======================================================================== THE PROVISION FOR OUR ONENESS by Gbile Akanni ======================================================================== Summary: Gbile Akanni teaches that God's divine provision for oneness in marriage is realized through spiritual unity, mutual commitment, and shared worship, emphasizing that marriage is a sacred, inseparable union designed to fulfill God's kingdom purposes. Duration: 1:08:37 Topics: "Marriage", "Spiritual Unity", "Divine Provision" Scripture References: Matthew 19:3-10, Genesis 2:24-25, Ephesians 5:18-20, Matthew 5 (alluded) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In "The Provision For Our Oneness," Gbile Akanni explores the biblical foundation and divine design for marriage as a sacred union meant to become one flesh. He emphasizes the spiritual provisions God has made, such as shared worship and singing, to foster unity between husband and wife. Through scriptural insights from Matthew, Genesis, and Ephesians, Akanni encourages couples to overcome challenges and build a marriage that glorifies God and fulfills His kingdom purposes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Living Seed Media brings to you God's Word, which is his comprehensive equipment for changing lives. May the Lord impact your heart as you encounter his Word. For further enquiry or counsel, contact Peace House, PO Box 971, Boko, Benue State, Nigeria. Telephone numbers 0703 03636 59 0703 76811 98. Email address lsmediaatlivingseed.org or visit our website at www.livingseed.org. Let us sit back and listen as the servant of God brings forth the Word of Life. The provision of our oneness. The provision of our oneness, of becoming one. Engaging it, maximizing it, for kingdom assignments. I would like us to press on with our study this morning. I think now we can combine Matthew chapter 19 along with Genesis chapter 2 that we have been studying. Let's now go to Matthew chapter 19. I will now read from verse 3 very quickly to verse 10. The Pharisees also came to him, tempting him and saying to him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have you not read that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female? And he said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they two in shall be one flesh. Wherefore there are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They said to him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement and to put her away? And he said unto them, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you or allowed you or permitted you to put away your wives. But from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery. And whoso marries her which is put away does commit adultery. His disciples said to him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. Praise the Lord. Wherefore there are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. This passage, you can see that it was breaking forth from the Genesis passage. We studied Genesis passage up to a bit of verse 25 yesterday. We were looking at the right response of the husband. But this morning, I felt I should press on with the matter that God has been pressing for us because each one of your own matrimony is a divine arrangement. A divine arrangement to accomplish a divine purpose on the face of the earth. God is looking, God is longing for the kind of outbursts that your marriages is going to produce in the coming days. And I pray that God himself will bring us to it in the name of Jesus Christ. I want to begin now to look at that verse. Verse 4, verse 5, verse 6. I would have doubled onto the matter of why did Moses then allow a writing of divorcement. But you see, that was an aberration. And you see that Jesus Christ actually said in the beginning it was not so. And if the master had kept quiet, I would have said when he said in the beginning it was not so, maybe now it has been now allowed. But when he now went on in verse 9 to say and I say to you regardless of Moses, regardless of what others have said I, Jesus the one who formulated it from the beginning and I say to you whosoever shall put away his wife except he be for fornication and shall marry another committed adultery and whosoever married her which is put away does commit adultery, is committing it. I say this is the final verdict from the manufacturer himself. So, because we are not learning here how to divorce we are not going to be spending time on what I'm trusting God you will never enter. Your marriage will work out. What leads to divorce is what the Bible already pointed the hardness of your heart. Anywhere you see it happen it is simply because of what? The stony heart. The stony heart of the husband, the stony heart of the wife. And if a man will go with a hard heart I wonder whether he will go to heaven. So when Jesus Christ concluded and I say to you and I found that there are several passages if you go back to Matthew 5 you will see several things that Jesus will say you have heard how they said the following things but I say unto you that's to tell you that whatever permissions whatever perverseness whatever human arrangement that men have made that does not fit into God's standard heaven has not approved it. Even if Moses was the one who said I permit you to divorce your wife Jesus Christ has not said it. But this morning I don't intend to do that. We could have taken time to study it I know some of you are saying let's study it so that we can know how to answer people. It is not yet time to answer people. It is your marriage that will be speaking. Your marriage will be the answer. Hallelujah. And