What Your Marriage Is Missing

What Your Marriage Is Missing: A Shared Mission

Scripture References

• Acts 18:1
• Romans 16

Overview

Marriage was never meant to be only about romance, security, or social status. God designed it to display His love through a couple’s united purpose. Using the little-known but powerful example of Priscilla and Aquila, Pastor Craig showed that the greatest quality of a God-honoring marriage is a shared mission: two people locking arms to push back darkness and shape generations. Without that common calling—and the community that reinforces it—couples drift, settle, and become easy targets for the enemy.

Main Points

1. Marriage Is About Mission, Not Just Companionship

• Common reasons people want to marry: companionship, security, starting a family, even “Netflix and chill.”
• All legitimate desires, yet Scripture presents something deeper: marriage is “locking arms and pushing back the forces of darkness.”
• The most overlooked quality of a God-honoring marriage is a shared mission.

2. Priscilla & Aquila: An Ordinary Couple With Extraordinary Impact

• Acts 18:1 introduces them; they are mentioned only seven times, yet always together.
• Tentmakers by trade, ministry partners by choice; Paul chose to live and work with them.
• Wherever they relocated (Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, back to Rome) they served Jesus side by side.
• Romans 16: Paul calls them “co-workers,” notes they “risked their lives” for him, and mentions the church that met in their home.
• Their pattern: unified mission, open home, intentional discipleship.

3. Community Protects Marriage

“A marriage without community is a vulnerable marriage.”

• Story: Early LifeGroup meeting where a husband confessed an affair; the group’s prayer and support saved the marriage, and decades later the couple is strong.
• Spiritual community provides prayer, accountability, and strength against temptation; isolation leaves couples exposed.

4. Beware of Casual Christianity

• Threat to marriage isn’t only direct attack but subtle drift.
• Signs of drift: entertainment choices identical to the world, no generosity plan, parenting goals limited to grades or sports, love defined by feelings alone.
• Conviction, not condemnation: God calls couples to live distinctly, not casually.

5. Discovering Your Joint Mission

• Two unifying forces: a common enemy and a common mission.
• Practical conversation starters:
  • What do we both love?
  • What do we both hate (righteous anger)?
  • What are we going to do about it?
• Examples: cooking meals for new parents, mentoring people out of debt, fostering/adopting, helping marriages recover from infidelity.
• Pastor Craig & Amy’s personal mission: create an environment for their six children to thrive spiritually; decisions about sports, schooling, and schedules flowed from that calling.

6. Steps for Singles and Couples

• Singles who desire marriage: live a mission-driven, God-honoring life now; “you don’t build a life of righteousness on a foundation of sin.”
• Seek first God’s kingdom, notice who is walking toward Jesus with you, and ask, “Could we serve God better together than apart?”
• Couples feeling stuck: join a LifeGroup, reject casual faith, chart shared values, and take one action toward serving together.

Key Truths

• God designed marriage to be a picture of Christ and His Church, expressed through shared purpose.
• Ordinary work (tentmaking, parenting, 9-to-5 jobs) becomes ministry when a couple embraces mission together.
• Community is a shield; isolation is an invitation to attack.
• Casual Christianity erodes distinctiveness and weakens relationships.
• A common enemy and a common mission unite spouses more deeply than romance alone.

Response

• Identify and write down what you both love, hate, and will do about it.
• Join or start a LifeGroup to place your relationship under spiritual covering.
• Audit your lifestyle for areas where you’ve drifted into casual Christianity; repent and realign.
• Choose one missional act you can do together this week (serve, give, invite, mentor).
• Singles: pursue Jesus wholeheartedly today and watch for someone pursuing Him alongside you.

Closing

Pastor Craig called every believer—single, married, divorced, or widowed—to become mission-minded. He reminded couples that the path back to vibrancy is not more romance tips but a shared purpose in Christ. Those without Christ were invited to surrender and receive a brand-new life and mission.

“Marriage was never meant to be just about love; marriage was meant to be about mission.”

Prayer

The congregation prayed for greater mission focus and, for those far from God, a prayer of surrender: asking Jesus for forgiveness, new life, and the filling of the Holy Spirit to live differently and serve His purposes together.