Tag: teamwork

Team Work

Dayton Depp

As many of you know, in sports a team has to work together to succeed in the game. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary teamwork is  “work done by a group acting together so that each member does a part that contributes to the efficiency of the whole.” 

Turn with me to Psalms 133:1 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For Brethren to dwell together in unity.” Just as team members are unified in the goal of winning, we as Christians should be unified in our efferts to please God and win a home in Heaven. 

Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” this verse demonstrates the positive effect we can have on one another. 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 reads, “Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” We should be uplifting to each other, and working together we can accomplish more. 

A month ago I had the opportunity to play with the JV soccer team against Monroe County, In that game our team had many assists for our goals. These assists were very important in the game because without them there wouldn’t be a goal.

Romans 12:4-8 teaches, “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” Just like our team, not every one has the same job- one has to score the goal, someone provides the assist, others provide defense, while the goalie protects the goal.  Not every one has the same position, every one plays a different role. 

Just as a team practices for a winning game. God has provided us with the necessary things to win. 

In Ephisions 6:13-18, Paul says, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”

Just as teams strive to win a championship, we too can win a reward living for God. 

Colossians 3: 23-24 says, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,  knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for  you serve the Lord Christ.”

God wants you on His team!

Join The Winning Team! Come Together And Give Selflessly.

Friday’s Column: Brent’s Bent

The 2022 college football season has gone, and the Georgia Bulldogs have repeated as national champions. Some argue that our national admiration of sports numbs us to the deterioration of our society. (Think ancient Rome and circuses and bloody spectacles.) However, there are also critics within the college football fan base who believe that the current method of crowning a national champion is unfair. The latter is more a matter of sour grapes. But when I consider paid college football players and transfer portals that foster a sense of entitlement among four- and five-star recruits, I find it difficult not to listen to some criticism. 

As Kirby Smart’s teams have improved over the years, so has their emphasis on teamwork and selflessness. They’ve made it a permanent part of their game strategy, and as a result, they consistently give it their all in most contests. ESPN sports pundits marveled at Kirby’s ability to make his team believe they were undervalued and disrespected despite being labeled the favorites. But, as the adage goes, the proof is in the pudding. Many athletes wanted to help pave the way to victory for their teammates. That is to say, rather than dwelling on how many times they had possession of the ball or how many big plays they had made, they celebrated the accomplishments of their teammates. Nolan Smith, a senior, is a prime example of this because his senior season was cut short due to an injury. After his stellar play on last year’s national championship team, he was eligible to enter the NFL draft. But he returned to Georgia for his senior year. However, his injury hasn’t stopped him from acting as a de facto coach for the rest of the team. Marvin Jones, Jr., one of Smith’s admirers, says he wants to fill the void Smith will leave after graduation. 

Some readers might assume I’m just trying to boast about “my” Georgia Bulldogs. Trust me; there’s more to it than that. An even more valuable group needs the same sense of teamwork and selflessness. Yes, I’m referring to the church. Like sports teams, the church requires teamwork and a selfless attitude to work together for the same mission. Paul writes that each church member contributes to its growth by fulfilling their role (Ephesians 4.16). One aspect of this role is encouraging and supporting each other (1 Thessalonians 5.11). Paul even went so far as to say that we should defer to our weaker brothers’ scruples to pursue peace and edification (Romans 14.19). While it is true that we will give an account of ourselves to God (Romans 14.12), we must focus on the “team.” Jesus loved the church so much that He gave His life for her (Ephesians 5.25). As a result, we are to have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2.5ff). And the early church had its counterparts to people like Nolan Smith, most notably Andrew and Barnabas, two men about whom less is known but who undoubtedly had a significant impact on the early church. These two provided the selflessness and humility the church needs today by following the Lord’s call and putting aside their desires. 

Remember, we are not competing for a stylized black football atop a golden pedestal. Instead, we seek an imperishable crown (1 Corinthians 9.25). As a result, our devotion to the church must outweigh our enthusiasm for a football team on any autumn Saturday, especially in the South.  

Sources Consulted: 

Bender, Bill. “Entitlement at Georgia? Kirby Smart Keeps His Bulldogs Hungry and Focused on Winning Titles.” Entitlement at Georgia? Kirby Smart Keeps His Bulldogs Hungry and Focused on Winning Titles | Sporting News, 10 Jan. 2023, https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-football/news/georgia-kirby-smart-keeps-his-bulldogs-focused-winning-titles/kliyimqy9z6q6xu5dcg2rmz4

Riley, Connor. “How Injured Nolan Smith Continues to Help Georgia Football Win: ‘He’s Been a Huge Help to Everyone.’” DawgNation, 30 Dec. 2022, https://www.dawgnation.com/football/good-day-uga/georgia-football-nolan-smith-win/H6VP2U6SQJHL7AYDPXPK6HG4LI/

Brent Pollard

The Local Preacher (Part 2)

Thursday’s Column: Captain’s Blog 

Carl Pollard

Acts 20:18 says, “And when they came to him, he said to them ‘You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia…” The apostle Paul gave of his time to the church. If a preacher doesn’t give his time to the church, then he is doomed to fail the congregation. 

What is a preacher that does not give of himself? First he is selfish, and secondly he is not treating the Bride of Christ with the respect and care needed. Notice that Paul says “the whole time,” not just “most of the time” or “some of the time.” Paul was fully devoted to those in Ephesus. He was a man that was church-minded. This was a man that showed focus, and likewise we must show this focus and determination to make the church as strong as it can be. A proficient preacher proffers personal time for others. It takes a selfless person to give up time for the brethren. 

Paul uses the Greek word epistamai which means “to acquire information about something, know, be acquainted with” (BDAG 380). Paul knew for certain that the elders knew who he truly was. The same must be true for the preacher and the congregation. So what does this mean? This means as ministers we must be transparent. The elders should know what we are doing to help build and strengthen the church, and so should the members. 

When it is all boiled down we see that a minister, in the most simplistic of terms, is to be a servant. He should be a servant of others in the church, and most of all he should be a servant of God. If the preacher is not a servant and is not setting that example then how are the other members in the congregation supposed to look up to him and follow him? Will they be servants? Most likely they will follow the example of the minister. We, as ministers, in many cases set the standard. We can inspire, or we can harm the church. One thing we should never forget is that our influence and example can be some of our best tools. Are we excited about God’s word and work? We should be showing that and lighting the fires of every member in the church. 

Work Cited: 

Bauer, Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, edited by Frederick W. Danker, et. al., Third Edition, U of Chicago Press, 2000. Logos Bible Software, 13.0, Faithlife Corp, 2022.