Synergy With God

Synergy - a combined action

Introduction: How many know that if we are going to succeed in our christian life whether in our marriages, our homes, in our ministries, and even outside the church as in our jobs and and relationships with other’s around us we must allow or better yet cooperate with the process that God iniantes into action once we surrender to him. We must partner up with Christ and allow him to do that work within our lives

Illustration: Synergy

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.

The lord has a process involved will bring change and growth to our lives. This process is found in the book of John 15:1-8

John 15:1–8

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

This Process is call Pruning. Some of us are fimailiar with this process as we work with our gardens in our homes.

Pruning - to cut off or cut back parts of for better shape or more fruitful growth

Those that work with gardens know that pruning is important for the development of the plants within our gardens. Without pruning plants will not reach their full growth.. This is important also in a believer’s life.

So we must understand that their are areas of our lives that must be cut off so perdiocally the Lord will begin to prune our lives.

First Point: The Process of Pruning

The question is today a How does God prune his people?

To prune a plant first thing that is needed is the right tools.

a sharp pair of pruning shears

kitchen scissors

gardening gloves

4. gardening towel

Reasons for Pruning a Plant

Here are some common reasons for pruning a plant:

to remove dead, diseased, dying, and damaged growth

to remove growth that may pose a risk to the plant’s health

to remove unwanted growth or growth outside desired perimeter

to increase air circulation and sunlight penetration

to improve flowering and fruiting

to create a desired shape

Here are the tools that the Lord uses to prune his people.

God uses people to prune us.

A. this involves all the ugly things people do to us and say about us.

B. These are often people who themselves have not developed the fruit of the Spirit that we are working on developing.

2. God uses problems and life circumstances to prune us.

A. the problems that we bring on ourselves.

B. The problems that come upon us outside of our control, we are dealing here with circumstances of life.

3. God uses pressures of life to prune us.

a. this has to do with the ways in which we respond to our problems.

b. there is a sense in which all pressure is self-created.

Second Point: The Purpose of Pruning

Pruning is to bring forth positive results in our lives.

a. God has purposes for everything He allows to come our way.

b. Nothing with God comes by accident or happenstance.

2. Pruning unleashs the power of God’s working grace.

a. God always achieves His purpose in our lives.

b. We given the option of Cooperation.

c. The more we accept his workings in our lives More it accomplishes his will and more quickly it is over.

3. Pruning is for productive and development purposes.

a. the fruity of pruning has first internal productivy.

10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no [a]chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it

b. Pruning is neccessary in producing the fruit of the Spirit.

c. Pruning contributes to the productivity of our lives and Ministries.

We see the progession of fruit, more fruit, in the book of John 15:7-9

7you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you[a] will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Love and Joy Perfected

9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.

Barnes Notes:

John 15:8 Bear much Fruit: Are fruitful in good works; are faithful, zealous, humble, devoted, always abounding in the work of the Lord. This honors God.

Because it shows the excellence of his law which requires it.

Because it shows the power of his gospel, and of that grace which can overcome the evil propensities of the heart and produce it.

Because the Christian is restored to the divine image, and it shows how excellent is the character after which they are formed.

They iniate God, and the world sees that the whole tendency of the divine administration and character is to make man holy; to produce in us that which is lovely, and true, and honest, and of good report.

Third Point: The Misconceptions of Pruning done by the one being Prune

Misconception- in a suspicious manner; bad; wrong

a. That Pruning is a punishment from God.

This is clear from Hebrews 12:4

Hebrews 12:4 (KJV 1900)

Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

Hebrews 12:4–11

Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

b. That Pruning is Permanent

1. We think the branches will never grow again, the loss is permanent.

2. Pruning is done so that more fruit will be produced.

3. There is an end to pruning or the plant is destroyed, which is never God’s intention.

c. That Pruning is Passive.

Passive - tending not to take an active or dominant part.

1. God prunes out the dead branches. but God also prunes the living branches. He sometimes cuts back something we consider very productive.

Our refusal to accept what He is doing can a cause us to miss the productivity that he wants to bring to our lives.

Closing: God wants us to grow and fully develop as Men and Women of Christ Jesus. He wants to perform his will in our lives. Maximum productivity that we cooperate with His pruning.