I'm Not Sure That Word Means What You Think It Means

I wonder the same thing about us church leaders when we talk about team work. Team work is a staple of our country. In our sports we like flair and sizzle but the bottom line is how well the group works together as a team. We believe that team work can overcome any one's individual talent. But I'm beginning to think we are simply giving lip service to the idea and I'm not sure we really believe it.

The Bible talks about team work, especially Paul. He talks about being one body made up of many parts and he does an outstanding job of showing how each individual part is important and how each part should stick to its role.

I think Paul brings it up because his audience is Greek and their understanding of team work is a little different than that of the Hebrews. Western teachers who work in eastern countries have long known that there is a difference in world view about this and it affects how they teach. To eastern and primitive minds the highest cause is the whole. The whole takes precedence over the individual. They put things together while we tear them apart. Give them an atom and they'll want to know how it fits together with other atoms to make a whole. Give us western minds an atom and we'll want to know how to split it.

To the western mind the highest value lies within the individual. Individual rights are most important. The trick for government is to some how maintain order without impinging on individual rights. We seek to find the most basic element.

So Paul explains how this team work stuff is supposed to work because the Greeks, like us, have a harder time thinking in terms of the whole. It is a familiar passage of Scripture and we know it well. We nod accent to it because we like the idea of being part of a team. Sort of. We just can't bring ourselves to accept it.

Instead we come up with slogans like "Each One Reach One" and when some one asks about team work we respond that we agree with it but then add that it is still the obligation of everyone to lead people to Jesus. Apparently we really don't do that as a team. Instead we all get to be the "mouth" for that. But what else is this body for?

I heard someone say once that we should pray for the evangelist among us to rise up and do their job. It wasn't so much as a condemnation of the evangelists but, rather, the rest of us who keep getting in the way. When I see a lot of embarrassing things done in the name of Jesus I tend to agree. We would be better off if everyone would stop trying to "win one" and get out of the way of those gifted to do it. We should go back to our support roles, those things we are gifted to do. Or don't we really believe in spiritual gifts either?

Team work? I don't think it means what we think it means.