spring   ::   2008 

GWTW Newsletter
The Collins

(Click here for web version)

Contents:

  1. "And the Two Shall Become One" – Barbara Collins, Introduction to GWTW Marriage Statement.

  2. "One Flesh" - an excerpt from Does God Really Prefer Men? by Leslie Johnson with husband Gary.

  3. "Women 2 Women Connect" with Felicity Dale.

  4. What's New?




And the Two Shall Become One

by Barbara Collins


A married couple will spend the rest of their lives becoming one. Genesis 2:24 says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” This scripture is so vital to our understanding of marriage, it is repeated in the New Testament as well in Ephesians 5:31.

Did He really expect humankind (man and woman) to spend a lifetime in the process of becoming? Although we’ve been on the marriage road a number of years, Phil and I aren’t there yet! If you’re married, have you entered into oneness? After all, we were created in His image, or so the Word says. Or, does it?

Is the Genesis 1 reference made to the “adam” He first created in His image who allowed sin to mar that image? A marred vessel cannot be fixed or repaired but must be made into an entirely new vessel which only the potter sees. (Jeremiah 18:2-4)

The Word says in Genesis 5:3 that Adam begat a son in his own likeness. Likewise, do we birth children in Adam’s image who must be re-created in Christ’s image? Actually, the three of them—God, the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit—set us upon a path as an entirely new vessel to achieve our ultimate destiny which is to be “conformed to the image of His Son.” (Romans 8:29).

Paul says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Is it possible that two new creations in Christ can actually become one? Only if both yield to each other in such a way that the re-created image looks just like Him, and not like either of them.

Here’s GWTW’s stand and belief about marriage.

"How does woman fit into the relationship of marriage? What is the ideal marriage? Since the seeds of every doctrine found in the Bible have their beginning in Genesis, early on we discover marriage.

Therefore a man should leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24).
 
"Had this fundamental design for marriage been followed, women would never have become the personal property of their husbands. Under the Old Covenant, the desire may have been there, but the power was not. That’s why the Old Testament is filled with violations of Genesis 2:24. The entire race would be on a higher level because God’s Word gave the world the right path to marital harmony and fidelity while erecting the greatest barrier to woman’s degradation by preserving the oneness of husband and wife. God’s plan was a simple one to follow as were His mathematics. He started with –

  • 1 + 1 = 1 or man + woman = humankind. Genesis 1:27 says in the KJV, “So God created man in his own image . . . male and female created he them.” The better choice for “man” is the word “humankind” to capture the context of the two persons God created.

  •  1 + 1 = 2 or man and woman became two separate individuals. Genesis 2:22 reads, “Then the rib (side) which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman . . .

  • 1 + 1 = 1 or man + woman in marriage = one. Genesis 2:24 says in NKJV, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” “One flesh,” means one body or one person.  [continue here]



    When you visit www.doesgodreallyprefermen.com you may download the e-book of Leslie Johnson with her husband Gary, Does God Really Prefer Men? Third edition, at no cost! Their contribution to this newsletter is an excerpt from chapter 5, “One Flesh.”   To read the entirety of the chapter,  please click here.

    A Rose by Any Other Name

    Everyone loves the sleepy little town of Mayberry. In this hamlet of by-gone days, Sheriff Andy Taylor rarely ran into the dangerous underbelly of society. No, his days were usually filled with jaywalkers, moon-shiners and the hilarious deeds of his renowned Deputy, Barney Fife. But occasionally, real criminals did come to town. Of course our good-natured but competent sheriff always caught the bad guys and locked 'em up. Now as jails went, none topped Mayberry County Jail. Decorated with flowers and Aunt Bea’s homemade doilies, Sheriff Taylor made sure his prisoners were not only well cared for, but had all the comforts of home. Those scoundrels were served hot, delicious home-cooked meals, and sometimes Andy would even sing to them, strumming along on his guitar. But no matter how well they ate or how much they were entertained, those outlaws were still in jail!

    Now, if forced to choose between the brutality of an Alcatraz and the hominess of Mayberry, any criminal in his right mind would pick Mayberry. But every prison, no matter how charming, is still a prison. And each prisoner, regardless of treatment, has still been denied their freedom. This is exactly what the Church has taught husbands to do to their wives today: lock them away behind beautifully decorated and well-kept bars. Oh, it’s quite lovely in there, having been adorned with such words as “servant leader” and “high priest of the home.” But Christian wives have still been locked out of the decision-making process and forced to serve out a life sentence their Righteous Judge never did hand down. [continue here]



    Felicity Dale has authored Getting Started and An Army of Ordinary People, and, with Tony, is co-author of Simply Church and a soon-to-be published book, Reformation.

    Women2WomenConnect is part of House2House Ministries. The mission of the Women2WomenConnect team is "to encourage, activate and empower women to fully participate as co-laborers in His Kingdom." They are doing this, at least initially, by means of an e-letter telling the stories of how God is using women today. These stories are designed to inspire and challenge other women to move into all that God has for them. You can sign up for this monthly e-letter at this link.

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    What's New on GWTW?

    1. The entire website!  Yes, a renovation of the entire website is complete with heartfelt thanks to Stella Paterson, a Canadian.  May the Lord richly bless you, Stella.  By clicking Stella's name, you may go to her web site and see the work to which God has called her.

    2. Would you like to see a new article on our home page? Read Gay Anderson’s, “All My Springs Are in You” at this link

    3. Would you like to know “Who We Are,” which includes our GWTW Intercessors?  Check it out here.

    4. Dr. Susan Hyatt is teaching a class entitled, "The Spirit, the Bible, and Women," which uses her book and manual.  You may access these classes thru Lesson 10 here at your convenience.  She is halfway through the course  and eventually all 20 lessons will be archived or you may watch it live on Monday evenings from 7-9 p.m., CST  by going to  www.icwhp.org and clicking the Streaming button on the bottom left.  You may access the chapter, "Jesus, Friend of Women" at the God's Word to Women web site. 

    5. Felicity Dale – Felicity has written an article, first published on the House2House website, entitled, “Women in Leadership in the Kingdom,” which is now on the GWTW website as well.   [read it here]

    6. Rejoice! We now have a website to recommend to you that blogs only on Bushnell’s GWTW book. The link is http://godswordtowomen.wordpress.com. Check it out. You’ll like it! The web-servant, Charis, welcomes your comments.

    7. See Dennis Preato’s article, “Empirical Data in Support of Egalitarian Marriages and a Fresh Perspective on Submission and Authority” at www.godswordtowomen.org/Preato3.htm.

    8. When you go to www.joelandkathy.com, you may download an excerpt of Book One by Joel and Kathy Davisson, entitled, The Man of Her Dreams the Woman of His which emphasizes Rebuilding Your Marriage, Recover from Adultery and Abuse, etc.

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