SundaySermon - Joji

Network for Good Works 

The verse of blessing for the year

Verse: Numbers 6:24-26

24 The Lord bless you and keep you;

25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.


Here is a beautiful promise for this year. God wants to bless you. There is a purpose in all His blessing. And His purpose are 'God sized'. And this means that get ready for something great. And here is the direction of the church - Network for Good Works

We can do a lot of good works. But this year, we can bring a synergy to our efforts. And synergy brings about a multiplication that we will be amazed at the results that we reap.

In regard to this thought, we will study
* Healing of the Paralytic Man
* Disciple Networking
* Issac's obedience

Healing of the Paralytic Man

Verse: Mark 2:1-5

1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 

2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 

3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 

4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 

5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Here is a situation that needed to be dealt with. It was impossible for the paralytic man to move around and approach anyone without someone's help. There were four people got together... they networked and brought this man to Jesus. Guess what!!! Jesus joins that synergy/network and the miracle is born!!!

How did Jesus bring about this miracle? He looked at 'their faith' .... this means he saw not only the person who was paralytic, but also saw the faith of all the people who networked to fix this situation. 

So here is what is important when we network. We need to add faith in our networking. And this almost compels Jesus to join the network you created for good works. This makes the miracle happen and this  will amaze us.

And this miracle not only amazed those who networked, this brought amazement to all who witnessed this (the people who did not network and were just by standers)

Verse: Mark 2:11-12

11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 

12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

So here is our goal for the church. We need to take up networking as priority. If we want to see something that God is doing, we need to do something that we may have never done before.

We may not envision every situation before we embark on a journey to fulfill networking. But God is promising his guidance

Verse: Psalm 32:8

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

God's word is our guidance and it is  elaborate in 3 steps .... instruction, teaching, and counsel. Ezra decided to get all the instruction from the Word

Verse: Ezra 7:9-10

9 He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. 

10 For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.

Disciple networking

See how the disciples responded to God. The call for collective effort was made as Jesus 'said to them'

Verse: Mark 16:15-20

15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 

20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

When the disciples decided to obey God even though preaching was unfamiliar to them, God came in with signs and wonders. This is what God is expecting us to do .... we need to obey

What takes you to the fulfillment of purpose is obedience. And God's doing in the purpose of your life will amaze you.

Issac's Obedience

Verse: Genesis 26:1-6

1 Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. 

2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 

3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 

4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring[a] all nations on earth will be blessed, 

5 because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” 

6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

Issac stayed in a place. This was unusual. But he decided to follow God. See the blessing that came in despite all prediction of doom

Verse: Genesis 26:12

12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him.

13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. 

14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.

So much blessing that the people envied Issac!!! This happened because of obeying God's word

Conclusion

Here is why we need to network. Here is our ultimate goal

Verse: Acts 14:27

27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

The ultimate goal is for the door of faith to be opened to people who have not experienced this

Something that we all need to do is reach to people who have not heard the Gospel. This maybe something that we may not have done. But God will enable us

God will join us in our effort and great things will be accomplished this year!!!

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