run with your team
Ever since the beginning, God has said, “it is not good for the man to be alone.” God created us for relationship – with Him, and with one another. There are countless reasons why teamwork is both necessary and important, but here are a few to consider.
• Exponential impact
o Ever noticed how much more you can get done when you do it with a friend? Teamwork always results in exponential impact. “When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.” (Matthew 18:19 – 20, The Message) “Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand” (Leviticus 26:8)
• Protection
o Those who make the journey alone, either by running ahead or lagging behind, often end up stumbling off the pathway. You and your teammates can help one another to stay on track. “Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14, The Message) “By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12, The Message)
• Empowerment
o Whether you’re a team leader or not, each team member can empower others to do what they are supposed to do. We need one another, and can’t do each other’s jobs. Each one has something to offer that will benefit the entire team and ultimately the body of Christ. “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:16)
• Faithfulness
o Who among us isn’t hoping to hear this at the end of the age: “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Committing ourselves to a team over the long haul requires faithfulness. We learn faithfulness by being faithful, not by giving up on people or situations when the going gets tough (which it inevitably does from time to time). One of my favorite speeches of all time, Churchill’s famous address during World War II, puts it simply – “Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, give up. Never give up. Never give up. Never give up.”
