SYMBIOSIS - simply LIVING TOGETHER

Ever seen a picture of a crocodile opening its mouth to permit a bird to feed on leeches attached to its gums? Ever since I saw that picture of a Nile crocodile and the Egyptian plover I marveled at God’s design: mutually beneficial diversity! That’s what this principle is all about: living organisms need each other. The diversity of Spiritual Gifts best illustrate this: many parts – one body. Hand does not tell the eye “I don’t need you” nor head will say the same to the feet (1st Corinthians 12:17-21)
Symbiosis is the “one another” principle taught by the apostle Paul. We, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another….Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves….Live in harmony with one another. (Romans 12:5,10,16) Read Pauline letters to churches and you will find this phrase to be descriptive of the Christian Community – members of one another!
Natural way of life is symbiosis. Bees pollinate flowers while gathering honey. Now, kids would understand this example: remember Nemo? The territorial clownfish protects the anemone from anemone-eating fish, and in turn the stinging tentacles of the anemone protect the clownfish from its predators.
Biologists today openly critique Darwin’s notion of competition. Evidence shows that only intentionally co-operating, interacting, and mutually dependent organisms outcompete those that don't. Life takes over not by combat, but by networking! This is an illustrated definition of symbiosis.
The opposite of symbiosis are parasitism or competition, and in either case there is no “win-win” option.
Symbiosis is God’s design to keep our Diversity in Unity and Harmony. The Church can function according to God’s plan only as it lives together!!! In our Church we encourage wide diversity. A monoculture, producing a same worship, same practices, same music, making “carbon-copy” people for the sake of uniformity is just another form of parasitism. In nature monoculture causes erosions and depletes sources of resources…..
Symbiosis is Jesus’ Golden Rule of loving others. It’s about bringing together different people to become One Body of Christ.
Reflect on these natural principles: INTERDEPENDENCE, MULTIPLICATION, ENERGY TRANSFER, MULTIUSAGE, and now SYMBIOSIS….These principles are all connected having one thing in common: life!
In the beginning God said: “Let there be life!” Same invitation stands to the Church today: Live and let the rivers of living water flow out, as blessing from one to another…..

MULTIPLE USAGE - more than "2 birds with one stone"

When talking about multiusage somehow most people think of simply versatility of having the same room used by different groups, or purchasing something that would be shared and used by many. This principle goes much deeper.
I am writing this from Atlanta, GA where we are attending the United Youth Congress. In my mind and spirit I am with my church, thinking about our growing together. I have been unapologetic about implementing the change, and talking about Church Health, for it is my passion to see a healthy growing church! Church where lives of people are interconnected INTERDEPENDENTLY! Church where people are not just added by pastor whose job description is “go get them!” but where people MULTIPLY the church by bringing their friends, family and introducing all within their circle of influence and beyond to the Saving Grace of Jesus.
Coming to a new city there is nothing more frustrating than “one-way” streets – makes you go in circles to get to the place you need to. Ignoring the principle of “multiple usage” is just that – one-way street:

• in evangelism – investing money and training US to win THEM, preparing programs and events that serve;
  
• in ministry – investing time counseling, preaching to, advising, ministering
  
• in leadership – teaching principles, classes, seminars, training about it…..
  

Do you see anything wrong with this pattern? Energy, resources and time you invest - do they return any benefit? Or it’s all “one way street”?
One-way street is simply consumerism: some produce – others consume. Yet, in a market world even consumerism goes both ways: some get the product – others get paid for it. In the natural world this principle could be summed-up as “recycling” – tree leaves produce nutrients for roots, which give sap for more leaves eventually; water that evaporates – rains down….and you can think of many other examples. Bottom line is this: if a source gives, and gives, and keeps on giving, but never receives eventually it will go out.
Apostle Paul make a powerful illustration: God gives, yet when His giving gives no results, like a dry ground that gets water & produce thistles – it gets burned up! (Hebrews 6:4-8). Have you though of that: even God’s giving anticipates the Kingdom Growth…
Now think of us – the church family:
- Are we “one-way” street?
- Do people we serve to serve us back in some way?
- Do we expect them to “play it forward”?
- How will the energy invested be replenished?
- Do we allow recipients of our service to serve others too?
- Do we allow “leaders-in-training” to try “hands on” what they learn?
- Do we expect those we minister to – to minister to us?
- Would we allow all to be useful?
Think about it, and let God set in motion what He has already naturally put in us.

