The Messianic Marriage Conference

By Marianela Leekely

What can you expect from a group of people who share different goals, deal with conflict and communication divergently, and look to each other to meet their own needs? Arguments, passivity, and leadership abdication may be reasonable guesses. This may be what you’d expect at some family reunions, or a day in the life at the office, but it should never be the norm for a faithful congregation.

So, how do we get to the place of having healthy congregations? Begin with healthy families, as they are the foundation for a congregation. Families, however, can only be as healthy as the marriages that parent them. This is precisely why Word of Messiah Ministries will be holding our first ever Marriage Conference this January 19-20. “Restored to Our Original Design” is a special 2-day conference in Charlotte, NC that will take a Bible-centered approach to focus on building marriages the way God intended.

In planting congregations worldwide for the last 40 years, it has become abundantly clear to Sam and Miriam that healthy marriages are needed in order to sustain healthy congregations. If one doesn’t relate rightly to the Lord, one won’t relate rightly to others, let alone to his/her spouse. The goal of biblical congregations is to impact the community in which they are planted, and a dysfunctional congregation cannot influence its community if it is ingrown and wounded. Moreover, hurting people in the community need a healthy congregation that will nurture them as they grow in their faith in Messiah.

But if a congregation is so burdened with its own issues, adding more broken people will only make a larger dysfunctional group. How can a congregation such as this represent the Lord? Sadly, it can only bring shame to His name.

So, how is this marriage conference different from other marriage conferences? First, it is a Messianic Marriage Conference. What does that mean? Messianic believing couples are those who not only trust in and follow Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah and fully accept a whole-Bible view of the truth, but also embrace God’s faithfulness to Israel by praying for the peace of Jerusalem and are a witness “to the Jew first,” and equally to the Gentile, therefore, living out a lifestyle that is not only Messiah-centered, but a clear witness of Messiah’s faithfulness to Israel. Second, we are not trying to turn struggling couples into merely happy ones. People who look to their spouse to fulfill their needs will not only be greatly disappointed, but will reflect a very self-centered view of life. Instead, through prayer, teaching, and break-out sessions we trust that we will see the Lord infuse His power to revive, renew, and encourage couples– in whatever condition they currently are in– to become healthy couples who have a united goal of serving the Lord together.

Even couples in good marriages may cultivate a sense of “spiritual independence” where he has his cause or ministry, and she has hers. What kind of spiritual unity do they have? Are they supporting each other in prayer, locking arms and asking God to bless them and lead them as a couple, or are they maintaining spiritual fiefdoms that never mix?

While the context of this conference is marriage, and we would expect married couples to come, there are many others who would benefit by attending. For those who are contemplating marriage, this will help you as you consider building upon a firm biblical foundation. For those who are single, we invite you to come, as well. There is a great need for single people who can pray for and counsel married couples, according to biblical values. Being married is not a qualification for marriage counseling, and we need look no further than Scripture for the answer. Neither Paul’s nor Yeshua’s singleness hampered them from authoritatively teaching on the subject!

And of course, we invite YOU to attend, whether you’re Messianic, Christian, or don’t believe in Messiah! For more information, please, either go to our website at www.wordofmessiah.org or give us a call at 704.544.1948. Above all else, please pray for the Lord’s blessing upon this conference, that many will come, and that lives will be transformed to the glory and service of the Lord!