God's Plan
Dennis R. Wiles
First Baptist Arlington
September 7, 2025
Flourishing Together
First Baptist Arlington
2025 – 2030
2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Gospel Guide: Matthew)
FALL 2025: It is Not Good . . . to be Alone
September 7 – November 1, 2025
The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”
Genesis 2:18
God’s Plan
Genesis 2:18-25
Theme for 2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ
Theme for Fall 2025: It is Not Good to be Alone
HUMAN FLOURISHING: One of the domains currently being researched in the Global Flourishing Study is Close Social Relationships
Flourishing Measure Questions
I am content with my friendships and relationships.
My relationships are as satisfying as I would want them to be.
COMMUNION: As Christians, we gather at the Lord’s Table in community with our God and with each other.
Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling—it harms both individual and social health. It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death. The mortality rate of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and even greater than that associated with obesity and physical inactivity. And the harmful consequences of a society that lacks social connection can be felt in our schools, workplaces, and civic organizations, where performance, productivity, and engagement are diminished.
- U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy
In Eden, Adam had the one thing you would think he needed, right? You would think that God was sufficient, right? But God himself said, “No, it is not good” . . . It is crucial to see that our capacity to be lonely with God is not a sign of God’s insufficiency or lack. It is a sign of his unfathomable generosity: God designed us to need people. You cannot experience God the way you were made to until you experience him alongside others . . . Our fullest spirituality is only possible with others. Our intended existence only works in community. Our highest call is only realized when we pursue it alongside others.
-Justin Whitmel Earley, Made for People
CREATOR: Our God exists in plurality and in perfect community in eternity.
COMMUNITY: Since human beings have been created in the Image of God, we have been designed by God to live in community with other human beings. This is God’s plan!
CONNECTIONS: Across the spectrum of our lives, we have the opportunity to develop meaningful connections with our fellow human beings.
