Teamwork

In Romans Chapter 12, the Apostle Paul calls those who are believers in Christ to a great responsibility, to apply the righteousness of God in our own lives which in turn can affect many others. Paul states in Romans 12:4 “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not have all the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body and each member belongs to all the others.” In this verse Paul is relating Christians to members of a human body; all parts have different functions but are critical to a healthy body.

NASCAR racing has grown tremendously as sport in the last decade. These racing teams have to be synchronized all the way from the owner to the driver to the pit crew. If you have ever seen a NASCAR race the teamwork that takes place during a pit stop is impressive. The car rolls in and in less than 15 seconds each member of the team performs one task to turn the car over to continue racing. It could be putting gas in, carrying tires, running the impact wrench or encouraging and teaching the driver. How well they perform it and if they are doing the job best suited to them depends on if that car will continue working at top form or if it will falter. As believers in Christ we need to find our job, our task that we will do in the pit. Gods has gifted us in specific areas whether it is teaching, hospitality, compassion, missions, finance and there are many other areas. No job or service is more important than the other; each must happen for the church to be healthy and grow.

What is your job in the pit? If you know, I encourage you to continue your service and pray that you are doing it to the best of your ability and not just at 50%. Can you imagine if the pit crew worker tightened the lug nuts on the tires just half way? If you are unsure of your role and where you can contribute, then I would pray and ask God to show you and make connections in the church (talk to those in children’s education, missions, local out reach) to see where you could use your skills to make a difference in your church or community.

Paul stated that “each member belongs to all the other,” so as your gifts will benefit others, there will be a time in your life, a trial, “a storm” and you may greatly need to draw on the gifts or service of others. And at that time you will truly appreciate the “body of Christ” and what it means to give and receive joyfully!

- Trish

Teamwork

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)

One of my favorite movie quotes comes from "As Good As It Gets" when Jack Nicholson tells Helen Hunt, "You make me want to be a better man." Every time I think of that line it inspires me to be the type of person that compels others to want to be better. I am not an encourager by nature, I have to work at it and even then it often feels awkward, or poorly worded. All too often I find myself thinking something complimentary towards someone but I don't say it for fear of sounding silly or insincere. In other words, rather than taking a risk and possibly brightening someone else's day I often choose to be self-protective hoping that maybe through some weird mental telepathy that person will know what I was thinking. One of my best friends is not like that - she is one of the most encouraging people I know, I love being around her (so do others). She always seems to have encouraging words for others and I really admire that about her.

It would be easy for me to sit back and say, "I'm just not good at that, others will have to do it," but the Bible tells me otherwise. Hebrews 10:24 tells us to "...consider how to stir up one another to love and good works..." The word consider means "to actively think about, to contemplate"; it is full of intentionality. The word stir means "to move to action". This verse tells me that I am supposed to think about how I can encourage others and then act on it. I believe that encouragement is contagious, when I am around encouraging people it lifts me up and I am much more likely to pass it on.

On any athletic team the goal of winning can only be reached if each teammate fills their role. The game is always more fun when everyone does their part. The body of Christ is much like a team: we have the common goal to bring glory and honor to God and yet we each have different roles to fill to accomplish that purpose. This week I encourage you to spend some time thinking about how you can be an "encouraging teammate" to those around you. Let's all aim to be the type of people that compel those in our sphere of influence to be better as well.

- Pam