Hospitality as Ministry (Marriage as a Mission) Pt 2 - 341

Your home already tells a story. The question is whether it only says “busy and private” or whether it quietly whispers, “you’re safe here.” We sit down this week and get real about Christian hospitality as ministry, why small groups matter, and how God uses ordinary living rooms to do extraordinary work.

We unpack the difference between church connections that stay surface-level and biblical community that actually carries burdens. From life groups and prayer check-ins to honest conversations that happen over coffee, chili, or a taco bar, we talk about what makes discipleship stick. We also address the pressure many couples feel to have a perfect house or a perfect family before hosting. The Bible’s call to “practice hospitality” is an invitation to availability, not performance, and authenticity often opens hearts faster than polish.

Then we zoom out to the global church, and the reality of house churches in places where following Jesus is costly. It’s a strong reminder not to take freedom for granted and to prepare our hearts for faith that lasts. Finally, we connect it all to the core message: marriage is ministry. When a husband and wife pursue unity, steward their resources, and serve with surrendered hearts, their home can become a lighthouse of peace and a landing place for people who are tired, lonely, or searching.

If this challenges you, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a review so more couples can find it. What’s one simple way you can make your home more available to God this week?

Want to purchase the book and study guide for this series? Check the link here:

Currently available on Amazon at the links below:
Paperback, Hardcover, and Kindle: http://bit.ly/4nMs7kP
6-Session Study Guide: http://bit.ly/4nac67e (Amazon Exclusive)

You can also get this anywhere you get your books online and at www.marriagelifeandmore.com.

Transcript

Seeing Your Home As Mission

Daniel Moore 0:06

When was the last time you looked around your living room and thought, you know what? This could be a mission field. I mean, most of us look around and think, this place needs vacuumed, or who left their shoes in the middle of the floor again. But what if God sees something more? What if that couch where everyone fights over the remote, that kitchen table covered with homework and mail, and that dining room where nobody remembers to use coasters could become a place where lives are changed for eternity? This week we're talking about how God can use ordinary homes and ordinary marriages for extraordinary kingdom impact. We're going to explore why some of the most powerful ministry doesn't happen under bright church lights, but around coffee cups, casseroles, and conversations that last longer than anyone planned. Because sometimes discipleship looks less like a sermon and more like serving tacos while helping someone carry a burden. So grab your coffee, pull up your chair, and let's talk about how your marriage and your home can become a lighthouse for Christ in a world that's desperately searching for genuine connection. Welcome to Marriage Life and More. This is a podcast about marriage, Bible and book studies. Sometimes we interview people that have inspiring stories. I'm Daniel Moore, your host, and over sit next to me once again is my beautiful co-host, my wife Michelle.

Michelle Moore 1:20

Hey, hey! I almost forgot to say hey hey.

Daniel Moore 1:24

Are you awake over there? Thank you guys for joining us this week. If you're not familiar with our show, check out our website at marriagelifemore.com for our links to our platforms. We're on YouTube and Rumble. We're also on the Christian podcasting at Edifi. And we're on your Alexa and Google Smart Devices. You can also visit us on social on Facebook, Instagram, and X at CTGapOnline . And if you're a fan of our show, please subscribe. Feel free to leave a comment on our platforms, give us a thumbs up or five-star review in Apple Podcast, and we thank you in advance for doing that. Well, last week we started off an interesting subject, I think, that really probably doesn't get covered very often. And that's how, as married couples, not only does our marriages, we talk a lot about our marriages being examples to others and being an evangelistic field, uh being a ministry as far as the marriage is concerned. Uh, but a lot of times we don't really talk about how we can take that to our homes and how our homes can become part of that as well. Right. And I think last week we started off this episode. We're gonna wrap it up this week, and we're gonna continue talking about how we can actually use our homes to be a ministry and how God actually gives us these blessings so that we can pay that forward and bless other people with what He's given us. So this week we're gonna go ahead and get started into this. We got a lot of territory to cover, and we're gonna go ahead and do part two of episode eight, hospitality as ministry.

Why Small Groups Change Everything

Michelle Moore 3:08

Welcoming others for small groups to neighbors. One of the most powerful ways married couples can steward their homes for the kingdom of God is by opening their doors for small groups, Bible studies, and genuine fellowship. Our homes were never meant to be just private retreats where we hide from the world, binge watch shows, and argue over whose turn it is to unload the dishwasher. God designed our homes to become places where people encounter Him. A Christ-centered home should not only protect your family, it should also refresh weary souls. Sunday morning church services are important. Corporate worship matters, preaching matters. Gathering together as the body of Christ matters deeply. But if we're honest, your spiritual growth often happens in circles, not just rows. There's something powerful about sitting shoulder to shoulder in a sanctuary, but there's something transformational about sitting face to face in a living room with open Bibles, honest conversations, and people who know your struggles well enough to pray specifically for them. Anybody who has attended a large church knows it can sometimes feel a little overwhelming. You may sit beside the same family for six months and still only know them as the people with the cute kids and the aggressively loud cough during prayer requests. But small groups change that. Small groups take strangers and turn them into spiritual family. They create space for people to move beyond service level smiles and church greetings into authentic discipleship and meaningful relationships. Acts 2, 46, 47 gives us a beautiful picture of the early church. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all people. Notice where much of the ministry happened. It happened in the homes, not cathedrals, not conference centers, not elaborate church campuses, kitchens, living rooms, courtyards, dinner tables. The early church understood something we desperately need to rediscover today. Discipleship grows best in closed community.

