Synergy Series

Sermon: 2 – Synergy – “We are stronger together.”

Illustration: A Bugs Life!

From Group’s Blockbuster Movie Illustrations - pages 133, 134.

Points are also used from their outline in their book.

Overview – Hopper explains to his gang that one ant may be harmless and unable to stop them, like throwing one seed at a gang member. Hundreds of ants joined together, though, could bury them as surely as hundreds of seeds do. This speech rallies his gang to crush the ants’ spirits before they can rise up.

Point of illustration: Christians sometimes think they can’t change the world. We ask, “What can one person do?” Yet a timid Christian voice can become a roar when the voice joins together with the voices of others in a congregation and the voices of the entire body of Christ.

Voice illustration: One person say “Jesus” not this section say “Jesus” now this section say “Jesus” now everyone say “Jesus.”

We will only truly impact the world by joining forces with other believers. The mission of a coordinated body of Christ can change the world on an unimaginable scale.

Thesis: Get energized to synergize! Synergy – “We are stronger together.”

Introduction:

A synergy is where different entities cooperate advantageously for a final outcome. Simply defined, it means that the effect of the whole is greater than the sum of the effects of the individual parts. If used in a business application it means that teamwork will produce an overall better result than if each person was working toward the same goal individually…The term is derived from the Greek syn-ergos, óõíåñãüò meaning working together.

Human synergy relates to humans. For example, say person A alone is too short to reach an apple on a tree and person B is too short as well. Once person B sits on the shoulders of person A, they are more than tall enough to reach the apple. In this example, the product of their synergy would be one apple.

Another case would be two politicians. If each is able to gather one million votes on their own, but together they were able to appeal to 2.5 million voters, their synergy would have produced 500,000 more votes than had they each worked independently.

A song is also a good example of human synergy, taking more than one musical part and putting them together to create a song that has a much more dramatic effect than each of the parts when played individually.

Synergy usually arises when two persons with different complementary skills cooperate. The fundamental example is cooperation of men and women in a couple.

T.S. – Lets go back to our movie clip tonight for a moment.

1. How is Hopper like the Devil and the ants like Christians in our world today?

a. What thoughts are racing through your minds?

i. Many have fallen prey to the deception of the enemy of the church and to the foundation of Christianity.

1. We have Christianity divided into many separate groups today in the world.

a. According to David Barrett et al, editors of the "World Christian Encyclopedia: A comparative survey of churches and religions - AD 30 to 2200," there are 34,000 separate Christian groups in the world.

i. There are about 1,200 Christian Organizations in North America.

ii. We in Christianity have allowed ourselves to become divided over trivial and minor issues within the Body of Christ.

1. We have refused to work together and it has affected the greater good of the world and of our own community.

2. We have allowed the Devil to place us in His trap of division –the trap of offense – which divides us so as to weaken us and to minimize our effectiveness in this society.

a. I Cor. 12:25-27: “25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

i. We are challenged here by Paul to unite – to synergize with each other.

b. Ephesians 4:27: “25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold.”

i. To many in the church have given the Devil a foothold in their life and it is called the spirit of offense.

c. 1 Peter 5:8-11: “8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith…”