It Takes A Team

 I spent many years participating in organized sports from the youth leagues all the way through college. I understand the value of team. Each person on a team plays an important part. Some help out in practices. Some play key roles during the games. Some get noticed more. Others do the dirty work without the spotlight shining on them. Team is more important than the individual. 

The relay track team is only as good as each member of the team is able to carry and transfer the baton to the other members and across the finish line. One person could not do it all themselves. The quarterback succeeds when the offensive line blocks. The basketball player scores when teammates do their job to get the scorers in scoring position. The pitcher in baseball is only as good as his defense and hitters. It takes a team. 

In recent days, I have seen team come to a whole new meaning. The grand people at Spring Creek Baptist Church continue to amaze me. They give, sacrifice, serve, and then do it all over again. I have seen them working into the wee hours of the morning. I mean that literally as several volunteers helped to put on a successful lock in. I saw people stay up way past their bed times to cook a midnight breakfast buffet,, and then clean up afterwards for those students. Several work feverishly to remodel our facilities, update wings in our education facilities with fresh coats of paint, transform entry points, and then come to worship enthusiastically and joyfully on very little sleep. It is amazing to watch so many people serving joyfully and without grumbling. 

I cannot keep up with this bunch and I am much younger than some of them. They are like energizer bunnies. 

In the church, or the body of Christ, each person has a role. Some roles are more visible. Some are more behind the scenes. Each role is vitally important to the overall function of the body. No one person can do it all. It takes teamwork to make the dream work. 

God chooses the roles a person plays in the body of Christ. Each has a different function but are part of the same church body. When the body functions as God designs, it is a beautiful thing to behold. I am seeing it. People with artistic skills are putting them to use for the Lord. Administrators are organizing events. Exhorters are encouraging others. Evangelists are sharing the good news of Jesus. Deacons serve behind the scenes without anyone noticing and those deacons prefer it that way. People with computer skills use them to design and produce visually appealing material. Musicians play music for the rest of the body to enjoy. 

It is like watching a conductor of an orchestra getting everyone to play their notes in harmony to produce pleasant music. When everyone plays the part assigned to them, the end result benefits many. The church is so much bigger than one or two personalities. It is the members. It's the called out ones. It is the body of Christ functioning in harmony for a worthwhile cause. 

I type this with several parts of my body working in unison. My eyes see the screen and the letters formed there. My brain thinks the next thoughts that become sentences. My hands tap the keys translating those thoughts into words on the printed screen. Each part of my body plays a valuable role in the process. I did not even mention my heart pumping blood through my body and my veins carrying that blood, nor the lungs that breathe in oxygen keeping me alert. It is all a coordinated effort. 

Showing me a church where one or two people run the show and I will show you an unhealthy and dysfunctional body. It takes a team to achieve the dream. 

Paul addresses this in I Corinthians 12. I suggest you read that passage as a reminder. I ask are you playing your role in your local assembly? Do you contribute to body life? Can you even identify your role. Many prefer the mega church so they can worship anonymously. It escapes their notice that God will hold each of us accountable with the gifting He gave us and the roles He assigned to us within a local assembly. May we all find our place on the team and serve others by playing our part.