Daniel Moore 5:43

So as

Real Community Through Prayer And Meals

Daniel Moore 5:44

we get started here this week, there's a lot of truth there in what you've opened up with this week. And I a quick question for you.

Michelle Moore 5:52

I think you like doing those quick questions for me.

Daniel Moore 5:54

Yeah, I do, but you've got this one.

Michelle Moore 5:56

We'll see. I got faith in you. All right, we'll see.

Daniel Moore 5:59

So we know and you know that one of your love languages is service. Uh-huh. Uh, we know that you enjoy serving people, hosting, all that kind of thing. That's just right up your alley. And so we've actually, as we discussed last week, where we've participated in that several times as we've had different life groups between the last church we were in plus the one we're in now. And so we've been able to experience a little bit of what it's like to share our home and share our resources with other people. So we do attend a big church. Uh our church is, you know, five campuses counting online. Uh, so there's a lot of people that go to our church, and it was very overwhelming when we first started trying to get to know people.

Michelle Moore 6:45

It was.

Daniel Moore 6:45

And but one thing that they kept telling us is they really hammered life groups.

Michelle Moore 6:50

Yes, they did.

Daniel Moore 6:51

And they kept saying that, you know, life groups, that's where you actually start getting to know your circles. You know, you start you get people that'll either you join a life group for which we j we joined one first before we led one, and so we became part of someone else's leadership and then eventually went off on our own and started our own because there was such a need there, and that is our heart um to do that kind of thing. And now we tell people you need to get in a life group because that you're it is it's amazing how you do get to know people uh so much better and your little circle starts growing bigger and bigger the more that you become involved with people. So from your aspect of it, when you being service-minded and uh, you know, loving to do that kind of thing, what are some benefits do you think of not just keeping it in a church, but actually going ahead and bringing it into a home where it's more intimate? You might have more opportunity to to actually pray for each other and that kind of thing. What what are some of the the positives that you think from you having a servant type heart? Uh what drives you, I guess, to to want to do those kinds of things and what's the benefits you think from that doing it at home versus church?

Michelle Moore 8:10

I think, you know, in church, you you go to church, you say hi to people, and you know, if you get to have conversation or whatever, it's a short conversation.

Daniel Moore 8:20

Yeah.

Michelle Moore 8:20

So one of the benefits that I would say very it warms my heart is to be able to sit down and get to know people and their stories. And not just their stories, but what are they walking through? You know, what is it there that you can sit there and just hold their hand and be that person to let them lay everything down? Not just God, but to lay down things that they know that you can be praying for them.

Daniel Moore 8:46

Yeah.

Michelle Moore 8:47

You know, that prayer partner. And the other thing is, you know, you're fellowshipping. It's not just as one, you're not one-on-one. It is as a group, a corporate groom. And you can hear other people's stories and you can encourage each other. And it's like, I didn't know you'd walk through that because I'm hearing your story, that's helping me. Right. So, you know, because we all have different stories and our life groups were different ages. And also, you know, you also get to when you're sitting down, you're hearing other people give their description of what the service was, what what the word meant to them and what they took out of it. And it's so amazing because of different personalities, how they all receive something. And, you know, when they're speaking it out, it's like I didn't see it that way. Yeah. And then, you know, as prayer, these people feel confidence in the fact that they can lay out their prayer requests and you're laying hands on them and you're praying for them, believing in the miracle that God's gonna, you know, do for them or be with them or sustain them. And for me, I just absolutely the joy inside my heart to be able to cook, open my home and bake for someone to help them. I I don't know, I can't even describe it. It's just something, it's like a ministry for me. Like, oh, I'm like, what am I gonna bake? What am I gonna cook? And and I do, I get excited, I start going through Pinterest, and I'm like, oh, I can do this, I can do that. And I have to reel myself in because it's like they're not here for that. They're here for you.

Daniel Moore 10:23

Right.

Michelle Moore 10:24

It's not, I mean, yeah, of course they're there for the food and some of the baked goods, don't don't get me wrong, but they're they're here for the relationship part.

Daniel Moore 10:33

Yeah.

Michelle Moore 10:34

And they're here to hear your story and walk along with them.

Daniel Moore 10:37

Yeah. And so in essence, you know, a lot of what you've described, you get at church to an extent, but I feel like at home it's way more intimate.

Michelle Moore 10:46

Yes, very more relational. Relational, yeah. You more deeper.

Daniel Moore 10:50

You have that opportunity just to just sit down one-on-one eventually with somebody and hear a story that you probably never ever would have heard just passing them in the hallways at church.

