Dating

Hook

Unwritten Rules of Dating

Tension

How do we fight for life-giving dating relationships?

What are some of the things God would want us to follow in a relationship?

Scripture

OUTPUT (US TO THEM)

HONOUR.

Romans 12:10 “Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”

Philippians 2:3–4 “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”

Matthew 7:12 ““Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”

Respect and honour to the person as greater than you.

Relationships will only work out and be life-giving if you ARE SERVING the other person.

In the way you treat them, speak to them, and speak about them, and how you allow others to speak about them.

In the way that you LISTEN to them, ACTUALLY HONOURING by HEARING THEM. Respecting a “NO”.

In your time, treasure and talents towards them.

Mom and Dad - never heard a negative thing about the other behind their backs.

INPUT (THEM TO US)

DISCERNMENT - EQUALLY YOKED

2 Corinthians 6:14–15 “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?”

What is a YOKE.

To work - going same direction, need near equal strenght to carry the plow.

Dating someone who isn’t a christian, believer - head in different directions.

Dating someone, that isn’t just a CHRISTIAN by NAME, but genuinely has a PRIORITY on their relationship with Jesus.

This isn’t to be a party pooper, it’s to say that if you value your faith, and you step there, it’ll cause high stress and tension for you in your life.

Doesn’t mean alignment in everything that God is teaching you, and not to be judgmental.

But there’s wisdom in what you ALLOW in your life - where if it’s something fresh into faith, not as much value placed on it, or there really struggling wit hit right, perhaps its’ wise to wait.

Make sure you are CONNECTED with and a PERSON who is CONNECTED with GOD.

Someone who TREATS you RIGHT - NOT THE BARE MINIMUM!

Main Point

Pursuing God in the middle of both!

What i want you to see is that in both of these INPUT and OUTPUT, is that JESUS is at the centre of it. He’s the FOCUS.

Life-Giving Dating is fought for by keeping God as the PRIORITY.

This isn’t some lame thing to say, or award acceptance speech - it’s about life-change!

You do this by HONOURING the other person and pursuing, and by both pursuing jesus as equally yoked people.

Application

SET BOUNDARIES

Boundaries around HONOUR and RESPECT

Honour the other person’s time, homework, work

sticking to curfews

Boundaries around being EQUALLY YOKED.

Pray together often, before meals,

Going to church together, and paying attention

Talking abou those things.

Stay Connected to Others

Don’t disconnect and only pursue that relationship.

Response