As a pastor, I spend quite a bit of time in bookstores.  The other day I was in a Christian bookstore, and noticed that when it came to books on sermon prep, there was just an overwhelming amount of materials.  I found hundreds of commentaries, bible dictionaries and bible concordances. 

There were also books about how to prepare sermons week in and week out—“how to” books on preaching through the Old and New Testament, books on how to be “Christ-centered” in your preaching, and books about how to be an effective communicator.  I also noticed that there was a large section of books about ministry—book after book about kids, youth and small group ministries and tons of books on how to establish purposeful and biblical ministries in the church.   

There was also a number of books about marriage.  There were books helping you prepare for marriage, helping you after you are married and books to guide you when your marriage is on the rocks.  I also found a ton of books on parenting—books written to pastors to help the parents, books written to parents on how to shepherd their kids and books written for kids that parents can use to teach them about the Bible.

But as I was going section by section through this particular bookstore, one section I noticed was missing was the singles section.  Though I found a few books written to singles ministers and books that speak to those who are single, I also noticed that quite a few of those books addressed the importance of resisting temptation, while others were about the proper steps to take to find the right spouse and prepare yourself for marriage. 

I could not find any books about the spiritual advantages that come from being single.  And because this is the case, what often gets communicated to our single folks is that God is not in favor of people remaining single—what often gets communicated is that God is only concerned with believers who are married with kids.  If anyone questions the importance of being single, he or she needs to consider this: Think about the greatest man ever to live and one of the greatest servants of the Lord the world has ever known—The Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul. Both were single.

 And Paul knowing first-hand the benefits of being single writes about it in 1 Corinthians 7:25-40.  To listen to the sermon click HERE and scroll down to “IT’S GOOD TO BE SINGLE.”.

"Quote" of the Week

In recent days a lot of books have been written on the subject of marriage; how to liven up your marriage, how to stay married, how to raise your children, how to be a spiritual leader in your family. These are all very good, but they often overlook another major option that believers have—to remain single. –John Stevenson

A WORD TO MARRIED BELIEVERS

I’ve had people in the past who are experiencing marital problems tell me, “I wish I could have a marriage like yours and never have any issues.”  And I never fail to tell them that Leslie and me have our fair share of struggles. 

Believers have problems like everyone else, and they do more harm than good when they are not honest about their struggles.  The reason why is because struggling couples look to their “seemingly perfect relationship” and see their own situation as being hopeless.  Wives look to other husbands and make unfair comparisons and so do husbands to other wives.  So it’s vital that we as believers be honest about our struggles in marriage. However, it’s also important that we not stop there, but that we come alongside struggling Christian couples and encourage them to seek out solid biblical council and respond biblically when problems occur. 

Unfortunately, many couples today do not believe their marriage is worth fighting for.  Many have asked, “Why can’t I just move on—why can’t I simply cut out?”  Well, one reason why is because God takes the vows you make before Him and to Him seriously (Ecclesiastes 5:4).  The second reason is because Scripture tells us that we are not to separate as believers.  Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:10-11,

To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband(but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.

The third reason why you should not be quick to quit on your marriage as believers is because you are indwelt with the Spirit of God.  Therefore, you have all you need to make your relationship work. 

So, if you or your spouse or both of you are a step or two away from cutting out and parting ways, seek out biblical council, because you have all you need as believers to turn your relationship around—you have all you need to honor God in your marriage.  Let me also say this, don’t wait until you have passed the point of return, but seek out marital advice early and often.

"Quote" of the Week

"One of the reasons I am determined to keep my marriage together is not because doing so will make me happier (although I believe it will); not because I want my kids to have a secure home (although I do desire that); not because it would tear me up to see my wife have to 'start over' (although it would).  The first reason I keep my marriage together is because it is my Christian duty."  -Gary Thomas

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.

"Timing is everything."  You have probably heard this phrase before, haven’t you?  It’s one of those truths that is ingrained in us.  It’s one of those facts of life that we just know deep down to be true.

An action can be considered unquestionably right or incredibly wrong solely based upon timing.  For example, let’s say you have a friend who has had a crummy day, so you send him a text to cheer him up—that’s a great thing, isn’t it?  But if you do it while driving, not so great because “timing is everything.”

