Synergy - 3 John 8

Reminiscing about that work you're doing well you translate that beautifully beautiful, beautiful work. Keep it up. Why this is worth it service or worth it gospel is worth. His name is worth.

The church is worth saving souls is worth it. Discipling believers is worth it. It is the opportunity to give to him all the more glory as he chooses to use a investiture around God does use us to advance the church and the gospel of Jesus Christ around one of the most effective ways we can serve Christ is by linking arms with our brothers and sisters working together we can work together to accomplish specific tasks. We can also provide financial support to those serving on the front lines of ministry in ways that we can't. A word used to describe this kind of partnership is synergy and that's the title of Stephen's message today welcome to a new week of Bible teaching here on wisdom for the heart this week. Stephen brings the final messages in his brand-new series called postcards from John a lead us in prayer and then Stephen will get started.

Dear Lord, thank you for your word and as we study it now together. Please teach us and show us how to serve you more faithfully in Jesus name, amen. There's a word that's very popular today itinerary industry arts and sciences every aspect of our busy world. If you look it up. You'll find synergy defined as the combined power of a group of agents working together that is greater than the total power achieved by individual agents working alone, but a little more simply you allowing it only accomplish so much with you and someone else combining your efforts can accomplish so much more in words synergy is his teamwork, synergy is collaboration is very familiar word and in this line. It's the word collusion your lot about that collusion is actually illegal synergy is when people work secretly to influence something it might be the price of a stock on Wall Street. It might be the sliding under the table of the amount of the bid so contractor can win it. Or, as we hear about every day as relates to potential political influence well in the spiritual world.

The positive side of synergy happens to be the church left alone, not of us could really do all that much, but combined together were able to do so much more for the Lord's work. Synergy is disciple making. It's taking the time to reach and teach someone it might seem slow but in the end, give double your effort and then triple your efforts and then quadruple your while I'm speaking I can about this illustration of synergy right in front of you now as I'm speaking to you as you're listening to Bailey says the theory is I'm speaking 72 muscles are cooperating in order to produce this speech pretty amazing, and it 72 muscles. I'm glad to know that I select 72 muscles cooperating. The evidence is evidence Dragon talking give you another illustration on the effective synergy which is really disciple making from the world of nature and process when a female and goes out to bring back food she's discovered should go back to the ant colony get a younger and to go with her to that food source is the older and runs along the path to that food. The student disciple. He could say this way is following up behind the boat will often fall behind because they kinda get distracted.

They explore the payout on either side.

They, you know, make note of of the landmarks identifying them, and that creates a gap between the teacher and disciple and in the teaching and has to stop repeatedly and wait and then each time when the younger and is ready it'll run forward and tap the teacher on her back legs and off they'll run again and they'll stop again and start again stopping and starting again and again as you can imagine, this process is especially tiring to the older and is cannot you perhaps try to make dinner with three-year-old runner on the kitchen where your husband is there supposedly helping while researchers have observed that if that teacher and were able to travel by herself. She could travel four times faster four times faster. The problem is there are any student has learned how to do it because of that she never multiplies her effort which then reduces the potential of the entire colony not get this. Some of these ants in this species. For some unknown reason decide to keep doing it by themselves they actually go back to the colony sling. A young man onto their back upside down, and off they run back to the food stores and then they dropped the younger and often together they haul the food back now it all works faster.

However, however, the young and isn't able to go back alone because he hasn't explored that path, he doesn't know where those little milestones are but that path looks like, so he doesn't know how to get there by himself because he was carried there by an adult upside down.

Synergy takes place when one aunt multiplies itself in the lives of others and we threw disciple making.

Yes, it takes you longer. Yes it is laborious. It is time consuming, but in the end you have maximized exponentially.

The potential of the church and you just can improve on. This is exactly what in the mind of an old disciple maker by the name of John go back to the postcard working through third John we arrived at per se, but I want to get a running start so I want what I want you to do is follow along in the text that I want to read my own amplified paraphrase where I've sort of stopped all kinds of interpretation and it is with expanded by way of interpretation the text together. So let me read the paraphrase well you follow along in your text. My dearly love friend you are acting faithfully in all the ways you serve these church workers, and especially those whom you've never even met before they testified in a church service of your loving hospitality.

Keep on doing such a beautiful job. As you care for them just like you would care for God if he showed up at your home. They took the gospel out on the road to tell the world about Jesus.

The name above every name, and they have been determined not to rely on the financial support of unbelievers.

That's where we left off. Now it's impact his concluding statement on this theme at per se.

Therefore, we ought to support such men so that we may be fellow workers with the truth. This is a powerful statement.

Let me reduce it to keywords and then work through the first word is ownership ownership. Therefore he writes we ought to know where John uses for ought is a strong word which refers to a spiritual and moral obligation.

This desires to me put it this way, we now let's own it.

We don't contact your John is making the case for church.

The church to effectively support vocational church workers, these men would be the traveling evangelists and church planters, teachers, we would refer to them today here at colonial and beyond, as vocational pastors, teachers, staff members, Global Partners global staff members who work in other countries around the world and you need to understand to be really easy for us here to just had a skip over yet we know that and miss the radical nature of what he just said because what is what he's telling them here. It is something that is not being done.

