Teamwork
…but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ – from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. – Ephesians 4:15-16 NKJV.
For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them – Romans 12:4-6 NKJV.
There was an amazing rescue yesterday in Perth, Australia. You may have seen the video of the rescue because already 2.4 million have watched it and likely even more have seen the video on news reports as I did. A man somehow managed to get his foot stuck between a commuter train and a passenger platform. The video shows a huge number of fellow travelers working together to push the train over so the man’s foot could be freed. The spokesperson for Perth Transport David Hynes said this about the incident, “There were lots of them (people), off the train, and we organized them to sort of rock, tilt the train backwards away from the platform so they were able to get him out and rescue him.” (FoxNews 08.06.14; Orange News 08.07.14)
Teamwork in prayer with others works better than prayer by ourselves. Jesus makes this clear when He says, “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them (Matthew 18:19-20 NKJV).” Worship is also always better with others, as seen here in Matthew 18:20 and in Hebrews 10:24-25.
Teamwork in witnessing and bringing others to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ is necessary. Now we may witness to someone and they may immediately pray and receive Christ as their Savior. However, it is likely that our effort is simply the harvest of the planting of the seed of the Word of God in their lives and the watering of that seed by many others. We see the effectiveness of teamwork in the story of the four men who let nothing stop them from taking a paralyzed man to Jesus in Mark 2:1-5 where Jesus says to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
Teamwork works in the world as seen with the rescue in Perth. Most of the time you can do more with others than without them. Teamwork in the church is mandatory, essential, and necessary. Believers are all part of one body and if we are not working with other believers, it is likely that we are working against them. Jesus warns against this in Luke 11:23 NKJV where He says, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.” I don’t know about you, but I want to be a gatherer and not a scatterer.
(Teamwork for believers is mandatory, essential, and necessary.)