Get Engaged

Years ago I heard Bob Stacy preach at a Christ In Youth conference about Jesus' love for the individual. As founder-director of CIY, Bob touched thousands of young people and their families for Christ. But in his sermon he pointed out, "Jesus doesn't just see crowds of people. He sees people in crowds."

Jesus spent a lot of time in crowds. He fed the 5,000. He taught and healed in the crowded synagogues of Nazareth and Capernaum. He mingled with the multitudes who gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover. He delivered a Bible lesson from the deck of a fishing boat to an eager congregation gathered on the Galilean seashore. Eventually he became so famous in Israel that the Pharisees complained, "The whole world has gone after him" (John 12:19).

Yet, Jesus always paid attention to individuals. He touched and healed a man with leprosy. He met one-on-one with Nicodemus and noticed a faithful widow give her offering. He talked with a sinful woman by a well and went to the home of a synagogue ruler whose daughter was dying. In the midst of a throng so large "the crowds almost crushed him" (Luke 8:42), one woman touched the edge of his cloak and Jesus noticed. Instantly, he cured a health problem she had endured for 12 years. The disciples were amazed since so many pressed against him. How could he know her need and feel her touch? They didn't comprehend the vast love of God that counts the hairs on every head, knows every thought, values every person—and considers even one life changed a good day's work.

God loves the world—but not just in the plural sense. He loves us singularly, individually, personally. When the Lord looks at the crowds, he sees individuals who are "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36). Do we? The Bible reports big numbers: 3,000 were saved on the Day of Pentecost; "more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number" (Acts 5:14). But statistics aren't the only way to measure a church's health. The first-century Christians "gave to anyone as he had need" (Acts 2:45). Notice the singular word: "anyone." The early church ensured that those who were not part of a larger family unit received proper attention (Acts 6:1–7). Do we?

Only some of us marry, but all of us spend a significant portion of our lives as singles. And half of us who are currently married one day will be single again when a spouse precedes us in death. No one affirmed the value of marriage more than Jesus. Yet he himself remained single, and made it clear that seeking God's kingdom takes priority over everything else—including seeking a mate (Matthew 6:33; 19:12).

Single Christians shouldn't be ignored. They need to get engaged—in God's service! They need to be engaged in fellowship, worship, Bible studies, and missionary efforts. The rest of us need to engage them in conversation, include them in our classes and small groups, and invite them to our homes. Like the rest of us, they struggle with temptation, hunger for love, and want their lives to make a difference. And like the rest of us, singles come to Christ one person at a time.

The Lord wants all of us to love him with a singular kind of love. A love that puts him above every human relationship and every other desire. A love that says, in the words of an old chorus, "I have decided to follow Jesus. . . . Tho' none go with me, I still will follow."