God's Team Part One – Team Jesus

Mark 3:13-15 is about Jesus' calling of the twelve disciples: first, Simon (also called Peter), then Andrew (Peter’s brother), James (son of Zebedee), John (James’s brother), Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon (the zealot), and Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him). He called them to spend time with Him, so that he could send them out to preach and that they would have authority to heal the sick and to cast out demons. Luke 6 also recounts this record of Jesus' calling his team together as disciples. In Jesus' day, there were many Rabbis who had followers. Jesus however, only called twelve to be His disciplined followers. From the twelve, He called three:  Peter, James and John into His innermost circle.  

Michael writes this week that we're all called to be on teams: in sports, at school, in the corporate world, and in the military. A team is a group of people working together to accomplish a goal that each member could never accomplish alone: to unite individuals with different roles to achieve a common purpose. The first characteristic of a team is that they share a common vision. The second is that each individual knows their job and is trained to do their job well. They also know everyone else's job. A team leader trains their team in the mission and the job. The third characteristic of a winning team is comradery. Winning teams master the fundamentals. You have to play your position well. The team depends on you to do your job to contribute to the team's success. In Hebrews, Paul says that we have a great “cloud of witnesses” of the success of Believers that have gone before. Each player on a successful team is responsible for mastering his position. Those who are prepared, pick up the casualties of the spiritual warfare.  

Proverbs 29:18 says that because there was no vision the people were unrestrained. They were not controlled or limited. They "kept their options open." They became casualties of the spiritual warfare. They were loose, irresponsible, and casual. Those unrestrained in the church are "consumers" who come to be entertained. Worship is not an exciting music show and a inspirational story teller. This is a recipe for failure. A good God’s team player comes to serve and not to be served. What is your vision of the Sunday Church Service?  

There is an old church hymn that goes: Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art; Thou my best Thought, by day or by night, Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light. Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise, Thou mine Inheritance, now and always: Thou and Thou only, first in my heart, High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art. High King of Heaven, my victory won, May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heav’n’s Sun! Heart of my own heart, whate’er befall, Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all. - Dallon Forgaill

The first characteristic on God's team is that our vision is Jesus Christ.  Philippians 3:10 says, "that I may know Him and the power of the resurrection."  Ministry is in terms of “being”, not in terms of “doing”. Samuel had God's revelation to go to Jesse's house to select Israel's new king. Jesse did not even consider David for the selection process. He was Jesse's youngest and most insignificant son, so Jesse left him in the field to tend the sheep. However, God looks not at the outward appearance, but rather, God looks on the heart. David was a man after God's own heart – Acts 13:22. God works best with nothing. He has chosen the outcasts, and rejected of this world so that the power may be of Him and not ourselves. For we have this treasure in jars of clay so that the excellency of the power may be of Him and not of us – 2 Corinthians 4:7.

 

The second characteristic is to know your calling. What is the one thing that you can do best to contribute to God's work? Where are your strengths? What is God calling you to contribute and to do? What blesses you most when you do it? For we are God's workmanship, his poem, his magnum opus, created in Christ Jesus unto good works that he has foreordained that we should walk in them – Ephesians 2:10. Mark 10 reveals six teachable moments that Jesus used to train His disciples about teamwork. Jesus said, "suffer the little children to come unto me". In verses 10-16 He picked up the little children and said to the twelve, "Unless you become like unto a little child, you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven." We need to develop child-like meekness, obedience, humility and dependence.  Just as a child, we also need to approach the Lord shamelessly and with - the third characteristic of a winning team: a loving heart. For there is no fear in love; perfect love casts out fear – 1 John 4:18. Love thinks no evil; it is always eager to believe the best. Love hopes all things, believes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails – 1 Corinthians 13:7-8.

Let's continue this excellent message from Michael on being on God's Team tomorrow.

In Christ, Brian