when you will begin to carry this life about you will be seeing several homes brought under healings in the name of Jesus Christ. So permit me just to spend time on what is the principle. What does God want? How does God want it? So these two passages we are going to be studying Genesis 2, Matthew 19 and Ephesians 5. We will be working on them as much as God will give us space even this morning. Have you not read that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female? That for the proper operation of our oneness we need not to forget that he who made them in the beginning he made them what? Male and female. Not male and male. Not female and female. All those who are proposing male and male marriage female and female marriage or male and beast marriage or female and animal marriage they are completely out of point and they are doing something that is contrary to the divine arrangement of God and all such will not go forward in the name of Jesus Christ. And he said for this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife and they to him shall be one flesh. And he said for this cause for this great purpose of God and for the will of God to come to pass shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife and because by the grace of God in the course of our study and in the course of the couple discussions and several other things that we have done we have started to look at the implication of leaving to cleave. And we have seen that to cleave means to hold tightly unto to become joined with in an inseparable manner to allow nothing in between not even children talk less of relatives or friends let nothing come between them shall cleave unto his wife and they too shall be one flesh. Wherefore as far as God is concerned there are no more two but one flesh where therefore God has joined together let not man put asunder. Now there are three dimensions of issues that is arising for me to look at in this particular passage at this point. Number one the purpose of God is that the two shall become what? One flesh. So when we talk about leaving leaving makes no sense until you cleave to become one flesh. The oneness of your relationship your oneness of your union is the goal is the desire and is the expectation of God. Everything we leave it is so that we can cleave in order to become one in every sense of it. If we have not become one what God is looking for has not yet happened. If we have not become one what God desires has not taken place. So you will first let me explore what is the provisions that God has made for our oneness. What is the wisdom that God has created for us to be one because this oneness is what God is aiming at. It is what will fulfill all that heaven is talking about concerning our marriage. That is the first point I want to explore. The second point you will see it in verse 6 Wherefore there are no more two but one flesh. You may think that that is a tautology. It is not. It is a very necessary emphasis that we need to continue to carry along when every time we say there are no more two but one. In relationship with people in handling money in handling relatives in handling even the work of God the ministry there are no more two. We have said it in different ways. The seminar yesterday was saying to the wife you don't have a separate ministry. The effort of ministry that God gives us is only one. The two of you are inside it. There are no more two. Every separateness as if you are running a parallel thing No, there are no more two but one. The understanding that there are no more two that as we are rising from here it dawns clearly to you we are no more two. Each time you are sitting down it must be clear we are no more two but one. Even when it comes to our opinion there are no more two opinions. It has become one. We cannot finish a discussion and the wife goes with an opinion and the husband goes with a second opinion. No, no, no, no, no. They cannot stand until it becomes only one. No more two. So how are we going to get that? How do we get it done? These are the things I thought I should invest a bit of time on today. Then the third thing that I thought we should invest on What therefore God has joined together and I was going to now say What has God joined together? What is it that God has joined together that no man must put asunder? That will be the outline for our discussion if the Lord will permit me this today. Even as I'm drawing the outline you can see how elaborate it is appearing. But it was only important to set it out so that even in your own thinking and in your own study and prayer you'll be able to start looking at it in its components. And their twin shall be one flesh. Wherefore there are no more two. What therefore God has joined together let not man put asunder. Praise the Lord. Now, I want you to turn to Ephesians and to 1 Peter where we will now look at what is the provision what has God actually provided to make what he's saying to us possible in these three dimensions. First, I want you to follow me to the book of Ephesians chapter 5 verse 18 And be not drunk with wine wherein its excess will be filled with the Spirit. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Permit me to ask you a very honest question. How many of you ever have always thought that that passage that I've just read now is to be an activity in the church? Please let me see your hand up. There are many times when you read it you always think it's an activity in the church or in the fellowship. Can I see your hand? Just wave it to me. Yes. Thank you. That's how I also think. There is a dichotomy in my head every time when I read that passage singing psalms making melody in your heart to the Lord and reading spiritual songs and all of that. You always think that it is always in the context of what? Fellowship, church fellowship when we go for discipleship class when we went for church meeting and all of that. And for many of us we never thought that that provision actually is to be carried out at home. Can I ask how many couples make a practice of singing hymns together whereby you just realize that, yes, my wife they just take a sacred song and solos and you are singing together husband and wife and just singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord and singing psalms and raising choruses between the two of yourselves. Have you ever thought it was a provision for your family life? We never thought. So you don't discover that there are so many husband and wives that look forward to going to fellowship but they are not in fellowship. Did you hear what I'm talking about? You look forward to going to where? To church for fellowship for worship, for singing. And some of us whose family devotion maybe you have a bit large many disciples are with you and all of that Yes, you may have started singing but it's for family devotion. It never occurs to you that God wants to create an atmosphere to grow your becoming one. The reason is because becoming one flesh must be at three levels, three dimensions. And the first very very critical dimension is becoming one in your spirit. Becoming one flesh does not first start with your body. Even though that is what everybody always think it is. Becoming one flesh must be at all the levels of your personality your spirit, your soul and your body. Do you know that if your spirit connects with the spirit of your wife if suddenly there is an atmosphere where the two of your spirit have been inspired and excited at the same time do you know that when you want to raise other issues of planning it becomes easier, am I right? So the first provision I see which many many times we did not think that it has to do with home and sometimes it becomes like a nuisance but whereas when some of us first began our marriage singing together was a wonderful time. Just sit down and sing you will soon discover you will forget all your troubles. But you will notice that when the devil wants to break your loneliness the first thing he breaks is your communion in the spirit. How beautiful it was that when your wife was cooking in the kitchen I'm so glad I belong to Jesus I belong to Jesus she's singing while she's turning her mouth and you didn't know when you also gravitated onto that song I belong to my Lord I am so glad I belong to Jesus and then you are washing the plates and you will never know when everything finished I don't know whether you are with me at all I'm looking at God's provision for making them one God did not just said go and become one in a dry atmosphere God creates provisions to make it possible singing making melody in your heart unto the Lord do you know that if you can get yourselves singing together you are not likely to quarrel but you see when there is a disaffection in the spirit when the sister raises a song say now she's using me to sing you know what joins me and I know that's the kind of song that you will raise that time I have decided to follow Jesus if no one joins me still I will follow and you will be singing it proverbially if no one joins me still I will follow no turning back he who does not save me will not pull me back I have my life before I marry somebody and marriage is only on earth I'm going higher I'm going higher someday someday but when it was a song for fellowship a song that binds your spirit together singing is making melody together it was to prepare correct atmosphere for unity of heart and for becoming one flesh speaking to yourselves in songs and hymns and spiritual songs singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord you may be thinking that you mean that has something to do with our marriage honestly speaking it does so I must ask you when last did you just sit together as husband and wife just singing when last you thought when we get to church we sing and I remember songs that we had to compose when our spirit was longing and one of our favorite songs whenever they said special number and you know I used to do that when our staff was not many couples they must come and give us special number in our staff retreat people used to laugh they didn't know that it was a provision for becoming one fellowship fellowship that is not stereotype fellowship where there is no particular pastor fellowship where while we are just cooking or washing plates or eating together a song a song a new composition my wife used to laugh at me when I'm composing my song and she said Baba the composer and you see what does it mean it releases your spirit to connect with her spirit it doesn't cost you anything to sing and yet what God wanted to achieve is that there is a continual building of your spirit together some of you think that preaching is more effective than singing no to get your wife down and begin to say my wife let's turn to Matthew chapter 21 there is a passage there that we need to correct ourselves with you think that may be more effective than if God gave you a hymn to sing and that song verse 1 stanza 2 stanza 3 was dealing with such issues you suddenly discover that you are all singing your hearts are melting anytime my wife wanted to give a special number or wanted to suggest a hymn I know some hymns that she would normally say deeper deeper in the love of Jesus deadly let me go and then I would come in dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun you see when we are singing that something is connecting our spirits then I knew because she was Anglican I was Baptist when I raised a hymn I used Baptist method she said let's sing it this is Anglican this is the original way we used to sing it in Anglican so I became Anglican and because she had an exposure to the CSE at certain point in her life there are some CSE songs that when my wife brings from the archives it releases my spirit God had made a provision for us to become one and it's not in a stereotype atmosphere even singing hymns speaking to yourselves in psalms hymns and spiritual songs singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord and you see this making melody sometime we beat our chest my stomach was the bass drum in those days wow it's wonderful and when we are driving one of the things that has caused many of my staring is the drum on the road when I begin to do sakumba with the steering everything will be vibrating and I will hit it daddy daddy you will spoil this thing just go on when have you practiced what will release your spirit to become one the provision for them to become one flesh first in their spirit I know our brothers have told us about couples altar kneeling to pray together pray together some of you never known that singing together making melody in your heart together singing psalms together you may not know that it is actually the atmosphere that will sustain your couple it will sustain your spiritual understanding it will lubricate your spirit and connect it and connect it what will God do is a giving thanks how many times during thanksgiving service when do we give thanks for how many things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ I found that when I say couple you take this provision of giving thanks always always always do you know that you cannot be giving thanks to God always for all things and ever have time to quarrel talk to me please eh if you decide and say we will give thanks to God always for all for all things in all situations at every time do you know that the issue that you are quarreling about if you look at it well is a reason to praise God it was a necessary spiritual atmosphere or what I call habitat for growing oneness first in the spirit don't ignore it while I have not discouraged and I want to encourage as much as I can couples sitting down sharing the word of God and reading the Bible and sharing your revelation I encourage it but I tell you there is a faster way of entering into it I remember myself and my wife we went somewhere to pray and we were praying to prepare for one meeting solemn assembly and we stumbled at one song we didn't know the tune but the wordings were so good and my wife said can you translate it and let's learn it and I remember the junk of time that we took together to learn the hymn you know the hymn now because we have been singing it since 1984 if thou wouldst have the dear Saviour from heaven walk by the side from the morning to the evening there is a rule that each day you must follow humble thyself to walk with God humble thyself and the Lord will draw near thee humble thyself and the Lord will thank you he will not walk with the proud of his comfort humble thyself to walk with God you know for the rest of our retreat we sang when we finished singing learning it it started changing as we were singing for ourselves now I will humble myself and the Lord will draw near me I will humble myself and his presence shall cheer me he will not walk with the proud my wife let's pray God will not walk with the proud of his comfort let's pray Lord deliver us from any form of pride are we sharing the scripture how did we arrive at that we didn't know when the day passed brothers sisters sisters the provision to become one flesh I see that God has made it available if we will engage it I don't want you to be thinking of high sounding sounding things there are things you can do if you get to you're alone with God now and you ask your wife is there any song in your heart and there was a song she brings before you know it something will happen you may find yourself weeping together you may find yourself confessing together you may see your wife say please stop one particular verse is touching me is touching me just as the Lord in the world's early ages walked and communed and sages he will come now if we meet the condition oh God if we meet this condition he will come now he will come now I can't forget how we left that our retreat and we just borrowed a brother's house a house in Gado where we just went we had no money to go to a hotel we can't travel we can just borrow a brother he traveled and then we went into his place and we were singing we prayed the solemn assembly that year was something else because as we came and I taught the song the song affected I remember one morning 7am I just said let's just sing this song and we could not stop the meeting until 4pm nobody could go and eat people were coming out and say brethren I'm proud I am a proud man ah that's why God has left me I'm too proud I was proud of my singing ah ah we saw something couples this was not first meant to be inside church fellowship it should be where? right in the context of your home everyday giving thanks to the Lord now you will notice that that was what led to verse 21 submitting yourselves one to another where? in the fear of God brethren if we start looking at the matter of becoming one and we started by looking at husband you must be this wife you must be this we will miss the point because what God is looking for is one not a