Speaking out against divorce

[rockytopva]

The very lady who helped lead me to the Lord was also married. The church I attend is Pentecostal Holiness, and you would think Holiness would mean a righteous, clean, holy life before the Lord. This ladies husband was lost and we would pray for his salvation. Well... The guy gets saved, and then she leaves him! And then goes a step further and remarries!

This ladies daughter is also a member of a Pentecostal Holiness church. And she leaves her Christian husband and now she is remarried. She also has children and her first husband attends her church as well. All within the boundaries of a Pentecostal Holiness church!

Are there any who speaks out against the evils of divorce these days? Does anyone still remember why John the Baptist lost his head?

 

[unfinishedclay]

Rocky, no. Most churches do not speak out against divorce and remarriage. It would offend too many people at the churches. Persecution does exist within many churches who are within the Body of Christ. And speaking on certain subject as either a pastor or as a congregant can lead to hot water.

After discovering my husband's affair (and he had "backslidden" before/during that affair, as he put it), I was tempted to divorce because of his fornication. Sometimes I still am tempted. The only reason why I stay is because I do want to be in the will of God and because I want to keep the whole family together.

What has disheartened me is to see, within too many churches and media ministries within both Pentecostal and Charismatic churches (I've been charismatic since 1989), people leaving their spouses for other people and saying God showed them a new spouse. And the very people who believe that kind of stuff and still promote those ministries have been "yes" people who don't read the Bible for themselves. That has always concerned me ever since reading about certain behaviors and ministries because people who are predisposed to sexual immorality are likely to let themselves be influenced by the sins of those who seem close to the Lord in their walks.

I do believe we are to show grace to our brothers and sisters in Christ who have gone through divorce and rremarriage for a number of reasons. But I also believe that certain offices and ministries should be reserved for those who have honored marriage Biblically - divorce only if they were cheated on by fornication. People who excuse behaviors tend to say, "Well, we shouldn't judge." quicker than they'd say, "Well, we shouldn't cheat on our spouses."

 

[rockytopva]

John the Baptist would preach this type sermon to this generation....

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? - Matthew 3:7

 

[unfinishedclay]

John the Baptist would preach this type sermon to this generation....

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? - Matthew 3:7

Yes, unfortunately today, we also have many with the tone of John the Baptist and even a pseudo-boldness that he had. But few who, in their boldness, will control their own urges. I've seen it too often. (In my older years, I'm learning why I can't believe everything I see except the Words of God Himself.) Not that it should make me give a side-eye to anybody any more than I'd want others giving to me. I'm far from perfect and continue to strive for perfection in Christ as any genuine believer does. But true correction among us that does not stray from the Word is needed. And I think your post is needed to ruffle all our feathers to make us self-examine more and take a few issues to the Lord in private/corporate prayer.

 

[Mountainmanbob]

As I see it divorce is yet another sin that God hates.
Seems these days many if not most are divorced.
Best to Repent and stay with the one that we are with.
M-Bob

 

[RDKirk]

Divorce and remarriage are two different issues.

There is no justification in Christ to desire a divorce.

 

[timewerx]

Divorce/discontentment seems to be Western culture only.

 

[Mountainmanbob]

There is no justification in Christ to desire a divorce.

How about adultery or abandonment?
M-Bob

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

The subject gets messy when we compare humans to God. Divorce from God is highly not recommended.

 

[RDKirk]

How about adultery or abandonment?
M-Bob

I said, "There is no justification in Christ to desire a divorce."

I would expect that in every case, the Christian's desire would be for the healing of the marriage, a return to mutual love and rejoicing in one another. There are certainly cases where that desire won't be met, but it should not be by the will and works of the Christian.

 

[Hank77]

The very lady who helped lead me to the Lord was also married. The church I attend is Pentecostal Holiness, and you would think Holiness would mean a righteous, clean, holy life before the Lord. This ladies husband was lost and we would pray for his salvation. Well... The guy gets saved, and then she leaves him! And then goes a step further and remarries!

This ladies daughter is also a member of a Pentecostal Holiness church. And she leaves her Christian husband and now she is remarried. She also has children and her first husband attends her church as well. All within the boundaries of a Pentecostal Holiness church!

Are there any who speaks out against the evils of divorce these days? Does anyone still remember why John the Baptist lost his head?

I think that is the individual church, not the position of the Pentecostal Holiness denomination, at least not the one where I live.

 

[faroukfarouk]

People who excuse behaviors tend to say, "Well, we shouldn't judge." quicker than they'd say, "Well, we shouldn't cheat on our spouses."

Amid heartache, this is a good motto to remember.

 

[Shempster]

The very lady who helped lead me to the Lord was also married. The church I attend is Pentecostal Holiness, and you would think Holiness would mean a righteous, clean, holy life before the Lord. This ladies husband was lost and we would pray for his salvation. Well... The guy gets saved, and then she leaves him! And then goes a step further and remarries!

This ladies daughter is also a member of a Pentecostal Holiness church. And she leaves her Christian husband and now she is remarried. She also has children and her first husband attends her church as well. All within the boundaries of a Pentecostal Holiness church!

