The worship service of the day was opened with a prayer by the worship leader, and it was followed by the Praise & Worship team. The offertory was dedicated by Upa Thangkhosiam Tonsing.
Pastor Dr Suankhanhau Gualnam led the congregants into a mass prayer. He urged them to keep Manipur in their prayers; to keep seeking God for He shall act in due time; and be grateful for everything in their lives. He read from the Scriptures, Genesis 18:13, Abraham and Sarah had Isaac well into their old age, this shows that God will act at the appointed time, don’t give up hope.
The sermon of the day was given by Pastor T Lamkhanthang. The main theme was on “Shaadi.fellowship”. Before he went on with the topic, he called upon Upa H Zabiak to share a snippet from his own love life. Upa Zabiak started by reading from the Book of Genesis 24, the story of how Isaac found his wife. This particular story leaned more towards an arranged marriage rather than a loved one. What he focused on was how Nahor, the one searching for Isaac’s wife, kept asking for God’s guidance. Upa Zabiak emphasized on the importance of seeking God in these matters. With that, he ended his short sharing, and Pastor Thang continued on the topic. Pastor Thang clarified that being serious about these things while one is still in their youth. The importance of this topic came about so that one does not neglect this part of their lives. No matter if it’s love marriage or an arranged one is not what’s important, the Bible itself isn’t clear on this as there are stories of both. Pastor Thang talked more about each of their traits and guiding principles. There is no rule that would keep one from marrying someone they loved, on the other hand, people can love learn to love each other even after marriage, it doesn’t have to come first, it just has to be the guiding force. Some factors that could lead to arranged marriage he listed out from the Bible, particularly from Genesis 24: Someone that the parents want (parent’s preference) – verses 1-4; Through prayer – verses 3, 13-14; Permission or allowance from family members and relatives – verses 50-51; Consent from the groom or bride to be – verses 57-58. He emphasized on the importance of consent, as it should be an arranged marriage, not a forced one.
He continued on with love marriage, reading from Genesis 29: There was interest without outside influence – verse 11; Jacob was willing to sacrifice his time and strength to work for love – verse 18; Jacob was willing to wait for his love – verses 20, 30. When it comes to love marriage, willingness to wait and sacrifice one’s time should be important, as it shows the authenticity of the love.
Important guiding principles to take into account when looking for a partner: Material inheritance is from parents, but a good partner is from the Lord – Proverbs 3:5; 19:14; it is important to be able to walk together under God’s guidance, in other words, having the same faith – Amos 3:3; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Inner beauty is more important than outward appearance – 1 Peter 3:2-4; Take into consideration what the parents want as they only want what’s best for you – Genesis 26:34-35; Genesis 28:6-9; Jacob’s obedience – Genesis 28:6.
All in all, whether one marries out of love or obedience, or various different circumstances, what’s important is: don’t set your ideals too high and look for someone perfect, they don’t exist on earth (Proverbs 30:13). In essence, don’t be too picky about choosing your partner, or your children’s partner. Be ready to make compromises regardless of who’s right or wrong. Don’t worry about earning livelihood, that is something you will, or can do together with your partner. And lastly, always look for God’s guidance, seek out His will. Do it, not for your own personal desires, but rather, so that God can be glorified through it. Pastor Thang ended the sermon with a prayer. The Praise & Worship team came up to the stage once again for a final song, and the service concluded with Upa H Zabiak giving the benediction.
Photos Video Gamchiam
