Synergize Your Spirit

Synergize your spirit

Eric A. Snyder, Minister

Farwell Church of Christ

November 4, 2001

Synergy is a principal that is woven throughout the Bible. I don’t know how regularly you or I would use that word but it is a very real part of God’s design for the church.

Synergy basically means that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It means that 1 + 1 can = 3, 8, 16 or more.

I fact you may not realize it but you witness synergy all the time. It exists in the most simple forms of nature.

If you plant 2 plants close together, the roots commingle and improve the quality of the soil. So both plants will grow better together than if they were separated.

If you put 2 pieces of wood together they will hold more weight together than each one could hold individually.

It basically means synchronized energy

1. Synergize Your Communication

Everyone having the same dream

One night a man and his wife had matching dreams about not being able to sleep on the same floor. In both of their dreams, the wife was forced by the mother in the dream to sleep on the couch and her husband was made to sleep upstairs alone. When their kids woke up and after discussing their dreams of the night, they discovered that each of the kids had experienced the same dream, and her daughter’s dream, being remembered more completely also matched one of her other dreams.

Now I don’t know what this is, but I do know that as children of God, He wants us to have the same dream.

There is a need for us to demonstrate synergy in communication

A rather old fashioned lady, was planning a couple of weeks vacation in Florida. She also was quite delicate and elegant with her language. She wrote a letter to a particular campground and asked for reservations. She wanted to make sure the campground was fully equipped but didn’t know quite how to ask about the "toilet" facilities. She just couldn’t bring herself to write the word "toilet" in her letter. After much deliberation, she finally came up with the old fashioned term "Bathroom Commode," but when she wrote that down, she still thought she was being too forward. So she started all over again; rewrote the entire letter and referred to the Bathroom Commode" simply as the "B.C.". Does the campground have its own "B.C.?" is what she actually wrote.

Well, the campground owner wasn’t old fashioned at all, and then he got the letter, he couldn’t figure out what the lady was talking about. That "B.C." really stumped him. After worrying about it for several days, he showed the letter to other campers, but they couldn’t figure out what the lady meant either. The campground owner finally came to the conclusion that the lady was and must be asking about the location of the local Baptist Church.

So he sat down and wrote the following reply. "Dear Madam: I regret very much the delay in answering your letter. But I now take pleasure of informing in that the "B.C." is located nine miles north of the camp site and is capable of seating 250 people at one time. I admit it is quite a distance away if you are in the habit of going regularly but no doubt you will be pleased to know that a great number of people take their lunches along, and make a day of it..... They usually arrive early and stay late. The last time my wife and I went was six years ago, and it was so crowded we had to stand up the whole time we were there. It may interest you to know that right now, there is a supper planned to raise money to buy more seats.....They plan to hold the supper in the middle of the B.C., so everyone can watch and talk about this great event.....I would like to say it pains me very much, not to be able to go more regularly, but it is surely not for lack of desire on my part....As we grow older, it seems to be more and more of an effort, particularly in cold weather..... If you decide to come down to the campground, perhaps I could go with you the first time you go...sit with you...and introduce you to all the other folks..... This is really a very friendly community.....

In the book of Numbers Moses is frustrated. He is frustrated because he has been leading the people of God and he thinks they are going to make some progress. Through all of his hard work, through all of the communication and positive reinforcement of the people. God’s followers complain. Then they said it “we had meat in Egypt”. They started looking back and that mad Moses angry. But more importantly it made God angry. It’s interesting to me that so many sermons have been presented on God’s anger. You know when God gets angry? He gets angry when people sin. But He really gets angry when people look back. When you don’t see what you have. Remember what happened to Lot’s wife? God said don’t turn around” and uh oh she was turned to salt. God’s followers are in the desert being provided for and they find something to complain about. So Moses has a meeting, Rather the Lord has a meeting with the leaders in attempt to get everyone to dream the same dream.