God Loves Lonely People

 True discipleship can be lonely.

Jesus was rejected by his neighbours in Nazareth and his natural brothers did not believe in him before his resurrection.

Joseph was prophetically gifted, but his brothers sold him to human traffickers. 

After his conversion, Paul was a faithful preacher. He was constantly persecuted.

There are faithful disciples even today who are misunderstood and rejected by their families or churches

There are Christians who have a burning heart to save lost souls. They pray for people on the street. They witness miraculous healings and conversions, but in some places and in some churches they are looked down upon because they are seen as wild fanatics.

If you act exactly like Jesus and the first apostles, many Christians will criticise and reject you.

Consistent discipleship is like a coin with two sides. On one side you will see misunderstanding, rejection and sometimes loneliness. But on the other side you will find new friendships and deep fellowship with God and others.

Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel

will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. Mk 10:28–30 NIV

Paul was constantly persecuted, but he had close friendships with Luke, Timothy, Epaphras and other faithful Christians.

It is better to have a couple of real friends than just superficial fellowship in your family and church.

God is love. God is kind.

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
At the very beginning, God declares that friendship is positive and necessary. Gen 2:18 NIV

Many misunderstand this verse. Eve was to be a help to Adam, but the Hebrew word in no way implies subordination.

The Hebrew word EHSER appears in 21 verses. Twice Eve is referred to, but in 19 verses THE HELPER is God Himself.

Many single women have experienced a close friendship with God. God cared for them like a husband or father.

There are also many lonely people who are not alone because of discipleship and persecution.

In the Bible, Jesus not only healed despised women, lepers and demonised men, but freed them from their shame and isolation.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Heb 13:8 NIV

Jesus loves you. He understands your loneliness. He wants to help you. He has never changed.

Loving Humility, Not Cruel Humiliation

Paul describes himself as a slave but also as an apostle.

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God-- Romans 1:1 (NIV)
He had surrendered his life completely to the will of God, subordinating himself like a slave, but God had entrusted him with a high office. 

God wants us to humble ourselves before Him, but not because He wants to humiliate us. If you are always putting yourself down, you don’t understand God's love.

If your family, your boss or your church leader keeps putting you down, it is not from God.


I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. 
Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. Jn 15:15 (NIV)

 
In many English translations we read the word SERVANT but in the original Greek text the word is DOULOS, which means SLAVE.

If you dedicate yourself to God’s will fully, like a faithful and willing slave, but love and trust God like a beloved son or daughter, Jesus will embrace you and treasure you as a dear friend.

God Loves Rejected People

The Father gave His only son Jesus for all mankind. In return, the Father wants to give all mankind to Jesus. 

 

Why do not all come to Jesus? 

 

All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. John 6:37 (NKJV)  

 

Does God only draw some to Himself and to His Son?

• No, no, no.

Jesus said:

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John 12:32 (ESV) 

 

Jesus was lifted up from the earth on the cross, when He willingly died to pay the penalty for our sin, to receive the punishment for our rejection of our loving God because we chose to live as though He did not love and care for us.

 

Jesus died but He did not stay dead.

• After three days in the grave, He was bodily raised up from the grave by the Holy Spirit.

• He spent 40 days encouraging and teaching His followers before He was raised up from the earth again. 

While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. Luke 24:51 (ESV) 

 

The heart of the Father is to save every one of His lost children. 

• Without Jesus in your life, you are separated from God by your own choice because you have chosen not to live in the Father love of God. 

• You have lost your right to be called a son or daughter of God.

• God is the source and giver of all life and goodness. 

• If you die without Jesus, you will still exist and you will experience the darkness and emptiness of death for ever.

If you are not enjoying the love and forgiveness of God but you are reading these words, God is speaking to you calling you to come to Jesus.

• God sent His son into the world to restore everyone to Himself but He was rejected and put to death.

• It is the same today. 

• He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, John 1:10,12 (ESV) 

 

Why did God do this? Because God is Love. 

 

He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:8 (NKJV) 

 

God’s plan is that you would find His love in a church but sadly this sometimes does not happen. 

 

• If you have not found the love of Jesus in a church, don’t give up on God. 

