Give to Israel
The Principle of Connection | Mac Hammond
 
Recap
 
Pastor Mac taught a message entitled, “The Principle of Connection.” Oftentimes, we struggle with obedience to the Word, where our obedience to the Word is not done in faith but out of legalism. We don’t do it from our heart, but we do it out of obligation. However, as Pastor Mac pointed out, if the Word is going to work for you, it has to come from our heart. There is a remedy that puts an end to legalistic obedience: once you understand the principle behind a particular mandate, obedience to the Word becomes exciting. Pastor Mac goes on to discuss the Principle of Connection.
 
Dive Deeper
 
People you become connected to will have an impact on your future probabilities. That’s for good or bad.
 
Interpersonal relationships, more than any other single factor, will determine the success of your future endeavors. That makes who you associate yourself with a very serious matter.
 
Example: If you as a young person affiliate yourself with a violent gang, your future probabilities could be prison time, most likely drug addiction, maybe even premature death.
 
It’s important to avoid association with people whose lives are on a downward spiral. It’s just as important to associate with people whose lives are on an upward spiral.
 
The word “connection” does not appear in that context in the Greek New Testament. But it means the same thing as “fellowship” which is the Greek word, koinonia. It means “a sharing of heart.”
 
Fellowship can be described as a heart connection with another person. It is a relationship that is something more than external physical attraction, something more than using somebody else to open a door to possibilities in your life.
 
Scriptural reference:
Heb. 12:22–23, “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect.”
 
This scripture begins to define our connection when we become Christians. When we are born again and we become part of the church of the firstborn, it is to that general assembly of which we are called to be a part. That involves both “God the judge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect.”
 
The word church here is the Greek word ecclesia. The derivation of that word dates all the way back to Greece, Athens, where democracy was first established.
 
And, of course, the ecclesia were the Athenians that were called out to assemble. Athenian citizenry were the elected representatives. And they were called out, or summoned, in order to make law, provide for law enforcement, to make treaties, make war. They had everything to do with the execution of Athenian life. That’s the original use of the word.
 
In the Greek New Testament, ecclesia is applied to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ; called-out ones who are being summoned to do the work of the kingdom. That is where we are to connect or to join. We become qualified when we’re born again. But it doesn’t mean the connection occurs. The connection is going to be a result of your initiative.
 
But we’re being called, or summoned, to come together to do two things: to worship, to acknowledge that God is our creator, judge of all men and to the spirits of just men made perfect, other born again believers. This is the process of connection defined in terms of what we’re connecting to. This is for you.
 
Read About It
 
Heb. 12:22–23, “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect.”
 
Acts 4:23, “And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.”
 
Discussion Questions
 
If you were to make a list of all the people in your life, how many of them would you consider to be positive connections, and how many would you consider to be negative connections?
 
Can you think of a personal relationship with someone that had a negative, or adverse, effect on your life?
 
If you are a born again Christian, that means you are part of the ecclesia. What does that mean?
 
 
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