Are there any who speaks out against the evils of divorce these days? Does anyone still remember why John the Baptist lost his head?

I suppose you could ask the pastor to preach a sermon about it, citing Jesus actual commands on it.
But then if you are going to do that, you should probably make an issue about all of the other commands he made at that same time (read Matt 5:17 through Matt 6:34) They must be of equal importance, don't you think?

BlessUp

 

[Mountainmanbob]

We actually have a couple of family members that at this time have a lot of bad water under the bridge it would seem that divorce would be the best but I know I should not recommend that because of what the Bible tells me regarding divorce.

Pray for them that's about all I can do.

Question are we supposed to stay in a marriage where our wife treats us unkind and doesn't fulfill her marital duties?
M-Bob

 

[GingerBeer]

The very lady who helped lead me to the Lord was also married. The church I attend is Pentecostal Holiness, and you would think Holiness would mean a righteous, clean, holy life before the Lord. This ladies husband was lost and we would pray for his salvation. Well... The guy gets saved, and then she leaves him! And then goes a step further and remarries!

This ladies daughter is also a member of a Pentecostal Holiness church. And she leaves her Christian husband and now she is remarried. She also has children and her first husband attends her church as well. All within the boundaries of a Pentecostal Holiness church!

Are there any who speaks out against the evils of divorce these days? Does anyone still remember why John the Baptist lost his head?

Some churches will not allow remarriage after divorce but the nation allows it and that's enough for some Christians. It's a bad thing but morals don't matter as much as they ought to with some Christians.

 

[Strong in Him]

I knew a Christian married couple where the husband had been married before.
He divorced because his wife walked out on him, made little, or no, contact, and got a divorce after 5 years, which she could do without his consent. He didn't want her to leave, and didn't want the divorce. When he met his second wife, the vicar said they could not marry in church, because of the divorce. The couple accepted this, but the divorce was not of the husband's doing and the second wife was not involved in it, nor had she been married before.

I can see why that happened, but it just seemed hard.

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

We actually have a couple of family members that at this time have a lot of bad water under the bridge it would seem that divorce would be the best but I know I should not recommend that because of what the Bible tells me regarding divorce.

Pray for them that's about all I can do.

Question are we supposed to stay in a marriage where our wife treats us unkind and doesn't fulfill her marital duties?
M-Bob

Marriage is intended til death do you part, so if you chose your spouse out of lust or without counsel from fellow believers and the Holy Spirit, and you picked the wrong one, then you are unfortunately locked in til one of you dies... or until one commits adultery. In the meantime, there is council in Proverbs that says it is better to sleep on the rooftop that be in a house with a contentious woman. (same applies for the other spouse). There is nothing forbidding living a celibate life on your own if your spouse is unable to be lived with. This especially applies to those living with an abusive spouse....

 

[Mountainmanbob]

Marriage is intended til death do you part, so if you chose your spouse out of lust or without counsel from fellow believers and the Holy Spirit, and you picked the wrong one, then you are unfortunately locked in til one of you dies... or until one commits adultery. In the meantime, there is council in Proverbs that says it is better to sleep on the rooftop that be in a house with a contentious woman. (same applies for the other spouse). There is nothing forbidding living a celibate life on your own if your spouse is unable to be lived with. This especially applies to those living with an abusive spouse....

Pretty tough stuff for those of us stuck in the flesh.
M-Bob

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

It is... but two things to remember... 1- Jesus never said our life would be without trial, actually quite the opposite. And 2- He always provides us with a way out... through faith and trust in Him.

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

Are there any who speaks out against the evils of divorce these days?

Hardly anyone. My sister recently got divorced and is already preparing for remarriage. She was already dating before the divorce finished, and already decided to remarry before he moved out. Nasty stuff, there. Christmas makes me ill. I'm going to be thrust into this mess against my will. I wonder if I'll be expected to buy presents for these nephews who are not my nephews. I wonder if I'll be expected to disown my former brother-in-law, who is still the father of my nephews.

Yes, my sister is also Wesleyan. She was raised Pentecostal. Several influential people, and a pastor, have counseled her into believing that all of this is God's will. My mother, who is Pentecostal, is thrilled about it.

People constantly look for exceptions. The very words of Jesus describe her situation perfectly, and those same words call her an adulteress. I see no way around it. So much depends on playing with the definitions of words. I hear terms like, "spiritual abandonment," to describe a husband that hasn't actually left, or, "biblical divorce," to describe his attitude in spite of the fact that he never actually sought divorce. We give the state the right to grant us divorce, forgetting that the marriage vows were taken before God and will be enforced by God. The same state that makes its own definition of marriage also makes its own definition of divorce, but there is a higher law.

I can't condemn a person for seeking love, acceptance and matrimony, but I do condemn willful ignorance, especially in this day and age, when searching the Bible involves mere seconds and a little tapping on that thing in your pocket. Anyone who wants to know what Jesus said on the subject can find out in the course of a lunch break.

It's getting really hard to excuse the excuses.