Becoming a Team Player
Eph 4:1-3 “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”
Every sports team has its stars – the John Elways, Ken Griffey Jrs., Michael Jordans. They’re the reason fans come out to watch the games, and they often find themselves in the center of the spotlight, overcome with adulation. The fans may not grasp it, but the players themselves understand one basic truth about team sports; stars wouldn’t be stars without the support of the team.
Every year around Christmas time Dan Marino does the commercial for Isotoner Gloves, “Take care of the hands that take care of you.” The point of the commercial (beyond selling gloves) is that Dan Marino wouldn’t be able to pull off all of those 4th quarter come-backs without the assistance of his front line. That’s because, even though the stars get much of the glory, football is a team sport.
It’s this way in other areas of life. Whenever movie stars win an Oscar, they give the same basic speech, “I would like to thank all the people who helped make this night possible – my agent, my manager, my director, my producer,” and on and on. That’s because it’s the same in Hollywood as it is in business, or sports, or any other area of life, it requires a great deal of effort on the part of many people for one person to succeed.
On July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, he was the focus of attention for the entire planet. Today, whenever the Apollo voyage to the moon is discussed, Neil Armstrong’s name is the one everyone remembers. His statement, “One small step for man..” will be remembered for generations. What often isn’t remembered, however, is the fact that the Apollo expedition took place because a very large and committed team of individuals sacrificed day and night for years to make it happen. Neil Armstrong was only one of 218,000 involved in that single project. He may have gotten most of the glory, but he will be the first to tell you that it was a team effort. That’s the way it is with every area of life. Life is a team sport. God means for us to work together, to be flexible, to love in all things, to be successful and happy. One person alone cannot do it.
It’s the same way at church. Church is a team effort. In order to do the work that God has called us to do, we must work together as a team. God’s method for the church is that it operates as a team. The old model is that the church hires a “professional” or group of professionals to do the work of the ministry for the people, who are the recipients of ministry. That’s not the biblical model. The bible tells us God’s method in Eph 4:11-12 “It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”
God’s plan of evangelism is teamwork, but it’s not always easy for us. A survey among missionaries revealed that their #1 problem on the mission field wasn’t loneliness, culture shock, or finances, as one might expect. The #1 problem missionaries face, according to missionaries, is the inability to get along with other missionaries. It’s hard to imagine that a group of individuals who leave family, friends, and financial security would have difficulty getting along, but this is the case.
Evangelism and church growth, just like all of life, is a team effort. In order to succeed as a church and as individuals, we must develop a Team Player mentality. In Eph 4 Paul shows us how to do this. V.2 “be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in LOVE.” There are key words in this verse that are the basis for developing an attitude of a team player. Paul said, “Be HUMBLE, Be GENTLE, Be PATIENT, BE LOVING. Looking at these attitudes and considering how we can further develop them in our own lives is our purpose today. First of all, Paul said, “BE Humble.” That means having an attitude that says…
I. The TEAM Is More Important Than Me.
When Lou Holtz began his coaching career at the Univ of Minnesota he gave every player on his team a T-shirt. Printed across the chest in large block letters was the word, “TEAM.” Beneath TEAM, in tiny letters was the word “Me.” Holtz told his team, “This T-shirt serves to remind you that the team is more important than you are, and you should always put the team above you.”
A. Important question we should ask ourselves: Am I willing to put the team above me? Am I willing to take a low profile, low glamour job that benefits others more than me?
B. A “me first” attitude is evidence of SCCF. God’s children are to be humble. I have seen church members get all bent out of shape when they didn’t get a certain office in the church. I’ve seen musicians unwilling to share musical responsibilities, teachers unwilling to give others a chance to teach, leaders who insist on being in control of areas they knew little about. SCCF is our only real problem. Obviously, if that is my attitude or your attitude we won’t be team players, and the church will suffer as a result. Paul said in Phil 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”
In 1988 Kirk Gibson hit the game winning homerun in the first game of the World Series. Kirk was more than a star, however, he was the ultimate team player. His coach, Tommy Lasorda, once said that the great thing about having him on his team was that Kirk was willing to do anything to win, bunt, sacrifice, walk, whatever, because the team’s win-loss record was always more important than his own batting average. This is the attitude of a team player.
C. When you enter a room, your attitude can say one of two things: either “Here I am!” or “There you are!” One is humble, the other is proud. Paul encourages us to “be completely humble.”
