Minister of Loneliness
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality."
Romans 12:9-13
In light of the traumatic events of 2020, Collins dictionary named “lockdown” as their word of the year for 2020. Language content consultant Helen Newstead explained, “We have chosen lockdown as our word of the year because it encapsulates the shared experience of billions of people who have had to restrict their daily lives in order to contain the virus. Lockdown has affected the way we work, study, shop, and socialize. Lockdown is not a word of the year to celebrate but it is, perhaps, one that sums up the year for most of the world” (The Guardian).
Alas, lockdowns will not only be remembered for containing the virus, but for their unintended consequences. The lockdowns came with far reaching and lasting spiritual, emotional and financial repercussions. Due to lockdowns and related factors, suicides have tragically increased. According to a recent CNN report, teens contemplating suicide has reached 25%. With people more socially isolated than ever, Japan experienced a surge in suicides for the first time in over a decade. In Japan, more people died from suicide in the month of October than died from COVID-19 in all of 2020. This epidemic in suicides has prompted the Japanese government to appoint a “Minister of Loneliness” in attempt to reduce the social isolation and loneliness that has been linked to the increase in suicides.
Before social distancing and lockdowns, worry and anxiety about the uncertainties of life were leading causes of depression. A depressed person often craves isolation (i.e. Elijah in 1 Kings 19). Add to that the isolation, and you have the perfect storm. Furthermore, isolation and loneliness feeds depression. It’s a vicious cycle that leads some people trapped in it to feel so hopeless that they lose the will to live (1 Kings 19:9-10). The Japanese government’s appointment of a minister of loneliness in attempt to reduce the devastating effects of social isolation is a sobering reminder to us all of the vital need of the church of Jesus Christ for such a time as this. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another” (Romans 12:3).
To grow in our faith and maintain spiritual health and vitality, Christians must be in fellowship with God and God’s people. Like a human body made up of different parts, the church, the body of Christ is made up of believers uniquely gifted by the Holy Spirit so that we can grow together, serve one another and work cooperatively to minister God’s grace in a lost and lonely world. Healthy Christians are devoted to the teaching of God’s word, corporate prayer, breaking bread together, and the fellowship of the saints (Acts 2:42). The word fellowship comes from the Greek word koinonia, which means oneness or commonality. Concerning the early church, Doctor Luke wrote, “And all who believed were together and had all things in common” (Acts 2:44).
Every believer that has been reconciled to God through the finished work of Christ are in fellowship with the Lord and thereby in fellowship with each other. Our fellowship is not a function of church activities or social events on a calendar, but rather the reality that we are members of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). As the late Adrian Rogers explained, “Our challenge is not to create fellowship or have fellowship, but to manifest our fellowship through actions toward one another. It’s these actions that Paul addresses in Romans 12:9-13: affection, honor, love fervency, joy, patience, prayer, sharing resources, hospitality, humility, rejoicing, honesty. Wouldn’t you like to attend a church where these things were manifested on a constant basis? Perhaps you do already. If so, thank God for it and do all you can to maintain it.”
Manifesting our fellowship and maintaining it certainly includes gathering together, which the word of God exhorts us not to neglect (Hebrews 10:24). But gathering together in any specific location does not in of itself manifest our fellowship and oneness in Christ to the glory of His name. The manifestation of our fellowship is the outworking of the inner work of the Holy Spirit. As we present our bodies to God as living sacrifices, renew our minds and yield to the Spirit, God transforms us into the image of Christ so that we can demonstrate His steadfast love to one another (Romans 12:1-2, 9; Philippians 2:13; 2 Corinthians 3:18). We don’t gather together as mere spectators, but as Spirit filled participators to encourage one another, serve one another and stir one another unto love and good works (Hebrews 10:25).
The manifestation of our fellowship in Christ is not superficial, but supernatural. It’s shown best through a Spirit enabled love that looks out for the best interests of others, even at great personal expense. When we experience true koinonia (fellowship), not only will we know the comfort that only Christ can give, but we will be equipped to comfort those outside of the fellowship, who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4; 2 Thessalonians 2:16).
Loneliness is common to all. Lydia Brownback, author of “Finding God in our Loneliness” wrote, “Single or married, young or old, man or woman—everyone experiences loneliness at various times and to varying degrees. No one is exempt. We were created for togetherness, which is why, even before the fall, God declared that man’s aloneness was not good (Gen. 2:18).” Loneliness speaks to a human longing and its very existence points to something common to us all. As Brownback also explained, “Loneliness is an indicator that something is missing, and that something is found only in Jesus Christ. He completes what’s missing, that thing we identify as “loneliness,” beginning from the moment we are joined to him in faith and brought to completion in glory. In other words, the primary reason we are lonely is that we aren’t home yet.”
