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. 

We're all in the same boat

“When God’s glory alone is at the center…His presence changes us.”

                                    Cliff Lambert

  A ship is an ancient Christian symbol. It’s a picture of the Church tossed on the sea of disbelief, worldliness, and persecution yet finally reaching safe harbor with its cargo of human souls. Part of the imagery comes from the ark saving Noah’s family during the Flood, or Jesus protecting the disciples on the stormy Sea of Galilee. It was a great symbol during times when Christians needed to disguise the Cross, since the ship’s mast forms a cross in many of its depictions.

  It’s not a cruise ship. It’s a work boat to take passengers safely to safety. That’s a vital distinction. Those who travel by cruise ship are passengers, a very passive role. All the important decisions and work are handled by others, trained professionals called the crew. Ancient mariners weren’t passengers; they were the crew. Raising sails. Tying knots. Pulling oars. If they didn’t know how to do such tasks, they watched and learned from others. To safely arrive at their destination, they must share the workload.  

  Recently, I read, The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown. In it Brown recounts the history of the 1936 American Olympic rowing team, made up students from the University of Washington. To succeed at the Berlin Olympics, they had to learn how to work together to achieve a common goal—a gold medal. Prior to going to the Olympics, the Washington team had to defeat many other stateside rowing teams.

  In many ways that’s us! How exciting today to celebrate our Grand Opening~Building Dedication! To arrive here, we’ve had to win several other events, purchasing and paying for our property, raising money and finally building our new building.

  Rowing is one of the most collaborative sports. On an eight-oar rowing team, all eight rowers must move in near-perfect synchronization. Even a tiny mistake can throw off the delicate rhythm of the team. Because oarsmen need to move together so precisely, they must develop a close bond of friendship and respect to succeed. 

  The Boys in the Boat isn’t just the story of how the 1936 Olympic rowers perfected their technique and power; it’s about how the nine teammates (eight oarsmen plus a coxswain) learned to work together and became lifelong friends in the process. And isn’t that our church? During this building process, we’ve learned to draw closer to God and learned to work together. Many have become lifelong friends. It’s stretched us spiritually. We will never be the same. We’re a mix of various personalities from varied walks of life. Some on that Washington rowing team had tragic stories of hurt and heartache. What brought them together was that they were all enrolled at the University of Washington. What bring us together is something far greater – the Cross. We’ve committed our lives to Christ. We are not just teammates, we’re brothers and sisters in Christ.

  They were all poor. Each man desperately needed to make the team to win a scholarship to be able to stay in school. During the Great Depression a scholarship was critical. As believers, we’re all destitute spiritually. None of us are good or moral. Our spiritual debt is unpayable. None of us is qualified to make the team or be in the boat. It’s all of grace, God’s grace. We’re in the boat only because Jesus paid our passage for us with His own life on the Cross.

  We are here today because we share a common vision. We’ve been given a new tool to make an eternal difference. We’re surrounded by those who are hopeless and drowning. All of us have family and friends who are “drowning.” They’re attempting to tread the water of their own morality or religiosity, and it’s futile. Like us, they, too, need to be rescued by the Lord Jesus, even though they may not even know they’re drowning.

  We must continually adapt and have the courage to change strategy. On their way to the Olympics, this 1936 team needed to win major collegiate races first. In one decisive race, coxswain Bobby Moch hangs behind rival Cal State for the bulk of the race, waiting to strike as they close in on the finish. The coach, Al Ulbrickson, didn’t tell him to do this. It definitely wasn’t part of the race plan, but Moch read the situation as it unfolded and changed strategy on the fly. The result was an updated strategy execution and a huge win that led to Washington’s Olympic berth. We’ve had to do that with our building and must continue to adapt in the future. Our world and culture are continually changing. While the map of God’s truth never changes, the waters we’re sailing through continually change.

  There are no small members on the team. Each one is essential, from the lead rower to the coxswain. In a church, there are no big or little people – just an awesome God who gives us the wisdom, grace and power we need.

  We have a common Enemy. Hitler used the Berlin Olympics as a massive propaganda machine. The Olympics helped buy him time to convince the world of his “peaceful” intentions, as he rebuilt Germany’s military power for his diabolical plot. We, too, have a common Enemy. We are enlisted in the conflict of the ages and are called to storm the gates of Hell. Yet, unlike that U.S.A. Olympic rowing team, we know the outcome. We win! We may come through battered and scarred, but King Jesus already won the victory 2,000 years ago! 

  Today is an exciting day! It though is only the first of many victories that the Lord has for us! Let’s relish and celebrate this day! Let’s anticipate even greater things that the Lord has for us as we are faithful!

  

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? 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.