A Team Sport
A team can accomplish much more than an individual can. As Andrew Carnegie once stated, “It marks a big step in your development when you come to realize that other people can help you do a better job than you could do alone.” And as Vince Lombardi said, “The achievement of an organization is the combined efforts of each individual.” We are a group of individuals, but we are a group of individuals working together to reach one goal. We are a team. We must work as a team.
The local church has a key role in bringing in the harvest of God. We are the instrument for bringing in the harvest. Everything we do is to share the life changing power and love of Christ. The mission is outside the four walls of the church. The church on Sundays is the locker room where we are motivated before going out to play the big game.
Most everyone loves a good motivational speech from a coach. Hearing them can typically send chills down your spine. Possibly one of the best came from Coach Herb Brooks in his speech to the 1980 Olympic hockey team before they went out and performed in a game that is now referred to as the “Miracle on Ice”. The word of God is our inspiration to go out and take the world everyday. It’s what we need to motivate us and spark the fire in us to do what we need to do. And the word teaches us that we are most effective when we are one, a team in unity.
As Herb Brooks stated, “Great moments come from great opportunities.” We have great opportunities everyday of our lives to be who Christ has called us to be. We also have great opportunities here in our church to be used for Christ and create great moments for His kingdom. We are called to be stewards; stewards of our resources and our time.
Many would argue that tithing is not in the New Testament, when actually Jesus did reference it, telling the Pharisees that they should give their tenth while also focusing on other things they were missing. In many things that Jesus taught, what we heard in the Old Testament became a floor for what He desired to see now. The Old Testament taught that murder was wrong, Jesus said if you hate your brother, you’ve committed murder in your heart. The Old Testament taught that adultery was wrong, Jesus said if you lust in your heart, you’ve committed adultery. Could it be that the tithe is simply a floor for what God really wants in our giving?
It’s not about having a poverty mentality and living with nothing to see His kingdom glorified. It’s also not about prosperity theology where we do what we do in order to be rich. It’s about a generosity theology. If we are generous with what God has given us then imagine what could be done for the Kingdom of God. Are we going to be blessed in return? Absolutely, but sometimes the blessing may not come how we expected it and God blesses us so that we can be a blessing.
We are also stewards of our time. God has gifted each of us with gifts of His Spirit that we should use and not allow to stay dormant in our lives. We each have something we can give, but it’s only effective if we give it. We want you to find a place that you can serve here at BWC. If you’re a part of another community of faith, we encourage to find a place where God’s gifts in you can be used, but if you are in covenant relationship with us here at BWC then we encourage you, please first find a place to serve and then volunteer your time. If you are also hungry for a way to become more unified and part of the family, we encourage you to find an igniter group where you can build relationships with others here at BWC and build your relationship with God.
Another famous Lombardi quote simply says, “People who work together will win.” That’s what we want. We want BWC, and God’s church, to be a place where we work together knowing that as long as we work for Christ we will always be more than conquerors in Him! Nothing will be able to separate us from His love or stop us from sharing His love.