dichotomy of roles and responsibilities first it's not a dichotomy of this is your duty and this is my own duty don't cross the boundary no so he said you will notice that the word submitting brethren can you follow me can you follow me you will notice that the verse verse 18 verse 19 verse 20 up to verse 21 are you there if you carried old king James the kind I carry you will notice that verse 18 did you hear me first of talk to me verse 19 did you hear me first of verse 20 did you hear me first of where did you see the first first of 21 that is it the atmosphere for oneness is what God is saying be not drunk with wine wearing his headset but be filled with the spirit when you are filled with the spirit speaking to yourself speaking speaking the trouble is that many many husbands and wives even when they create time and they say now I'm here let's talk talk now you see that's the other trouble what will I say sometime you never see a reason of talking unless there's a problem to be solved so sometime the husband say now you have been saying I'm not around I'm here now tell me everything you want to say and you are thinking that you could put your wife on the spot and then she will be talking like a parrot no it's not like that that will kill your communion but you see the bible said speaking to yourselves in songs in hymns spiritual songs singing and making melody in your heart to the lord giving thanks always for how many things for all things unto God and the father in the name of our lord Jesus Christ submitting that's where the first manifestation of submission unto oneness comes from submitting unto one another in the presence of God in the fear of God not insisting if my wife said what to do ok let's do it that way if I suggest praise God I also taught like that submitting one to another it doesn't matter if she is the one that said let's go this way I submit to it I don't quickly say but I'm the husband I'm the husband why are you the one telling me where to go no submitting submitting but you see this submitting one to another is in an atmosphere which atmosphere is that the atmosphere of the holy spirit singing making melody speaking to yourself spiritual hymns and spiritual songs and choruses and creative songs the one you have just created sometimes when I'm composing my wife will laugh but when I have got the beat into it she will start dancing it for me and then suddenly it becomes a song suddenly everybody will sing it because it's a good song and that's where we submit one to another so let me first note that when we talk about submission submission for oneness oneness is not a one sided submission praise the lord it's a submission one to another in the fear of god in the presence of god and for the purpose of god to be accomplished praise the lord can I go on a little it's clear to me that I may not pass this before I stop so that we can do some things today so now we come to verse 22 and verse 22 and I say wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the lord for the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church and he is the saviour of the body therefore as the church is subject unto Christ so let the wives be to their own husbands in how many things? in everything it is a provision for oneness it's a provision to grow in to become one flesh as if to say and I want to read that particular passage now wives be subject be submissive and adapt yourselves to your own husband the word own your own husband as a service to the lord and I was so happy yesterday when sister joy and her sister came and shared with us what God revealed to them even about conjugal sex and they said it's a service unto the lord and I say ministry it is not a cheating it is not a manifestation of somebody just taking your advantage it's a ministry for your man to become what God wants him to be so when we see the provision wives when the bible says submit yourself unto your own husband let me not hear you hearing it as if it's the voice of an oppressor, it's not it is the right thing that will make your matrimony a joyous experience it's a provision I choose to come from this passage today because I see God instead working it out for us to become one flesh and become what heaven has desired and designed us to be praise the lord he said because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church and himself the savior of his body and as the church is subject to Christ so let wives also be subject in everything to their own husbands it's not going to be a problem the only thing that could make it look like a problem is if you will not allow the mind of Christ so in order to build this oneness that God is talking about, the atmosphere is the atmosphere of submitting one to another and when it comes to wives particularly to submit your own husband in everything nothing will be wrong you will not mismanage it because you are submitting as unto the lord actually it is that hand that you are submitting to it is that hand that never fails and it is in that atmosphere of his love that you are saying yes my husband said we should do this lord please guide him I'm following as you have told me to submit to him as unto the lord and when the will of God had brought that to be he now went ahead and said husbands love your wives how you see came on this and he said one day his wife was sleeping and he was reading and his eyes was watching this woman is lucky she just sleep like this and I have the responsibility of loving as Christ how did Christ love the church brother when we were yet sinners not when we started cooking for him not when we were correct when our lives were