Purpose #2: Connect Series

Romans 12:10-13

Purpose #2: Connect

Introduction

A. What does it mean to connect

B. I know what it means to connect to the internet

C. I know what it means to make a connection between two points

D. I know what it mans to have a connecting point on a flight

E. But when we are talking about connect as a purpose of the church what does it mean?

F. Connecting is far more then grip and grin

G. Connecting is far more then asking someone how it going

H. Connecting is far more then having a pot luck supper

I. So what is it?

J. According to the dictionary connect means to join, or fasten together as by something intervening

K. The something intervening is this case, God

L. So then we have the definition of connect - to be joined together by God!

M. The next obvious question is how do we do that?

N. Thank goodness for moms. They teach us how to connect

O. As we look we are going to figure out how to connect, we will look at how mothers help us to connect

P. Specifically we are going to look at

a. Care

b. Courage

c. Compassion

I. Care (10)

A. Explanation

1. As a church we can not sit in these pews and not try and connect with someone else

2. Why?

3. Look at what verse 10 says

4. This verse is a jammed packed verse. It has a lot of stuff in it.

5. It is really interesting to note this whole brotherly love concept

6. As far as referring to other as Brothers, Christians basically borrowed that from the Jews

7. It was common for them to refer to each other as brothers

8. However, here is the interesting thing, only in Christian writing will you see brothers connected with love. Christians began the whole concept of brotherly love

9. But what does brotherly love mean

a) Friends come and go, neighbors come and go, fellow employees come and go

b) But families never leave! Families are always there

c) To love someone in brotherly love, means for better or for worse until death do us part

B. Application

1. What does this all have to do with our Church?

2. Like it or not we are stuck with each other

3. We are part of God’s family and as part of his family, we need to love each other as a family

4. Loving people of this church is not just the job of the Pastor

5. That is the job for all of us

C. Illustration

1. One of the greatest things about mothers in how much they care. They make sure they devoted themselves to loving their family. You might come home one day from school, Bob the bully could have been picking on you, maybe you failed a test, spilled your lunch all over you, and there is your mom. Arms wide out ready to devote her entire self into caring for you. Never mind the fact that she had a horrible day herself. Never mind the fact that she had a huge headache, a cold, and a fever. Never mind the fact that the vacuum cleaner broke, the dishes were stacked to the ceiling. Never mind the fact that the laundry took way longer the expected because no one turned there socks right side out. Never mind the fact that your little brother kept her up most of the night and she has not got a decent night sleep in 5 weeks. Never mind the fact that she is in the middle of cooking supper. There she is, arms wide open, devoted herself to you in love.

2. We can learn a lot from our moms

3. We can learn how we should care for each other

4. We can learn how to unselfishly but others needs ahead of ours

5. Think about all the things your mother gave up for you.

6. That is the attitude we need to treat others with.

7. Doing so will cause us to connect

II. Courage (11-12)

A. Explanation

1. Notice these two verses hear. It appears as if they were written yesterday

2. I can picture Paul writing these verses and deal with the problem of people beginning but the fizzling out.

3. I imagine Paul probably a couple of months ago preached a good sermon and as a follow up to the sermon the Church started a new program

4. Of course anytime you start a new program people will get exited

5. Everybody want to be involved in something new

6. What happens is the newness wears off and it becomes old.

7. Soon people begin to loose their commitment and things start to collapse.