There’s nothing like coming home, especially when we’ve been away on a long trip. When we walk through the doors we declare, “Home Sweet Home.” Home is where we feel most comfortable. It’s where we feel most secure and where we can relax. But as much as we long to be physically at home, there’s a greater longing and need for our souls to be at home. How’s your soul? Our souls our at home when Jesus is at home in us—when we are walking in fellowship with Him (Matthew 11:28-30). Ephesians 3:14-19; 1 John 1:3-9).
To know the full joy of fellowship with the Lord we must be in fellowship with the saints who are in fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3-4). When together as the church we know the joy of fellowship, we can be a community where the lost, the least and the lonely feel the welcome of Christ’s love and find their way home. We can go out in the love and power of the Spirit, and welcome sinners to come home to Jesus in whom they can find eternal comfort and rest. We’ve been called and indwelled by the Holy Spirit to be more than ministers of loneliness. We’ve been appointed by the government of heaven to the ministry of reconciliation to implore the lost and the lonely to be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:18-21).
Is your soul at home? The unintended consequences of lockdowns and social isolation has not only intensified the loneliness in the world, but has led many believers to spiritually drift from home—from that place of sweet fellowship with God and His people. They’re no longer in a place where they are manifesting and maintaining the fellowship of Christ in community with other believers. According to a 2020 Barna study, 53% of practicing Christians admitted they had “streamed their regular church online within the past four weeks. Another 34 percent admitted to streaming a different church service online other than their own, essentially “church hopping” digitally. Finally, about one-third of practicing Christians (32%) said they had done neither of these things.”
Where are you today? If you know the comfort and joy of being in fellowship, reach out to the lost and the lonely, especially those who have little or no means to be connected to the fellowship of the redeemed. Reach out to the lonely with the hope and comfort of Jesus. If you’re a Christian that has drifted from home, I implore you on behalf of Christ, come home. Come home to Christ. Come home to the fellowship of His people. We, the body of Christ, love you, we miss you, we need you, we our incomplete without you. Come home.
“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word” 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
In His service,
Pastor Marco
Romans 12:9-13
In light of the traumatic events of 2020, Collins dictionary named “lockdown” as their word of the year for 2020. Language content consultant Helen Newstead explained, “We have chosen lockdown as our word of the year because it encapsulates the shared experience of billions of people who have had to restrict their daily lives in order to contain the virus. Lockdown has affected the way we work, study, shop, and socialize. Lockdown is not a word of the year to celebrate but it is, perhaps, one that sums up the year for most of the world” (The Guardian).
Alas, lockdowns will not only be remembered for containing the virus, but for their unintended consequences. The lockdowns came with far reaching and lasting spiritual, emotional and financial repercussions. Due to lockdowns and related factors, suicides have tragically increased. According to a recent CNN report, teens contemplating suicide has reached 25%. With people more socially isolated than ever, Japan experienced a surge in suicides for the first time in over a decade. In Japan, more people died from suicide in the month of October than died from COVID-19 in all of 2020. This epidemic in suicides has prompted the Japanese government to appoint a “Minister of Loneliness” in attempt to reduce the social isolation and loneliness that has been linked to the increase in suicides.
Before social distancing and lockdowns, worry and anxiety about the uncertainties of life were leading causes of depression. A depressed person often craves isolation (i.e. Elijah in 1 Kings 19). Add to that the isolation, and you have the perfect storm. Furthermore, isolation and loneliness feeds depression. It’s a vicious cycle that leads some people trapped in it to feel so hopeless that they lose the will to live (1 Kings 19:9-10). The Japanese government’s appointment of a minister of loneliness in attempt to reduce the devastating effects of social isolation is a sobering reminder to us all of the vital need of the church of Jesus Christ for such a time as this. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another” (Romans 12:3).
To grow in our faith and maintain spiritual health and vitality, Christians must be in fellowship with God and God’s people. Like a human body made up of different parts, the church, the body of Christ is made up of believers uniquely gifted by the Holy Spirit so that we can grow together, serve one another and work cooperatively to minister God’s grace in a lost and lonely world. Healthy Christians are devoted to the teaching of God’s word, corporate prayer, breaking bread together, and the fellowship of the saints (Acts 2:42). The word fellowship comes from the Greek word koinonia, which means oneness or commonality. Concerning the early church, Doctor Luke wrote, “And all who believed were together and had all things in common” (Acts 2:44).