still irritating him that's when he died for us said husbands love your wife you know when he used the word love he was talking about something from the heart something that makes you to cherish to appreciate and to commit yourself to the extent of a sacrificial giving even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word that he might present it to himself a glorious church not having spots or wrinkles or any sorting or that it should be holy and without blemish so ought men to do what to love their wives as their own bodies he that loves his wife does what loves who for no man ever yet ate his own flesh what does every man do to his own flesh he nourishes and cherishes it even as the Lord has been doing to his church he nourishes and cherishes it for we are members of his body and of his flesh and of his bones for this cause shall a man leave his father mother and shall be joined to his wife and they too shall be one flesh this is a great mystery I would stop at this and allow us to go for a while couple alone with God I still feel we should do it I don't think we should just keep speaking I think this message will be concluded when you go to be alone but I've only dealt with the first segment of my outline God's provision for making them one take these provisions don't take it lightly somebody said the other day that if you know your husband's hobby, go into it but I have found something much more sumptuous because you are Christians because Christ is in your heart and because the joy of the Lord is our strength am I correct? please, nurture your wife in joy how many of you know that you will live long if you maintain joy in your heart doctors, can you explain that sorrow wastes a man's bones and that all the nerves that you engage to frown before you can achieve a frown the number of nerves that you have to conjure together to squeeze your face and leaves even when you finish frowning for them to return oh, it takes time you will see the whole thing come out but when you learn to smile everything is relaxed your body system works better the joy of the Lord is my strength the Bible actually call it oil of joy joy is a lubricant joy will make you live fresh joy will refresh and renew you everyday you just jump up like an eagle don't allow waste to weaken your nerves don't allow useless pressure to cause your blood pressure to rise you don't need to start nurturing such a thing when you can nurture yourselves in joy and I know how beautiful it will be if you will create this atmosphere I have found that in an atmosphere of joy, an atmosphere of fellowship an atmosphere of singing even when your wife say Baba please change that napkin for us you will have done it before you say what did he say you know while you are rejoicing you will have grabbed the baby you will have finished doing everything singing but if you sat down with a heart that is corroded if she mistakenly is not asking you to remove napkin he just brought the baby and the baby is smelling because of her shit I hope you know what will happen so what is the meaning of this now can't you see that this baby has already defecated carry your baby you have finished saying it before you remember that you did it together and if the wife wants to be naughty, you come and drop that baby on your newspaper where you are reading and say is your baby or so and then the poor girl doesn't know what to do started crying crying but usually I say mother she will come back and say come don't mind your dad can you imagine you talking to a two month child you are sowing a terrible seed into that child don't mind your father that's what they do and when that child wants to reach to the father I say come on is it because I finished washing him that you now want to carry him no no no leave him because he will poop again can you imagine bad atmosphere that hinders oneness can we change it can we change it can you agree with me that everyday in your house they will be singing they will be fellowshipping they will be rejoicing whether you are turning the car or whether you are turning Amala or we are washing in the kitchen or we are entering our bedroom there is a song can you agree with me about that go and try it when next you come you give me the report and if it is too far before you come back grab one of the brothers who came here and say do you know that word has worked it's not what I said it's what the bible said it's the word of God when I practice it I have been in good health it's just nice it's just nice it's too difficult to be frowning up and down relax you will stand with me now I said this message has not finished stand up because I will be sending you now to go and complete it let's stand up together let's stand up together we are going to finish the message Father I pray that this atmosphere this divine provision for our loneliness for our fellowship for the joining together of our spirits and binding together of our mind that will lead to our bodily joining Lord I ask that even this afternoon activate it Lord I pray that from now let the joy of the Lord fill these couples let them forget the sorrow the disappointment, the hurt of the past give them a new plate on which to rejoice in your presence as we go to be alone we go for the next 25-30 minutes, I ask Lord that even in that you will cement something in our spirit thank you in Jesus Christ name we have prayed Amen ======================================================================== Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/gbile-akanni/the-provision-for-our-oneness/ ========================================================================