Michelle Moore 11:01

And I think the prayer, you know, when someone gives that opportunity to say, Would you pray for me? And walking, you know, just checking on them during the week, you know, being like, Okay, how's this going? You know, and they're like, You're thinking about this. You're you know, I know that's how I felt in our life group. If we put it, you know, not ours, but when we attended one, I knew I had sisters in Christ that were praying for me and that they would be there for me if I just send something to the group and like, hey, we need prayer for this. There'd no doubt in my mind. And it would be a couple days later, um, the head leader would say, Hey, how's it going?

Daniel Moore 11:38

Yeah.

Michelle Moore 11:39

You don't get that when you're just sitting in a church, you know. You you get the more relational side of it and the more personal and as you said, intimate side.

Daniel Moore 11:48

Yeah.

Michelle Moore 11:49

From a life group.

Daniel Moore 11:51

And we would always make a text stream. And so each life group basically becomes someone's prayer line. Yeah because we tell we'd tell everybody, everybody's in this text, and if anybody has a need throughout the week that needs to be brought before the throne, we're all here to pray for each other and to lift each other up. Throw that prayer request in there.

Michelle Moore 12:11

Yeah, it's doing life together.

Daniel Moore 12:12

Yeah, it's doing life together.

Michelle Moore 12:13

It's doing real life together.

Daniel Moore 12:15

Yeah. And so when you look at it that way, it kind of gives you just a bigger understanding of why having home fellowship is so important in so many ways for so many people. You know, if your church has a bunch of these different groups all over the place, uh closest to wherever your people are attending, you know, with our church, um, there's people that attend from many, many different places, and it brings all that closer together. And, you know, as we talk about this, we realize that some of the deepest ministry moments happen between coffee cups and kitchen chairs. Yeah. I mean, just the way that you've been describing all everything from your uh your scope of how you see things, uh, we see the importance of of how this is to take place in this atmosphere.

Availability Beats A Perfect House

Daniel Moore 13:00

You know, and the encouraging part for married couples that are listening this week, you don't need to have a perfect home to host meaningful fellowship. You know, a lot of us are kind of perfect in our own little world. We want everything to be just so-so, and I'm one of those that's guilty of that sometimes. But in all reality, we don't need matching furniture, we don't need expensive decorations, we don't need your kids to behave perfectly for two consecutive hours, which honestly may qualify as a modern miracle anyway.

Michelle Moore 13:27

And I have to laugh about the matching furniture. As soon as you come in, you're gonna see a different cloth on our furniture because Mr. Wilford had or golden doodle. Yes, had eight the corner of our fabric. Not even fabric, it's leather.

Daniel Moore 13:41

Of our brand new leather love seat. Yeah.

Michelle Moore 13:44

And so we bought a little, so that's the first thing you see when you come in the door. And it used to bother me because I'm thinking, what did people think about this? But now it's like, yeah, yeah, we have a dog.

Daniel Moore 13:54

Yeah, we purchased a piece of leather that's sticky to go over that. It's not the same color. Covered it up, but it wasn't the same color, so it sticks out like a sort of thing.

Michelle Moore 14:01

So technically, I mean, we Dan is picky. I will tell you guys that. He is picky, and you know what? But the the piciness out of him, if there's something that bothers him, he does it himself. He does not ask me, hey, will you go do that? Because this is bothering me. Dan will take care of it himself. So he can be picky all he wants because that's his thing and he will take care of it. But I had to laugh about that because I was like, well, matching furniture, that's a m.

Daniel Moore 14:28

Yeah. But you know, at the bottom of all of this, we just have to have a willing heart. Yeah. You know, that's that's where this all comes from. Yeah. You know, far too many couples, you know, as couples, sometimes we'll convince ourselves that we're unqualified to host because we compare our homes to carefully curated social media pictures. But biblical hospitality has never been about perfection, it's always been about availability. If you look at Romans chapter 12, verse 13, it tells believers to practice hospitality. That word practice matters because hospitality is not about putting on a performance, it's about creating space for people to encounter grace. And if we're really honest about this, authenticity is often more impactful than polish.

Michelle Moore 15:08

Yeah.

Daniel Moore 15:09

You know, people are not looking for perfect Christians, they're looking for real people whose lives point them to a real Savior. And so, in our in our minds, you know, looking at it biblically, that's why small groups can become such a sacred place. Because in those smaller circles, struggles hidden in crowds finally come into the light. Marriages get strengthened, prayer becomes personal, walls come down, and burdens get shared. If you look at Galatians chapter 6, verse 2, it tells us to carry each other's burdens. And small groups create an environment where that can actually become possible. It's hard to carry burdens for people that you never truly know. And so when we look at that, that you know, that does bring those barriers down because the closer you get to people, the more they trust you.

Michelle Moore 15:50

Yes.

