The 100th Monkey. (One At A Time)
James Smith
John 135Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;
36And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
37And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
38Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
39He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
40One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
41He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
42And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
43The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
44Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
46And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
47Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
48Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
A Fable or Metaphor told by one Dr. Lyall Watson tells us of…
The Japanese monkey, Macaca Fuscata, who had been observed in the wild for a period of over 30 years.
In 1952, on the island of Koshima, scientists were providing monkeys with sweet potatoes dropped in the sand. The monkey liked the taste of the raw sweet potatoes, but they found the dirt unpleasant.
An 18-month-old female named Imo found she could solve the problem by washing the potatoes in a nearby stream. She taught this trick to her mother. Her playmates also learned this new way and they taught their mothers too.
This cultural innovation was gradually picked up by various monkeys before the eyes of the scientists. Between 1952 and 1958 all the young monkeys learned to wash the sandy sweet potatoes to make them more palatable. Only the adults who imitated their children learned this social improvement. Other adults kept eating the dirty sweet potatoes.
Then something startling took place. In the autumn of 1958, a certain number of Koshima monkeys were washing sweet potatoes -- the exact number is not known. Let us suppose that when the sun rose one morning there were 99 monkeys on Koshima Island who had learned to wash their sweet potatoes. Let's further suppose that later that morning, the hundredth monkey learned to wash potatoes.
THEN IT HAPPENED!
By that evening almost all the monkeys in the tribe were washing sweet potatoes before eating them. The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough!
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Now I’m not sure of the actual events of this story told by Mr. Watson, but I do believe there is a point in time or a threshold that a revival church reaches where all of a sudden the vast majority of the church “buys into” the vision and passion that it’s leadership shares.
And it’s at this point that the struggle to promote the ideas and vision of the church from its leadership ceases being a struggle and constant burden and soon becomes a natural way of life no longer needing promoted, and encouraged, but only needing managed and directed.
There comes a point where this now Revival Church has a revolution in its thinking, in its communications and in its behaviors.
Many people call this point the 100th monkey because it’s at this point that perpetual idealism is set in motion.
Understanding today that the idealism we are speaking about is true evangelism, means that genuine revival is set in motion for the church that reaches this point of the 100th monkey.
But how do we reach this point?
• First, we have to understand that this threshold is not easily obtained.
• In fact I believe that the majority of attempts to reach this threshold in the North American Church fail.
• But I also believe that this phenomenon that would create a paradigm shift for the entire church is entirely possible.
• In fact we have seen it demonstrated in Churches here in the US and even around the world.
• There are many churches who have pressed pass one numerical and ideological barrier after another until they reached the point where evangelism is the norm and ordinary way of life for its members.
• These churches are either on their way to becoming or are already mega churches in their communities.
But how do we get to the 100th monkey effect?
• In the story told by Mr. Watson, it was 1 monkey at a time.
• The young monkeys began teaching one another.
Isn’t it something that Children are easier to teach a new concept than adults.
• Isn’t it something that new converts are oftentimes the best soul winners?
• It’s true, that people who have not been in the church for very long are usually the ones who bring the most visitors and who witness to more people.
• Children are not hindered by past experiences.
• They ‘re zeal and excitement is young and vibrant.
• And so it’s easy for them to find new things to learn and behaviors to mimic.
But then after the young monkeys taught each other to wash the potatoes, they began teaching their parents.
• You see relationships play a very large part of any church that is going to grow.
• You cannot be an island to yourself.
• You cannot be unattached to the rest of the congregation.
• Simply attending a church is not really belonging to a church.
• Belonging to a church means you are involved in the fellowship and family of that church.
• We can learn from one another.
• We can help one another.
• We can encourage one another.
• We can strengthen one another.
• We can set aside some old ways of thinking together.
• We can gain new knowledge and understanding of the Bible – together.
• We can grow together.
But what about those who are not connected?
• What about the adult monkeys with no children in Mr. Watsons experiment?
• They had no children to teach them.
• They sat aloof in their groups of misplaced relationships, until they saw a change that was working.
• You know some people just have to see it for themselves.
• Pastor, you can preach something and a certain percentage of the church is going to believe it simply because you said it.
• But there are many who are going to have to hear it a couple more times before they can accept it or believe it.
• And there are still others that are not going to accept something or believe it until they see it working with their own eyes.
• I’m one of these people myself at times.
