How to Neighbor: Part 4 - "Loving the Lonely" with Craig Groeschel and Chris Beall - Life.Church

Loving the Lonely (How to Neighbor – Part 4)

Scripture References

Primary text

• Matthew 8:2
• Matthew 8:3

Other references

• Luke 5
• Isaiah 41

Overview

God called everything He created “good” until He saw Adam standing by himself—then He said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” Loneliness, or “relational poverty,” affects people of every age and stage, even in crowded rooms and busy schedules. In the final week of “How to Neighbor,” Pastor Craig and Campus Pastor Chris Beal show why the Church must see, touch, listen to, and spend time with the lonely so that every person experiences the love of Christ and the belonging of His family.

Context

• Previous weeks addressed racial reconciliation, embracing orphans, and empowering the poor.
• Today’s focus: loving the lonely in a culture where family breakdown, mobility, heavy workloads, and the rise of social media have deepened isolation.

Main Points

Relational Poverty Defined

• Material poverty = lacking daily essentials; relational poverty = lacking the intimate connections that make life meaningful.
• You can be surrounded by people—at work, in a dorm, in marriage—and still feel invisible or unsafe to open up.

Four cultural drivers

1. Breakdown of families
2. Increased mobility (few long-term roots)
3. Heavy workloads (“busy” becomes identity)
4. Social media that exchanges depth for digital glances

1. Love with Touch

• Matthew 8:2-3: A leper knelt before Jesus, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus reached out His hand and touched him before speaking healing.
• Jesus often healed with words alone; here He chose touch because the deeper wound was rejection.
  Story: 16-year-old Chris worked as an H-E-B cashier. “Ruth,” a 65-year-old widow, purposely waited in his line every Thursday because the brief moment he laid a hand on hers while giving change was her only human touch all week.

2. Love by Listening

• On the Emmaus road Jesus began with a question: “What are you discussing?” then a second: “What things?”—He listened before revealing Himself.
• Most people listen in order to reply; love listens to understand.
  Story: Sitting with parents who lost their teenage son, Pastor Chris mostly stayed silent. Later they said, “Everything you said was exactly what we needed”—though he had barely spoken.
• “God gave us two ears and one mouth—listen twice as much as you speak.”

3. Love with Time

• Jesus’ ministry was packed, yet He welcomed interruptions: Luke 5—four friends tore open a roof to lower a paralyzed man. Jesus paused, forgave, and healed him.
• “Whoever God puts in front of you is God’s assignment for you.”
  Story: After his father’s death, Pastor Chris regrets not carving out more unhurried moments: “I don’t regret the house he lived in; I regret not spending time reminding him I loved him.”
• Urgent demands crowd out what’s important; choose interruptions that are actually divine appointments.

Key Truths

• Loneliness is a genuine poverty that Jesus calls His Church to relieve.
• God designed every person for connection; a simple, appropriate touch can break years of isolation.
• Listening without fixing communicates worth and dignity.
• Love is often spelled T-I-M-E; holy interruptions are part of following Jesus.
• Because Jesus was forsaken on the cross, believers never have to be alone.

Response

• Identify one lonely person God brings to mind and initiate face-to-face time this week.
• Offer a sincere hug, handshake, or high-five where welcome.
• Ask open-ended questions—and stay quiet long enough to truly hear.
• Leave margin in your schedule so you can embrace holy interruptions.
• When you feel lonely, remember Isaiah 41 and reach out to Christian family for prayer.

Closing

We are an imperfect yet real family, and no one in Christ is ever alone.

“Don’t you be afraid, for I am with you… I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

The call is simple: Love God with all you are and love your neighbor—especially the lonely—as yourself. Give the touch, the listening ear, and the time that can change a life forever.

Prayer

The pastors thanked God for placing hurting people on our hearts, asked for courage to act, and invited those who feel alone to experience Jesus’ saving presence and the embrace of His Church.