Let’s say you want to give a family member a call on her birthday to wish her an enjoyable day.  That’s a wonderful thing to do, as long as you don’t do it in the middle of a movie at the Carmike.  Why?  Because “timing is everything.” 

It’s necessary in your job.  For example, getting to work five minutes early is a whole lot better than 10 minutes late.  Also, being finished with a task before the deadline is better than three days after. 

Timing is also essential when it comes to relationships—especially when it comes to the physical relationship between a man and a woman.  I think everyone would agree that timing is key in this area.  

Though God tells us in His word that sexual intercourse is a beautiful and deeply spiritual act, He says that it is wrong if done at the wrong time and in the wrong context.  In the first part of 1 Corinthians 7, Paul makes this exact point.  He explains that the only time it’s ok to live together, have sex with your partner and have children together is after you have said, “I DO.”  Want to hear more?  Click HERE and listen to "TIMING IS EVERYTHING."

"Quote" of the Week

(God) doesn’t condemn sex.  He condemns sex outside of marriage.  He condemns sinful sex, not sex.  -Mark Driscoll 

IS THE RESURRECTION NECESSARY?

There are many within Christian circles today who do not think that the Christian faith is in jeopardy if you take the resurrection away.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Truth is, if you remove the resurrection, you no longer have Christianity.  Scripture is clear that if Jesus is still in a tomb somewhere in the Middle East, Christianity is sunk.
How would you respond to someone who claims to love big, juicy hamburgers if they ordered one without meat? At the very least, you would question their love for burgers because without the meat you no longer have one.  The resurrection to Christianity is the meat to the burger—you take it away and you lose Christianity.  This is Paul’s point in 1 Corinthians 15:17 when he says,

¹⁷ If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

"Quote" of the Week

"A little over two years ago, a reporter put a crucial question to the then Anglican Archbishop of Perth.  The reporter asked, 'If we discovered the tomb of Jesus, and could somehow prove that the remains in the tomb were Jesus’ remains, what would that do to your faith?' The Archbishop replied that it wouldn’t do anything to his faith: Jesus Christ has risen in his heart.  The apostle Paul understands the issues with much more straightforward clarity: if Christ has not risen, your faith is futile (1 Cor 15:17). In other words, part of the validation of faith is the truthfulness of faith’s object—in this case, Jesus’ resurrection. If Jesus has not risen, they can believe it ‘till the cows come home, but it is still a futile belief that makes them look silly: they “are to be pitied more than all men'" (15:17).  –D.A. Carson 

Jesus is enthroned at God's right hand, and all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. It is a profound political reality that Christ now occupies the supreme seat of cosmic authority. The kings of this world and all secular governments may ignore this reality, but they cannot undo it. The universe is no democracy. It is a monarchy. God himself has appointed his beloved Son as the preeminent King. Jesus does not rule by referendum, but by divine right. In the future every knee will bow before him, either willingly or unwillingly. Those who refuse to do so will have their knees broken with a rod of iron.  

At present the kingship of Christ is invisible. We as Christians live somewhat like Robin Hood and his merry men of Sherwood forest. Robin and his cohorts were disenfranchised by wicked Prince John. But John was a usurper. The throne belonged to Richard the Lion-Hearted, who was absent from the realm while on a spiritual crusade. We do not want to push the analogy too far, nor do we want to identify the condition of the church in this world with a myth or legend.

Our King is not visibly present in his realm, but his reign is real. No usurper can snatch it out of his hands. We live in this world as outcasts, but we must remain loyal to our King, who has ventured into a far country. We await his return in glory, seeking to give him reality in his absence. Our mission is to bear witness to his reign, which he instructed us to do just moments before he departed for heaven.

Sproul, R.C. Grace Unknown. Grand Rapids: Baker Books. 1997. 97-98.

FOR MORE ON JESUS AS KING, LISTEN TO "FOLLOWING JESUS AS KING" FOUND HERE

"Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne. Hark how the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own. Awake my soul and sing, of Him who died for Thee. And hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity." - Crown Him With Many Crowns, Lyrics by Matthew Bridges