MOORE—Former TV personality and actor Kirk Cameron delivered a powerful message of how the Gospel can transform lives and impact relationships on any level at a marriage seminar, “A Love Worth Fighting For,” at Moore, First, Feb. 22.
Cameron’s presentation was relevant to not only married couples but also engaged, courting or even single people preparing for marriage.
He seemed at ease, very approachable and eager to share the good news of the Gospel and how it transforms not just lives but also the impact of what it does for a marriage.
For those who have seen the movie, “Fireproof,” this seminar was the movie coming to life. There were no gimmicks, just straightforward answers of how to transform marriage.
How does one do that? According to Cameron, one cannot even address secondary or tertiary issues such as finances, greed, pride, or family if they do not have a heart regenerated by the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“The heart of the problem is the problem of the heart,” Cameron stressed. Quoting Jer. 17:9, he reminded participants that, “the heart is deceitfully wicked, who can know it?”
Only God can cure that type of a sinful heart; selfishness is at the root of all of it, he asserted. Cameron stated that “the same God who created the universe created marriage,” therefore making the point that if a Holy God can keep the world in control, a couple’s marriage is not too big of a problem for Him to fix, because He is in the business of saving lost people.
Cameron added that all of the psychology going on in the world today is just simply that . . . man’s way to fix marriage, and not the Lord’s. He said everywhere you look, you see self-help seminars and counselors wanting to analyze why you are the way you are.
Cameron dismissed the “Dr. Phil’s and Oprah-ology” that exists out there. God’s authority trumps all of the self-help “gurus.”
“You cannot have a marriage seminar and try to work on forgiveness when you do not even understand how Christ forgave you,” he said. “It is only when you submit to the Lordship of Christ and repent of your sins, are you able to begin to work on forgiving your spouse, loving deeper and keeping your covenant with them.”
The seminar also addressed false conversion—that is to say, people who pretend to be saved and claim Christ when, in reality, they continue to live like the world and be of the world.
Cameron said if someone is not truly saved, then they will bear empty fruit in your marriage. He pointed out that if someone is caught up in a lifestyle of habitual greed, gossip, pride, pornography, they might not be saved. Cameron encouraged attendees to examine and test to see if they are in the faith.
Cameron went into great detail about repentance and what that looks like.
“We fail because we are bent and broken toward selfishness and that genuine conversion is the first step to a healthy marriage,” he said.
Cameron discussed how trying to change one’s spouse does not work, and that God reserves that right and privilege to change your spouse, “You need to work on changing you.”
He asked a key question: “What if God gave you your marriage not to make you happy, but to make you holy?” Marriage is a chance to die to self and become more sanctified through that process, he added.
The seminar also addressed “pitfalls” that regenerated marriages can fall into and how to counter those. He pointed out that we need to be engaged daily in battling spiritual warfare. Cameron spoke on pornography. He discussed how a renewed heart and mind will counter that.
Cameron, is best known for his role as a teen actor, the “Left Behind” series, and “Way of the Master.” However, these marriage seminars are definitely his niche. He gives a clear Gospel and addresses problems that help marriages by giving tangible advice that will actually heal problems and point them to eternal life. This topic and setting is an area where Cameron seems to be at his best.
For more information on Cameron’s marriage seminar, visit www.FeedYourFaith.org.