Teamwork Series

7 keys to Revival - Sermon 6 – Teamwork

Cartoon – of church watching to much football.

Opening Illustration: Movie Clip on Teamwork – From Remember the Titans.

Movie is focused on bringing together different cultures and race and developing them into a team. The coaches do this by hard work and intentional focus. The team does come together and becomes and unbeatable High School football team. It’s a team that is different but one that learned to function by practicing teamwork.

Today is a big day in Amery – the two favorite teams of the area are playing the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings. The two teams will clash today and only one will come out the winner. Let give you a little secret on who is going to win. It’s the one with the most teamwork!

Thesis: The 6th key to unlocking the door of revival is teamwork and when the team players understand the following statement then we will have another key to unlocking revival. “The Church (TEAM) does not exist for the member, rather the member exists for the church (TEAM)."

Key point: The key to teamwork is relationships. When they exist between each of the members we are on our way to becoming undefeated. The 6th key to Revival is teamwork and when the church is functioning as a team of players with different abilities then we have an unstoppable force. If a church does not have teamwork then it will die.

Introduction:

Text: Psalm 133:1 “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity.”

A few weeks back we talked about unity and it’s importance but I want to explain that unity is a key and teamwork is another key. There is a difference unity means to live together in harmony which is essential. But teamwork means to work together as a team. Many can live together but the ones who win the race are team players who work together. But listen to what teamwork does:

T- together as a unified group of believers

E- each one of us

A- achieves miraculous results

M- more than we could ever do on our own.

W- Wow what God can do with teamwork!

O- Over-comers are developed.

R- Revelations are unleashed to the team.

K-Kingdom growth occurs and people are lead from here to eternity.

Jesus himself demonstrated the importance of teams in doing ministry. When He started his ministry the first thing he did was to start forming his team, the 12 disciples Matt. 4:18-22:

18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20At once they left their nets and followed him.

21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus who knew God intimately, was directed to use the team to change the world. Today this is still the will and plan of God for the Kingdom of God. The Lord is the coach and he is putting us through training camp so that we can learn to become an unbeatable team. But many of us still don’t want to be a team player.

Jones states, " I once had a discussion with a gentleman from another country who said he was envious of Americans’ ability to form teams. "When your people want to get something done, they gather a group and assign the tasks. In my country, unfortunately, we do not have it so easy. Many of us cannot even seem to sit down together at the table. We spend years playing King of the mountain, while your people have already figured out how to move it, save it, or make it bigger.”

If you want to accomplish anything for the Lord you need to comprehend that you must be apart of the team (the church). The next step toward unlocking the door to revival is found in teamwork.

There are many teaching that God uses super men and women to do his work. They focus on rugged individualism as the key to success in ministry. They promote the lone superman image, the lone ranger image. But if you read the book of Acts you discover it takes a team to build a church and spread the Kingdom of God..

Texts: Acts 6:1-7 "The choosing of the seven" Read! Note the team grew bigger, and more effective!

1In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”