Week 2: WE ARE A TEAM

• What is the best team you’ve ever been part of (sports, school, work, church, family, etc.)?
• What made that team work well?

• Why do many marriages eventually feel like two people competing instead of partnering?
• What causes couples to start keeping score against each other?

• What does this passage teach about God’s design for relationships?
• Which image speaks to you most — helping each other succeed, lifting each other up, keeping warm, back-to-back defense, or the triple-braided cord? Why?

1. Work Together. (God designed marriage to be partnership, not independence.)

• Read: Ephesians 5:21 & Philippians 2:1-2.
• What does “submit to one another” actually look like in everyday life?
• Where do couples most often operate independently instead of as partners?
• Why is shared purpose important for unity?

2. Pick Each Other Up. (Deal with conflict quickly and build each other up with your words.)

• Read: Ephesians 4:26–27
• Why is unresolved anger dangerous in a relationship?
• Read: Ephesians 4:29
• What kinds of words damage relationships? What kinds strengthen them?
• Read: Ephesians 4:32
• Why is forgiveness essential for long-term unity?
• Is it harder for you to address conflict or to forgive after conflict?

3. Protect Each Other. (Unity requires loyalty.)

• Read: Mark 3:25
• How does division weaken a relationship?
• Read: Proverbs 17:17
• What does it mean to “protect the locker room” in a marriage or dating relationship?
• Why are public criticism and sarcasm especially harmful?
• What are practical ways to show: Public praise, Private correction, Prayer support & Presence?

4. The Third Cord Is the Lord. (Shared faith creates lasting strength.)

• Read: Matthew 7:24–25
• What foundations do people often build relationships on besides God?
• Why do those foundations eventually struggle to hold up?
• How does pursuing Jesus together strengthen a relationship?
• What is one spiritual habit couples could begin practicing together?

• Right now, does your relationship feel more like teammates or opponents?
• What is one change you can make this week to strengthen unity?