Compiled by: Herman Abrahams (Pastor), Cornerstone Faith Ministries, P.O. Box 740, Westridge 7802, Rep. of South Africa.
E-Mail: Mentorship2003@yahoo.co.uk
Note to the reader:
If you have been blessed with this sermon compilation, I would be honoured to receive an e-mail from you simply stating where in the world you are based- this is merely so that I can have the pleasure of giving thanks to Almighty God that all over the globe, the ministry which he has entrusted to me, is blessing the Body of Christ and helping to extend the Kingdom of God.
Please feel free to communicate. Thank you.
Herman Abrahams,
Cape Town, South Africa.
KINGDOM NETS, NETWORKING & RELATIONSHIPS – PART 1
(By Herman Abrahams)
INTRODUCTION – THE MIRACLE OF NETWORKING
We are living in the age of the Internet – the worldwide web, the e-mail, the Global Village. This is the age of the Cell phone and SMS’s, etc. One can fly to a faraway land, and on arrival, whilst still on the aeroplane, immediately send an sms to a loved one back home to announce one’s arrival. We are able to watch sports and many other events live on TV; sadly, even war. We can arrange a bus or train trip, a flight or car hire with immediate effect via the internet. There is a network in place that makes all of this a reality.
1. WHAT IS NETWORKING?
1a) A DICTIONARY DEFINITION:
(i) Any arrangement or fabric of parallel wires, threads, etc. crossed at regular intervals by others fastened to them.
(ii) A group, system, etc. of interconnected or cooperating individuals
1b) In the broad sense, networking is simply enhancing life by sharing resources thru relationships and connections.
(i) Networking depends on these relationships and connections as the core of its power.
(ii) The miracle of networking is the unlimited potential it has for bringing previously isolated things together for beneficial exchanges and marvelous accomplishments.
(Item B is a quote from “Apostles And The Emerging Apostolic Movement” by David Cannistraci) [Regal Books].
In my own life I have been blessed with a network of wonderful Godly relationships. As a pastor I’ve submitted my life to Apostolic oversight – a Father in the Lord. Through this relationship I have been networked with many wonderful ministers of the Gospel. This has given me the opportunity to travel to many nations to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. There is a miracle in networking !!
2. THE GREATEST NETWORK –THE BODY OF CHRIST
(2a) Like so many successes in our day, networking succeeds because God invented it.
(2b) Networking is a reflection of the divine pattern of interdependence and unity God has ordained for the Church.
(2c) The Body of Christ is, in essence, the greatest network ever invented.
(2d) As a powerful network of human lives, it depends on the strength of its relational connections to fulfill the Great Commission.
As an example, in the local church the smallest network are those involved in “where two or three are gathered together”. The next level of network could be those connected to the same home group or ministry team. This is followed by network of believers that meet together for congregational meetings.
3. SCRIPTURAL IMAGES THAT SUPPORT THE IDEA OF THE BODY OF CHRIST AS A NETWORK:
(3a) A Joining together
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(i) Eph. 4:16 NKJV
From whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Amplified Bible vs 16:
“… Closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints and ligaments”
(NIV) vs 16:
“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
“…every supporting ligament” - represents the knots in the kingdom net.
For a believer to grow and mature in God he must be in the network of the Body of Christ (Eph 4:13).
(ii) 1 Cor.1:10 NKJV
Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment
(NIV) vs. 10
… that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
(3b) Effectiveness
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Eph 4:16 “… the effective working by which every part does its share”
The New Testament has many practical applications of networking:
i) The Early Church networked to share resources so effectively that not one among many thousands lacked for anything. Acts 4:34-35:
34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
(In this network, the church shared it’s financial and material resources) !!
ii) The pattern continued as the apostles came together to network at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 (read vs 1-2). Since the earliest days of the Church, the Kingdom has grown upon a foundation of combined effort and relational unity – unty in relationships.
• This paradigm needs to be recovered today.
• If the pattern of networking is recaptured and reproduced in the Church today, it could be that our effectiveness can equal—and even surpass—that of the Early Church.
(3c) The Kingdom Net
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i) The words of Jesus validate the Kingdom net.
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In a powerful illustration, Jesus declared a dynamic reality:
(Matt. 13:47-48 NIV).
Mt 13:47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. Mt 13:48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.
When Jesus spoke to the people who were gathered on the shores of Galilee, He skillfully painted a picture in their minds of the huge drag-nets that were commonly used in that day. Thousands of connecting knots held the net together and made it an amazing tool. The net was placed in the waters, and its ends were stretched out and drawn together to gather huge quantities of fish. That same picture needs to surface in our minds. We need to view the kingdom of God as a giant net.