Daniel Moore 15:51

And if and they walk, they watch your walk with God. You know, they know if you're faking it or making it, you know. And so if they truly feel like you have a connection with Christ and you're a true leader, and they trust you with their prayer requests, knowing that you're going to take those before the throne and that you're going to add them to your list, uh, then they're going to be more apt to open up to you and actually bring you on board to agree with them in prayer that they're going to get the answer that they need to those needs. And so there's so much more to just, hey, come over and let's have dinner tonight, you know. That's part of it. But this gets deep. Yeah. You know, if we truly put this into motion of what having a hospitality type atmosphere at your home really means, this really gets deep and it's life-changing. So once you go ahead and continue there.

Michelle Moore 16:36

Yeah. Isolation weakens believers, but biblical community strengthens them. And married couples have unique opportunity within that community. Sometimes your greatest ministry won't happen from a stage, it happens from your couch. Maybe you've walked through financial hardship and learned how to trust God through uncertainty. Maybe your marriage survived a difficult season and your testimony can encourage another struggling couple. Maybe you've experienced grief or addiction recovery, parenting struggles, or seasons of spiritual dryness. God rarely wastes pain. Second Corinthians 1 reminds us that the comfort God gives us becomes comfort we can extend to others. Your story may become someone else's survival guide. As I said before, when we were talking at the table, there's been multiple times that someone would say something, and it helped me tremendously to walk through that. So that is so true. Sometimes ministry looks less like preaching sermons and more like serving chili in paper bowls while listening to someone pour their heart out at your dining room table. And honestly, those moments matter deeply to God. Your living room can become a sanctuary when the presence of Jesus fills the atmosphere. In a world that is lonelier than ever, Christian homes have an opportunity to shine brightly. People are starving for authentic connection. Social media gives us constant interaction, but very little true fellowship. Many people are surrounded digitally by feeling isolated emotionally. And as I was saying that, I stopped, I paused for a moment because, you know, you think about that. That is so true. You know, the digital world, it gives it nobody, you know. But when you're sitting there talking to someone and you're surrounded by them and you think about that, you've just at church, you know, when you're sitting next to someone you you don't know, the opportunity to sit there and say, hey, my name's so-and-so, what's yours? You know, and because our church is so big, there's been so many times that I'm like, oh, how long have you been attending, you know, here? And it's like, and then, you know, sometimes they'll say, Well, it's been a couple of years. And it's like, dude, you must sit on the other side of the church, you know, because I haven't met you yet. And so it's my goal to a lot of times if we're sitting by someone we don't know, is to introduce myself. Yeah. And because I think it's so important, um, but you know, as if you ever sit next to them again, you try to remember their name and like, oh, hey, we're sitting next to each other again, you know. So the church has the opportunity to change that, one home at a time. And couples don't underestimate what God can do through ordinary consistency. One weekly Bible study or one faithful prayer night is an open invitation, one meal share together. Those simple acts can create lifelong transformation. It's amazing how quickly strangers become family when they cry together, laugh together, study scripture together, eat tacos. Uh eat tacos together, Daniel Moore.

Daniel Moore 19:43

Why do you think that's in there?

Michelle Moore 19:45

People, he loves tacos. As I'm I'm like, no, he did not put that.

Daniel Moore 19:49

So, yes, so you're gonna get we have a taco bar sometimes at our life groups. That's like a meal made in heaven.

Michelle Moore 19:58

No wonder that's there. I had to stop over that. I'm just like, oh my gosh. There's something holy about tacos and testimonies, guys. I mean, I'm just telling you right now. So um there's another layer to the conversation that's incredibly important besides just tacos and testimonies.

House Churches Under Pressure Worldwide

Michelle Moore 20:14

Opening our homes for fellowship and discipleship isn't just helpful for today, it may also be a preparation for tomorrow. Jesus warned in Matthew 24 that difficult days would come for believers. Scripture consistently reminds us that following Christ will not always be culturally celebrated. Around the world, we are already witnessing increasing hostility toward Christianity in many places. And history repeatedly shows that when public Christianity faces pressure, the church often becomes stronger in private homes. In countries like China, Iran, and North Korea, believers gather secretly at homes, risking imprisonment and persecution simply to worship together and study the word of God. Their courage is both humbling and inspiring. These believers remind us that revival does not require a massive building or celebrity platforms. Revival only requires surrendered hearts filled with the Spirit of God. And I keep thinking of the that as it says, revival only requires surrendered hearts. And if you notice, that is something I feel like it we keep saying, not just surrendered hearts, but the openness of being willing to do this. So it's like a constant. So as we go through this, you guys may hear that a couple times, um, just maybe in different words. The early church in Acts understood this reality too. Acts 542 says day after day in the temple, courts and from house to house, they never stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. Did you catch that phrase? From house to house. Two houses. When opposition increased, homes become sacred spaces for discipleship, prayer, worship, and spiritual survival. And honestly, there's something beautiful about realizing that what many couples see as just hosting a small group may actually be spiritual training ground. You are learning how to pray together, how to disciple others, how to encourage believers, how to create spiritual refuge in ordinary spaces. Those are kingdom skills.

