Weekly Message: Biblical precepts of marriage, and God’s guidance
By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce Christian Arts Ministries: biblical precepts & Gospel music
Feb. 23,2021
Christianity’s marriage is a holy covenant. In your Christian’s life journey, have you ever asked God for his guidance and affirmation to approve that is the will of God, so, you step into the journey in order to fulfill His call and purpose?
In New Testament, the marriage of Mary and
Joseph, son of David
A godly couple, Mary and Joseph both were
step by step led by the angel of the Lord to get married and carried a baby
Jesus. Because of their obedience, what the Lord had said through the prophet
had fulfilled and Heavenly Father’s
redemptive plan for mankind had completed.
God’s call and vision unveiled to Mary first,
then, Joseph.
The angel of Lord appeared to the virgin Mary
and said,
“Greetings,
you who are highly favored, The Lord is with you…Do not be afraid, Mary, you
have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and
you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son
of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.
And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
(Luke1:28-33).
Mary was wondered, how will this be, since she was a
virgin? The angel of Lord affirmed her, “the
Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow
you. So the Holy one will be born will be called the Son of God.”(Luke1:35)
Then, the angel of Lord affirmed Joseph, in the
Matthew1:20-23
“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home
as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She
will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he
will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the
Lord had said through the prophet. “The virgin will be with child and will give
birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel, which means, “God with us.”
Mary and Joseph both were obedient servants
They followed
God’s guidance and instruction to join in marriage and raised up a baby Jesus.
Mary was wondered what would happen to this child? Without this godly couple’s
obedient, a redemption plan wouldn’t happen to sinners, and God’s mystery and
legacy of Messiah-Christ wouldn’t pass down to our generation. “The incarnation
was accomplished by this creative act of the Holy Spirit in the body of Mary. The
virgin birth was a special miracle performed by the third Person of the
Trinity, the Holy Spirit, whereby the Second Person of the Trinity, the eternal
Son of God, took to Himself a genuine, though sinless, human nature and was born
as a man, without surrendering in any aspect His deity.” [1]
In Old Testament, the marriage of Isaac and
Rebekah
When Isaac was 40 years old, he married
Rebekah, daughter of
Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Latan the Aramean. Abraham
was about 140, Isaac was 40. Because of the daughters of the Canaanites didn’t
know the true God and therefore would not be suitable for Isaac. Abraham said
to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “put
your hand under my thigh. I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven
and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the
daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but will go to my country
and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.”(Genesis24:2-4).
Abraham’s chief servant was obedient. He took ten of his master’s camels and left,
taking with him all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram
Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. He had the camels kneel down
near the well outside the town, it was toward evening, the time the women go
out to draw water. Then, he prayed for approval and guidance as follows,
“O
Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my
master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the
townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl,
‘please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’ let her be the one you have chosen for your
servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my
master.” (Genesis24:12-14)
God’s affirmation to the prayers of Abraham’s
chief servant, before he
had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was
the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother
Nahor. The girl was very beautiful, a virgin, no man had ever lain with her.
She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up again. The servant
hurried to meet her and said, “Please
give me a little water from your jar.” She answered, “Drink, my lord,” and
quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. After she had given
him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until
they have finished drinking.”
So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw
more water, and drew enough for all his camels. Then, he asked “Whose daughter are you?” she answered, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that
Milcah bore to Nahor.” Then, the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord,
saying, “Praise be to the Lord, the God
of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my
master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my
master’s relatives.” (Gen.24:15-26).
Rebekah ran and told her mother’s household
and her brother Laban about these things. Abraham’s Chief servant reported all
the details about Abraham’s commands, and how he prayed for guidance to seek a
wife for Isaac and the Lord affirmed the prayers. Rebekah’s brother Laban and
her mother Bethuel affirmed this is from the Lord, and said, “We can say nothing to you one way or the
other. Here is Rebekah, take her and go, and let her become the wife of your
master’s son, as the Lord has directed.”(Gen.24:50).
