Before we downgrade or downplay the
place of single people in the Church, let's take a quick look at some
19 outstanding singles of the Bible who are role models for the single
life:
Miriam was the senior sister of
Moses, who helped her prominent prophet brother with some aspects of
leading the people of Israel. Miriam helped organize Israelite women
into the first choir recorded in the Bible.
Elijah
became the most influential prophet of Israel after the Israelite
monarchy was split into two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Israel in the
north and the Kingdom of Judah in the south. Elijah was the national
prophet to the northern kingdom. Elijah is distinguished as one of
only two individuals in the Bible who went to Heaven without dying
physically.
Elisha was mentored by Elijah,
and he succeeded Elijah as prophet to the Kingdom of Israel. Unlike
his predecessor, who was a man of the wild, Elisha freely associated
with everyday people. His many miracles resemble the later miracles
of Jesus. Elisha was probably the most Christ-like prophet of the Old
Testament. He practiced New Testament virtues like giving your enemy
food and water.
Jeremiah was specifically
ordered by Yahweh not to marry. He preached for about 50 years,
leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army.
Daniel was one of a handful of
people in Scripture of whom nothing negative is said. Like Joseph
before him, Daniel became a master of dreams with prophetic
overtones. The book named after him has become indispensable to
students and scholars of Bible prophecy. And children at church
remember the story of "Daniel in the Lions' Den".
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
commonly known as "the three Hebrew boys" displayed brave
and courageous devotion to Yahweh in the face of death by burning.
The three youngsters were miraculously delivered by God from King
Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace.
John the Baptist was cousin to Jesus
and six months Jesus' senior. John was much like Elijah -- removed
from people and very pointed and confrontational in his preaching.
His purpose in life was to prepare the nation of Israel for the
arrival of the Messiah, and to introduce the Savior to the world. His
greatest honor was to baptize Jesus Christ in the Jordan River.
The Apostle John may have been
single, because there is no mention of his wife. He authored five
books and letters of the New Testament, including the Gospel of John
and the prophetic book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. His
main themes were truth, light, and love. He became known as the
Apostle of Love. Before Jesus died on the cross, He left His mother
Mary in the care of John, who became the last of the New Testament
apostles to die.
Mary Magdalene was a single
woman who supported the ministry of Jesus all the way. She was the
first individual Jesus appeared to after He rose from the dead, and
she was first to report the news of Christ's resurrection to the
apostles. Some call her the first evangelist.
Lazarus and his sisters Mary
and Martha were probably unmarried. These siblings remained
devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Of course, Lazarus became famous
as the guy whom Jesus brought back from the dead after he'd been dead
for 4 days, the miracle which precipitated the arrest and murder of
Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul was by far the most
accomplished Christian of the New Testament, surpassing even the
apostles who physically walked with Jesus Christ. He wrote half of
the New Testament's 27 books and letters, and he became the most
successful missionary and church planter. Without Paul, the faith
that Jesus introduced would have probably remained little more than a
sect within Judaism. Paul made Christianity a universal faith by
taking the Gospel to the Gentiles.
Barnabas was the man credited with being the first to accept Paul, while the Church was still skeptical of
Paul, who used to harass and kill Christians before he was
converted. Barnabas mentored Paul, gave him credibility, and went
with Paul on the first missionary journey, when the two men planted
several churches among the Gentiles.
Timothy became Paul's most
trusted spiritual son. Timothy was the biracial son of a Greek father
and a Jewish mother. As a youth, Timothy became an able Christian
leader, who pastored the famous Church of Ephesus, the same church
pastored by John the Beloved, the same church where Mary the mother of Jesus was
member.
Lydia was a wealthy business
woman, who accommodated Paul and his missionary team in the city of
Philippi, where Paul planted the most mission-minded church of his
career. Lydia became a charter member of the Philippian Church, and
she was probably a leader there.
Jesus Christ remains the most
famous single ever. He is the #1 role model of what it means to live
the single life. The Church, which is the movement that Christ
founded, needs to remember that our Founder was a single man. This
historical fact should motivate every church to find ways to make
singles an important part of the ministry, rather than unintentionally sideline
singles in our good efforts to promote marriage.
This list doesn't even include Naomi and Anna, widows who remained single for the rest of their lives. Singles deserve our respect, not our suspicion and sympathy.
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