*1 Corinthians 3:7
“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor”.
INTRODUCTION: You can’t play team sports like soccer or football if you have not learned how to be part of a team. The only way to be affective is by realizing that every person has a role to play in winning the game.
1. God wants us to be Team players in order to grow His Kingdom. That’s why Paul compares us to members in a human body.
Paul says; “Now the body is not made up of one part but of many”, *1 Corinthians 12:14
- For the body to work correctly, each member has to do their function, (verse 6)” I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow”.
I remember in my soccer days. I figured out unlike others in the team that all I needed to do if I wanted to be a good player was pass the ball.
-Others got the ball and tried to take it all the way to the goal, most of the time someone would take the ball from them. They were better kickers and all around players than the rest but they just wouldn’t pass the ball.
THE OBJECT OF ANY GAME IS TO WINN? And just like in a soccer game, it takes team work to fill the church with souls and to keep them..
2. In today’s scripture Paul is trying to get the Corinthians to become a team that works effectively for building the kingdom of God. They were divided.
Some said, “I come from Apollos, Others, I come from Paul”.
Paul said; “We are only servants, part of God’s team”.
-Notice what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:16; And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.
-There were gifted people in the Corinthian Church just like in this Church and all others that belong to Christ but they hadn’t learned yet learned how to play together.
-The Bible says in 1 Cor. 12:7ff. that; “to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,a and to still another the interpretation of tongues.b 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
- Everyone has something to contribute.
3. The main question to ask yourself is; Am I part of the team, or am I just a lone ranger?
-Lone rangers look from the outside and criticize. They are not willing to pay the price and be part of the team, but they want to be heard.
-Team players get involved with what the Church is doing.
-Team players are part of planning;
4. Reasons why everyone needs to join the team;
1. Duplication. Even The Lone Ranger needed Tonto.
-Batman needed Robin
-Adam needed Eve.
-Moses needed Aaron his brother and others like Joshua and Caleb.
- We can accomplish more and duplicate ourselves when we are part of a team.
*1 Corinthians 12:15-25, “If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body”.
“ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it”.
2. Accountability.
-When we work as a team we are accountable to one another.
-Accountability also means that when one is going thru something you tell the rest and they help you get back on track.
3. Unity. There is power in Unity.
-On the day of Pentecost something powerful happened because the people were united in one accord.
- Paul Says says, “I laid the foundation and someone else is building on it.”
-Not even Jesus tried to do it on His own. He chose twelve. And the twelve followed His pattern and worked as a team.
Conclusion:
Teamwork is what the Kingdom of God is all about. It will get results and you will feel better about yourself, knowing that if souls are getting saved is because you are doing your part that God has given to you.