God’s
will and His guidance require human’s trust and obedience. Rebekah faced an unknown future; yet, she put
her trust in the Lord and followed Abraham’s Chief servant to meet Isaac. Abraham’s The chief servant told Isaac all he had done. Isaac fully respected and obeyed his
father Abraham’s God, and met Rebekah and brought her into the tent of his
mother Sarah. He married Rebekah, and he loved her. Isaac was comforted after
his mother’s death. (Gen.24:66-67).
The
marriage of Katherine and Robert, son of
Rev. Dr. Charles R. Bruce
God’s guidance and affirmation of my marriage
Crises produced a ministry opportunity. I have been an evangelist and proclaimed good news since 1986 in Taiwan. During the spring 1999, my mother was hospitalized for kidney dialysis treatment, unconscious, through many prayers and fasting, Jesus healed her and raised her from death. While I took care of my mother, I took an opportunity to minister to people in the hospital and discovered the needs for the English language to proclaim the good news and comfort the foreigners. After mother discharged from the hospital on June 1999, I asked my mother to bless my marriage in the future and I prayed to the Lord, “Lord, for thy Messiah ministry and Gospel outreach sake, send me a white who is a native speaker in the future to be my husband so that we can minister people, and teach English together. I don’t need to fly to the U.S.A. but the Lord will send him to Taiwan; meet me in the downstairs of our church”.
On Nov.21, 2000, a worship song deeply caught my heart, it says,
“ Caught up in your presence, cleansed by your forgiveness,
captured by the love you give to me, but
above all the praise I hear your voice so clear, ‘ who shall I send? Who will
go for me?’ Here am I send me, I am available to serve you is my desire. But if
your presence Lord doesn’t go with me, how will they know that your favor rests
upon me? But I‘ve tasted of your glory, please send me. Coming to your
presence, demands some sacrifice, the fruit of our lips giving praise, but your
spirit makes it clear, you ask much more from me because this whole world is
your sanctuary.”
So, I prayed to the Lord, “Here I am, send me, send me
to the U.S.A. to be thy minister to minister people. Show me the way I should go,
for to you, I lift up my soul.”(Psalm143:8)
A song of praise guides me into God’s will
During summer 1999 to spring 2004, I was an English teacher, and trained as a Stephen minister, and joined the worship leaders’ team to lead the congregation to worship the Lord at Taipei International Church. In October 2003, a Sabbath day, I brought a CD player in order to present a worship song, “Let the weight of your glory fall”. After the church service, I had forgotten my CD player and ran home to take care of my mother who continually received kidney dialysis treatment. On the way home, I realized that I had left my CD player at church, so I came back to church to get it. after I arrived at the church facility, a new member walked toward me, asked where is the place to put the papers in her hands? And she said, “I have a friend who comes from Florida U.S.A. to visit Taiwan, I would like to introduce him to you, would you like to meet him?” “Sure!” I answered. Consciously I thought it’s my obligation to introduce church and Taiwan to a new member and a new friend. So I carried my CD player to meet a new friend downstairs. “Welcome to visit our church,” I said. While we shook the hand, he started to sing a worship song, “and I…I lost without you…” I was impressed by his greeting manner and surprised by the way he said hello. During his visiting seven days, we spent one day to introduce North coast of Taiwan to him. Then, he returned to Florida, U.S.A. we contacted each other by email. If I had not gone back to get my CD player after church service, we would have not met each other on that day. A song of praise led us into His perfect will, God made all things are beautiful in His time.
A prayer for signs to affirm the marriage
On Thanksgiving, 2003, my mother was passed
away in the hospital after long-term kidney dialysis treatment. I spoke to my
mother while she was unconscious, “there is a brother, named, ‘Robert Bruce’ who
from Florida, he seems compassionate and concerns about us. If this is the one that God sends to me to be a
husband in the future, please bless my marriage.”
I asked God for the sign to approve His
guidance, “If this is the one, the
Lord send to me, and he will invite me
to visit his parents in Florida.” Seven days later, Robert sent an email,
and expressed, “I would like to invite
you to come to visit my parents in Florida when the opportunity presents itself.”
I was amazed and asked Lord for approving second sign, “please approve your guidance in my life, if this is the brother you
send to me to be a husband, shows me three words, ‘I love you’ in his email.”
