and your spouse decides to leave, to let him go.
For, wife, how can you be sure of converting {and} saving your husband? Husband, how can you be sure of converting {and} saving your wife? Only, let each one [seek to conduct himself and regulate his affairs so as to] lead the life which the Lord has allotted {and} imparted to him and to which God has invited {and} summoned him.

Unequally yoked not too late . Calls for sacrifice, prayer & humility.

It continues to say that if there is no peace among the un-

The buck stops there. Lead a life which the Lord has invited you to live. If you are a single believer, this should not be an issue at all. You simply marry a believer, humbly guided by God. And. be equally yoked.

Ward off satan with sufficient sexual intercourse! Are you struggling with past issues in your marriage?

Faith frees from the guilt of the past: (contd. from

pg1) They came eventually to a satisfying sexual relationship because they worked at it openly in constant prayer and reliance on the grace of God. They talked about all their feelings. They kept nothing bottled up. They trusted each other and helped each other, and they found their way to peace and sexual harmony and, above all, new dimensions of Gods grace. Christ died not only that in him we might have guilt-free sexual relations in marriage, but also that he might then, even through our scars, convey to us some spiritual good. The next thing now that we can say about faith and sexual relations in marriage is that faith uses sex against Satan. Look at 1 Corinthians 7:35. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not rule over her own body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not rule over his own body, but the wife does. Do not refuse one another, except perhaps by agreement for a season, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, lest Satan tempt you through lack of selfcontrol. In Ephesians 6:16, Paul says we should ward off Satan with the shield of faith. Here he says to married people, Ward off Satan with sufficient sexual intercourse. Dont abstain too long, but come together soon, so that Satan will gain no foothold.

Faith frees from the guilt of the past: (contd. from

above) Well, which is it? Do we guard ourselves from Satan with the shield of faith or the shield of sex? The answer for married people is that faith makes use of sexual intercourse as a means of grace. For the people God leads into marriage, sexual relations are a God-ordained means of overcoming temptation to sin (the sin of adultery, the sin of sexual fantasizing, the sin of pornographic reading, etc.). Faith humbly accepts such gifts and offers thanks. Now notice something else in 1 Corinthians 7:35. This is very important. In verse 4 Paul says that the man and the woman have rights over each others body. When the two become one flesh, their bodies are at each others disposal. Each has the right to lay claim to the others body for sexual gratification. But what we really need to see is what Paul commands in verses 3 and 5 in view of these mutual rights. He does not say, Therefore stake your claim! Take your rights! He says, Husband, give her her rights! Wife, give him his rights! (v. 3). And in verse 4, Do not refuse one another. In other words, he does not encourage the husband or wife who wants sexual gratification to seize it without concern for the others needs. (John Piper) ( to be contd. in the next issue)

Enjoy your time together!

Volume 1, Issue 2

Page 3

Secret Relationships
If you watched the movie, Outsourced - that paints a portrait of the young and emerging India, you may have grimaced at the way the young lady handles her relationship with the American. And yet, the younger generation has multiple secret relationships before marriage and end up in an arranged marriage , while continuing the affair with the former lover. I used to think it happened only among non-Christians. Not so. The quote on the right says it well if your relationship has to be secret, something is wrong. Either you or your partner know that morally something is not right. The other extreme is when some bold individuals expose it and say that nothing is wrong, until after a while, they find themselves in a pickle of their own making. May I say it plainly, secret relationships for the wrong reasons head nowhere. You are the one being fooled. Especially when it involves emotions, sex and touching. Marriage is sacred in that it protects you. It is a serious commitment and if you are not ready for marriage, stay away. If you are in confusion about your relationship, contact an elder/counselor who will be able to advise you on how to either extract yourself safely or pursue the relationship wisely. You can email bestchristianmatrimony@gmail.com and we will help you with a counselor.

If your
relationship has to be a secret, you shouldnt be in it.

NewsIndia & the World

Barack Obama continues for the next four years as the President of the United States of America. The divide between the Democrats and Republicans grows wider as liberal views take root and American Christianity faces a huge challenge in embracing the sinner, and weeding out the sin. The Samaritans Purse provides hope throughout the world with gifts of hope to the hurting. To donate to any one of their projects, and give your gift to those who are hurting, go this link and donate. https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/ The White House has received petitions from all 50 states signed by nearly 750,000 citizens asking permission to secede from the United States. The world is watching to see where this is headed. India ranks second globally in accessing private details of its citizens, next only to the US, if the latest data from Google is to be believed.

President Barack Obama

Decembermarriage month?
In my family alone, there are, eight anniversaries that are celebrated in the month of December. And thats family only. If you add the friends list, the entire month is filled with anniversaries, sometimes shared , and also , not to forget, upcoming weddings. This is about Christian weddings alone. Six months ahead, a Christian Hall was already fully booked in the month of Decemberwith weddings booked everyday. So why this trend? The number one reason for weddings in December in India, is the cool weather. Next comes the pre-Christmas festive season and so with all the holidays and partying, friends and family can attend without disrupting their schedule. Travel is planned in advance when the ticket costs are low. Honeymoon packages are booked in advance and planning is generally done by the Wedding Planner. Watching this trend, the price of gold increases from September up until late December. India is the world's biggest buyer of bullion and the country's wedding and festival season has boosted prices every year since 2002 . India is the worlds number one consumer of gold, accounting for almost a fifth of gold sales. Another reason is that the newlyweds can then begin the year in January, a new beginning together and celebrate the entire year together .

Marriage & You!

Volume 1, Issue 2

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Post your bio-data& photo to: Best Christian Matrimony, PO Box 476, Vepery, Chennai600007, India.
A Publication of : Anointed One Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. Chennai600 007 Tamil Nadu, India.

This is a monthly newsletter on issues related to Christian weddings, marriage advice and news. Todays generation has it all in terms of information. This is an attempt to give you, the reader, the best information that pertains to Christianity and marriage. Marriage in the Bible is one of the highest relationships as it is compared to Christ and the Church. We honor the Lord Jesus Christ and our mission is to encourage the Indian Christian in his marriage and update him on current issues as well. Welcome to our community!

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M&Y Partner Search:

Are you marriage-ready?

Or , in other words, how can one prepare for marriage? This is not about the wedding preparations. We all know that if the same effort was put into preparing for the marriage itself, life would be so different for many, many couples today. Up until they have found their partner, each individual has been celebrated for who he or she is, how they have been brought up and how wonderful they are , within the context of life lived so far. After marriage, it really isnt about you anymore, it is about your husband or wife. No matter how modern or contemporary you get, ask any married person and they will immediately agree. Life begins anew with marriage, and, it is wonderful. Provided you are ready to accept that your life has now, to be shared. It is in the sharing, that one discovers himself or herself anew. During romantic courtship however, it is the opposite. It usually depends on how the individual feels and how much he or she has been loved and appreciated by the other. If you are in love, check yourself today and see if you concentrate more on how the other person makes YOU happy or if you focus more on how you can make him or her happy. I used the word happy to identify, but that is an article in itself. So, are you prepared to change? Are you ready to give up your needs for that of another? Are you ready to experience the kind of relationship that is compared to that of Christ and His bride, the church? Read more about the role of the husband and the wife in the Bible and learn for yourself what it takes to be married.

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Doctor groom, settled in Chennai looking for a doctor bride. 25 yr old, computer science graduate looking for a God-fearing groom. 28 yr old CSI paramedical graduate looking for God-fearing, respectable groom.

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Email bestchristianmatrimony@gmail.co m for details. OR Send your bio-data to: PO Box 476, Vepery, Chennai600007