It is often said that a family that prays together, stays together. It is no longer farfetched to see members of one family going to different denominations of the church. It is worthy of note here that this article does not condemn any denomination of the church, the body of Christ is one. My point of emphasis here is a family where its members wake up on Sunday morning and take different detours to different worship centres.
Have you often wondered why you do not agree with your spouse on Biblical issues? Are you drinking from the same stream? This does not mean that you cannot have different opinions on some matters but do you agree on the salient issues?
Remember, the call of marriage is to leave and cleave. Don't marry a man if you cannot worship in the same church with him, it does not matter if it is your church or his. Christ is the foundation of the church and every Christian home and as such, you and your spouse should be able to meet at a common ground.
If you are
already married and your spouse is not a Christian or attends church sparingly, raise your kids to worship God where you worship. There are too many fake prophets running unhindered to allow your kids to follow any and
every wind of doctrine. Don't allow your spouse's attitude to rub off on you, please teach your kids to follow after Christ.
Faith and Unity in the home
When you married your spouse, God joined both of you together as recorded in Matthew 19:6, Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. This is where it begins, from the oneness of the husband and wife. If God sees you both as one why then do you find pleasure in going off to say a Baptist Church while your spouse goes to a Methodist and your kids either choose either of the two or venture off on their own?
If you are not hearing the same things per time how can God speak to you as a family? The Bible says in Ephesians 4:4, There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. You are called to be one. Every church has its doctrine and practices that differ from each other and this alone is enough to breed dissension in your home.
Christ said in John 17:11, And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are (emphasis is mine). God desires that we would be one. A united church does not just happen, it begins at the family level and if we are united as families, only then would we be able to present a united front to the world.
It is with this unity that we would be able to evangelise the world for Christ. Rather, the church and families are fraught with rivalry, bitterness, envy and divisions. Our enemy, the devil has seized the occasion to frolic and cause more harm. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, And if one prevails against him, two shall withstand him, and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. It is a united church that can ward off the attacks of the enemy.
Love in the family
The bond of love in Christ-centred families is what will keep the members going when tough times come and they are inevitable. The Bible says that love is the greatest as seen in 1 Corinthians 13:13, And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Husbands have been given the blueprint for a loving home in Ephesians 5:25, Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. No sacrifice is too great to make for your family, Christ already made the greatest one.
When you have a misunderstanding or difference of opinion, you should be able to set it aside long enough to pray. Being united in love does not mean that you always have to agree, it is the bond of peace in Christ that keeps us together.
Agreeing as a family
God intends that husbands, wives and children will be a united force that will give glory to him. If each family member was committed to living in unity, loving the Lord, loving others and building them up, the world would be a much better place and unbelievers would be attracted to the church. Agreeing with one another does not mean that we would not hold different views but that we would disagree peacefully and with love. 1 Corinthians 1:10 says, Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and the same judgment.
Peace in the family
Is forgiveness woven into the fabric of your family or are your members often in the habit of keeping malice? Do you often condemn each other even if you don't say it out loud sometimes? Do you have the peace of God in your heart even when you go through trying times? Are you kind and compassionate with one another? These are questions you need to sit as a family and work out. The Bible says in Hebrews 12:14, Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.
Final words
If you are a married woman and going to a separate church from your husband, you must be a
brave woman to allow your husband to go off on his own without your covering and vice versa. The enemy may capitalise on your lack of unity and wreck your marriage. Don't forget, your refusal to worship together is eating at the fabric of his identity as the priest and head of your home. He may very well abdicate his responsibility now that it seems you are vying for his position. Let our belief in our Lord Jesus Christ keep us together and we will be on the winning side.
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