Daniel Moore 22:37

Yes. And one thing that I really want to draw attention to, you know, with this portion of the episode this week is, you know, we take for granted the fact that we can even go to church, basically, because every Sunday and every Wednesday night, revivals during the weeks, uh, conferences, you name it, anytime the doors are open of a church and they have something going on, we are free to jump in our car and go or not go. We totally have that choice. And we can show up and enjoy the presence of the Lord and come home and not have any issue whatsoever with any kind of legal problems, persecution, any of that kind of thing. But we know that overseas in different countries, even today, people are getting slaughtered and martyred because they profess Christianity. They per profess a belief in Christ, and they are sneaking around having these home fellowships. That's the only place that they can even try to have what we call life groups, they call church, because that's literally all they get. And they're having to be sneaky to do it because their life is on the line. And, you know, and I think about that a lot of times, I realize that we can, you know, argue with different people about our country and how it is right now, what it stands for. We can disagree on politics and you know, all the stuff that goes on today. There's just so much noise out there about things. And but what happens in the middle of all that noise is we forget the freedoms that we have. Yeah. And we forget the opportunities that we have that a lot of other countries do not have the availability of. And so we take that stuff for granted. And I think a lot of times our relationship with Christ becomes superficial because we it's easy for us to get into rats. It's easy for us to just decide not to go to church and just quit. You know, we get bored of it, tired of it, or whatever. And you know, but be not that we should be doing that, but be thankful we can make that choice. Right. You know, I mean, there's other places and other countries that they fight to make it to a home fellowship or whatever, and sneak in and do whatever they need to to get that that you know, nurture that relationship with Christ and fellowship with other believers.

Michelle Moore 24:47

Well, this Wednesday, um, we were at church and we got to meet an evangelist. Um, and he was from Africa.

Daniel Moore 24:57

Yeah, South Africa.

Michelle Moore 24:58

Yeah. And he was talking about his church like you they have to have the service during like mid-afternoon, early evening, because the kids walk about what, 20, 30 minutes just to get there. And they said over half of the church population, 50%, was it 50%?

Daniel Moore 25:17

Roughly around that, yeah.

Michelle Moore 25:18

Were youth.

Daniel Moore 25:19

Yeah.

Michelle Moore 25:20

And it just it blew my mind because I was just thinking, then it blew my mind the fact that they would walk 20 to 30 minutes for a church service. Yeah. Walk. This is not by a vehicle. They walked in the heat, the rain, they walk.

Daniel Moore 25:37

Yeah.

Michelle Moore 25:38

And and I just sat there and I was just being amazed by that. And I thought to myself, just not only the evangelists being there and staying there, but I just thought to myself, the freedom that we have over here in America, you know, the fact that we can get our vehicles, get a taxi, get any of that, we have such opportunity, but yet we want to gripe about it because we're too tired, or you know, the service is too long, or the music's too loud. You know, we we we've become our worst enemy at the fact of trying to go to church. And when these kids are walking 30 minutes, yes, they're young, they can walk.

Daniel Moore 26:18

Yeah.

Michelle Moore 26:18

But would we walk 30 minutes to a church service? Well, even including ourselves, let's be honest.

Daniel Moore 26:24

Yeah, us, yeah, I agree.

Michelle Moore 26:26

You know, you really think about that.

Daniel Moore 26:27

And then they have to let out church a little early because it's dangerous for them to walk home in the dark because of all the bad things that happen there. And so they have to let out they have to start a little earlier, get out a little earlier so that those kids can walk back home 30 minutes and be safe.

Michelle Moore 26:42

And it impacted me when he was talking about that, of just just the fact of half of the opportunities that we have over here.

Daniel Moore 26:49

Yeah, it's literally a whole different world.

Michelle Moore 26:51

Yeah.

Daniel Moore 26:51

No doubt about it. Uh so you know, just got to remember that a home surrender to God can become a lighthouse in a very dark world. And we do know that we live in a dark world. Yeah. Uh we have it in a lot of ways, we have it a lot easier than other countries, obviously, just like we were just discussing. But we have our own issues over here. Yeah, right. I think day by day as time moves on, depending especially on who's in our in our political offices, it becomes, you know, hard for us to keep the freedoms that we have in so many ways. And so it's something that we constantly have to be in prayer over and make sure that God continues to keep those doors open and helps us to protect the freedoms that everybody's given their life for before us so that we could have it. And uh so we definitely don't want to negate the opportunities we have or dumb down the opportunities that we have to turn our homes into a mission field by any means.

