For those interested, the booklet can be downloaded here.
By Joel Hilliker
God’s desire for us is clear: “Come out of her, my people,” He tells us, “that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4).
This world is governed by the devil (2 Corinthians 4:4). God requires His people to utterly renounce the ways of this world and to embrace an entirely different way!
Within His Church of Spirit-begotten saints, God is actively building the groundwork for a millennial utopia that will soon spread to cover the Earth. He is promoting a way of life that exalts His law of love, that builds within us wholehearted love for God and love for fellow man. It emphasizes upbuilding activity; service-minded work; spiritual, mental and physical health; ennobling, inspiring cultural experiences. Above all it is a family-oriented life that prepares us for life in His eternal Family!
To the singles in the Church, God presents a grand challenge—and a wonderful opportunity. He wants you to recognize and reject the toxic anti-family thinking of Satan’s world. He wants you to distance yourself from the selfish singles attitudes and lifestyles all around you. He wants you to join together in fashioning an altogether different kind of singles culture within His Church.
God wants life for His precious singles to be encouraging, helpful, physically enriching and spiritually rewarding. He wants it to be just as family-oriented—just as millennial, and just as preparatory to the Kingdom of God—as it is for everyone in His Spirit-begotten Family.
Here are six qualities that should characterize and define the family culture of singles in God’s Church:
1. Friendly serving The biggest change we must make in our spiritual conversion is to conquer our selfishness and learn to serve, with God’s power. Family is a powerful tool to accelerate that process. As a single, you can gain untold benefit from throwing yourself into serving your physical and spiritual family (Philippians 2:1-5). God wants His singles to be a real asset to the Body of Christ, taking advantage of their single-mindedness to please God and to care for the God Family (1 Corinthians 7:32-35).
2. Activity Human nature is prone to stagnate (e.g. Philippians 2:19-21). But spiritual growth requires embracing challenges and breaking out of our comfort zone. God wants life for His singles to be active! He wants you dating regularly, spending time with families, attending Church functions, enthusiastically participating in and even helping to organize singles events. He wants you to live the abundant life! (John 10:10).
3. Masculinity and femininity Satan has savagely attacked the God-given roles of male and female (e.g. Isaiah 3:12). Yet these roles are key to personal happiness and fulfillment, harmony in relationships, and success in forming and strengthening families. Learn all you can about your role and work hard to fulfill it in your thoughts, words, actions and life decisions. You will come to recognize the beauty, elegance and power in God’s design, and appreciate His family government far more. God wants His singles to stand out from the world as manly men and womanly women!
4. Inclusiveness God has placed every member into His Church as it has pleased Him (1 Corinthians 12:18), and He commands us to love each other as He loves us (John 13:34-35; 15:12, 17; Romans 12:10; 1 John 4:7, 11-12, 20-21; 5:1). Sadly, those without physical family can easily be, and too often are, overlooked. God wants everyone in His Church to be included, respected, cared for, loved. He wants His singles looking out for each other and actively ensuring no one is left on the fringes. That requires dating widely and viewing each other as God does, who is “no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34).
5. Law-keeping Worldly singles culture tends to be lawless. God’s singles strive to do everything according to God’s will, in a way He would be pleased with. That means keeping His laws regarding chastity and purity (e.g. 1 Corinthians 6:13, 18; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; 1 Timothy 5:2; 2 Timothy 2:22). It means not being ruled by emotion or rushing into a relationship. It means seeking and applying counsel from God’s ministry. It means always seeking to act out of love, not lust.
6. You! God’s ministry can teach and encourage you to be singles after God’s own heart. We can provide opportunities for the right kind of interactions and spiritual growth. But ultimately, the singles culture in God’s Church cannot be imposed from on high. It comes down to whatyoucontribute! The experience of being single in God’s Church depends on what all of you make it out to be. So do your part in keeping worldly attitudes and practices out so it really stands out from the world. Make it something that truly reflects godly standards and that pleases God in every way!
When God’s singles embody these characteristics, what do you end up with? When life for singles revolves around Friendly serving, Activity, Masculinity and femininity, Inclusiveness and Law-keeping—enthusiastically championed by each and every one of You—then you get God’s FAMILY culture! How special is the result—a culture for singles that points to the millennial utopia God is about to create worldwide, and that truly prepares every last person for God’s eternal Family!