• I don’t have a problem with these people.
• Just because someone doesn’t get on board with the direction the church is going immediately does not mean that they will never get on board with it.
• It just means that they need some time to adjust to the new way of thinking.
• They just need some time to see it begin to work in their church.
• Some of us here are the monkeys who have experienced some negative things in the church and we really need more than another sermon on church growth to believe that it can happen in our church.
• We need to see it begin to happen.
• That’s ok….
• You just keep coming…
• You just keep listening to the passion of our pastor…
• You just keep watching what is happening in this place…
• The 100th monkey is about to wash it’s potatoes…
• A paradigm is about to shift for someone….
• And when this begins to happen, we won’t have to preach about it.
• We won’t have to train people for it.
• We won’t have to hold seminars to encourage it…
• It will become a way of life for us.
• It will become organic.
• It will become perpetual.
• It will become true Apostolic Evangelism.
How are we going to reach the 100th monkey effect?
• 1 person at a time.
• How are we as a church going to reach the place of perpetual evangelism? 1 person at a time.
• 1 ordinary person at a time.
God uses ordinary people who live ordinary lives.
• John 1:35-48 – (in simplest understanding).
1 person at a time.
• It was not some supernatural event.
• It was not some huge push by the church leadership.
• It was not orchestrated.
• It was not directed.
• It was simply people introducing other people to Jesus Christ.
• And that kind of evangelism continued for the next 3 ½ years until the book of acts when over 7 thousand people were baptized in Jesus name and filled with the Holy Ghost.
You say, No, Brother Smith, the crowds came because of the miracles of Jesus. That’s right, but the crowds also left as fast as they came because of preaching of Jesus. But regardless, they came because someone told them about Jesus.
Who have we told about Jesus this week?
• Who have we invited to come to church with us this week?
What would have happened if Andrew would have never invited Simon to come meet Jesus?
• I’ll tell you would have happened, The Appostle Peter never would have stood up on the day of Pentecost and preached the message of salvation.
• And the 100th monkey would have never been reached in the Apostolic church.
Every person you invite to the House of God is a potential key person to the revival and Spiritual Growth that God would send to this community.
• You never know who it is that you are inviting.
• It might look to you to be just an old fisherman out tending his nets, but it just might be the greatest evangelist the world has ever known.
• There are many Pastors of churches in Pentecost who used to be drunkards sitting on barstools.
• There are many preachers of the gospel who at one time were drug addicts.
• There are litereally thousands of people who many people had given up on who are now crucial and vital members of growing churches.
• Don’t think twice when the thought comes to invite someone to church.
• Don’t think twice when the opportunity comes to introduce someone to Jesus.
• Don’t think twice when you see someone who needs what you have.
• Tell them about Jesus.
Perpetual Energy. (Energy – able to sustain itself.)
• Light bulb that energizes a solar array that generates a Light bulb that energizes a solar array...
• Now this phenomenon is not easy to produce right now on the large scale, but they have created this in small scale experiments.
Is it possible that a perpetual energy of true evangelizim could be created and continued here?
One where we are not just doing what we are told to do or what we are asked to do when it comes to outreach and evangelism…
But one where we are doing the work of ministry and evangelism because it is the natural thing for us to do.
And where we allow the excitement and energy of this work to begin to feed upon itself to generate an energy that motivates us and encourages us to do the work of ministry and evangelism because it is the natural thing for us to do.
Where we allow the excitement and energy of this work to begin to feed upon itself to generate an energy that motivates us and encourages us to do the work of ministry and evangelism because it is the natural thing for us to do.
Where we allow the excitement and energy of this work to begin to feed upon itself to generate an energy that motivates us and encourages us to do the work of ministry and evangelism because it is the natural thing for us to do… Are you getting it?
• It’s Perpetual Evangelism.
• It’s Organic Outreach
• It’s the 100th Monkey Phenomenon
• It’s genuine Apostolic Evangelism
John 2
1And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
2And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
3And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
4Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
5His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
6And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
7Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
8And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
9When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
10And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.
11This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
What did Mary do?
• She set the scene for a miracle.
• She created an opportunity for Jesus to do something miraculous.
• She found someone who had a tremendous need in their life and she introduced them to someone who could meet that need.
And the monkeys kept washing their potatoes.
• You want to be a soul winner?
• Be someone that recognizes when someone has a need and invite them to see how Jesus can meet that need.
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