Singles | Positively Single

Springcreek Church - Garland, TX Podcast

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POSITIVELY SINGLE
Springcreek Church | Senior Pastor Keith Stewart
October 22 2023
#realspringcreekchurch #positivelysingle #single #married #purpose #one #whole #blessed
God promises those who remain single in Christ will receive blessings even greater than the blessings of marriage and children. If you’ve never heard about these amazing promises, find out why God’s special blessings reside on singles.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Many singles sometimes have similar experiences in church like; others who are always trying to set them up for dates, or questions that imply there must be something wrong with them if they are unmarried, or when singles ministries are started in churches, they quickly devolve into “meet markets” where singles are expected to become couples. All of these things and many others create challenges for singles wanting to follow God’s plan in this present moment. What has been your experience with singles in church (either being one or watching how they’re treated)? What can we do better as a church to connect, validate, and encourage singles? What benefits might come from small groups that include both marrieds and singles?
2. There is no question, the Old Testament relies heavily on imagery of marriage, family, and offspring. The reason for this is that God was primarily raising up a people for Himself and preserving a bloodline through which Christ would make His entrance into the world. Yet, even in that context, the Bible foresees a day in which those who are childless (eunuchs) would have greater blessings and offspring than those who are married with children. Because once Christ accomplished His mission, the church (God’s new offspring) would be reproduced through the new birth. This is a seismic shift in thinking and yet it’s one of the metanarratives of Scripture. What are the implications of this? Why don’t more churches understand this? How should singles be viewed in light of this?
3. Marriage is not eternal. All of us will be single in Heaven. The Scripture is explicit on this point. In light of this, singleness should never be viewed as an incomplete state. Single people are not inferior in any way. In the following passage, Paul addresses the limitations marriage brings to our service to God…
To the unmarried and the widows, I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am… I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife… I say this… to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. 1 Corinthians 7.8, 32-33, 35
Take some time to discuss this verse. What stands out to you? What will you take away from this verse to help you in your own service to God?
4. Colossians says this, “…you are complete in Him...” Colossians 2.10 (KJV). What does it mean to see God as our completer and not our mate?
5. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 7, “God gives the gift of the single life to some, the gift of the married life to others.” 1 Corinthians 7.7 (MSG).
To see marriage and singleness as a gift is as God intended. It doesn’t mean it’s a permanent gift (because neither estate is assured as lasting forever in this life). It just means if you’re married now, it’s a gift that God decided to give you because He wants to continue His work of conforming you to His image and He chose marriage as the means to do it. If you’re single now, it’s not because you haven’t done enough to deserve marriage. It’s just that He wants to continue His work of conforming you to His image and He chose singleness as His means of doing that. God’s work is to conform us to the image of His son, so wherever we find ourselves in life, God will use it to complet