TEAMWORK: Together We Are Winners!

 

“All were merged into one smoothly working machine; they were, in fact, a poem of motion, a symphony of swinging blades.”   Daniel James Brown in The Boys in the Boat 

If the movie is half as good as the book, I can’t wait to see it. A few years ago, I read, The Boys in the Boat, which has been recently released as a movie. This true story is based on the struggles and sacrifices made by the University of Washington rowing team in the 1940s. It’s the powerful account of nine young men from various backgrounds who came together during the Depression to be an Olympic championship team. The main character, Joe Rantz, had a tough time growing up and was abandoned by his family for several years to fend for himself. He and the other eight young men struggled to earn their way through college. Success was dependent on learning to work together as a team. They became national heroes after defeating Germany in the Olympics prior to World War II.
  Team is the stuff of great champions. Team is the stuff of great churches. Notice that there is no “i” in team.
  Most Christians read the New Testament through contemporary eyes. When we see “you” in the Bible we see the “you” is singular. Yet, of the 3,000 uses of the word “you,” nearly 2200 of them are plural. Even our worship music is more “Jesus & me,” but the New Testament’s focus is “Jesus & us.” In our individualistic day we forget that Jesus had a team. As God, He certainly didn’t need a team. He was giving us a pattern.
  Though the Apostle Paul was a dynamic leader, yet he travelled with a ministry team. You can hear the sadness of being alone when Paul writes, “only Luke is with me…” (1 Timothy 4:11).
  The Bible compares a local church to a family, a body, a building, even an army. There is no such thing as “an army of one.” Every metaphor used for the church in Scripture speaks of a team and a committed community. What does it take to be a successful church team?
  You must have one captain. One quickly learns in The Boys in the Boat the vital importance of the synchronization of the eight rowers as they respond to the commands of the coxswain with the stroke, consistent pacing, and sprint to the finish. The coxswain sets the tempo. If the rowers are going at their own individual pace or direction, they’ll always lose.
  The same is true of the local church. If Jesus Christ is not Lord, if everyone has their own personal agenda, the church will struggle, be distracted, frustrated, even irritated and dead in the water. While we have opinions and values, our direction doesn’t come from within ourselves. Our direction must come from His Word. Each of us must be in the Book, if we’re going to be obeying and pleasing to our Captain.
  You must have a united purpose. Grace Church exists to glorify our Heavenly Father by continually making more followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. At Grace, we’re committed to being part of Jesus’ team to reach our neighborhood, community, and world. If someone only wants to attend and not be a contributing part of the team, if they don’t want to serve, give or share the gospel but just fill a seat, we’re not the church for them.
  You must be an encourager. Our world has far too many discouragers and critics. Check out social media or listen to those around you. It’s the antithesis of the old folk song, Home on the Range. Instead of “never is heard a discouraging word,” more often it’s “never is heard an encouraging word.” Anyone can point out what’s wrong and be a critic. It’s vile that many will say behind someone’s back or behind a keyboard what they’d never say to someone’s face. If we do need to say something corrective to a team member, we must “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).
  The Bible commands us to have conversations which “edify” (Ephesians 4:19). Edify simply means to build each other up. It’s hard work to be a winning rowing team. Each member needs to encourage the other rowers to persevere. They need to know that their part and effort is vital.
  All of us grow tired. We all grow weary and get discouraged from time to time. It’s why need desperately each other and must encourage each other.
  You must let others know that they are not alone. Recently, as some of our church families were going through difficult times, it struck me that one of Satan’s worst weapons in suffering is loneliness. You begin to feel that no one else is there for you or understands the struggles you’re going through. While we often can’t solve the problem, we can reassure those going through deep waters that they are not rowing through them alone.
  You must know other team members. A winning team knows each other. That doesn’t happen in an hour on Sundays. We must spend time with each other. It takes what Scripture calls fellowship. The word in the New Testament is koinonia, which means “sharing life.” The Bible commands us to love each other, serve each other, pray for each other – in other words – be there for each other. That will never happen if we don’t first know each other.
  There’s an old story about teamwork. Many years ago, when most roads were dirt ones, a farmer who lived near a dirt road prone to flooding, would bring his old mule, Buddy, down to pull cars out of the muck. On one occasion he arrived and hooked up Buddy to the car in the mud. The farmer yelled, “Pull Nellie! Pull!” But Buddy didn’t move. Then the farmer yelled, “Pull Jenny, pull!” Buddy still didn’t move. Then he said, “Pull, Buddy, pull!” And Buddy easily pulled the car out of the mud.
  One motorist asked the farmer, “Why did you call out those other names before you called Buddy’s name?” The farmer said, “Old Buddy is blind. If he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn’t even try. I do that to make him believe that he’s part of a team. That idea of teamwork gives him the strength to pull out any car.”
  Jesus has called every Christ-follower to be part of His team. Are you rowing? Are you a faithful member of His team?

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.