ENERGY TRANSFORMATION - all works for good with God!

“To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction.” Do you remember this formula from the Physics class, the 2nd & 3rd Laws of Newton? I still remember the illustration of two balls colliding and moving in opposite directions, one gaining energy another loosing it. Well, that was physics, who cares about it anyway after the school is over?
In life it’s simply: every action causes reaction. Some people’s lives are all about reacting to other people’s acting. Hindu call it karma – every cause has it’s effect. It all makes sense…in the natural world, or how quantum science labels it – “closed system.”
But, in Christ we are called for supernatural living. The wages of sin is death, yet in Christ our actions are cover by His action and we are spared from deadly reaction. We are not in any closed system, not “in a box,” not limited to the limitations of this world. Welcome to the Liberty in Christ!
Here we are talking about paradigm shift, about changing our thinking, about allowing God to transform our mind and to tune our spirit to His Spirit.
By now you should be asking: “How?” How is that possible?
Have you ever wonder about that promise in Romans 8:28 “all things work for good for those who love God”? Does God really mean it? What about mistakes we made, is He able to turn them into some good? You know the answer!!! You Betcha! You’ve been there, made tons of mistake, and know that God does not follow laws of physics, laws of gravity, laws of limitations. He laughed at death as His Son walked out Sunday morning from the Grave! And He is able to make you able too!
A fascinating example of this principle is fighting: boxing vs. jujitsu. First is all about taking punches and giving punches back while managing to stand. Another is all about using and steering the energy of the opponent to guide wherever you need it to go.
Surfing is another example: instead of taking the wave on and going under – get on it and ride it. Instead of provoking resistance – learn how to turn resisting forces in desired direction and accomplish the goal.
Let me give you a few examples of opposing forces that exist in the church:

• Pastor vs. Church Leadership
  
• Motivation vs. Few Defeatists
  
• New Enthusiasm vs. Tradition
  
• Project fundraising vs. Budgetary allocation.
  

The beauty of God’s design is that each pair can be directed in the same direction and achieve His purposes!

MULTIPLICATION - God's initial command

I am continuing to share with you principles that will change our approach to how we do church. Last week we talked about INTERDEPENDENCE, about how every activity is interconnected and causes side effects. This week I will describe yet another concept that takes place in all living – MULTIPLICATION!
What comes to your mind when you hear this term? Grade 2 in school? Learning the M-table? Try to shift your thinking from such technocratic term to more natural. Think about nature – healthy organisms do not grow endlessly – they reproduce themselves, right? “Fruit of a tree is another tree.”
This MULTIPLICATION concept is something we should have talked about a year ago when we just began to use the NCD tools: natural result of a healthy church is more healthy churches. Yeah! That’s right! More churches in the city. That’s what happens when church becomes healthy – it plants new churches!!!
When I hear “horror” stories of new churches splintering I feel sad, sad for people who don’t understand the purpose of the Gospel. It was never Christ’s intention to have one little church in any particular city, but to bring the Kingdom of God everywhere. Think about it: more churches – more doors and windows for the Kingdom of God!!!
Consider how our church might contribute to the multiplication of disciples, leaders, small groups, communities and churches. Since the creation God’s order to be fruitful and multiply is applicable not only to physical family procreation but also to the spiritual growth of the Kingdom!!!
You remember the story of chess inventor who wanted to sell his game to a king for a “modest” reward: a bit of rice for first square, 2 – for second, 4 – for third, eight for forth, and so on… The king smiled initially. To pay for the board he would have to produce 263 kernels of rice, that’s more than the world rice harvest over 1000 years!!!!! Or consider a water lily: 1 small leaf grows on the first week, a week later – 2, another week – 4. But in 4 month 7000 square feet of lake are covered by lilies, and it would take just another week to cover the rest. Someone said: success means successors. Just think of a family – mom, dad & kids. Not until kids have families of their own that multiplication produces succession & staying power. Same principles is behind saying “teach them to fish instead of giving fishes.”
You got the picture. Successful reproduce! The principle of multiplication is totally opposite to addition. Reproducing other leaders is more significant than adding followers. That’s advice Jethro gave to Moses – multiply yourself, give your authority to others, reproduce and share power to govern the people. The goal of technocratic system is to grow itself bigger and bigger. But natural growth is based on constantly multiplying even in small units. Instead of large evangelistic meeting events – quiet but continuous relational evangelism of house churches.
Initial stages are actually slow and take longer time to develop. Jesus focused on developing one group for 3 ½ years, leaving a legacy of 11 at Gethsemane, yet giving them the Power, & Authority, & Experience, & Relationship that captured the world within one generation!
I am not opposing additions. Let’s do both: events & process, campaigns and relationships. Just remember that the superior long-term results are yielded when multiplication is applied.
Jesus commissioned His Disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. Go and grow! Multiply, reproduce, share, invest! Let God’s Kingdom be multiplied. As you go, ask yourself: am I multiplying, or simply serving busily and adding?