Every believer that has been reconciled to God through the finished work of Christ are in fellowship with the Lord and thereby in fellowship with each other. Our fellowship is not a function of church activities or social events on a calendar, but rather the reality that we are members of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). As the late Adrian Rogers explained, “Our challenge is not to create fellowship or have fellowship, but to manifest our fellowship through actions toward one another. It’s these actions that Paul addresses in Romans 12:9-13: affection, honor, love fervency, joy, patience, prayer, sharing resources, hospitality, humility, rejoicing, honesty. Wouldn’t you like to attend a church where these things were manifested on a constant basis? Perhaps you do already. If so, thank God for it and do all you can to maintain it.”
Manifesting our fellowship and maintaining it certainly includes gathering together, which the word of God exhorts us not to neglect (Hebrews 10:24). But gathering together in any specific location does not in of itself manifest our fellowship and oneness in Christ to the glory of His name. The manifestation of our fellowship is the outworking of the inner work of the Holy Spirit. As we present our bodies to God as living sacrifices, renew our minds and yield to the Spirit, God transforms us into the image of Christ so that we can demonstrate His steadfast love to one another (Romans 12:1-2, 9; Philippians 2:13; 2 Corinthians 3:18). We don’t gather together as mere spectators, but as Spirit filled participators to encourage one another, serve one another and stir one another unto love and good works (Hebrews 10:25).
The manifestation of our fellowship in Christ is not superficial, but supernatural. It’s shown best through a Spirit enabled love that looks out for the best interests of others, even at great personal expense. When we experience true koinonia (fellowship), not only will we know the comfort that only Christ can give, but we will be equipped to comfort those outside of the fellowship, who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4; 2 Thessalonians 2:16).
Loneliness is common to all. Lydia Brownback, author of “Finding God in our Loneliness” wrote, “Single or married, young or old, man or woman—everyone experiences loneliness at various times and to varying degrees. No one is exempt. We were created for togetherness, which is why, even before the fall, God declared that man’s aloneness was not good (Gen. 2:18).” Loneliness speaks to a human longing and its very existence points to something common to us all. As Brownback also explained, “Loneliness is an indicator that something is missing, and that something is found only in Jesus Christ. He completes what’s missing, that thing we identify as “loneliness,” beginning from the moment we are joined to him in faith and brought to completion in glory. In other words, the primary reason we are lonely is that we aren’t home yet.”
There’s nothing like coming home, especially when we’ve been away on a long trip. When we walk through the doors we declare, “Home Sweet Home.” Home is where we feel most comfortable. It’s where we feel most secure and where we can relax. But as much as we long to be physically at home, there’s a greater longing and need for our souls to be at home. How’s your soul? Our souls our at home when Jesus is at home in us—when we are walking in fellowship with Him (Matthew 11:28-30). Ephesians 3:14-19; 1 John 1:3-9).
To know the full joy of fellowship with the Lord we must be in fellowship with the saints who are in fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3-4). When together as the church we know the joy of fellowship, we can be a community where the lost, the least and the lonely feel the welcome of Christ’s love and find their way home. We can go out in the love and power of the Spirit, and welcome sinners to come home to Jesus in whom they can find eternal comfort and rest. We’ve been called and indwelled by the Holy Spirit to be more than ministers of loneliness. We’ve been appointed by the government of heaven to the ministry of reconciliation to implore the lost and the lonely to be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:18-21).
Is your soul at home? The unintended consequences of lockdowns and social isolation has not only intensified the loneliness in the world, but has led many believers to spiritually drift from home—from that place of sweet fellowship with God and His people. They’re no longer in a place where they are manifesting and maintaining the fellowship of Christ in community with other believers. According to a 2020 Barna study, 53% of practicing Christians admitted they had “streamed their regular church online within the past four weeks. Another 34 percent admitted to streaming a different church service online other than their own, essentially “church hopping” digitally. Finally, about one-third of practicing Christians (32%) said they had done neither of these things.”
Where are you today? If you know the comfort and joy of being in fellowship, reach out to the lost and the lonely, especially those who have little or no means to be connected to the fellowship of the redeemed. Reach out to the lonely with the hope and comfort of Jesus. If you’re a Christian that has drifted from home, I implore you on behalf of Christ, come home. Come home to Christ. Come home to the fellowship of His people. We, the body of Christ, love you, we miss you, we need you, we our incomplete without you. Come home.
“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word” 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
In His service,
Pastor Marco