We are taking a trip down memory lane this fall! Each Thursday we will be revisiting some of Going Beyond Ministries’ favorite guest bloggers from the past! This week’s “throwback Thursday” guest bloggers are John and Lisa Bevere!
| Original Post Date: August 2, 2014 |
Hello Beautiful!
If there has ever been a power-couple for the Kingdom, it is John and Lisa Bevere. These two have a firey passion for God that can been seen from a million miles away. They travel the globe as pastors, preachers and teachers, leading God’s people into a more personal, intimate and victorious relationship with Him.
More than once, their books and resources have sent me straight to my knees in conviction and re-dedication. I have been so grateful for their commitment to minister to others.
Especially me.
You see, far beyond all of their travels and ministry accomplishments, their committment to each other and their four adult sons is a beautiful sight to behold. As a woman in her teenage years of marriage who has a brood of young boys still holding onto my apron strings, I look at their thriving children and am encouraged. I’m grateful for their faithfulness to their family. It is a huge blessing to those of us looking on.
Today, John and Lisa share on marriage – the topic of their new book The Story of Marriage. Read every juicy insight and then run to the bookstore (or the internet for that matter) and get it right away. You’ll be so glad you did.
You are fiercely loved,
Priscilla
But Jesus said, “Not everyone is mature enough to live a married life. It requires a certain aptitude and grace. Marriage isn’t for everyone. Some, from birth seemingly, never give marriage a thought. Others never get asked—or accepted. And some decide not to get married for kingdom reasons. But if you’re capable of growing into the largeness of marriage, do it.”
Matthew 19:11-12 The Message, emphasis added
Too many people today see marriage as a trap! Some have entered into it with joy only to find that the commitment seems to have placed limitations on their lives. Others are hesitant to enter marriage at all, afraid it will lessen their dreams or diminish their strengths. Yet Jesus’ statement in Matthew 19 has the potential to increase the limits of our existence. Jesus doesn’t see marriage as a trap! He sees it as something that can enlarge our lives.
It may seem that marriage diminishes the number and value of its participants; after all, isn’t it two becoming one? Rather than diminishing or dividing, however, marriage causes increase. When two become one, there is multiplication in every area of life. Not until the creation of Eve could God give Adam the command to be fruitful and multiply—a decree that wasn’t limited to making babies. The true potential of multiplication in marriage is impossible to quantify and too expansive to measure.
When God charged Adam and Eve to multiply, He wasn’t just talking about making babies. God realized that the joining of the man and woman (what appears to be the simple addition of one plus one) would create the opportunity for great multiplication. This principle holds true in every area of life: your career, your family life, your spiritual life, and more. In marriage, God has given us something that can push back our boundaries.
This has been true in our marriage. We have both had the opportunity to author books and travel and minister worldwide. We can assure you that none of this would have been possible if it wasn’t for our marriage. We would have lived small lives. Has our marriage always been easy? Absolutely not! But it has been full of encouragement. We have called out the gifts of God we see in one another. God has used our marriage to enlarge our lives in every way.
We’ve written our new book, The Story of Marriage, to help you establish a marriage that enlarges your life. Whether you are single, engaged, or already married, your love story has a big part to play in displaying God’s love to the world around you! We want to help you do that well. Learn more about The Story of Marriage here.
John and Lisa
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John Bevere’s latest release
Good or God? Why Good Without God Isn’t Enough
If it’s good, it must be God. Right?
These days the terms good and God seem synonymous. We believe what’s generally accepted as good must be in line with God’s will. Generosity, humility, justice—good. Selfishness, arrogance, cruelty—evil. The distinction seems pretty straightforward.
But is that all there is to it? If good is so obvious, why does the Bible say that we need discernment to recognize it? This book will do more than ask you to change your behavior. It will empower you to engage with God on a level that will change every aspect of your life.
