Experiencing God Together

EXPERIENCING GOD TOGETHER

Introduction:

God's vision for marriage is made up of many parts, including three types of

intimacy: Physical, Soulical, and Spiritual. As a marriage mentor, you can

demonstrate and encourage strong spiritual intimacy in the couples you guide.

By helping them to understand the growth process involved in developing

spiritual intimacy, you can start them on a path to a fulfilling, enriching, and

spiritually-grounded marriage.

Definitions:

1. Triunity - a helpful way to think of human beings; a unity of body, soul and spirit.

2. Intimacy - oneness with healthy separateness

Concepts:

1. Three Intimacies

* Physical, "Soulical," and Spiritual (Song of Solomon)

* All three work together; it is nearly impossible to have spiritual

intimacy without physical and soulical intimacy in place.

2. Physical Intimacy

* A high level of physical intimacy is a goal to be obtained.

* God is not embarrassed by human anatomy; physical sharing between two of God's creations is a beautiful and wonderful thing.

3. Soulical Intimacy

* Thinking, feeling, and deciding are acts of the soul that every human engages in.

* Sharing this process, both feelings and decisions, leads to a soul-to-soul Intimacy.

4. Spiritual Intimacy

* The Triunity (body, soul, and spirit) of humanity can be directly related to The Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

* The Godhead is dependent upon the vital union between three elements; thus are we as humans and as married couples.

5. Barriers to Spiritual Intimacy

* Males might harbor fear and lack of confidence about being a spiritual leader for their mates.

* Impatience: Intimacy takes time, commitment, and surrender.

* Pressure: Both partners must be ready to experience spiritual intimacy.

* One member of the couple might have an incorrect view of what it means to be spiritually intimate. For example, the male might have a discordant idea about what a spiritual leader is.