Welcome to Worship
October 23, 2022
8:30am
All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name. —(Psalm 86:9)
Welcome to Worship: Rev. Bill Archer
Worship Song: Open Up the Heavens
Prayer: Rev. Peggy Peek
Redland Happenings and Welcome: Rev. Peggy Peek
Worship Song: God is Able
Ministry and Mission Moment: Doug Ringler
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:25-40
Sermon Series: Building Up a Family
Sermon Title: How to Nurture Singles
Rev. Mark Adams
Sermon Notes:
25 – Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.
26 – Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is.
27 – Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife.
28 – But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.
29 – What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not;
30 – those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep;
31 – those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
32 – I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord.
33 – But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife—
34 —and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband.
35 – I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
36 – If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong and he feels he ought to marry—he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married.
37 – But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will—and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing.
38 – So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does better.
39 – A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.
40 – In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God. —1 Corinthians 7:25-40
How do we nurture these individuals who make up nearly a third of our church family? How do we minister to singles in ways that both meet their unique needs and allows us to tap into their God-given potential—so as to BUILD UP this church?
1.)
them.
“Marriage is perceived as being part of the success ethic, of being a total person. Being single is perceived as being flawed. Singles have been unfairly and unkindly treated as a kind of oddity—persons that others have to tolerate until they get married. This attitude is the result of a basic disposition in the Church that if you’re not married, you’re out of the will of God.” —Doug Murren
“It feels like singles like me are considered an afterthought…because many ‘things/events/ministries’ always focus on the married, those with kids or youth. It makes me feel like a third wheel.” —Redland single
“I will serve in the church—but the unfilled desire to be married remains and some days, it’s just painful—and then the holidays come.” —Redland single
“Jesus is out of His mind!” Jesus’ response was, “Who are My mother and My brothers? Whoever does the will of God is My brother and sister and mother.” —Mark 3:21ff
“There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” —Proverbs 18:24
2.)
them.
“When I get home, I am alone. I have no one to share events of my day with. I have no one to help me if I need help or just give me a hug. Fearful thoughts come like, ‘Who will help me if I am sick? What if I can’t work? I rely on my one income.” —Redland Single
“What happens if I fall in the shower?” —Redland Single
“What if I need a medical procedure? Who will take me to and from the hospital?” —Redland Single
3.)
them.
“I can’t think of anything I hate more than being alone. Everywhere I turn I see couples—couples on television, couples in cars, couples on planes, couples in restaurants. Everywhere there are reminders that I am alone. I wonder if I will ever find a person to fill the hole in my heart.” —Redland Single
“One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever see—but TWO can be as bad as one. It’s the loneliest number since the number one.” —THREE DOG NIGHT
“I am trying to focus on Jesus and enjoy all the fellowship and friendships that the Lord has brought into my life since the time I got divorced.” —Redland Single
“What helps me to keep going is surrendering my desires to God every day, and continuously seeking the Lord, trusting Him, His Word, His plan for my life.” —Redland Single
“God does not take away from us. He might ask us to turn our backs on something, or someone we should not have. But God never takes away, God gives. Often, He protects us from someone we should not have because He has a far greater purpose for our lives. Happiness is not found in marriage or work or ministry or children. Happiness is found in a balanced relationship with Jesus.” —Corrie ten Boom
“Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: it is good for them to stay AS I AM.” —1 Corinthians 7:8
4.)
them.
“I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.” —1 Corinthians 7:7
“There are some pluses to being single—like getting to be on your own schedule and do the things that you want to do.” —Redland Single
“I see singleness as a way to fully devote oneself to the Lords’ work.” —Redland Single
“Being single opens lots of volunteering opportunities.” —Redland Single
“Undivided devotion to the Lord is the essence of Biblical identity for the single adult. It is rooted in the sovereignty of a God Who places people in appropriate situations for the best possible reasons. It is steeped in the love of a God who uses even the most difficult of situations for the greatest possible benefit. It is sustained by the wisdom of a God whose timing is perfect and whose guidance is sure. If you are a Christian, don’t despise the state to which you have been called. Live in the gift of your singleness for as long as you have the gift. And whether or not God ever ordains the prospect of marriage for your life, bring faith for the present and hope for the future, because there is much to be done. Who better to set a hand to the task than you?” —Andrew Farmer
5.)
them.
“When you are single it’s harder for you to have others who can keep you accountable, encouraged in healthful things. Trying to be moral, honest, someone who keeps their word or even someone with a moral compass and a sense of right and wrong are challenges for singles like me. Singles are even more impressionable than children.” —Redland Single
6.)
from them.
“A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.” —James 1:8
“Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away and also its lusts but the one who does the will of God abides forever.” —1 John 2:15-17
“On my deathbed, I have one message only. I don’t care what you have attempted, what you have succeeded at, or what has been your work in Christ’s Name while you are here on earth. Only ONE thing matters when you have reached the last step before you go to stand before Christ: Did you show—and tell—men and women Who Jesus is? Did you bring them to some comprehension of His redeeming love? Did you make it plain to them that He alone can pay their way to Heaven through His atoning death on the cross?” —Bob Pierce
Time of Decision and Commitment: Lord, I Need You
Benediction: Rev. Mark Adams