Marriage as an Act of Worship

By Moses Rasego Nthoroane

A Word-based marriage book with a mind of God.

God created marriage with a view that, He alone must be worshipped through it. However, a certain percentage of people in the society do not know that marriage should be an act of worship.
Marriage as an act of worship is a Word-based work that equips teachings for:

Church leaders
Married people
Engaged people
People thinking about getting married
Married people who are not born again
Marriage counsellors, and
The Church of Jesus Christ

Do you want to have a relationship with God in your marriage? Do you want to please God as a couple? Do you want to have a successful marriage? Do you want to counsel married people? Do you want to know how prayer can help your marriage? Do you want to know what to do after committing sin before and after marriage?
If yes, then Marriage as an act of worship is the relevant tool to help you and your marriage.

About the author:
Dr M.R. Nthoroane has conducted various marriage lessons in May and June for the past three years in his church. As a result, God gave him the grace and mercy to compile all those lessons into this inspiring book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Moses Rasego Nthoroane
• Release date: Dec 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463720394

Book preview

Dedication

I dedicate this book to the Church of Jesus Christ according to Ephesians 1:22-23 (KJV).

I also dedicate this book to my wife and children, Kgalalelo and Olerato; Synagogue For All Nations Bible Church International; Eagles Prayer Network, word-based theological schools, and the entire Church of Jesus Christ.

Amen!

Foreword

I am extremely happy for my husband who obeyed God when God instructed him to write a book about the topic that he received through the Holy Spirit. He is a very humble, Spirit-filled and led person who is eager to help everybody, including married people and engaged people whenever the need arises. Through his Christian counselling skills, marriage workshops, Bible teachings and fervent prayers, he has helped many people. As a result, some marriages and relationships were restored back by God. We praise the Lord for that anointing.

This book that he has written will help many married people who wish to glorify God through their marriage. Furthermore, the book will also assist brethren who are not yet married but are planning to get married soon. Please read it prayerfully and regularly.

To God be the glory!

Mrs S.M. Nthoroane

Preface

One day in the mid-eighties, Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke held a soul-winning crusade in my former hometown, Parys. It happened that I joined my friends in attending that crusade. The Evangelist preached very powerfully and called for those who would like to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. I just joined my friends who responded and at the altar, a sinner’s prayer was made for us. From that day onwards, my life changed totally. It was around that time that a voice said to me, ‘When you start a church, here is a vision’.

In July 2012 I started a church in Reitzpark, Welkom and a great deal of word-based marriage-related topics were taught there including prayers for marriages and families. As a result of those marriage-related teachings, I wrote this book.

The purpose of the book is to encourage married people and engaged people to offer their marriages and engagements as acts of worship to almighty God through Jesus Christ.

God bless you.

Dr M.R. Nthoroane

List of abbreviations and acronyms

AMP – Amplified Bible

ESV – English Standard Version

GNT – Good News Translation

HCSB – Holman Christian Standard Bible

KJV – King James Version

NASB – New American Standard Bible

NET – New English Translation

NIV – New International Version

NIRV – New International Reader’s Version

NKJV – New King James Version

NLT – New Living Translation

STD – Sexually Transmitted Diseases

TLB – Living Bible

WEB – World English Bible

List of tables

Table 1 – Prayer for breaking ungodly soul ties

Table 2 – Marriage as a covenantal relationship between God, husband and wife

Table 3 – Differences between a man and a woman

Table 4 – Authority structure according to 1 Corinthians 11:3

Introduction

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."

Romans 12:1 (ESV)

In the above scripture, Apostle Paul is exhorting brothers and sisters in the Lord to offer their bodies as holy, living sacrifices, pleasing to God. By so doing they will be offering God spiritual worship. Amongst those believers who Apostle Paul was exhorting were married people. In simple terms, Apostle Paul was requesting the church of Jesus Christ to live holy and righteous lives unto God. This sentence, present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God simply means physical bodies of the brothers and sisters in the Lord must be put at the disposal of God as holy and/or set apart for God’s use and also be free from sinful practices.

Therefore, this book is written to assist both couples-to-be and couples in the Lord to be free from any sin in their marriage. As a result, their bodies will be presented as acts of holy worship unto God.

Thus, this book is entitled Marriage as an act of worship. Married people must ensure that they do not commit any sin in their marriages with their own bodies. By so doing, such married people will be offering their bodies to God as a living, holy and acceptable sacrifice. God will be pleased with their married life and bless them (see Deuteronomy 28:1-14).

