Becoming An Effective Christian Part 6 "Synergize"

It is safe to say that most of us have heard one of these phrases in our lifetime: "Two heads are better than one", "None of us is as smart as all of us", "Together everyone achieves more", "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts". These phrases bring teamwork to mind, but what they are defining is "synergy". Synergy is the phenomenon that occurs when two or more people cooperate in order to accomplish more than they ever would have if they had each worked alone. The sixth habit  of synergizing is described by Solomon Like this: (Eccl 4:9-12) .

Synergy is a great concept that Christians can use to advance God's kingdom, It is also useful in our family life and in business. The Bible has many examples of people accomplishing great feats because they learned to synergize.

Under Nimrod, the people decided to stay together, become a great nation, and make a name for themselves. (Gen 11:4) So, they worked synergistically to build the Tower of Babel even though it was in direct opposition to God's commandment to full the earth. Notice that God said anything imaginable can be accomplished when people synergize. (Gen 11:6)

The rebuilding of Jerusalem is another example of synergy. (Neh 2 17-18, 4:7-8, 16-18,6:15-16) The Jews, along with Nehemiah, and with god's blessing accomplished so much more than just repairing the wall of Jerusalem in record time, they also succeeded in discouraging their enemies. Nehemiah would not have been able to accomplish this on his own. It took working together and being in the will of God. The whole accomplishment was certainly greater than what anyone of them could have accomplished on their own.

Notice the difference in these two examples of syergy. The first worked against the will of God and chose to dispbey. Their efforts came under God's judgment and their efforts were thwarted. The second worked in cooperation with the man of God and according to God's will, so God advanced and blessed their efforts. God knows the power of synergy, that is why He must always be part of the equation when two or more people begin to cooperate toward a common goal. (Rom 8:28)

How can you, as an individual, become a more effective Christian? The kingdom of God is advanced through the synergy of his people. (1 Cor 3:3-7) Synergy does not work when people are concerned over who gets the credit. The Bible calls that being carnal. When we work together for God's kingdom, synergistically, God will be the only one to get the credit and the glory.

Synergizing is not usually easy. For synergy to occur, their needs to be an environment where people can genuinely interact together, and they can open up to someone else's influence, ideas and insights. Synergy will not occur  when there are trust issues, defensiveness, protectiveness, or even just common courtesy and respect, but no real openness. Synergy requires that we value the social, mental and emotional differences of theirs instead of viewing them as a threat. This is called humility. Whenever two or more people get together, there will always be a difference of opinion about something because everyone views life through their own experiences. So, synergy is not compromise between two differing opinions better than they could have created individually. the following are some steps to take when attempting to create a synergistic solution:

1. Define the problem or opportunity.
2. Listen to the other person or group.
3. Share your views.
4. Brainstorm options together
5. Find the best solution together

As mentioned earlier, synergy requires that we tear down our defensiveness and be able to value the differences and opinions of others even when we don't agree. It requires that we develop trust. Synergy will make us more effective in almost any area of our lives. God knows the power of synergy, that is one of the reasons He has chosen to live inside us by filling us with His Spirit. Through synergy with God and with others we will accomplish more than we could even imagine. (Eph 3:20)

Questions:

1. Name some ways people respond to differences of opinion? (Attack the idea by putting it down, tolerate but not accept, accepting but not changing, value the opinion as good information for a new opportunity to learn or gain insight...)

2. What factores contribute to rejecting the ideas of others? ( you don't agree, you don't like the person or who they represent, you don't like the way the idea was delivered, you don't like the ideas because it was not your idea...)

3. Think of someone who "bugs" or irritates you. Without revealing who they are, what is it that irritates you about that person? (Their actions, mannerisms, words, opinions...)

4. What insights have you gained about synergy?

5. What is the difference between synergy and compromise? ( In compromise each party is giving up something, in synergy neither is giving up something but both parties are gaining something through finding a creative third solution...) 

6. Is there a relationship or issue in which you need to find a synergistic solution? What steps can you begin taking to reach synergy in the situation? (