Two weeks later, I received an email from Robert, and stated, “Katherine, I just want to let you know, I
love you….” I started to get serious about this guidance, and said a secret
prayer to the Lord, and asked a third sign for confirmation, “who will be the one in the future as a husband? Let him send me flowers
as a sign for affirmation.”
Heavenly father knew each secret
thought and prayer. On
Dec.3, 2003, after my mother passed away, I prepared a Christian funeral service
for my mother and invited the pastor of TIC, members, local church members, and
my relatives to come to support the service. While I deeply grieved of losing my mother and stranded in front of my mother’s casket before her cremation, a member
held flowers, walked toward me, and said, “These
flowers are sent by Robert Bruce from Florida, U.S.A”. I was weeping over
her shoulder for a moment, for my inner being was comforted by Heavenly Father, and
acknowledged He is Omnipresent (all-presence), Omniscient (all-knowing), who knew
my secret thought and prayers, by the flowers He affirmed me the third sign. My
tears were overflowing and wondered this is mother’s blessing, for there was
no one who brought flowers, nor sent flowers, except Robert. Like Isaac was
comforted after his mother’s death. I
was comforted after my mother’s death,
The Word of God confirmed the marriage by
scripture Isaiah 62:4-5.
When
God unveils His guidance, He will also confirm it by the Word of God. I sought
God’s guidance for future step, and asked God to show me the way through the
Bible. The Word of God affirmed me by the scriptures Isaiah 62:4
“No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah. For the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married. As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you, as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.
When I was 40 years old, I married Robert, son of Rev. Dr. Charles R. Bruce
Thank God for His guidance. Robert proposed
to me while I was visited his parents in Florida. On March 23, 2004, I married
Robert at Taipei International Church, surrounded by the pastors, elders, members,
siblings, and friends as a cloud of witnesses in Taiwan. Continually, we had a Christian
wedding ceremony in Orlando Florida. Today, we celebrate our 17th
anniversary in Florida, U.S.A. I give thanks to my friends at TIC, ORTV, local
church and those spiritual prayer warriors, sisters, and brothers who loved me blessed me, and prayed for me in this life journey. Indeed, Crises
produced an opportunity for Messiah ministry in Orlando FL
God’s way is higher than our way. He led me
into His best, I have never thought that I would have received three more
degrees M.Div. Pastoral ministry, M.A. Pastoral counseling at Liberty Baptist
Theo. Seminary, and B.S. at U.C.F. and have established Christian Arts
Ministries as founder, pastor, and professor, focus on Biblical precepts, Gospel
outreach, pastoral ministry, pastoral care, composed the worship songs,
produced albums, and painting during these 17 years.
Today, my husband-Robert retired earlier
because of his medical condition. I count a blessing to serve the Lord through
serving my husband. He had suffered a heart attack in 2005, his left foot had amputated
because of a diabetic infection and he is diabetic insulin-dependent. When he was
hospitalized for surgeries from 2008 to 2014, God provided me scholarships and student loans as the grace of God to sustain our rental needs. Jesus is the way
and the life and the truth. He made a way for me to take care of Robert, and had
completed the degrees, and have established Christian Arts Ministries as Rev. Katherine
Liu Bruce, self-employer, and self-funding ministry. Each time, Robert
recovered from the surgeries; we went out together to do the gospel outreach, restaurant
mission, hospital mission, natural disaster mission, and home mission. There are
seven worship albums were composed, and produced during these difficult time. “God
is love”, “This is the way”, “Faith”, “Come to me”, “My soul glorifies the Lord”,
“A Living Stone”, “ Sing O daughter of Zion” Each worship song that I have
composed became a song of strength and a song of deliverance in my life and
mission journey. Most important, the worship album became the gifts for Gospel outreach
and there were more than 700 worship albums had given away for hospital
mission, restaurants mission, and college students outreach.
