Enjoy the Synergistic Blessings of Being United in Spirit (Phil. 2:1,2)
"Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in Spirit, intent on one purpose." (Phil. 2:2)
"Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another and working together with one heart and purpose." (Phil. 2:2 - New Living Translation)
"Agree with each other, love each other, be deep spirited friends." (Phil. 2:2 - The Message Bible)
"Fill up and complete my joy by living in harmony and being of the same mind and one in purpose, having the same love, being in full accord and of one harmonious mind and intention." (Phil. 2:2 - Amplified Bible)
Connection - The state of being joined with, associated mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. To be synchronized with another in meaningful relationships. (Oxford Dictionary)
Illustration: Serving in Nigeria as a seminary professor for nineteen years taught me that without good connections, my teaching effectiveness was minimal. Being and staying in good connections with students, staff, faculty and key leaders in the community was essential for credibility. Each lesson was measured by how well I could make connections with significant people in the community. Without good connections the teaching came across as lacking contextualization, clout and communicational relevance. Too often in the western world, we minimalize connections thinking that teaching principles is enough but 90% of the people who come to church do so on the basis of their friendly connections.
"It is not what you know that counts very often but who you know."
Illustration: The Overflow
When F. B. Meyer was pastoring Christ Church in London, Charles Spurgeon was preaching at Metropolitan Tabernacle, and G. Campbell Morgan was at Westminster Chapel. Meyer said, “I find in my own ministry that supposing I pray for my own little flock, ‘God bless me, God fill my pews, God send my a revival,” I miss the blessing; but as I pray for my big brother, Mr. Spurgeon, on the right-hand side of my church, ‘God bless him’; or my other big brother, Campbell Morgan, on the other side of my church, ‘God bless him’; I am sure to get a blessing without praying for it, for the overflow of their cups fills my little bucket.”
The Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, W. Wiersbe, p. 193
The Holy Spirit, working through the word, the church and His will, is the glue that provides effective connections through all aspects, opportunities and people. Selfishness is often the biggest hindrance to gaining effective connections as many people lack a genuine sense of humility. By asking the Lord to help us stay in good connections, relationships and communications with people we are seeking to act synergistically for God’s greater purposes.
Stop trying to just make a good impression with others for the benefit that connections can bring to you. Having powerful connections can often be done just to bring personal benefits to us. However, selfishness ulitmately brings discord, strife and conflicts. Paul emphasized spiritual unity by preserving the bond of peace through good connections.
Ask the Lord to help you love one another and to be one in attitude, mind and leading by the Holy Spirit. As we work together for the greater glory, will and kingdom of God, we are enhancing the benefits of godly connections. People like Bill Bright and Billy Graham and Rick Warren are effective as they had millions of great connections throughout the world.
Let us ask the Lord to help us care mutually for one another. By seeking to solve problems in a spirit of harmony, cooperation and mutual appreciation and respect we will strengthen our connections. As we correspond, prayer with and communicate with the other members of the body of Christ we are enriching our connections.
The following eleven suggestions help us learn how the Holy Spirit can help us enrich, enhance and enable our connections to help Christ’s kingdom and righteousness expand in greater qualitative and quantitative measure throughout the whole world:
1. The Holy Spirit helps us connect to a full complement of spiritual gifts in the body of Christ. Paul writes, "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge; faith; healing; miraculous powers; prophecy; distinguishing between spirits; speaking in different kinds of tongues; interpretation of tongues. (I Cor. 12:7-10) Allow the Lord to help you relate more effectively to a wider range of people possessing many spiritual gifts throughout the body of Christ.
Illustration: Philippians 2:2
Out of Tune
A high school orchestra was preparing for a concert that featured a pianist in a rendition of Grieg’s A-minor concerto. Before the performance, it was customary for the orchestra to tune up with an “A” sounded by the oboe player. But the oboist was a practical joker, and he had tuned his instrument a half step higher than the piano. You can imagine the effect. After the pianist played a beautiful introduction, the members of the orchestra joined in. What confusion! Every instrument was out of tune with the piano. What would it have been like if half the orchestra insisted on playing in one key and the other half in a different key?
Source unknown
2. The Holy Spirit helps us link to Godly leaders who can teach us valuable lessons. Paul writes about those who have the spiritual gift of leadership as necessary for enabling the church to be administratively effective. Ask the Lord to help you work cooperatively with people who have the gifts of administration, organization and leadership, to improve your contribution to the cause of Christ.
3. The Holy Spirit unites people of a wide diversity of backgrounds to synergistically improve the whole contribution of the body of Christ. For the great commission to be accomplished, we need to be well connected to people of many different ethnic, social, economic, denominational, language and geographical groups. Dr. Luke writes, "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." (Acts 2:4) Ask the Lord to help you to be open to whatever ways the Spirit might choose to use in uniting you with people of different backgrounds.
Illustration: Friendship Defined
A British publication once offered a prize for the best definition of a friend. Among the thousands of answers received were the following:
“One who multiplies joys, divides grief, and whose honesty is inviolable.”
“One who understands our silence.”
“A volume of sympathy bound in cloth.”
“A watch that beats true for all time and never runs down.”
The winning definition read:
“A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out.”
Bits and Pieces, July, 1991
4. The Holy Spirit links people with a wide variety of abilities, talents, and skills. Paul wrote, "All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines." (I Cor. 12:11) Ask the Lord to connect you with people of the necessary abilities, talents and skills to allow you to plant and grow many churches and fellowships both in quantitative and qualitative measures for God’s glory.
5. The Holy Spirit unifies people with different perceptions for a greater influence in the world. Paul wrote, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you called... One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Eph. 4:3) Ask the Lord to help you build upon our Christ given unity in the body of Christ. Pray for self-control so as to not try to force people into YOUR set of ideals, expectations or perceptions.
6. The Holy Spirit unites us in Christ for greater solidarity, belonging and acceptance. Paul writes, "Accept one another just as God in Christ has accepted you for the glory of God." (Romans 15:7) Thank the Lord for the awesome power of acceptance that is given in the body of Christ and ask Him to help you utilize it for His purposes.
7. The Holy Spirit binds us together with His love. Paul writes, "My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Col. 2:2,3) Ask the Lord for greater love for one another so that you can experience all the benefits of being tightly bound together around Christ.
8. The Holy Spirit helps us identify with a whole range of people through His power. Paul wrote, "To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel that I may share in its blessings." (I Cor. 9:22,23) Ask the Lord to help you become more like Paul in your ability to identify with a wider range of people, regardless of their ethnicity, social standing or level of education.
9. The Holy Spirit helps us consider other peoples’ perspectives. Paul writes, "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Phil. 2:4) Ask the Lord to help you gain greater motivations, skills and empathetic feelings in relating to one another.
10. The Holy Spirit gives us more associates who are able to come alongside to assist as fellow yoke fellows in our efforts to engage in the harvesting ministries. Paul wrote, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow." (I Cor. 3:6) Ask the Lord to help you find more co-laborers who will help you to sow and reap a bountiful harvest of new converts for God’s glory.
11. The Holy Spirit helps increase the sphere of influence we can have on the world through a wider web of connected individuals, theological school, organizations, para-church groups and churches. Paul wrote, "And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia - your faith in God has become known everywhere." (I Thes. 1:7,8)
Friendship: By friendship you mean the greatest love, the greatest usefulness, the most open communication, the noblest sufferings, the severest truth, the heartiest counsel, and the greatest union of minds of which brave men and women are capable. Jeremy Taylor