Marriage As A Platform For Outreach

Daniel Moore 27:59

So as we move on into the rest of this episode this week, we're going to talk about another subject here, and it's called marriage as a platform for outreach. You know, it all comes full circle when we begin to understand that our homes are so much more than drywall, furniture, and monthly mortgage payments. And sometimes we forget about that because that mortgage payment comes every month. But our homes are divine tools placed in our hands by God Himself, and right at the center of that home is one of his greatest earthly gifts and responsibilities, the covenant of marriage. As Christian husbands and wives, we are called to do more than simply survive marriage or quietly practice our faith behind closed doors. We're called to model the gospel together. Our marriages are meant to reflect the relationship between Christ and the church, just like Ephesians 5 teaches us. That means marriage is not just about personal happiness, compatibility, or finding someone who tolerates our quirks and strange thermostat preferences. Marriage is ministry, it's partnership, it's discipleship lived out in everyday life. A godly marriage is not just two people building a life together, it's two people building a testimony together. There's a difference between those two things. When people step into our homes, they should experience something different. And it's not perfection, it's not performance, not a carefully curated image where nobody argues and the throw pillows are always perfectly arranged. Real Christian homes aren't spotless showrooms. They're living spaces where grace is practiced daily. And honestly, if marriage has taught most of us anything, it's that grace gets plenty of opportunities to stretch its legs. We know that on a daily basis as we try to cohabit with each other and get along. Sometimes ministry looks spiritual and profound, and other times it looks like apologizing after a misunderstanding that started because one spouse said I'm fine and the other spouse mistakenly believed it. But that's the beauty of a Christ-centered marriage. Through patience, forgiveness, humility, and love, we begin reflecting Jesus to one another and to the people around us. When we open our homes to others, we aren't simply offering them a place to sit, we're inviting them into a living testimony of God's faithfulness. Whether it's hosting a Bible study, having neighbors over for dinner, praying with another struggling couple, or simply creating a safe space for someone to breathe and be heard, our homes become instruments God can use for eternal impact. People should walk into our homes and feel peace. They should feel warmth. They should sense humility, laughter, generosity, and authenticity. Not because we have everything figured out, but because Jesus is at the center of what we're building together. I think it's so important that we realize how important our marriage establishment between us as couples is. I think so many times, and we've talked about this in other aspects even within our marriage series that we've been through, uh, so many times I feel like we just look at our marriages as something that benefits the two of us. We have kids, we get to buy a house, we get to own cars, you know, we get to live this life and go on trips and do all this other stuff, and everything seems to be focused just on us and our little circle that's in our home if we're not careful. But God never wants us to have that. You know, he wants us to enjoy each other and he's all about the vacations and he's okay with us having a nice place to live and something nice to drive. I don't think God's against any of that as long as we keep a priority straight. Yeah. But at the very core of what God truly wants out of us as a married couple, if we're going to be Christian and we're going to be what we would call discipleship couples or leaders or whatever it may be, and don't get don't mistake this either. Just because you don't lead a life group and you just attend one doesn't mean you can't be a leader. That's right, anybody can be anybody that ever leads someone to Christ or your testimony disciples somebody and they watch you and they become a better Christian because of who you are, you in essence are becoming a leader at that point because they are looking up to you and they're watching your testimony and they're watching how you live life every day. That's good. They're watching your marriages, they're watching how you two get along in front of them every day. Yes, we don't always see behind closed doors, so it's real easy for couples to just show up and do their thing, go back home and fight. I totally get that. But God sees that. And if we're gonna truly be disciples and we're gonna truly be leaders, we're gonna truly open our homes and allow people to come in, and we want them to feel that peace. We want them to feel that warmth, we want them to sense that humility and that laugh or that generosity and authenticity. The only way that you're gonna get that is if you and I are where we need to be with Christ and we allow him to work through us as a couple, and then we give that back to him as a blessing because he's blessed us. And I think that that's something that a lot of times as couples, we just don't think about that kind of stuff. You know, we look at our work that we do for Christ, we look at it that it happens at church or it happens at church functions, you know. Um, we might meet the occasional person at work and get to witness, or we might see somebody on the street and get to witness. All of that's good within what it is, but there's so much more to it than that. Really, our marriages and our lives completely revolve around Christ. It should constantly be, we should be constantly looking around. So what can I do next to make a change and a difference in somebody else's life or somebody else's marriage? And that's if we are in a good place in Christ and a good place in our marriages where we are actually living out that Christ covenant marriage that Christ wants us to, not saying we never fight and argue because there's no person out there that doesn't do that. Nobody's perfect. But once we learn how to control those things and to work through those issues and those arguments and still come out a stronger Christian, a stronger married couple in the end, we should be able to be in a place where we can actually let our light shine to other people.

Michelle Moore 33:57

That's good.

Daniel Moore 33:58

And I just I just can't stress enough that, you know, that's probably the core of what this whole episode's about, basically. Um, because we are, we are a living testimony and other people's watching. They are watching how we do life as a married couple in Christ, hopefully, so that they can model that same thing if we're doing a good job of it.

Michelle Moore 34:18

And it and it's really interesting because I never really thought of it that way up until a couple of years ago, you know. It was like, you know, you have your relationship with Christ. You are, I mean, technically we're evangelists in the world, you know. We go out, we pour into people, we pour into people at church, but it was never really, I never really thought of our marriage being a testimony. So it's been very interesting as the last couple of years, just even on this podcast, you know, as we talk about different things, there are things that it helps Dan and I. And then as we've been going through marriage 911, you know, with our couples and just the pre-marriage counseling that we do as well, there are times that people will bring up stuff and I'm like, oh, you know what? That that's great, you know. And so it pours into us, but at the same time, I've never really thought much about a marriage being a mission like that.

