Sermon Tone Analysis

Opening Announcements

Exciting Seasons are upon us, Christmas is nearing but first we have another special holiday, what is it?! “Halloween!” (No it’s Reformation day you pagans!)

It is Halloween which means Harvest festival is literally 3 days away!

We are going to be setting up immediately following the service, pizza and drinks will be provided, many hands make light work.

We also need around 15,000 pieces of candy, and my little monsters are going to be there so better make it 20,000

As you saw earlier Osmar is here from Peru and he will be speaking tonight at the Generation service, but we want to open it up to everyone to attend.

SKIT guys tickets on sale for $10

We have two winners Linda Smith and Mariah Schaeffhauser Find me after the service as I have your ticket.

Open in Prayer

We are going to look at the lives of two unique individuals who helped lay the foundation for one of the greatest missional movements to ever happen on the face of the earth.

We are going to look at a couple who’s focus wasn’t just on getting a better marriage, it wasn’t just on becoming better friends, but their marriage was one they allowed God to use for Mission.

In our series on Marriage we have pushed you guys for 6 weeks on things that are very personal.

We have gotten in your business, and challenged everyone to mature in their marriage and their faith.

But everything up to this point has been centered around you and your spouse; you and your future spouse, or you and your singleness.

Now we want to show you that mature, Christ-centered marriages, turn into Missional Marriages.

This morning we are going to look at a marriage that was vital to the birth of the early church.

It was used to support and build the vitality of a Christian movement that blew up into something that affected the entire world.

We are going to explore the marriage of Priscilla and Aquila.

We first see Priscilla and Aquila in when the roman government gets fed up with the Jews and kick them out of Rome.

Aquila was a Jew so they are forced to leave their home and find a new one.

Priscilla and Aquila face religious persecution and have to leave everything they know and move to a foreign land.

while in Corinth they meet the greatest Christian missionary of all time, Paul.

They were leatherworkers who made tents, which just so happened to be what Paul made.

They labored alongside Paul, and while doing this they took on the Mission of taking the Gospel to the Nations.

Both of them buy into the mission and vision of Paul.

Paul

Missional Marriages have a Mission and Vision

In 1962 JFK stood before Rice College and proclaimed that although America was behind in the space race, we would soon become the dominant nation in Space Exploration.

"We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too."

1969 we landed on the moon in one of the greatest feats ever accomplished by humans.

How did we accomplish something so great?

We set aside differences because the job was so big.

Everyone stood shoulder to shoulder because they believed in the mission and vision JFK placed before us.

THE MISSION = DOMINATE SPACE EXPLORATION

THE VISION (WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE FOR US TO ACHIEVE THIS) - GO TO THE MOON.

When Marriages are built around a Mission and Vision, they are much more likely to succeed and thrive.

Priscilla and Aquila knew of God but didn’t have the Christ-centered Mission and Vision of God.

They meet Paul and their world gets turned upside down.

They hear the gospel and they become infused with the Mission of the Kingdom of God.

They buy into what God is doing in Corinth, they fall in love with the gospel message and begin to support the ministry.

But not only do they support the mission of Paul, they buy into the vision of Paul.

What does this look like?

What does it look like for a married couple to buy into a Gospel-centered vision?

They meet him because they shared the same trade of leather working and made tents for a living.

They immediately hit it off with Paul and they invited him into their home.“

They meet him because they shared the same trade of leather working and made tents for a living.

They immediately hit it off with Paul and they invited him into their home.

Priscilla and Aquila bought into the Mission of God, which is to “make more disciples” and how they could accomplish that was by befriending and supporting Paul.

When disciples started being made, they used their resources to host the church services.

Notice something here.

A Gospel Centered Mission and Vision creates a deep friendship.

THEY BEFRIEND PAUL BUT IT ALSO REVEALS A DEEP FRIENDSHIP THEY SHAREd with each other.

What is friendship based upon?

Friendship isn’t based upon who you are.

In fact we probably all have known someone who all they want is friends, but usually no one wants to be their friends.

A common mission and vision creates friendship

Friendship happened when two people have a common interest or goal.

When people have a common interest they will set aside differences in order to accomplish the goal.

A common mission and vision creates friendship with others.

Think about what a friendship is.

A friendship happens when two or more people all care and are focused on the same thing.

There is something similar that two people like.

It could be a sport, it could be

When a marriage doesn’t have a common goal or focus, then the friendship can only go so deep.

there will always feel like something is missing.

Ashley and I have struggled in the disciplining of our children.

We share the same mission, “have respectful kids” but we haven’t always had the same vision on how we should accomplish that.

In fact it has lead to several frustrating moments in our marriage which was resolved with a good conversation that put us on the same page.

Before it felt like we were operating two different methods of discipline but now we are on the same page.

Before we were disconnected.

Now we are standing shoulder to shoulder in the battle with a sassy 3nager.

Whats funny now is that when it comes time to discipline, we enjoy it.

It is something we both look forward to (Just kidding) Since we have been on the same page, our friendship has deepened we are slowly but surely accomplishing our vision of having respectful children.

Before it was frustrating and maddenning, now we are winning, I’ll discipline her and she will repent before God and then to whoever she sinned against and I’m like, “oh victory in Jesus, my savior forever” and it is helping us deepen our friendship.

When you have a common goal (Mission) and a plan to achieve it (Vision) it will naturally deepen your relationship.

Now imagine a Christian family, where one spouse loved the Lord and the other didn’t.

Imagine if the husband loved God with everything in him and he wanted to serve in the local church and give of his finances to help missions but his wife didn’t really care.

To her his time was better spent elsewhere, his money better spent on the house or the car payment, plus why did they have to go to the 9:30 service on the weekend!

Imagine what that marriage is missing.

They are missing out on events and relationships that would cause their friendship to deepen.

Imagine if they stood shoulder to shoulder and shared a common vision.

God designed Marriage for mission because he knew what kind of friendship would develop out of it.

Priscilla and Aquila had this friendship and it carried over to Paul’s life.

They stood shoulder to shoulder with each other and because of that they could stand shoulder to shoulder with Paul.

When couples stand shoulder to should with each other, they can stand shoulder to should with other and help provide them with stability.

When Couples stand shoulder to shoulder in Mission and Vision they will provide stability for their family but also those around them just like Priscilla and Aquila will do with Paul.

Missional Marriages provide Stability for Missional Movements

Stability comes about with consistency.

Priscilla and Aquila provided their home to the church to hold meetings and prayer services.

They provided a consistent place of worship and build relationships with people.

They were able to support Paul financially as he continued his missional effort in their local community but also minister with him.

They provided stability for the Missional movement simply because of their commitment to each other but also to the vision of the good news of Christ.

For some of you your vision right now has you firmly planted in Childrens ministry.

We have several couples who volunteer back in the jungle.

They serve back there because they have kids and so their vision for how they can advance the Kingdom of God is by investing into their own kids and the kids around them.

For other couples it looks like opening up their homes, much like Priscilla and Aquila, and leading a LifeGroup so others can CONNECT, BELONG AND GROW.

For others it might mean standing out front and greeting people walking in.

For others it might mean providing financially

For some it might mean going to Celebrate Recovery and sharing their story and discipling those who are fighting addiction.

Wherever it is our vision takes us, we are providing stability for the body of Christ.