The term “One Flesh” used in scripture to define the process of a man and a woman coming together in a marriage relationship established by God is our goal. We believe there is only one way for a marriage relationship to resemble the one God created in the beginning. If we seek to find understanding of ourselves and look for answers to questions about marriage, we are lead back to the way God did things in the Bible with Adam and Eve. The ultimate marriage is the one God established here in Genesis Chapter 2. We use Adam and Eve as the model to teach the purpose of marriage and to establish that it is for a man and a woman alone. There are no variations in scripture. Anything outside of this is a contradiction and this ministry does not support it.
One Flesh will view the marriage a whole. We will not separate the man from the woman. We will press to reveal the inner workings of the institution and power of agreement. There is no respect of person. We use relationship building exercises to support open discussion. Couples who are not able to reap the full benefit of open discussion are encouraged to receive counseling.
One Flesh discusses the foundation of relationship starting with the individual. Each relationship is unique and there are different sets of circumstances that create each marriage atmosphere. We attempt to be broad enough to reach every aspect of marriage but focused enough to touch the sensitive issues that tend to place stress on the union.
Oneness is our objective in every session and we encourage relationships with support and love. We will seek positive agreement that will support and strengthen relationships for more stable homes and children.
• Purpose
o Designed to assist married couples to seek and create the “One Flesh” relationship our God established
o To embrace the institution of marriage God created in the beginning
o To impart a clear understanding of marriage
o To present foundational truths in God’s plan for the marriage
o To discuss those truths at length and practice them in our daily walk
• Process
o The architect starts with a blue print before he begins constructing a building
o God is the architect of marriage. We use the word of God as our blue print for marriage
o We acknowledge that some marriages form without regard to the blue print established by God. This does not mean God’s blue print does not apply
o We may have to use a process called reverse engineering to create a blue print and address structural issues
o We will delve into the inner workings of the existing relationships and draw conclusions both good and bad
o We will commit to build on the good and remove the bad
• Pace
o For the duration of this ministry we seek our personal identification and learn to view our spouses as soul mates
o We will make honest assessments of personal thoughts, our opinions and ourselves
o We will always employ self examination in our critique of our own relationships
o We will learn to defuse any inflammatory actions or remarks to create peace in the relationship. Thereby we will learn to establish order in the home.
• Product
o Saints that will take authority over the issues in their marriages
o Saints who will acknowledge existing issues and those that may arise in their marriage relationships
o Saints who will strive to produce unions that are both strong and fruitful
o Saints who will acknowledge their responsibility to the Christian Community to be an examples of commitment, forgiveness and the exercise of Christ’s love towards a spouse
Purpose Defined
Genesis 2:22-23
And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Adams response to what God did for him was to find a way to identify himself with this woman, his wife. The rib does protect the vital organs as well as provide structure and support to the upper part of the body. Let’s consider something else. We ride by fire trucks all the time. They have the sirens blaring. As long as they are not going towards our homes, we don’t give them much thought. In the event they turn in the direction of our homes, we wonder about the destination. There is an association with the siren because something we value is at stake. Adam first associated himself with the rib before he became concerned with its purpose.
Genesis 2:24
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Adam and Eve did not have a set of parents. Knowing that, we cannot conclude this only applies to Adam and Eve. We can conclude that God is creating a blue print to use as an example for all to follow. Due to the wife being a part of the man’s own flesh she is considered closer to him than any other human even his own parents.
Genesis 2:25
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
The relationship was free from insecurities. Personal and past known experiences may cause us to be somewhat insecure about ourselves. Adam and Eve had no past. They only had a plan to move forward. The past only matters if you choose use it to justify opposition towards pressing forward to the future.
Process Defined
Every marriage relationship God created uses His blueprint. Eve was to be a Help Meet for Adam. God seeing that Adam needed a companion, created one for him. God then placed the two together. Once they were put together they began to produce fruit of the marriage relationship, children.
Friendship
Covenant
Consummation
Pace Defined
Each individual has areas of themselves they choose to protect for various reasons. In order to form and maintain relationships these barriers or protection mechanisms have to be relaxed to the extent the relationship desires to grow.
Trust
Sensitivity
Vulnerability
Product Declared
What’s your personal assessment of the state of your relationship?
What’s your spouse’s opinion of the relationship?
Are the two of you in agreement with the topics covered?
What practices have you put in place to correct structural issues?
Will you be able to confront the issues alone?