It's early and church history.

It will be developed later. In fact, he uses the present tense for this obligation of ownership.

The left is that this is the standing sense of ownership of the church-year-old suspended their churches. By the way, today will start building program and it will suspend their mission, it would seem to stop. Now you guys. We think you be taking care of rebuild his billing will get back to you.

Don't suspend this, you know you don't stall you keep it on going because you're going to obey this inspired command of John and from Christ to do it 24 seven. But this is this is a radical idea that our last session together.

I mentioned William. I want to go back a little bit for the sake of illustration he would pioneer in modern days mission work in in India known as the father of modern missions that ES is for businessmen to hold the ropes so that he could go down into the Goldmine of India and they agreed and to financially support them in and they they began as rope holding plate. They carried through for the rest of their lives.

But even before William decided to leave her any I got was doing organs are toward location estimate there was any such thing, certainly for somebody going overseas so he would study he would pray with that leather map of the world about his cobbler's shoe cobbler's workbench and indigo treats in the evening, and he began to preach more and more, do itinerant evangelism. In fact pastors in his region would comment that their pews were filling out by the efforts of William Carey even though he didn't attend their church are reaping the results of his efforts but he was struggling with what we would call today a bi-vocational challenge that I read in his biography friend it is got on Monday because his work was lacking.

He was literally and physically piling up. These pairs of shoes he was falling behind. In fact, his friend rebuked him kindly by saying and I quote you are neglecting your shoemaking business.

Carey replied and I quote neglecting my business my business is to extend the gospel of Christ. I only make choose to pay expenses wasn't long before William wrote a pamphlet that urged the church. With this radical idea of supporting individuals who would give their lives to the ministry in the name of his booklet was rather long and inquiry into the obligations of Christians to use means for the conversion of the heathen as ever.

Book title to wrap around the entire book.

Well, became a bestseller and it created a firestorm what you mean. We've got an obligation.

Who are you to tell us the church that we've got a moral obligation to win the on say around the world. Where did you come up with that radical idea. Third John verse eight that John is expanded applies. Notice again. He says we ought to support such men. He is just saying you pray form which in farewell. Go to the dock with them see them off no effect. The word uses for support is a wonderfully descriptive combination word hoopoe Lum Bono hoopoe means under in the Bono means to receive, or literally, to catch to catch underneath. We would use the word today in our vernacular, to underwrite when we assume the expenses of these traveling, evangelism, preachers, and church plans of the workers we are under writing and we are obeying the command of Scripture that it wasn't new entirely with John.

It's new on the scene. The apostles been hinting at it.

Jesus in fact introduces the concept of cutting it. These believers I think about it because when the church is inaugurated after he ascends in the spirit descends at Pentecost.

This is going to become something they're going to need to flesh out the Jesus introduces the idea when he sent his disciples out to buy two and he tells them wherever you go to the towns and villages find a home find people sympathetic to your message and if they invite you stay with them and then he says specifically in Lieut. verse seven stay in the house while you're in that village eating and drinking what they give you for the laborer is worthy of his hire he saying there laboring just like your laboring in the field there worthy of compensation for what is that compensation be freedom give him an end. By the way, he tells the disciples eats and drinks, what they give you good now but remember I mentioned last Wednesday when my three brothers and I would travel with her missionary parents on Debbie Tatian in the summer we visited homes, families and churches is supported her family and we would pull in the driveway of a the home around dinnertime that we would assume is going to feed us in, so sitting there in the driveway. My mother would remind us four boys. She would give us that little poem and she said no boys. Just remember where he leads me I will follow what he feeds me. I will swallow that was the end. I mean I might complain about you know food at home not at that table might complain about vegetables in one home that much stuff those green peas and squash under the edges of my my plate and then I'd run out after dinner before my mother realized it fascia and I were talking a couple weeks ago on the phone and and reminiscing about what would a perfect child. I was, I mean we have a dog you can feed him that underneath the table and so I squish it under the and of the plane take off and and she realize that in then went out and bought your glass plates clever clever woman. She was what he feeds me.

I will swallow what Jesus is basically doing is supporting the concept of full-time vocational ministry support later on Paul to the Roman church as you graciously and it is he says whenever I go to Spain proud to see you in passing in the on my way there by you mean. That means I needed to get really hoping when I come to see you pass the plate so not to get there on your seminal enjoy your company to see this is the tension of a global worker they feel it. You need to understand they can't come right out and ask us for money, but they need it when you have one in your home asked him how you doing asking if there are three believe many times we went to bed without any think about it 30 o'clock.

Ask them to my new car O for week he got those in the garage asked them what can we lavish on I had a guy come up to me in the lobby love this. He said you know your message last words that provoked. I think we that it would be tells and we decided whenever missionaries in town.

They can use it something to become a missionary to see you know, by the way there myself. I said no you email me about that on a pass on the mobilization of global worker shot. Here's a week is a weekend go to the Cubs. He adds to this concept of support he writable it more bluntly to the Corinthians are little thicker. He says if we so spiritual things in you is a really too much.

