Joy in Singleness

Mallory Mathias and Cynthia Brain • August 24, 2022

Being single in the church is something that often gets overlooked. 


Churches often focus on children ministries, youth ministries, newly marrieds, married with children, or those who are married and have grandchildren. It is not uncommon for the church body to ‘forget’ about those who have never been married, don’t have children, or those who are single with children.


If you are in a season of singleness, this can be a really sweet season of getting involved with ministries, building community, participating in something you are passionate about and serving others.


Paul himself was single, and he wished for people in the church to be single (like he was) for their priorities to be focused on the Lord and to limit distractions.


Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 7:32, where he writes, “I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to plead the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, and how to please His wife.”


There are advantages that those who are single have and how they can serve Christ and the church. 


In singleness, we can grow to use the gifts provided to us from our Heavenly Father.


A true heart of worship and relationship with the Lord gets to be our highest priority, and how sweet is that we can focus our extra time in serving the Church, serving others. 


During seasons of singleness, we are able to pick up at a moment’s notice to go where the needs are, and to love and serve others within the church, locally and globally as our resources allow. 


Does this mean singles never desire companionship? Marriage? Family? No, it does not! Regardless of what “type” of single you may know or be, we have to remember that this season is a calling from God and that most singles desire marriage, a family, and do life in community. 


There is also the danger of being isolated and forgotten because of the singleness label. It can be come a habit for isolation to occur and to withdraw from church community. This is where the responsibility of the church to look out for others comes into play. In Philippians 2:4-5 it says, “let each of you not only look not only to his own interests, but to the interest of others. Have this in mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” 


Community is vital for those who are single.


We were created to love God and to be in community. Even in Genesis, God saw that it was not good for man to be alone, so He created woman. (Gen 1:27) 


In the first chapter of Philippians we see Paul praying for community to “abound in love” (Phil 1:8-9). We should be praying Paul’s prayer for our community and ourselves, that we will abound in love, so we will approve whatever is excellent, pure and blameless for the day of Christ (Phil 1:10)


For those who are single with a hearts desire for marriage, we know It is not always easy to thank God for being single and to have the mindset of being on mission while we are in this season, God is faithful to show He is all knowing even in our singleness and proves over and over again that He cares about us and sees us in every season of life that He calls us to. This is why we all need community, we need to be the encouragers of the mission God has for every part of the body. 


If you are single, and struggling in this season of singleness, you are not alone. He is for you. He fights for you and He cares for you, most of all He loves you!


Take courage to reach out to your church, find your people, build your community, be involved in friendships and groups of all kinds, get involved with other singles who are walking in similar stages of life keeping Christ in the center. God is the One who has calls us to singleness --whether for a short season or for life -- and when we understand that, He gives us unspeakable joy that can only be found in having a relationship with Jesus.





“I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; Let the humble hear and be glad. Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together!” - Psalm 34:1-4



--


If you would like to get involved with our singles ministry at Crosspoint, contact Cynthia Brain.

Arm Yourselves

June 11, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, June 8, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 4:1-6 Prepare to suffer Is. 50:6-8a I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. 7 But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near. The martial language indicates that discipline and grit are needed to live the Christian life, particularly in view of the suffering believers encounter. -Thomas R. Schreiner Some people won’t like you if you follow Jesus When a culture abandons biblical standards, when extramarital sex, cohabitation, and birth outside of marriage become normal, people attack the church for its moral snobbery and judgmentalism. Peter warns us that if we do take a stand, we need to expect slander, not applause. -Daniel M. Dorian This is one of the hardest things a new Christian has to face. Your friends liked you because you shared in “the same flood of debauchery.” It seemed great fun at times, but then you came to embrace Christ… But your friends have not… They will be surprised when you say “No.” -Juan Sanchez. Keep an eternal perspective Our outcome is glorious Suffering is good for us Let’s remember that suffering accomplishes God’s purposes. It exposes what or whom we are trusting (1 Peter 1:6–7). - Juan Sanchez Ecc. 7:2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Discipleship Questions: Verse 1 tell us to arm ourselves by thinking as Christ did about suffering. How did Christ arm himself for and against sufferings? What does it look like for us to do that? Have you ever lost friendships (or had them change) because you were following Jesus? Do you fear that we (or our kids) will experience greater persecution in the future? If yes, how should we handle that fear?

