Playing as a Team

Imagine you are part of a sports team.  Now imagine you are in the middle of a game.  Is it possible for you to play the absolute best game you have ever played, and still lose?  Is it possible to play the worst game of you life and still manage to win?  In both cases, the answer is yes.  So either way, win or lose, it would be silly to judge your personal performance based on the overall outcome of the game.  Yet, when it comes to evangelism, that is exactly what we do.

   What we often forget is that we are part of a team.  The other members of that team are our fellow Christians and the Holy Spirit.  If we are not doing our job as a part of that team, then we are not doing our job as Christians, period.  So what does is look like to be a part of Jesus’ team?  How can we know we are doing our best, even when it may seem like our team is losing?

   The first rule of playing as a team is to know your assignment.  How effective is a quarterback who won’t touch the ball?  Each of us has a specific part to play, and we can’t do that if we are running around doing everything else.  Know your strengths and purpose in Christ.  I love music, but I can barely carry a tune in a bucket, so outside of a miracle occurring, it is a pretty safe bet that me leading worship is probably not the best idea.

  The second rule is to be open to what needs to be done.  This may seem like the opposite of the first rule, but it is just as important.  If there is a fumble, it is everyone’s job to go after it.  If you see something that is not getting done, then go do it.  You may be the only light present in someone’s life.  Always be ready to be life and light to those who need it, even when that isn’t your “thing”.

   Finally, leave the results to God.  So I go out, and I tell someone about Jesus, and his love for them, and all the things he did for them, great.  They listen, nod politely, and carry on as if nothing happened.  What should I do?  Everything in me says that this is important, they need to understand their eternal soul is a stake, but I need to remember that it is not about me being the one to score.  My job is only to move that ball forward to the best of my ability.  The worst thing I can do it erase any forward progress I may have gotten by committing a personal foul.

   “Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”  - John 4:36-38