INTERDEPENDENCE - beyond connection

Last week a church member asked me why we are not using the church to downlink Shawn Boonstra’s Revelation Seminar. My reply was – “the church is not ready.” I am sure the question is not a lone incidence. Others may be asking this question, silently wondering “why did we break a routine of downlinking evangelistic seminars?”
Well, blame the NCD, blame the leadership for aspiring not only to implement change with new ideas, but to change the mode of thinking and practices. Blame the process which we began a year ago which is intended to remove barriers for growth and to create an environment in which the Healthy Church would grow naturally, all by itself.
A year ago we talked about fragmentation where each essential ministry pulls toward itself, by itself, for itself, producing competition for resources, time, people and priorities. The opposite to fragmentation stands God’s vision for His Church as One Body, united, connected, functional, whole. And the first principle is INTERDEPENDENCE: decision or action we make in one area of the church will impact other areas of church life. No ministry is an island.
Let’s look at an evangelistic series for example. Rallying the church together for 30 nights will create a short term buzz, a few conversions, a feeling that we’ve done our duty for the year, a success report at the Board.
Now let’s think about the long term effects:

• How will the converts be accepted and assimilated into the church?
  
• Are we ready for adding a new Sabbath School class?
  
• Do we have committed core groups ready to nurture newborn believers?
  
• Will this event of itself equip church members to do evangelism?
  
• Do we have a team ready to follow up interests with Bible Studies?
  
• Which ministries will have to sacrifice their volunteers to support it?
  
• Are you ready to bring your friends, or it does not fit your schedule?
  

I could go on asking questions. What looks like a good idea on its own may have consequences opposite to what was intended. Positive short-term can easily turn into a crisis long-term, and a painful short-term measures can turn into great success long-term. Conducting the Spiritual gift discovery (short term success) with church members, but not helping them to find suitable areas of ministry will turn off many from ever doing the gift Discovery again (long term side-effect). Not having a “satellite downlink” when everyone else is doing it (short time failure), that awakens the thirst for Evangelism and begins a process of training, equipping and outreach that will produce a Life style Evangelism 24x7 will be our long term success.
Instead of living “knee-jerk reaction” to every program that is advertised in the mail, we must consider long term plans, “side-effects”, and the final outcome.

• Today we are starting Worship Evangelism at both churches – affirming and sharing our faith values that will continue through this year, and improving our worship experience.
  
• May-June we will build relationships with the neighborhood around us through acts of kindness, participating with other churches in Love London project.
  
• Through this summer we will put an extra effort in developing small groups, preparing caring communities for nurturing new believers, preparing for Fall Evangelism.
  

Think INTERDEPENDENCE. Think CONNECTEDNESS. Think TOGETHER.