Daniel Moore 35:12

Yeah. And I think a lot of us don't think about it that way. We really don't. But that's what God wants us to do. You know, it's very good. I think that's why it's so important that these types of episodes are put out there. And and there's other books that if you go on Amazon, you know, there's lots of books that's about uh the mission of a marriage. I've not read them all, so I don't know exactly what we're doing.

Michelle Moore 35:34

Well, let me tell you, he reads a lot.

Daniel Moore 35:35

I don't know what topics they all cover, but this is one topic that I felt like in the in this book here that we've released. I felt like this was an important one because uh our marriages are for Christ. They're not they're not about me and you.

Michelle Moore 35:49

Right.

Daniel Moore 35:50

It it is to a point, but at the whole core of it, Christ evaporates out of us. Should that's that's how this should all be taking place. Through all of that, that makes me and you a better, more loving couple for Jesus.

Michelle Moore 36:02

Well, and I think a lot of times, and you know, we've we've brought up the fact that you know you should have kind of some like a sabbatical or a vision or something for your marriage, and I think that's the reason why it's so important to spend that time together so that you can go before Christ. Right. And it's not you're not doing things out for that week or whatever. You can go do things, but you're actually settling your cycle, your your marriage in Christ at, you know, at that time quietly.

Daniel Moore 36:28

Right.

Michelle Moore 36:28

Because a lot of times we're busy.

Daniel Moore 36:30

Yeah.

Michelle Moore 36:31

As a couple, we're busy, as individuals, we're busy. And I think that that time of quietness is very, very important.

Daniel Moore 36:39

Yeah, I agree. I'm gonna lightly hit this one point, I'm gonna have you skip down to the next one here in just a second. Uh, but people are not drawn to perfect marriages, they're drawn to marriages where the presence of God is evident. And I think we just covered that pretty well with what we just said. A couple of scriptures there's Colossians 3.14, it says, and over all these virtues, put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity. And then if you skip down to Psalm 133.1, it says how good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity. What's the word there that that pulls those two together? It's unity. And, you know, together, those differences create a balance whenever we have the different things that happen within our marriages, whether we're a social type person or if we're not a social type person, whatever it may be, it takes all kinds to make the world go around, as they say. And so it doesn't matter who you are or what your personality trait is or what it may be, uh, there's still a place for everybody when we come together to unify under Christ and who he is. And the unity of all of that becomes part of that witness. It becomes of you know who we stand for. So go ahead and hit the next point.

Stewardship Mindset And Final Challenge

Michelle Moore 37:48

Yeah. When a husband and wife minister together in unity, their marriage becomes louder than any sermon they could preach. We also have to remember something incredibly important. None of what we have ultimately belongs to us anyway. Deuteronomy 818 reminds us that it is God who gives us the ability to produce wealth. Every blessing we enjoy, the roof over our heads, the food on our tables, the resources we steward, and even the strength to work and provide comes from Him. That changes our perspective completely. Our homes are not merely personal rewards to enjoy privately. They are kingdom resources entrusted to us by God. And stewardship always asks the question how can what God has given me be used for his glory and the good of others? That means the dining room table is no longer just furniture, it becomes a place for discipleship. The couch becomes a place where prayers are shared, the guest room becomes a refuge for someone hurting, and the kitchen becomes a place where conversations about Jesus naturally unfold over coffee and casserole. Suddenly the ordinary becomes holy. When God is invited into the center of a home, even ordinary moments become sacred ministry, and this mindset changes marriages too. Instead of asking, what can my spouse do for me? we begin asking, How can we glorify God together? That shift is transformational. A marriage centered only on personal fulfillment will eventually struggle under the weight of unrealistic expectations. But a marriage centered on a mission gains a deeper purpose during every season, even the difficult ones. Because couples who serve together often grow together. Ecclesiastics 4 9 says two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. There is power in spiritual partnership, there is strength in shared purpose. And honestly, some of the strongest marriages aren't the ones without problems. They're the ones that decided to fight for the same kingdom missions together.

Daniel Moore 40:09

So this comes back again to stewardship. And honestly, between you and I, you know, we do marriage 911. Uh so we work with couples that are that are having different struggles in different areas, and we try to work them through the curriculum and and make things better. And one thing that you and I have consistently more and more talked about, the more couples we've worked with, and the more that we've helped, is how a lot of the way that we show up to the these things in marriage, the way that we show up to what God wants us to do, a lot of it comes back to one word, and that's stewardship. If you look throughout the Bible, God gives us a lot of things because he expects us to steward those well. And I've mentioned this before in other conversations, but a lot of times we think of stewardship. The only time you ever really hear that preached from the pulpit very often when is when it comes to tithing and money and all that kind of thing, because we've got those stewarding sermons, you know, that gets preached all the time about money and that kind of thing. But it there's more to it than just that. Yeah. God gives us resources for everything that we ever do ministry-wise. And any scenario that we ever get ourselves into in ministry, God has provision for that. And when He gives us those things and those and provides those things to us, He is doing that and trusting us to the fact that we're going to steward it well, and that whatever comes out of those situations is going to complete 100% glorify God. Yeah. It's going to strengthen the kingdom, and it's going to hopefully, in essence, add more people to the kingdom. And we have to remember that it's not all about us. We've got to put that pride down. It's not a it's not a one-man show. It's not a two-man show. Um, it's not what can we do to elevate ourselves and make ourselves look awesome and get these accolades and pats on the back because you guys are so awesome. You're such great leaders. Everybody loves to hear those kinds of things because it does encourage you. And I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but it can go to your head sometimes if you're not careful and then the intentions are incorrect.

