TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK
“Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:44-47 NKJV)
It is the kind of sports cliché you find posted on locker room walls—a phrase like “There is no ‘I’ in team.” Sounds a bit hokey, I know. I am not sure how much those posters do to really make a difference in a high school student’s effort on the gridiron, nevertheless it is important to stress teamwork. Teamwork makes the dream work. It really does!
That is true in church. In the Book of Acts, we see the entire team moving down the field. Everyday more players were joining. It was a championship team. God never intended for the Christian life to be a solo act. What we do is to be done in connection with the other members of the Body. The church is to be a team, with one goal, running the same play, from God’s Play Book—the Bible, each one of us filling our role.
There is no “I” in team, yet one of the greatest problems we come to in the church is that we have “I” trouble. Another one of those Christianese phrases making the rounds is, “It’s not about me!” I love it and that is the way it is supposed to be—yet sadly, it is more often accurate to proclaim, “It’s all about me!” That is the way we behave any way. The essence of being on the Lord’s team, however, means that we deny self—that the “I” is nailed to the cross!
T.E.A.M.—Together Everyone Accomplishes More!
T—Together. We can do far more together than we can ever do individually. I appreciate and need my teammates.
E—Everyone. Each player on the field is important to the success of the entire team. We must treat each member as one valued by God—and by us!
A—Accomplishes. God has given us an assignment that is as large as the world and with eternal implications. That is too large a goal for one person to reach.
M—More. God is the God of the much more! He does exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can ask or think. How does He do it? Through His Body, the church!
Our dream should be to have a place where new believers can be adopted into a family that loves them and embraces them—where all God sends our way are cherished and included on the team. Will you help? Remember, teamwork makes the dream work!
A team cannot stay together if everyone wants to be a star—and if every one of us wants to run our own play. That is why we need to humble ourselves before the Lord and listen to the Head of the Body.
What is true of a local church is also true of an association of churches. We need each of our Haywood Baptist churches and the churches need each other. The Great Commission is exactly that—GREAT—and we need all of you to get involved. We are here to help you!
Yours Together for the Gospel,
Dennis Thurman, Mission Strategist
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