What comes to mind when you hear the word, “team?” For many, I suppose images of some sporting event start surfacing. Perhaps an 11 man football squad or a 5 man basketball battalion or even a 9 man baseball offensive define a team to you. For others it might be a collection of co-workers at the office, or even your family at home. Essentially, all of these groupings are teams because they meet the basic definition of being an assembly of people gathered to accomplish a common objective. Whether it is winning an athletic competition, carrying out an office initiative, or successfully operating a household, being on a team means working hand in hand with others to achieve a common goal.
The Body of Christ is also a team, and seeing as we also represent the Family of God, that makes sense. We have a common goal, and that is to fulfill the Great Commission spoken of in Matthew 28:16-20Matthew 28:16-20
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
What Jesus' Followers Must Do
16 ; . Jesus' eleven disciples went to a mountain in Galilee, where Jesus had told them to meet him.
17 They saw him and worshiped him, but some of them doubted.
18 Jesus came to them and said:
I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth!
19 . Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
20 and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.
WP-Bible plugin. And, because our mission carries eternal significance, the success of our common goal far outweighs the importance of many other team efforts. Human beings’ eternal destinies hang in the balance of whether or not we operate well as a team!
There are many examples of teamwork in the Bible. To cite a few: 1) Noah and his family working together to build the ark 2) The Israelites banding together to escape the Egyptians 3) The numerous war efforts of the Israelite army 4) Joshua leading the troops around the wall of Jericho 5) The 12 disciples 5) The early church as recorded in the book of Acts. The list is very extensive. And the list is ongoing today as we take up our role in the team of Christ from generations who’ve gone before us.
At the risk of sounding like a junior varsity coach, let me just remind us all of the basics of making a team work effectively. First of all, you’ve got to agree on the common goal. Everyone on the team must have a passion for seeing the same goal accomplished! If there is confusion as to the objective of the team, there will be dissension in the ranks and a lack of direction in accomplishing anything at all.
Another basic tenet of teamwork is that old cliche, there is no “I” in team. When it comes to working together, we must check our own agenda and egos at the door. And this is vital when it comes to the Body of Christ. The world is watching how well we get along. They are too accustomed to hearing about fallen leaders, split congregations, mismanaged funds, etc. The Bible says that followers of Christ are identified by their love for one another, not for how adept they are at scheming and manipulating to get their own way. The only “I” we should be concerned with pleasing in the Body of Christ is the “I Am!” God is the one who gives us our marching orders, and He alone is the one we all should be intent on obeying.
And lastly, point two segues nicely into a reminder that every team has a coach or a captain or a chairperson or head leader. Perhaps it is your boss or your father or mother or literally a coach in certain settings. But, in the economy of teamwork in the Body of Christ, God is where the buck stops! He has final authority and is the one who assigned us our common mission and the one to whom we are accountable, both individually and collectively, for how well we are doing. And, just like any excellent coach does, He gives us the equipping needed to carry out the objective to its full potential. He gives His resources, His knowledge, His time, and His love to us to help us do the work. He invests in us so we can invest in the furtherance of His Kingdom.
Are you on God’s team? I hope so, because unlike sports teams and popular bands and multi-billion dollar companies that rise to fame and fortune for awhile and then fall into oblivion, God’s squad, His family, is the only team that truly lasts forever!
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