A team player projects a “there you are” attitude, because his attitude is that the team is more important than me. Secondly, Paul said “Be GENTLE.” This means having an attitude that says…
II. My Job is to Encourage Others. When Don Shula first began coaching the Miami Dolphins, they were ranked among the bottom of the AFC teams. He shows his new Dolphin team film of the previous season’s championship team, the Baltimore Colts. He told the Dolphin players not on the play, but what happened after the play. The players helped each other up, high-fived one another, shouted encouragement to one another. IN contrast, he showed the Dolphin players their film from the previous season. These elements were missing. He encouraged his players to get in the habit of encouraging one another on the field, because that’s how champions play. Don Shula went on to become the winningest coach in the history of the NFL..
A. All of us need encouraged. This is why Paul challenges us to treat one another with gentleness. Being gentle with one another doesn’t mean being weak or wimpy, it just means treating each other with an attitude that says “your feelings matter.”
B. When people work together as a team, there are times when they have to correct one another. We are all human. We are all going to make mistakes. We all have our faults. It’s important when necessary to correct to do it gently. The purpose of correction is to inspire the person to do better.
1 Thess5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
C. Encouragement has tremendous power to bless others.
Prov 12:18 “Some people like to make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise soothe and heal.” Do you encourage others or discourage them? The bible says our job is one of encouraging everyone on the team. One believer linked to another believer builds unity as well.
Thirdly, Paul says “Be Patient.” That means having an attitude that says…
III. I Will Not Give Up on Anyone.
A. Patience is an optimistic word. It implies that the final result will be good, even if the process takes a long time; the object of your patience is not a lost cause. (getting driver’s license when young)
B. Paul tells us to be patient with one another for the simple reason that no person is a lost cause. WE are to keep believing in them, keep encouraging them. Paul expressed this in Phil 1:6 “I am confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ.”
C. WE see the fallibility of the disciples as we read the gospels. James and John were ambitious, striving for that #1 spot. Peter was impulsive, Simon the Zealot was impatient, all of the others at one time or another showed cowardice, lack of faith, jealousy, and spiritual thick-headedness. Yet, Jesus kept them all (with the obvious exception of Judas, who betrayed Christ, then killed himself without seeking forgiveness). In spite of their faults, these men eventually were instrumental in changing the world. Over the course of a few years, they went from being weak and afraid to being bold and strong. They took the gospel of Christ to the ends of the earth, and in the process were all martyred, except John, who was tortured and exiled to Patmos. What would have happened if Jesus had given up on them in the early days? Who would have fulfilled the Great Commission? Who would have carried on the work that He began?
D. If God refuses to give up on others, what gives us the right to? By showing patience to your family, co-workers, fellow church members, you are saying, “I believe in you. I believe in what God can do in your life. I believe that your short-comings are short term; if you can overlook mine I can overlook yours.
A guy was caught at a red light when his engine stalled and the car wouldn’t start. While he tried unsuccessfully to start the car, the guy behind him honked his horn nonstop. Finally the driver got out, walked to the car behind him and say “I’m having some trouble here and maybe you can help. If you’ll go try to start my car, I’ll stay back here and lay on your horn for you.”
It’s hard to work as a team when you have to listen to a bunch of honking criticism. We need to be patient with others.
IV. Most Importantly, we must be filled with the Love of Jesus.
(Jn 3:16)
A. Natural for us to live in the law of reciprocity. Returning kindness for kindness, gift for gift, etc.
B. God tells us in 1 Jn 3:16-18; 4:7 “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need and shuts up his heart form him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children let us not love in word or in tongue but in deed and in truth. 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
C. Perfect love does not end at an altar experience. It is a lifelong process. When we stop loving and walking in the light we can forget the “altar experience.” If you’re not choosing to love the people around you, God can’t hear how much you supposedly love Him. In fact, He says you are a liar. We get so busy pointing out the failures and faults of others. Any idiot can do that. But it takes a true Christian with a heart for God and others to love people who are faulty and failing and fruity.
D. Express the agape love of God to others. Engage in third party affirmations. They are the best. Talk well of others regardless of how they may talk about you. Choose to love.
How can I say, “I love Jesus” and be a garbage spreader in the church? Say nice things or shut up. And if you can’t find anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. But stop spreading garbage. Be a team player.
There’s a story about a county fair that held a horse-pulling contest to see whose horse could pull the most weight. The second place winner pulled a sled weighing about 3500 lbs. The first place winner pulled a sled of about 4000lbs. Then the judges tried something different. They attached both horses to a sled to see what they could do. Combined the horses pulled almost 10,000lbs of weight.
This is true in life and in the church. Together we can do far more that we can as individuals. IN life, at home, in the church, we must develop an attitude that says, “This is a team effort, and I’m going to be a team player. How about you?
