Team Work

Mark Dunagan
10/19/08 - Sunday Morning

It is clear God endorses the principle of team work. The church Jesus established (Matthew 16:18) is a team, and God wants believers organized into local congregations (Acts 2:42; 20:7; Romans 16:16; Hebrews 10:24-25). There are also a number of passages that emphasize the local congregation is a team in which every member is expected to play an important role or part (Ephesians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-14). There are two attitudes that I must avoid. First, feeling I am not needed (1 Corinthians 12:15ff), and secondly, feeling that what others have to offer is not important (1 Corinthians 12:21ff). In this lesson I want to examine why teamwork is so important and how it can help us.

• Strength in Numbers

The message we often get from the world is that one can "go it alone" and do great things. We live in the age of the "superstar", the "loner" or the "rebel". Yet I have lived long enough to see various superstars and gifted loners underachieve because they failed to see the value of teamwork. "A study of horses revealed that a single horse could pull an average of 2,500 pounds. The test was repeated with two horses. You'd expect the weight pulled to double — to about 5,000 pounds. Not so. Two horses working together pulled 12,500 pounds. That's five times the amount one could pull alone. There's something inside a living being that rises to accomplish exponentially greater things when part of a team" (Do Hard Things, Alex and Brett Harris, p. 111). Along the same lines, long ago Solomon noted, "Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor" (Ecclesiastes 4:9). Paul told Timothy, "Now flee youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart" (2 Timothy 2:22). What this means is:

• We can be far more successful in resisting temptation and growing spiritually if we pursue righteousness with the strength God supplies and as part of a team. Trying to beat the devil all by ourselves is a bad idea.
• Having a good Christian friend does not merely double my strength — it can multiply it.
• In order to make it to heaven I must give up the "loner" attitude:

"The thoughts are simple and direct; they apply to many forms of partnership, not least (though not explicitly) to marriage. With graceful brevity they depict the profit, resilience, comfort and strength bestowed by a true alliance; and these are worth setting against the demands it may make of us. Such demands are not explicit here, but there would hardly be the need to set out the benefits of partnership if it involved no cost. Its obvious price is a person's independence: henceforth he must consult another's interest and convenience, listen to another's reasoning, adjust to another's pace and style, keep faith with another's trust" (Kidner p. 50). Consider something Solomon said, "He who separates (isolates) himself seeks his own desire, he quarrels against all sound wisdom" (Proverbs 18:1).

Do Not Be Threatened By Others

Instead of being intimidated by or resentful of someone who is far more talented than us in a certain area, we need to be grateful. "That talent is needed among God's people". The Bible encourages us to "team-up" with others who have gifts that we may not possess at the moment: "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm" (Proverbs 13:20). "The glory (talent, ability) of young men is their strength, and the honor of old men is their gray hair" (20:29). Young and older Christians need to team up as well. The young have much enthusiasm and energy but do not always know what to do with it. The old have a lot of experience and great ideas but at times lack the strength and endurance to get the job done. Hanging out with Christians who are more spiritual and knowledgeable is a great way to make sure the energy of your youth is channeled probably. Timothy got a lot done because he attached himself to Paul. Do not wait until you are older to get serious about serving God or to decide what you want to do for Him. Find an older Christian who has already found a great way to serve God and help that Christian implement the plan.

Credit Is Free

One thing that often gets in the way of team work if when people are preoccupied with who is going to get the credit. I have lived long enough to see various sports teams in which talented players go nowhere because individuals wanted all the credit far more than the team as a whole getting the credit. A great team code to adopt is that "Credit is free around here, and we give it away" (Do Hard Things, p. 125). I find the apostle Paul often dispensing a lot of credit among the Christians in various congregations (Colossians 4:9-15). The Holy Spirit also said, "Give preference to one another in honor" (Romans 12:10). The expression give preference, means to "go before, take the lead", that is, Christians are commanded to take the personal initiative in demonstrating honor and respect for brethren. Instead of waiting for a compliment or waiting for someone to offer an encouraging word, take the lead in patting others on the back. This demands we get our minds off ourselves and get into the habit of seeing ourselves as servants ("whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant" Matthew 20:26).Someone noted that more than half the trouble that arises in congregations often concerns rights, privileges, places and prestige, and occurs when someone has not been given his or her place; someone has been neglected or unthanked or someone has been given a more prominent place than someone else. Love doesn't strive for fame or the "chief seat" (Luke 20:46).

Other People are Sinners Too

"Probably the hardest thing about working with other people is that you actually have to work with them. Even good, solid, sincere Christians are imperfect. And pressure, weariness, and frustration often bring out the worst in people. That's why big hard things require patience, humility, and a nearly endless supply of forgiveness" (Do Hard Things p. 126). I see this in Jesus. Even though Judas was planning on betraying Him and the other disciples were preoccupied with the question, "Which one of us is the greatest?" Jesus continued to do His work and He continued to help teach the disciples a very valuable lesson (John 13:1ff). What would have happened, especially with our hope of eternal life, if Jesus had thrown up His hands in John 13 and said, "I have had it with your immature and petty attitudes and I am going to quit trying to help you or anyone in the human race for that matter"?

Focus on what is being Accomplished

When it was brought to Paul's attention that some Christians were trying to take advantage of His imprisonment to booster their own reputations, Paul did not become discouraged, rather he knew God would deal with such bad attitudes, yet more importantly, he knew the gospel was being preached none-the-less (Philippians 1:12-18). I like the idea that Paul knew God's work would still proceed even when some Christians did not set the best example or had ulterior motives.

Measure the Entire Package of Success

We can measure success by reaching the goal that has been set and yet this is not the only measure of success. Reaching the goal is important, but just as important is how we work together, what we learn in the process, the friendships that are built, the experience that is gained, the people who are edified in the process, and the momentum that is built in a congregation.

Home Field Advantage

When we think about teamwork we often think of the local congregation, yet at times the team that we tend to overlook is our own family. The family unit is the original team (Genesis 2:24). The team element of the family is seen in such passages as Psalms 127:4-5 "Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth... They shall not be ashamed, when they speak with their enemies in the gate". Sons help defend the family for they are like weapons or arrows in the hands of a mighty man. "Sons are capable of defending the family in civil cases (at the gate civil cases were discussed and decided)" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 885). "Since the family is the basic unit of society, if the family prospers, the nation will prosper too. If families are neglected and decline, the entire society will decline with them" (Boice p. 1120). Families do need to take the time to discuss the roles, talents and strengths of not only mom and dad, but of each of the children as well. Mom and Dad need to be weapons or arrows for righteousness and the children need to be offensive weapons as well. In such a discussion the following could serve as a sample list of questions:

• Everyone has a role in keeping the family organized — what is my task?
• Everyone has a role in keeping the family encouraged and motivated — what is my specific task?
• Everyone has a role in keeping the family faithful to God — how do I fit into this grand purpose?
• Everyone has a role in helping this family bring others to Christ — what can I do to make this goal a success?
• Everyone has a role in helping this family stay financially sound — how can I help?
• Everyone has a role in making sure the family atmosphere is loving, kind, and warm — what can I offer?