CHAPTER 8: Unity and the Power of Synergy

c HAP t E r 8

UNITY AND THE POWER OF SYNERGY

“Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. You will vomit up the little you have eaten and will have wasted your compliments.” Proverbs 23:6-8 (NIV)

What nugget from this passage did Solomon feel was worthy of inclusion in his “top thirty”? It is the importance of unity. Let’s take a moment to discuss this example of someone who says they want you to enjoy yourself, but in reality, their heart is not for you at all.

Unity is more than just agreement; it is actually a spiritual force. The Bible says, “One chases a thousand but two can chase ten thousand” (Deuteronomy 32:30). Wait a minute: the math we learned in first grade would have us believe that if one person can chase 1,000, then two can chase 2,000; yet, the scripture said two could chase 10,000! The term for this inexplicable multiplication of efficiency is “synergy.”

Synergy, one of God’s special surprises, means that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We see it in the physical world

when two oxen yoked together can pull far more than the combined weight of what each could pull alone.

There is a story about an ox pulling contest in Canada. The first place ox pulled 8,000 pounds and the second place ox pulled just a little less than that. The two ox were yoked together. Simple math would have us expect that they could pull around 16,000 pounds combined. When they actually put the two oxen in front of the weights, the two of them pulled over 26,000 pounds!

Synergy is every bit as real in the spiritual realm when two or more pray in agreement or when a husband and wife chose to be united. The benefits in both situations far exceed what either of them could have cumulatively accomplished alone.

Unity is spiritual, and we are all spiritual beings. Even if you are not accustomed to noticing the spiritual side of situations, that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Have you ever experienced a time where a group of people all claimed to be in agreement, but you somehow knew it really wasn’t so? Perhaps it was a conversation with your spouse or maybe a meeting at work where everyone was nodding their heads saying, “I agree, I agree.” You saw and heard what they were saying but your spirit recognized there was no spiritual synergy and that the agreement was insincere.

As Solomon was trying to tell us, insincere words are a cheap substitute for true unity. True unity is at an attitude level. In fact, in the Kingdom of God attitude is everything. In 1 Corinthians 9:17 the Apostle Paul says this: “If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.” In other words, if I do good with a sincere attitude I am going to be rewarded in heaven; but if I do the exact same thing without a good attitude, there will be no reward awaiting me when I get to heaven.

You see, God is not just concerned with what you do. He is genuinely concerned about your attitude when you do it. That is why it is so important to God that we are cheerful givers (see 2 Corinthians 9:7) rather than stingy, grumpy, grumbling givers. When we give, we can either do so grateful for the opportunity to sow into God’s

kingdom, or grumbling to ourselves about how we hate this part of service when the pastor talks about money! According to Paul, our attitude determines our reward. 1 John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.” Have you ever noticed that when you are living passionately for God and you get around someone else who is living passionately for God your spirits just kind of click? You are both moving in the same direction and serving the same God. The Bible calls that unity, and there is much power in unity.

In Matthew 18:19, Jesus said this about prayer: “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.” Jesus is saying that unity on earth reaches heaven.

The entire 133rd Psalm is about unity. Let’s take a moment to read verses 1-3:

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for the brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing—life forevermore.”

Did you notice that God commands blessing where there is unity? It is true in a church, it is true in your home, and it is true in your business.

I believe we often miss out on significant blessings because we don’t have unity. I have talked to the staff of my church about this many times. They know that one of the quickest ways to find yourself looking for a new job is to be a promoter of strife and division. Proverbs 6:16 says there are six things the Lord hates, and the last one mentioned is spreading strife or division.

Did you notice the word picture about unity in Psalm 133? Verse 2 says, “It is like the precious oil on the head running down on the

beard.” Unity starts at the head. Let’s think about another simple, yet powerful, example: the family. Parents do not need to get into unity with their children. It is the children who are to get into unity with their parents. If you are a parent, you are responsible to set the course and bring them into agreement because unity starts at the head and moves down.

The story of Abraham in Genesis chapter 13 gives us a very powerful example of the blessing that comes from living in unity, as well as how to live in pursuit of unity. There we see how Abraham was blessed because of his covenant with God. We also learn that Lot, his nephew, was blessed because of his association with Abraham. In the same way Potiphar was blessed because Joseph was in his home,(Gen 39:5) so Lot was blessed because he was in Abraham’s home. It is important to realize that the people with whom you choose to associate can cause you to miss or receive God’s blessing.

Genesis 13:8-9 says, “So Abram said to Lot, ‘Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the The more spiritual you left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the are, the quicker you’ll right, then I will go to the left.’” Abram, the true cause move away from strife. of Lot’s blessing, sees the strife that is building between their herdsmen and servants, so he goes straight to Lot to resolve the strife. The more spiritual you are, the quicker you’ll move away from strife. The more spiritual person is also the one who is willing to pay the highest price to see unity achieved. Abraham let Lot take his pick of the land, and Lot picked the greenest land for himself. In the end, however, Abraham continues to be blessed, and it is Lot who loses everything.

Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Unfortunately, some people will not have

peace no matter what you do. It doesn’t matter how kind you are to them, they will still be unhappy. However, as much as you possibly can, be the peacemaker.

Ephesians 4:3 talks about bearing with one another in love and, “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Did you notice the word endeavor? To endeavor is not something that is accomplished while lounging in your favorite recliner! When you endeavor to do something, it takes significant effort on your part; you are going to have to work at it.

James 3:16 (Amplified) says, “For wherever there is jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry and selfish ambition), there will also be confusion (unrest, disharmony, rebellion) andall sorts of evil and vile practices.” Keep in mind that it is the enemy who wants to bring disharmony to your home, relationships, and even your business.

Listen to Romans 16:17-18: “I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.” Now notice verse 20: “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.” Don’t forget that it is Satan, not a person, with whom our struggle lies. Satan knows how damaging strife can be, and he will exploit it anytime you let him.

I strongly encourage you to take a lesson from Solomon. Seek genuine, sincere unity with those around you, confront strife and division. Don’t let them in any area of your life.