SPIRITUAL TEAMWORK

                The Christian life is a team sport, yet we often act as if it were a solo event. Every successful football, baseball, hockey, or basketball team has to develop effective teamwork. If one player focuses on himself, the entire team suffers. Teams spend hours and hours learning to work well together. Every player has to not only learn their role, but how they connect with the other players. No one plays a team sport in a vacuum.

                If we are going to be successful in our Christian life, we need to learn some spiritual teamwork. We have been called to be a part of something that is bigger than ourselves. In I Corinthians 12, Paul reminds us that we are part of God’s team. Paul refers to this team as the body of Christ. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (1 Corinthians 12:27)

   

                  Every team has a training regimen that strengthens the individual player and trains them to work together. God has given to us His spiritual training regimen in His Word. These spiritual team-building exercises are identified by the phrase “one another.” These “one another passages” give us the daily exercises we need to be the spiritual athletes that God has called us to be.

                The foundation for God’s team-building regimen is found in John 13:34-35. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

                An essential for any team to be successful is team cohesion. The players on the team need to be committed to the team and their teammates. If there is dissention on the team, it will not be able to preform at its best. A player who focuses only on his performance will hurt the whole team. A player that actively helps another player advance will enhance the whole team.

                It is the same with the church. As members of the Body of Christ, we need to be first committed to Christ and then committed to one another. Dissension and spiritual showboating will always weaken the church. Jesus raised the bar of expectation when He said that we are love one another with the same sacrificial love that He has loved us. The various “one another” passages give us some practical examples of what it looks like to truly love one another.

    Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. (Romans 12:16)

                There is a lot of class and social divide in our country and in our world. As Christians we have been called to bridge those gaps by humbly extending our hand of friendship to others.

    Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. (Romans 15:7)

                Too often we want people to conform to our expectations before we will embrace them. If Christ had done that, none of us would be saved. Christ calls us to embrace people as they are, and then grow together from there.

    Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:2)

                We most often get impatient with others because they do not conform to our wishes. The counter to that is to be humble and gentle. I like how C.S. Lewis defines true humility. True humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.

    Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

                One of the hardest things for us to do is forgive. When we feel wronged, we want justice. But we need to remember that if we received justice from God, we would be doomed. Instead God has treated us with unbelievable compassion and kindness. He calls us to do the same.

    Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:21)

                We live in a very competitive world. We are told constantly to stand up for our rights, grab what we believe is owed to us, don’t let anyone get ahead of you. I see that every time I drive on the freeway. There is always someone who just can’t stand driving behind another car. As followers of Christ, we need to reverse the popular trend and learn to submit to one another. Biblical submission can be defined as voluntarily setting aside my needs, wants and desires for the good of the other person. When we voluntarily submit to one another, we grow stronger, not weaker.

    Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Colossians 3:13)

                None of us are perfect. We all make mistakes along the way. If we will remember that basic truth, it will be easier for us to bear with the mistakes of others and forgive them.

 

    Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

                This is an exercise that is sorely needed, yet often neglected. There is so much that discourages us today. We all need to be encouraged. You can do that for someone by sending them a hand-written note, calling them on the phone just to talk, or going out to coffee together. All of us can use an encouraging word to strengthen us in an often-discouraging world.

    And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

                Along with encouraging one another, we need to have the courage to challenge one another to grow in our faith. Most athletes will tell you that they make the most progress when they train with and against someone else. That is why corporate worship is so important to our spiritual health. An isolated Christian is a vulnerable Christian and often a weak one as well.

    Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. (1 Peter 4:9)

                If I could rephrase this, I would say, give joyfully of yourself to others. Hospitality doesn’t have to be extravagant or complicated. It really means sharing your life with another person. But to be effective it needs to be done with the right attitude.

                Just as athletes discipline themselves daily to accomplish their goal, we need to daily discipline ourselves to reach a much higher goal. None of the things that the Bible tells us to do to be God’s team are impossible, or even that hard, yet they all take intentionality and effort. If we would seek to practice these disciplines regularly, they would transform our lives individually and corporately.