If you were to build your dream home, how would you want to design it? Let us say you were able to design your house on your own, without any outside input. You would probably be in your bliss if you had that sort of liberty! What about if you had to work with a group of people and discuss and plan your house-building project together? How would your planning change? Would you enjoy the process as much?
Relationship Principles
Our first-semester students have been learning principles about how we relate to one another and get along with fellow believers in Christ, despite differences. There is sometimes the misconception that missionaries are the type of people who fly solo, doing their own thing. This is not the case. The task of reaching the world with a gospel requires a team. We need to realize the value of coming together with our co-workers to discuss and work through things. This takes time, patience, and intentionality; but in the end, it is worth the effort.
The Value of the Body
We need each other. Paul reminded the Corinthian church of this truth.
“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.”
-1 Corinthians 12:12, ESV
Each member has something to contribute as we fulfill our God-given task of sharing the love of Christ with others. Paul notes, however, that even though there are “varieties of gifts,” they come from the same Spirit. (12:4) And just as these gifts come from the Lord, they should be something we use for Him and His glory as we serve others.
How Do We Do This?
So how do we come together as a team and collaborate in a way that glorifies God? The reality is that it takes a great deal of humility. Teamwork involves sacrifice. But it will be worth it if helps us to be able to learn to love others well as we work together within the body of Christ. After listing several things that the believer is to “put on,” Paul says in Colossians 3:14, “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (ESV) Love is a key component in the way in which we interact with our co-laborers in the gospel. We can’t put on love if we’re trying to do it on our own.
What is Our Goal?
As believers, we should be keeping some specific goals in mind in our approach to team-building and learning to live in harmony with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We want to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18, ESV). That being said, as we invest in our local church body and even our own families, we should learn to show love to others and find opportunities to put good teamwork into practice. Keeping this context in mind makes us more effective ministers of the gospel and helps us personally to grow in maturity in Christ.
So going back to our house-building example, we see that maybe building your house in the context of a group or as a group project may not seem as fun a prospect, initially. Also, working within a group might mean that my idea is not the idea that is used in the final plan. However, we can gain insights from others as we share ideas and learn from one another. After all, if working with others well is that important for building a house, how much more important is it for the work of bringing God’s Word to those who have never heard? Remember, it takes a team!