• If churches have rejected you, Jesus has not stopped loving you.

 

All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. John 6:37 (NKJV)  

 

If you come to Jesus by watching Christian TV or reading the Bible alone, God is loving you and not casting you out. If you are an isolated believer in Jesus, God wants something better for you.

 

And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." Genesis 2:18 (NKJV) 

 

If you are a man or woman who is following Jesus alone, God is proud of you for not giving up on His Son but He wants you to have human companionship. 

 

Ask Him to lead you into Christian friendship. 

• This is more important than marriage. Marriage can be a blessing or a curse.
• This is more important than going to church or joining an organisation.
• Churches can be loving or they can destroy love.

But one great truth remains. 

Jesus is with you if you love Him and He is very powerfully present when two or three believers come together because they love Him.

• I pray that you will know the love of Jesus.

• I pray that you will find a loving church.

• I pray that you will enjoy loving family life.

• But even if you do not find a loving church or family, I pray that you will discover the blessing of believing friendship.

For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20 (NKJV)

BLESSING IS SO POWERFUL

Human history did not begin with a political leader or the work of a great genius.

...God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; MALE and FEMALE he created THEM.

• And God blessed THEM...Genesis 1:27-28 (ESV) 

History began with a happy couple blessed by God. 

Human life is not all about the dominance of great men, great kings or great preachers. 

The essence of human life is friendship and partnership.

• Man and woman, husband and wife, brother and sister are called to be friends and partners with each other.

• Not only that. You and I are created to be friends and partners with God in ruling the world.

WHAT IS RULING THE WORLD? 

• BLESSING, FRUITFULNESS AND LOVING SERVICE, NOT DOMINATION OF OTHER PEOPLE.

Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply... (physically and spiritually). Genesis 1:28 (NLT)

• Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Matthew 20:25 (NIV) 

Throughout human history, men have dominated women and stronger men have dominated weaker men. 

IS GOD AGAINST LEADERSHIP?

By no means.

• Jesus taught a completely different concept of leadership, an idea that goes right back to God’s original blessing before Adam and Eve believed the lies of the devil.

But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant... Matthew 20:26 (NLT)

Now we need to carefully consider what this means. 

• There are mothers and fathers who work like slaves for their children but in return, they demand total obedience to their own ideas. 
• The children can never discover the meaning of freedom. 

I once read the story of a middle aged man who killed himself and left a suicide note. 

He was a farmer’s son who faithfully served his father,

• but could not even buy a garden tool for the farm without his father’s permission. 

• He chose to end his life rather than continue to live as a slave.

Sadly there are government officials, business managers, teachers and even pastors who rule over people like this. 

• They work harder than those under them and in return, they demand complete control over everything and everybody.

What does the Bible say?

We must not rebel and start a fight against a bullying leader. The Bible tells us to respect authority. 

• But does that mean we must remain unquestioning slaves?

David served King Saul, even when Saul came under the control of dark spirits but there came a time when David had to claim his freedom.

• When Saul tried to kill David, the young man fled for his life. 

When a leader imprisons you with control, you have God’s permission to leave. 

• Some people leave too quickly but others stay too long.

The Apostle Paul told the Christians in Galatia not to submit to self appointed church leaders who wanted to control them with man made rules.

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1 (NKJV)

After Paul planted a church in Corinth, bossy preachers came in and took over.

• How did Paul tell the Christians to respond? DON’T SUBMIT TO THEM!

After all, you think you are so wise, but you enjoy putting up with fools!

• You put up with it when someone enslaves you, 
• takes everything you have, takes advantage of you, 
• takes control of everything, and slaps you in the face. 2 Corinthians 11:19-20 (NLT)  

Paul has one word to describe bossy and controlling church leaders: FOOLS.

Bossy leaders can only control your life if you allow them to.

You must resist bossy leadership but be careful how you react.

• Don’t start a fight ... 
• ...but also don't run from necessary confrontation.
• Don’t set up your own ministry with a vengeful or competitive attitude 
• ... but don't bury your gift if you are called to pioneer a new ministry.

Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Romans 12:14 (NLT) 

Blessing is not weak. It has the power of God’s original creation.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21 (NKJV)