Our church has about a thousand members. Many of these members are single, most of them, by the grace of God, feel loved and connected to various families of the body, I am thinking of a sister, in particular, who constantly dines with the same family every Wednesday night.
How do you think families in your church act to love singles?You think they’re trying to insert singles into their lives?If there is room for improvement, how do you think you can guide families to maturity?He may be the Puritan in me, but before entering the essence of the good shepherd’s path in this field, we must take the time to consider the subject theologically.
- The jewel of the gospel has many facets.
- With adoption being one of them.
- When adopted.
- Those who do not have a family join God’s family.
- Doesn’t God predestine us to a vacuum-sealed experience?predestinates us to a family (Ep 1:5).
- In the gospel.
- God saves us from being satan’s slaves and redeems us as children of God (Gal 4:5-7).
Anyone who has repented of their sins and trusted in Christ is a literal child of God. Family illustration is more than a metaphor. Everyone who was born of the Spirit (John 1:13) is literally a member of the same family (Galatians 3:26). Jesus Himself told us that those of us who belong to Him by the new birth are closer to each other than those united by the bonds of blood (Mt 12:48).
Pastors will take care of a single sheep for a variety of reasons: some young members have not yet found a spouse, some members have lost their spouses and now widowed, and some may have divorced earlier in life and cannot yet marry or can. never get married again.
How can a shepherd shepherd shepherd unmarried sheep in his flock without trying to force them to marry, without making them feel like second-class citizens or treating them as charity?One of the easiest ways to serve single members is to cultivate a church culture in which members understand themselves as family members and not just as members of the church.
This moves me in a particular way as a man who grew up without a father, but nevertheless found spiritual relatives in the church (1 Ti. 1. 2; 1Co 4. 16). This experience has been profound to me when I was young and is always impressive when I consider older men as spiritual parents. I found and continue to find the family in the church, when the Lord did not want to grant me a family accordingly. to the flesh.
I tried to convey this blessing by introducing singles into my family. Many times in the last twelve years, the young single men I am a disciple of end up moving in with us. After all, if we truly believe that we are members of the same family, it is not difficult to open our homes and lives to those who need a family.
Of course, not all pastors can open their homes to people. You are a shepherd, not a superhero; your house is a house, not a hotel. I got it. However, here is the main question: the pastor should not do everything yourself, but rather give the Saints the means to do the work that God calls them to do (Ephesians 4:11-12).
This philosophy of the department is not without difficulties, which at least may be strange. But inserting people into your family is just opening your life to others, with all their flaws.
BJ, a child who lived with us for a year, saw me being nice to my wife while she was pregnant and saw me get up early to read my Bible; We even memorized the book of Ephesians together. But BJ also saw me being rude to my wife after a long day’s work and saw me turn on the computer while I was supposed to be making devotion. It’s awkward.
Afterwards, BJ emailed me and told me that living with my family and me, he had seen how incredibly human he was, but more than that, he saw how much it depended too much on Christ to mortify my flesh and grow in holiness. BJ needed to be disciplined, but he also needed a family. I couldn’t offer him a perfect family, but I could offer a family to follow Christ, and I think BJ could tell them how powerful it was for him.
So as you continue to lead your flock, here are a few things to consider:
Encourage families in your church to see heaven as their home, not just their home. Encourage them to look for opportunities to serve those who are not in their families or who do not even have a family to lose.
Remind families that singles are not only good choices for nannies, but the brothers and sisters God brought to the church family and must resolutely join their families’ lives.
As long as the doctrine of adoption appears in your preaching, do not miss the opportunity to make useful applications of the text to the families of your church.
Represent as much as you can in your own life the family’s love for singles. You don’t need to invite people to live with you, but you can bring singles to lunch or connect a widow with another single woman in church to pray. and encouragement.
Always look for opportunities to remind members of your church that, although they do not always feel that way, they are members of the same family and will spend eternity in heaven around the same banquet table (Ap. 19. 9). Encourage your members, brother pastor, to seize every opportunity to experience the eternal realities of the gospel here in the present; it will get even better as we move forward.