Being single can sometimes be isolating—especially within the church. The church doesn’t really know how to handle single people: There are few sermons on what it means to be single, and “singles ministries” can sometimes feel like an awkward speed dating scenario. But where do we go to learn what it means to live fully into our singleness? Is it possible to find fullness of
life and be single, especially in a world that is constantly telling us that we need to be married to be complete?
In this study, we will explore what Scripture has to say about being single and what it means to fully engage in the kingdom of God—and how the two can work together.
Scripture: Genesis 1:27, Acts 2, John 10:10
Session One
Is Marriage Really the Goal?
In the church, marriage is often elevated as the ultimate relationship that helps us learn about the heart of God—but what can be gleaned from community as a whole?
Churches love to talk about relationships. They talk about marriage and parenting; they offer community groups for people who are married, parenting, dating, or divorced. But very rarely will you hear a sermon on what it means to be single in the church, one that tackles questions like, “How do you live contently as a single person?” or “What do you do when you desperately want to be married but you have not found ‘the one’ yet?” or “What if you have decided that married life is not for you?”
Whatever the reason, it seems as if marriage is the ultimate relationship goal in the church, and if you want to experience the type of intimacy that truly reflects the love of Jesus, you have to look for it within the marriage covenant. But is that really how God designed it? Is this the message of the kingdom of God? Is marriage really the ultimate goal?
Session Two
Singleness and Community
Jesus gives us a clear model for community—especially for a single person.
Jesus’ time on Earth was spent teaching and modeling a new way, a new community, a new kingdom. Immediately after the Fall, when community with God and our relationship with one another was broken, the Creator began working to fix the divide, to reconcile us back to God and to each other.
The answer to this broken relationship was Jesus. He came to bring hope to the hopeless, healing to the broken, and a new type of community to the isolated. This was a community that valued all people: a community where everyone, regardless of their status, was equal and loved. Jesus modeled this community through his relationships with his disciples and then laid out a plan for all of us to experience this type of community, which became what we now know as the early church.
Session Three
Single and Living Life to the Full
Jesus offers all people the opportunity to engage in life in all of its fullness.
So Jesus came to show us a new way to live and a new way to love. He came that we might experience life to the fullest. This is a promise for all of us, regardless of our marital status. It may look different depending on our season of life, but the beautiful thing is that fullness of life is available to everyone.
We also have to be aware of the thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. The thief can take on many different forms, all of which are trying to rob us of this fullness of life. We need the power of Jesus to fight the Enemy, and we have to remember the truth that Jesus laid out for us and modeled for us while he was here on Earth.
Based on what we’ve covered so far, in this final session, we’ll consider specific
ways we can adopt a more holistic approach to missions in our own churches and
communities.
Total number of pages - 26
