As you read this, the 2016 Olympics are about to get underway in Rio. And even though there are a lot of problems with the Rio Olympics, I’ll still try to watch some of it. It’s fun to watch the competition and hear the stories of athletes who have worked passionately to represent their country on the world stage.
As you watch the Games, you’ll notice that, though every athlete is outstanding individually, none stands alone. They all work together on a team to represent their country.
Jesus intended His Church to be like that. Not an individual sport, but a team sport.
At Northside you see a lot of that. Whether it’s Steve filling in the pulpit while I’m away (thanks again Steve!), or it’s Bible class pulling together to help a hurting family, or a team of women coordinating a world-class conference, or a group of graders helping thousands of KYB students, or a team of teachers/guides/helpers/writers/actors working to bring Safari to the Son children’s Bible classes every week, or a team of volunteers working to bring hundreds of teens from around the country to serve at Wichita Workcamp, or a crew in the kitchen cooking meals on a Wednesday, or a band of a capella singers making beautiful music for weddings and funerals, or a team of parents helping Mike lead the youth group or a bunch of tender-hearted people who help and lead in Celebrate Recovery or a team of adult Bible class teachers, or a plethora of small group leaders who do a great deal of good or a….well, I think you get the point.
Jesus didn’t believe in lone rangers. At Northside, we don’t either. And when you think about it, since he had Tonto, I guess even the Lone Ranger didn’t really believe in lone rangers.
We believe Jesus intended church to be a team sport. I’m not trying to be Pollyannaish. People are messy. And lots of people on teams can be really messy sometimes. Feelings get hurt. Toes are stepped on. And egos and pride must be continually kept in check. But, in the long run, the benefits of team far outweigh the risks of going it alone.
On August 7 we begin a new series called “Strong Church,” and the whole purpose of this series is to focus on the “one another” verses from scripture. It is my prayer that it will not just build you up, but edify and encourage the entire family at Northside as we do God’s work together.