What God
has prepared for those who love Him is, “No eyes have
seen, no ears have heard.” The Word of God is trustworthy and affirmed who I am in Christ, “you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers
of our God, you will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches, you
will boast.” (Isaiah 61:6). Indeed, the Word of God is the lamp of my
feet and the light of my path. It was God’s affirmation by the scriptures and
confirmed the three signs; I married Robert when I was 40 years old and moved
to Florida, the U.S.A. to fulfill the great commission. Jesus said, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And teaching them to
obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the
very end of the age.” (Matthew28:19). God
knew those who delight in Him and have a desire of the heart to serve Him. A
song as a voice of God spoke to me and captured in my heart on Nov.21, 2000, “Who
shall I send? Who will go for me? Here am I send me”, God answered the prayer when I have severed Him with all my heart, all my soul, and all my strength. He made all things
beautiful in His time. Never neglect each song of praise, for it can be a song
of salvation, a song of strength, a song of deliverance and guidance in our life
journey.
Implication /conclusion
Marriage comes from God, once God affirmed the marriage covenant between
a man and a woman, what God has put together, let no man be separated. God’s
purpose of marriage is to seek godly offspring. God’s predestination and election to
Mary, it may be a supernatural and an unbelievable incarnation act. It requires a woman’s courage, faith, trust to obey God. And God worked on Joseph’s heart,
not to insult Mary, but believed that such incarnation act was God’s will for
all mankind’s redemption plan.
Isaac
married Rebekah when he was 40 years old, and be comforted by Rebekah after his
mother’s death. without the obedience of Abraham’s chief servant, Isaac may not
meet Rebekah. Rebekah’s trust and obedience is the key to open a door for
herself to be the mother of Israel.
Christianity’s marital
covenant is holy, pure, and undefiled.
For Bridegroom illustrates as Christ, Bride portrays as the church and it requires
commitment and faithfulness to keep unity as one in all aspects: sacredly,
ethically, and morally. All
divorce breaks the covenant (promise) made at the time of marriage, and
remarriage violates the pattern God established at creation when He made only
one wife (Eve) for Adam.
In
Greek αγιος
(hagios,
hag-ee-os) means “sacred”, “blameless”, in a physical sense means “pure”. In a religious sense means “holy”, “Holy One”, “saints”. “In Scripture in its moral
and spiritual significance, it signifies separated from sin and therefore
consecrated to God, sacred. It is predicated ofGod as the absolutely Holy One in
His purity, majesty, and glory.” [2]
Christ is äμωμος (amomos) spotless, faultless and there was in Him no spot or
blemish. He is holy, blameless, and pure. Figuratively,
in a religious, moral, and marriage sense “αμιαντος” (amiantos) means “pure”[3]. In
Chinese literally translates as “聖 潔” (ShengˋJie´). In English
literally interprets as “free from moral fault”. Christianity’s marriage is a holy covenant. Let
marriage be held in honor among all, and the bed undefiled; for fornicators and
adulterers, God will judge.
(Heb.13:4). The marriage bed is required to be free from unlawful sexual
intercourse. The covenant requires not only “oneness” and “unity”, but it also
demands faithfulness, and commitment to live in a life of worthy to be called
sons of God or daughters of God.[4]
In
the church life, contact between brothers and sisters is unavoidable. Therefore,
to be protected from falling into defilement, we must hold marriage in honor
and not behave loosely. This is a matter that seriously affects our birthright
in God’s economy. Reuben lost the
birthright because of his defilement (Gen.49:3-4; 1Chron.5:1), and Joseph received it because of his purity
(1Chron.5:1; Gen.39:7-12). God will judge fornicators and adulterers. Therefore, guard yourself in your spirit, and do
not break faith with the wife of your youth. “I hate divorce,” says the Lord
God of Israel and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as
with his garment,” says the Lord Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit,
and do not break faith. (Malachi 2:15-16).
Bibliography,
Anderson,
Neil. The Bondage Breaker: Overcoming negative
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Katherine L. Book review: the bondage
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___________.
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________.
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[1]
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[2] James Strong. Strong’s: the expanded
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[3] Timothy
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[4] Katherine L Bruce. The phenomenon of Christology. (Orlando, FL: Christian Arts Ministries 2015)
