Join The Team: Togetherness

TOGETHERNESS? JOIN THE TEAM By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

I do this as a two part series.

I once was young, and now I am old, and I find great peace and consolation in a simple thought, "WITH."

I love it when my wife is "with me." We can be in the same car and not be with each other.

I love it when my friends are "WITH ME."

I love meetings when you can feel the togetherness and unity. The power of agreement is a love

of my life. I am talking about more than being together, I am talking about being "WITH EACH

OTHER," being on the same page, the same wave length, Call it being on the same page?

Unity? Knit together.

Psalms 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell TOGETHER IN UNITY!

My heart breaks when friends are no longer friends, and they are not with each other.

Seems people can agree about 999 things, then one little disagreement scraps a friend

on the heaps with the outcast. EVERYBODY IS RIGHT IN HIS OWN EYES?

Amos 3:3 Can two walk together unless they agree?

I. GOD’S WORK IS ACCOMPLISHED BY TEAMWORK!

* to yoke or join together

* two or more draft animals harnessed to the same vehicle

* a number of persons associated together in work or activity

* marked by devotion to whole group more than individual achievement

A. Ecc. 4:12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him, and a threefold cord is not

quickly broken.

B. GOD PROMISED TO BE WITH US. JESUS, GOD’S SON BUILT A BRIDGE TO BE WITH US.

Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name:EMMANUEL which being interpreted is:

GOD WITH US.

II. ON THE SAME HILL, ONE WAS WITH JESUS, ONE WAS NOT WITH HIM.

Luke 23:32 And there were also two other, malefactors, lead with Him to be put to death.

33: And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified Jesus, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and

the other on the left.

A. ONE REFUSED TO JOIN THE TEAM: The one on the left hand

Luke 23:39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on Jesus, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

He sought for the individual way out. He desires to see deliverance for me, I don’t care about others?

Three crosses, two were team players, one seemed to battle the games with I, selfishness.

One little man knew his guilt, but he asked Jesus, remember me?

Jesus remembered him.

One died in sin.

One died to sin.

One died for sin.

B. ONE JOINED THE TEAM ... REMEMBER ME... The one on the right was with Jesus.

Luke 23:40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, "Dost not thou fear God seeing thou art in the same condemnation?"

41: And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but Jesus hath done nothing amiss.

III. JESUS SENDS AN INVITATION TO JOIN THE TEAM.

42: And he said unto Jesus, LORD, REMEMBER ME when thou comest into thy kingdom.

A. Come be with me:

Luke 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto you, TODAY SHALT THOU BE WITH ME IN PARADISE.

There is no I in team.

B. TEAM

T-ogether

E-ach

A-ccomplishes

M-ore

C. There is no I in team.

I need you, you need me, we need the church, and Jesus needs us in a spirit of Unity and Agreement.

IV. SYNERGISM...

A. SYNERGISM: cooperative action of separate agencies such that the TOTAL EFFECT IS

GREATER THAN THE SUM OF THE EFFECTS TAKEN INDEPENDENTLY.

B. If you go to a horse pull, one individual horse can pull an 8,000 pound load.

Another horse can pull a 9,000 pound load. How much can they pull together?

8,000 + 9,000 = 17,000

C. Well, this is not true, a good team together, the two horses can pull 28,000 pounds.

That is 11,000 pounds more than they can individually pull.

Amos 3:3 Can two walk together unless they agree?

JOY IN ALL, AND FIND JOY, AND PRESS ON. DON’T LOOK BACK.

D. God knows that His Church is not a story of individual accomplishments.

Are we pulling together for the long haul? Will you quit? Will I quit? We need each other.

If we love Jesus we should really love each other.

E. PEOPLE WILL HURT YOU! PEOPLE WILL DISAPPOINT YOU... BUT YOU HAVE TO BE PART OF THE TEAM.

Team players help each other, and weaknesses can become strengths.

F. Are you on the team? How can you seek forgiveness and you not forgive?