Mission Possible: Send That Satellite Image To My Cell Phone (3 Of 6) Series

SEND THAT SATELLITE IMAGE TO MY CELL PHONE

I would really like to know what cell phone service Jack Bauer [TV series “24”] subscribes to… He simply never loses his connection! In planes, in helicopters, in boats… No matter what the conditions are – he has a connection. Not only that – it is a good connection. Good enough that he can receive streaming images from satellites real-time.

But the idea in the movie is that he always has the support he needs. No matter how desperate the situation… He is connected to his team. He is connected to satellite coverage. When he needs to know something, the information always arrives on time. When he needs help, backup always arrives on time.

How many of you have cell phones? Isn’t it amazing how cell phones have become a necessity? It wasn’t that long ago that people still wrote letters! But technology has made it so much easier to communicate. Although – some research has shown that very advanced technologies existed long ago.

Some German archeologist were excavating the ruins of a castle last year, and found traces of copper wire that were over 1000 years old. They believed they found the remains of an early telephone system.

After that discovery, Italian scientists began to examine traces of optical fibers that they found beneath ruins of temples that were built around the time of Christ. They announced that in Rome, their ancestors had advanced high-tech digital telephones 1000 years before the Germans.

Not to be outdone, the English began digging beneath ancient druid ruins off the northern coast. After digging to 100 meters, they found nothing. The London papers announced that apparently, over 3000 years ago, their ancestors were already using wireless technology!

…Blonde with cell phone…. “How did you know I was at Wal-Mart?”

From the standpoint of technology, we are living in the most connected world in history. But from a social standpoint, we are more disconnected than ever. We are connected – but to what? To whom?

Jack Bauer is successful because he has connections. He knows the right people. He has the right friends. He’s always in touch with his team.

Ephesians 4:6 is the theme scripture for ConnectPoint. Let’s read it again, starting at verse 1 this time.

1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Eph 4:1-6 (NKJV)

PRISONER OF THE LORD

Some translations say prisoner for the Lord – as if Paul is writing of his physical captivity. But the Greek word here is translated most frequently in, sometime by, sometimes with. Rarely is it translated of or for…

The word prisoner has the same root word as the word bond in v 3.

- prisoner – gr desmios in bonds

- bond – gr syndesmios bond, band

Let’s use some of the other words used in translation: “I, in bonds BY the Lord”… “I, in bonds IN the Lord”… “I, in bonds WITH the Lord”….

Paul was indeed a prisoner of Rome during this time. But he was speaking in this context of a very different bond. He was not speaking of the chain that bound him to a Roman soldier. He was speaking of the chain that bound him to Christ.

- Paul: Throw me in the darkest dungeon…

- Joseph: Toss me in the deepest pit…

- John: Exile me on a desert island…

- Jonah: Stick me in the belly of a whale…

- All: Can you hear me now? Good!

David:

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. Psalms 139:7-10 (NKJV)

So in short, Paul is saying, “I, as one that is inseparably bound with Christ, urge you to think and live like you are inseparably bound to us”.

HOW DO CONNECTED PEOPLE ACT?

[note: in this next section, I used a pair of toy handcuffs. I handcuffed myself to a volunteer, and illustrated how I had to implement each of the following qualities to avoid hurting each other]