Some time ago, one of our Facebook readers (a mother of five children) wrote,
"If I chose to be single, I believe my impact would have been far greater for the kingdom."
I can't agree with this statement. It is not the natural inclination to be single, but if that is what one chooses, or God directs, that's great, and those in this situation should use their singleness for the glory of God.
It is true, as the Bible says, that when you have a husband your attention will be given to him. On the other hand, it is the rare person who chooses singleness. All hanker to be married because that is how God instinctively created us. It is rare to find a woman who is still single who doesn't long to be married. It is a natural and God-given desire.
And yes, I agree that singles can bring forth spiritual children, but, is she saying that marrieds cannot bring forth spiritual children? This is a strange statement, for we should all be seeking to bring others to Christ, whether we are single or married. My original plan was to be a single missionary (until I met Colin and fell in love and got married!), but I found I had more opportunity to witness as a mother (interacting with other mothers and families) than I did when I was single.
Now here's the real truth. Married couples have a DOUBLE BANGER! They can bring forth natural children AND they can bring forth spiritual children. Plus, their natural children will grow up to bring forth spiritual children, so they are going to end up with MORE SPIRITUAL CHILDREN, with natural children besides! How amazing!
She also says,
"The problem here is in understanding the difference between the two kingdoms of God. The first kingdom, being a natural one, needed blood descendants. But the second kingdom, being a spiritual kingdom, emphasizes spiritual descendants."
Oh my, you can't even have a spiritual kingdom without the natural descendents first, because God's spiritual kingdom consists of people! Jesus did not come to die for spirits only, but for people!
And God never negates the commands He has already given in the Old Testament, the very first command to married couples being to be fruitful and multiply. I do not believe that any of the early believers in the New Testament church would be limiting children and using birth control.
I believe we can further our work for the kingdom by bringing God's children into the world and training them for God. All our children are serving the Lord and have taken the gospel to countries to which I have not even been. I have influenced thousands for the kingdom in this nation and countries I have never been to through my children, which would not have happened if they had not come into the world.
In fact, the more children we have, the more possibility of impacting the world for God. The less of the godly seed in the land, the less revelation of God. The more godly seed in the land, the more revelation of God--more righteousness, more influence against evil, and the more the gospel will be shared and revealed.
If we are married, let's be DOUBLE BANGERS.
Love from Nancy