Michelle Moore 42:14

Right.

Daniel Moore 42:14

And it starts becoming something to elevate yourself and become a show-off in a way. And that's not what God wants. No. He gives us things to steward them well. And so I think that, you know, as we get ready to wrap up this episode this week, I don't know really of a better way that uh, you know, we could really close the episode is to leave it on that note, is that everything that you do, make sure you steward it the way that God wants you to. If you're a good steward, what does he do? He gives you more. And for people that are able to uh steward things that he gives them and do it well, you know, God entrusts more to those people so that they will go do even more.

Michelle Moore 42:54

Right.

Daniel Moore 42:54

And it's that parable of the talents is a very good example of that. And that has to do with, you know, money in that situation, but it's not just you could put anything in in that category besides money. Anything that he gives us, if we steward it well and build the kingdom, he'll give us even more to go do something else later.

Michelle Moore 43:14

That's good.

Daniel Moore 43:15

And so, do you have anything to add to this episode before we close it for this week?

Michelle Moore 43:19

No, it's just been so good.

Daniel Moore 43:21

I think over the last couple of weeks covered a lot of territory.

Michelle Moore 43:24

Yeah. Especially for, you know, it's a good reminder that your marriage is a mission.

Daniel Moore 43:30

Yeah, that's for sure.

Michelle Moore 43:31

Of course, it's your book. So I mean, it's just it's really good for this whole series has been really good, and it just keeps getting better and better.

Daniel Moore 43:40

Yeah, we've got some excellent stuff coming up here in the next few weeks, and you sure don't want to miss it, that's for sure. So make sure you keep coming back. Um, but just remember that revival does not begin with perfection, it begins with surrendered hearts willing to say yes to God. You know, at the end of the day, opening our homes for ministry is really important. Really, an act of obedience. It's saying, Lord, everything we have came from you, and we want to use it for you. And when couples choose to live that way together, they become part of something so much bigger than themselves. They become active participants in God's mission right where they are. It's one meal, one prayer, one conversation, and one open door at a time. And who knows, the very atmosphere of your home may become the place where someone finally experiences the love, the peace, and presence of Jesus in a life-changing way.

Resources, Contact, And Closing Blessing

Daniel Moore 44:48

So as we finish up this week's episode, be sure to visit our website at marriagelifeandmore.com and check out all of our different things that we have there as resources. We have books available. Of course, you can find out all of our platforms. If you'd love to subscribe to one of our uh podcasts, I've got another one that's a Bible study podcast as well. But if you subscribe to this one, you subscribe to both. So you'll be seeing both episodes come out each week. Um, but all that stuff is there at our website, so go check that out. You can also reach us with a form there or email us at Daniel at connectingthegap.net, and we'd love to hear from you guys and see what you've thought about the series so far. And uh or just uh maybe give us a testimony in your life. We'd love to hear it. Well, as we wrap up this episode, maybe the biggest takeaway is this God has placed far more potential inside your home and your marriage than you realize. Your house does not have to be perfect to become powerful for the kingdom of God. You don't need a giant platform, a massive ministry budget, or a picture perfect family to make an eternal impact. You simply need a willing heart and a marriage that says, Lord, use us however you want. Some of the greatest moments of ministry may never happen in front of crowds. They'll happen around your dinner table, during late-night conversations with hurting friends, while praying over another couple in your living room, or while simply creating a home where people feel safe, loved, and seen. Never underestimate how much healing can happen in an environment filled with the presence of God. A home surrendered to Christ becomes a place where weary people can finally breathe again. People may not remember every word you say about Jesus, but they will remember the atmosphere that your marriage created around them. So as you go into this week, ask yourselves the simple question: how can our home become more available to God? Maybe that means inviting someone over for dinner. Maybe it means starting a small group. Maybe it means praying together more intentionally as a couple, or maybe it simply means making your home a place of peace rather than the constant tension. Start somewhere, because revival often begins with ordinary people opening ordinary doors and allowing God to do extraordinary things through them. Your marriage is not accidental, your home is not insignificant, and the simple acts of love, hospitality, and obedience you offer to God may impact more lives than you'll ever fully know, this side of heaven. When Jesus becomes the foundation of a home, even the ordinary becomes eternal. Well, that's going to do it for this week. We pray that your marriage is stronger and your walk with God is closer after this episode. This episode is recorded in the upper room at our Connecting the Gap Studios. This is an extension of Connecting the Gap Ministries, and we pray that you have a blessed week.