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.
8. It is really tough to keep something going and going and going
9. So when we look at these two verses, with the preceding verse in mind, about brotherly love
10. We realize Paul is talking about our passion about brotherly love
B. Application
1. Ok Dan, you gave a nice little explanation about the verses, but what does that have to do with our church?
2. What happen a lot is we get all exited about doing what we should and then a month later stop doing
3. We have genuine passion and zeal for doing serving the Lord, but then we stop
4. If we are to truly fulfill the second purpose of the church, then we have to have the courage to keep going
5. WE have to be willing to hang in there.
6. How are we to do this?
7. WE have to be joyful in hope – sometimes that is the only thing we can find to be joyful about
a) When getting closely connect with people, hope will often be the only thing you can have joy in
8. We are to be patient in affliction.
a) Those who we connect with won’t always do what we want them to do. There will be things that happen that will make us just want to rip their heads off. However, we are called to be patient on affliction
9. Faithful in prayer.
a) If we are truly connecting with someone we are going to care about him or her that is a natural byproduct. And if we care about someone, that should lead us to prayer, should leads us to faithfully prayer for the person.
C. Illustration
1. I have been told that a mother never stops worrying about her kids. Is that true. I see a lot of heads shaking. How many mothers out there have been disappointed with a decision your child has made. That is what I thought. Everyone. What did you do? Did you disown, call him unreachable, stop connecting with him?
2. Or did you have the courage to continue to love him. The courage to continue to reach him. The courage to continue to try to connect with him
3. That is how we are to act when connecting with another person
III. Compassion (13)
A. Explanation
1. Let me ask a question that I think I know the answer, who hear did not have a least one disappointment happen in your life this week.
2. The reality is life is not easy, no one has a stress free life, a life free of disappoints, and a life were everything goes your way.
3. Guess what? That is why we are here
4. That is why we have the Church
5. Our job, our purpose is to according to Rom 12:13 is to share with those who are in need
6. Notice how it uses needs here are we talking personal needs, physical needs, emotional needs? Which one are we taking about?
7. D – All the above
8. The Bible does not mention which one for a reason, we are to meet all the needs
9. We need to show compassion for the person who is need, not matter the need
10. If we are truly honest with our selves, we all are in need.
B. Application
1. Yes, Yes, but how do we apply that to our Church
2. We need to show each other compassion
3. How do we do that?
4. Well if you look at a couple of verses before our passage today you will notice it talks about gifts in Romans 12:4-8
a) I will not go into the explanation of all the gifts but I will get you and over all conclusion. We are all different. Therefore, we will have different ways of expressing our compassion
5. I love to find out who is doing what to connect with each other.
6. I hear of stories of people inviting other to their house for supper
7. I hear of stories of people dropping off bulletins to those who are sick
8. I hear of stories of people calling people up just to say “Hello, I am praying for you”
9. I love those stories. Nothing makes me happier then hearing those stories.
10. Keep it up. Find whatever way you can to show your compassion and connect with another person
C. Illustration
1. Mothers are acutely aware of this. They find out real quick that they have to use different ways to connect with their kids. One kid might like the one way the other kid might like another way. But mothers know how to connect with their kids.
2. I do not care what style what method what way you connect with people
3. I only care if you have the compassion and connect.
Conclusion
A. To have a true connection with someone take care, takes courage, and take compassion
B. There is an old adage that says mothers know best.
C. You know what?
D. It is true
E. Mothers know how to connect.
F. Mother’s know how care for someone
G. Mother’s have the courage to try and connect with people
H. Mother’s have the compassion to connect with people
I. Thank you mother’s for teaching us how to connect with people
J. What about our church? What could we be doing as a church to help us connect better?
K. Think about that question, see if and what we need to work on in the purpose of connecting. Think of way we can do better to make sure everyone is connected
L. Again. Thank you moms for teaching us how to connect.