In the event couples-to-be and couples are not offering their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God due to committing a sin(s), such people will be connected to the curses that will be upon them (see Deuteronomy 28:15-68). Their bodies shall not offer a living, holy and acceptable sacrifice to God.

Finally, in the event you committed a sin(s) before entering marriage and in marriage, confess and repent from it so that you may not be haunted by that sin when you are married.

First worshippers of God, Adam and Eve

God created Adam and Eve so that whatever act they did may worship Him. For example, He created them so that they should have dominion over all creation of God (see Genesis 1:26). Furthermore, God also created Adam and Eve so that their marriage may be an act of worship to Him. That worship was possible because of the presence of the Spirit of God that was in them and in the Garden of Eden. Therefore, I am of the view that without the Spirit of God it will be impossible for your act to worship God. Adam and Eve failed to worship God after they obeyed the deception of a serpent to disobey God. As a result, God chased them out of the Garden of Eden and the Spirit of God departed from them. After which, their lives were riddled with idolatry. Therefore, if your actions are not worshipping God that means there is somebody who took away the position of God in your life and now you serve that person.

Worship

Worship is the adoration of God accompanied by reverence – inspired thoughts, words and deeds. Douglas & Tenney (1987:1070) are of the view that worthship is the English word for worship and it denotes the worthiness of the individual receiving the special honour due to his worth.

Four forms of worship for couples

The Bible records 13 forms of worship that people (including couples) of God must do. From these, only four are relevant to married people: standing, kneeling, bowing down and shouting. These four forms of worship can be considered as acts of worship during the process of knowing each other as both a husband and wife. In Genesis 4:1 (ESV), the Bible says, now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord." Therefore, the Bible does not tell us that during the process of knowing Eve which form of worship Adam used. It might be that Adam was standing, kneeling, bowing or shouting. You can decide on your own. Therefore, that process when Adam knew Eve was an act of worship to God because He blessed them with it.

Questions for you:

1. In your own words explain these words, marriage as an act of worship.

2. What is worship?

3. Mention two people who are considered to be the first worshippers of God in the Bible.

4. Mention four forms of worship for couples that are mentioned in a book.

PART 1

Preparing for Marriage

CHAPTER ONE

Getting ready for marriage

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it."

1 Corinthians 9:24 (ESV)

Where to start before getting married

I am of the view that before marriage starts, you must approach God prayerfully about your marriage partner whom you do not know. When you pray for your life partner, do not ask God to give you a particular person such as an educated person and a person who has money, etc. By so saying, I am not saying that you do not need a person who is educated and a person who has money. I am saying do not use education and money as a condition upon which to base marriage. You might get a person with those conditions who will not be a husband and/or a wife to you. If he/she has money and gives it to you, that money may do a great deal of evil things to you. However, I am just cautioning you so that you may not fall into the trap of the Devil. I have seen some people who will give their partner lots of money and at the same time they will commit adultery. Some of them will tell their marriage partners that they visit a particular person whereas they are lying to their spouse. It is against this background that I ask you to approach God prayerfully when you need to get married.

Proverbs 3:6 (NLT) says, seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. As you are on the way to your marriage, you need to engage God who will direct your marriage path. After praying without ceasing to God, the Holy Spirit will convince you about the marriage partner suitable for you. It is better to be married to a suitable person rather than to be married to an unsuitable person who is either educated or has money.

Where I started

In 1989 when I was in standard nine, the Holy Spirit led me into praying for my life partner. I was praying in the middle of the night almost every day, asking God to lead me to my suitable life partner. I did not mention an educated man or a woman who has lots of money. My prayer was: Father lead me to my marriage partner. I also prayed for her protection against the wiles of the Devil.

After some time, the Holy Spirit convinced me that I should stop praying for my marriage partner. Then I completed my matric (grade 12) and stayed at home for two years. After that, I went to university to further my studies. When I was in my third year, the Holy Spirit showed me a beautiful woman in my hometown and a soft voice spoke to me and said, You see that woman – it is your marriage partner. I knew that lady as one of the girls in our area. She was not even born again at that time. I did not attempt to approach her because time was not yet ripe for me to approach her about marriage.

I finished my junior degree and went to another university, almost 1 300 kilometres from my home town. I finished my post-graduate studies there and fortunately, I got a job where I had done my junior degree.

It happened that the cousin of my wife invited her to a church service where she received Jesus Christ as her personal Saviour. At that time, I was working in Welkom and my wife was in Parys. Then, one day I went to a marriage celebration in a coloured