Key Points:

• Singleness is an opportunity to live a life of undivided attention and devotion to the Lord.
• A life of singleness is an invitation to become more like Jesus.
• A life of singleness is a good and holy thing in the eyes of God.
• A life of singleness is not less valuable or less important than a life of marriage and / or parenting.
• Marriage is not the main goal for those who follow Jesus.
• Singleness is not better than marriage, and marriage is not better than singleness. The Church needs healthy married people and healthy single people.
• Many single people in the Church feel like their singleness is a problem to fix rather than a life to be lived.
• There is no "single experience" of singleness.
• Ways to love single people well:
  • Don't assume that you know what it's like to be us.
  • Invite us into your life.
  • Help carry the load.
  • Value what singles bring to the Church.

Questions:

• What if we could acknowledge that it is possible to love the life you have, and still grieve something you deeply desire but do not have?

Stats:

• Only 23% of active churchgoers are single. (Barna Group)
• 46-47% of adults in the USA are single. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2025)
• On Amazon, there are 298 marriage books for every 1 book on singleness. (Heart of Dating Podcast)

Scriptures:

• 1 Corinthians 7:7-9. 26-28, 32-35
• Matthew 19:8-12
• Isaiah 56:4-5
• 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20
• Ephesians 2:19

Spiritual parenting is an important responsibility for all disciples of Jesus.

Key Points:

• Purposeful friendships are intentional, vulnerable, sacrificial, and spiritual.
• Purposeful friendships are growing from casual to intentional.
  • Deep, meaningful friendships do not happen accidentally. They require regular, intentional investment of our time, energy, and care.
• Purposeful friendships are growing from surfacey to vulnerable.
  • Vulnerability is risky, but it is the only way to experience deep trust that allows for meaningful encouragement, accountability, and love.
• Purposeful friendships are growing from comfortable and convenient to sacrificial.
  • Real friendships are messy and challenging, but the sacrifices are worth the reward of deep connection and joyful satisfaction.
• Purposeful friendships are growing from self-centered (secular) to Christ-centered (spiritual).
  • Christ-centered friendships have transcendent, supernatural quality because we are drawn together by our shared pursuit to know, love, and serve Jesus.
• Biblical Friendships
  • Ruth and Naomi (Ruth 1:15-18)
  • David and Jonathan (1 Samuel 18:1-4, 20:16-17, 20:41-42)
  • Mary and Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-45)
  • Jesus and His Disciples (John 15:9-17 NLT)
  • The Women who followed Jesus (Luke 8:1-3, 23:48, 55-56, 24:1-12)
  • Paul and Barnabas (Acts 9:26-28, 11:19-30, 13:2)

Scriptures:

• Proverbs 27:6