If we repeat material things from you in person is mentally. That is great. He has at his dependency on them. In the second letter to the Corinthians.

I will pass your way in the Macedonia and by you to be helped on my journey to Judea and hours. I can't get to today as you help me and he got a headset he hires him to think about, not John, not in this postcard. I mean this is where that little sign of funder nickname. He turned in his younger days, sort of comes out. He throws diplomatic speed out the window and dogmatically right we to support such men fallen for her say is amen not as an idea for you to think about you pray about this if you like it if he finds a loose change the cupholder to her car really and the cushions in your sofa and be God's answer is interesting that the church fact every generation slow on the uptake. Raleigh, Corinth.

This is new territory here in every century, the churches had to respond in new and appropriate ways. I found it interesting. Here we are in the 1700s when William carried in a leading liver India. The idea of supporting a global worker didn't exist. In fact, there was no mission agency to underwrite him didn't exist. They they literally had to create the agents fact when these four businessmen made a pleasure to underwrite him. There were church leaders and vocally opposed it. They came out against it, as if to say, don't you men know when there's a deal. Bad enough you underwrite from your give money to a non-educated are self educated shoe cobbler are you on your mind, it would now want rather well-known pastor and a day in London Road publicly sort excoriating them for the idea in any NEC set up these men that were surrounding William Carey. He said quote they are nothing more than a nest of consecrated cobbler's others are just about to shoe members. Don't waste your money Megan to tell you the name of that pastor because you would know you've never heard of them. The only way I know of them is because his name was mentioned in the biography of William Carey.

I want to be like him.

One occasion William carried out at the preaching somebody had hung a pair of old shoes in the pulpits of the needs see the money came in the mock and he very graciously took those old shoes, and he held them up and he said, let this be a demonstration to you that if God can use a shoe cobbler like me, he can use every one of you. John essentially says we all play a part.

We get a take ownership of it is God's commission to us.

We own it. Melatonin second work comes in my mind is the word opportunity. It injures ownership out of obligation. The sense of grasping the opportunity live the last part of her say so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.

The term fellow worker is the word soon Airgas gives us our transliterated were the setting on the same synergy. We are synergistically working with a man with the truth when you pray for them. When you write a letter of encouragement and that when you share a meal and then when you get in your car, your bedroom or your are you billed that money in the year your recurring gifts are you bring money together on the Lord is a my money and unity much by itself, but your money with mine and your money with theirs and theirs and theirs.

And there's also the dads out while the Zana, what an opportunity we as we synergistically relate to that which is the truth. This is this is our opportunity and this is something that we own, which means he got asked to do work on our heart because we know how we feel. I mean we know how we feel at tax time managers another check.

Praise God for that.

When I gave away you know you love during the year, maybe not so much. We were like a little girl or a letter recently where she her mother was cited teacher you know this.

This idea of giving generously joyfully serve other gave her a dollar bill in the quarter on their way to church and she said that her daughter that you get to decide.

You can either give the dollar or you can give the quarter. It's entirely your decision.

So on the way home after church.

The mother asked her daughter what she decided it in. She said well at first, I decided to give the dollar but then another pastor said God loves a cheerful giver. I knew I'd be a lot more cheerful if I gave the quarter you look say this you know you don't automatically outgrow that which you can out run can out run if you obey this kind of command and you take ownership in the new run with the joy of opportunity. Lord, let's do more student to the text here asks us to primary questions. First, are we developing a sense of synergy affect the rights to the Corinthians. We are fellow workers with God and me try that one on uses a more John uses we are synergistically at work with God, not just the truth, not just that person but just that church, but with God we developing a sense of synergy. Are we developing a spirit of generosity in the gay thing to keep up that work you're doing well translate that beautifully beautiful. Keep up the beautiful work.

Keep it up. Why because he's worth it service or worth it. The gospel is worth it.

His name is worth it church is worth saving souls is worth it. Discipling believers is worth it. It is the opportunity to give to him all the more glory as he chooses to use this around.

I hope this time in God's word here on wisdom for the hard has encouraged and challenged you today.

It's God's desire that all of us would work together to accomplish his will and that's why Stephen called this lesson. Synergy that's true no matter who we are or where we are as a man who partners with us synergistically even while serving time in a correctional facility.

He recently wrote to Stephen to say this your broadcast has been a ray of sunshine in my day, every weekday morning.

I've been sending you a little bit of money each month and I've recently made a commitment to continue supporting you and the work you're doing.

You guys are my family well. Thanks Delbert for writing to us. We feel the same way about you that you are family were grateful for your support. If you'd like to write to Stephen, there are a few ways you can get a message to him.

You can send an email to info@wisdomonline.org that's info@wisdomonline.org you can also use the Postal Service and address your card or letter to wisdom for the heart PO Box 37297, Raleigh, NC 27627. I'll give you that. Again, it's wisdom for the heart PO Box 37297, Raleigh, NC 27627 would enjoy hearing from you. Our staff team gathers to pray each week and if there's something you'd like us to pray about. Please be sure and mention that when you write. I'm Scott Wiley and for Steven and all of us here at wisdom for the heart. Thanks for joining us