I Believe That We Will Win

June 3, 2025
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, June 1, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:18-22 Jesus suffered and died in order to bring us to God Jesus conquered death by his resurrection “A wonderful text is this, and a more obscure passage perhaps than any other in the New Testament, so that I do not know for a certainty just what Peter means.” —Martin Luther Problem #1 - he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison —Jesus preached through Noah to those who lived at that time (1 Peter 1:10–12) —Jesus proclaimed His victory to evil angels (see Genesis 6:1-4) Problem #2 - baptism now saves you —Scripture is clear - we are saved by grace not works —baptism pictures our salvation from God’s judgment through the resurrection of Christ “The waters of baptism, like the waters of the flood, demonstrate that destruction is at hand, but believers are rescued from these waters in that they are baptized with Christ, who has also emerged from the waters of death through his resurrection. Just as Noah was delivered through the stormy waters of the flood, believers have been saved through the stormy waters of baptism by virtue of Christ’s triumph over death.” —Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude —in baptism we are appealing to God for a good conscience "This appeal is an act of the heart looking away from itself and from all human instruments and calling on God, appealing to God, for grace to save.” —John Piper —in baptism we are pledging to God to live in a manner worthy of the gospel Jesus ascended to heaven and now reigns over everything “We can face suffering as Christians with confidence rather than panic, and hope rather than despair, because the road marked with Christian suffering is, no matter what its twists and turns are, the road to vindication and glory. The God who vindicated Jesus will vindicate you, and he will sustain your faith until that day.” –Juan R. Sanchez, 1 Peter For You Discipleship Questions: How does Jesus’ death and resurrection encourage us when we suffer? Why did we need Jesus to suffer and die to bring us to God? How does Jesus’ victory over death give us eternal hope? What are your thoughts regarding some of the problems in this passage? How does what Peter says about baptism elevate the importance of baptism? When were you baptized and how does this passage inform your understanding of baptism? How does knowing our victory is secured help us with all the things this life throws at us?

Who Can Be Against Us?

May 27, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, May 25, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:13-17 Nobody can (truly) hurt Christians Psalm 118:6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? Rom. 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? The train of thought is as follows: “No one will be able to harm believers on the future day if they are zealous for good” (v. 13). Indeed, even present suffering is not a sign of punishment but of blessing both now and especially in the future, on the day when God rewards his people with eternal life. -Thomas R. Schreiner Honoring Christ Erases Fear Share your faith with strength and gentleness Embrace balance Be prepared to share The truth of the gospel is a public truth that can be defended in the public arena. This does not mean, of course, that every Christian is to be a highly skilled apologist for the faith. It does mean that every believer should grasp the essentials of the faith and should have the ability to explain to others why they think the Christian faith is true. -Thomas R. Schreiner Be prepared to suffer “I’ve spent a number of years in India and Africa where I found much righteous endeavor undertaken by Christians of all denominations; but I never, as it happens, came across a hospital or orphanage run by the Fabian Society [a British socialist organization], or a humanist leper colony.” -Malcolm Muggeridge Be bold! We will likely suffer as Christians in this world, but that suffering is slight and temporary compared to the eternal inheritance that awaits us. The worst thing that can happen to us is that we die and receive our promised inheritance. Can you imagine how emboldened Christians would be if we only believed what Peter is saying? -Juan R. Sanchez Discipleship Questions: Does the fact that nobody can (truly) harm us comfort you? What would change if we lived like we really believe that? Are you a more confident person as someone who knows Christ? Does your security in Christ embolden you to take some risks in life, knowing that the worst that could happen is death? How equipped / prepared are you to give a reason for the hope that you have? What would grow your confidence and competence in that? Have you considered joining Michael Clark one day for evangelism at the harbor? Well….you should….
Show More