(The dragnet is the oldest type of net. The netting was shaped like a long wall 300 feet long and 12 feet high. The bottom of the net had weights with sinkers, and the top rope had cork floats. The net was folded. A team of up to 16 men held the strong rope attached to the dragnet. Then the boat sailed out with another team until the net was fully stretched and then circled around and back to shore. Here the second team alighted and held the ropes. Both teams then dragged the net and its contents (hopefully a large number of fish), back to the shore. This method enabled one to catch the fish who were hiding out at the bottom of the lake. The fish were then handed over to be sorted and the operation performed again, as many as eight times in one day). [http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/SFS/an0704.asp]
ii) How is the Kingdom of Heaven like a net? (Matt 13:47)?
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• The net illustrates how increase becomes possible when God’s people are joined together like the interconnecting cords of a net.
• As the Body of Christ links in interconnecting relationships and shares resources, we become powerful tools for catching lost souls.
• Without these quality connections, our effectiveness is diminished.
• Like any good net, our ability to cause increase depends on our connection with one another.
• This is the substance of the net of the Kingdom.
iii) Jesus illustrates the benefits of networking and working together (Luke 5:4-7)
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(Luke 5:4-7)
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
• Working together and obeying His word, we will see multitudes brought to Christ.
iv) More about the benefits of networking.
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A) TWO IS BETTER THAN ONE.
In Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. The wise man says,
"Two are better than one."
Why?
Because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also,
If two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken, (vv. 9-12)
B) SHARPENING ONE ANOTHER
Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
v) Responsibility of being in a network.
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A) AIM AT RESTORING OTHERS - MENDING THE NETS.
Galations 6:1
“Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.”
"restore" = to put into a proper order or condition. The word is used to refer to one mending fishing nets or resetting a bone.
It will often happen that someone in the net of relationships is hurting and needs to be restored. (Sometimes our personal net needs restoration).
Outside the New Testament, “to restore” meant to set broken bones and dislocated limbs. In the Gospels it was used in regard to mending fishing nets:
Matthew 4:21
Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them.;
“…mending their nets” = restore (also Mark 1:19 – same scripture)
The purpose for fishing nets is obviously to catch fish. If the nets are torn, they will not catch many fish. The fish will just swim out through the holes. Torn nets need to be mended. Often the knots (the relationships) in the net will wear out and needs repaired / restored.
One of God’s purposes for your and my life is to bring people to Christ and to minister to the needs of others—my wife, my children, and other members of the Body. When our lives are torn by faults, we will not be able to minister to many needs. We must be mended. And that mending will not normally take place unless I am confronted about my faults – for this I must be in a network. I must also be in a network to receive the help from others who know that I’m hurting – others to whom I can go for help.
B) PASSING ON THE BATON - MENTORING
2 Timothy 2:2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.
In my network of relationships, I have a responsibility to pass on to others all that I have learnt in the Lord. There is mentoring work that you and I have in both the local church and translocally, e.g. in other parts of your country or in other nations. Just recently during my visit to a particular nation, I sensed a great need for teaching in the area of Family and Marriage Enrichment and sexual morality. By the grace of God I hope to go back there soon and run some Family Life workshops. I have a responsibility to teach, train and pass on that which I have learnt and experienced in the Lord!! In so doing, I am trusting God to raise up other Family Life ministers also. I must ensure that I leave a spiritual inheritance in the lives of sons and daughters in the Lord.
C) TEACHING & TRAINING OTHERS
1 Timothy 5:1-2
Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 1Ti 5:2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
Titus 2:2-3
Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Tit 2:3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Tit 2:4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children,
Tit 2:6
Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.
From the above we can see that we all have roles to play in the network of the Body of Christ.
CONCLUSION
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The quote below, whilst referring specifically to Apostolic Networks, has valuable lessons about networking in general.
A BASIC ELEMENT OF NETWORK IS:
An Atmosphere of Dynamic Relationships
John Dawson, a best-selling author, rightly says, "God organizes His kingdom through gifts of friendship." Relationships are the most essential key to networking. Anything built on rules and control is destined to fail. Some denominations have become progressively oppressive because rules and policies are relied upon to maintain the integrity of the structure instead of carefully maintaining relationships. Love and voluntary cooperation is the essence and spirit of the network. It is the difference between an organization and a living organism. The relationships must not be symbolic or mystical; they must be tangible and real to maintain the net’s integrity. Frequent time together in conferences, events and gatherings can perpetuate this essential element of a network.
Apostolic leader John Kelly teaches that preserving a balanced and up-to-date network requires that the apostle maintain fellowship with apostles outside of his own stream. No true network can succeed as a closed system. (Apostles and the emerging Apostolic movement – p191, David Cannistraci)
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