I must confess that most of my teaching/writing tends to gear toward the individual believer… and I was that way as a coach also. I truly did not see the overall team picture like some of the other guys I coached with… So thankful for guys that made me look much smarter than I am, but also learned that I saw some details in individual players that others didn’t. The fact that we saw things from a different perspective, actually made us a better coaching staff.
There is an old phrase that says, “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.” Mathematically that does not make any sense… if you add the numbers, you get the sum. But in things such as sports, that is not the case. The fact that a team has bigger or better individual players, does not mean they will be the better team; the better team will be the one where each player accepts and performs his/her role.
A simple example would be: A team executes a beautiful half-court play that ends with a high-flying alley-oop dunk… who is the star of the play? Some would say the guy that can jump so high… some would say the guy that can make the beautiful pass… but I wonder also about the guy that cut through the lane to draw the defenders out of position… what about the guy that that set a pick to free up the passer… or the guy that set a back screen to free up the high-flyer?
The point is that in team sports, it is truly not about individuals shining on their own, but in individual parts producing a greater whole. I loved teaching and showing players the beauty of executing their roles properly… which meant being in the right place, doing the right things, at the right time.
I bring all of this up, as I was privileged to speak and listen at a Free Grace Alliance Summit this past weekend. The overall theme of the conference was “Identity” which seems to fit well in my style of teaching/coaching… as “identity” lends itself to talking about the individual. As I stated in the intro, much of my teaching revolves around that. Yet, I was in a speaker’s line-up at this conference that included some guys I truly consider all-stars… guys that, due to my association with them, made me look a lot smarter than I am. One of those guys is Grant Hawley, the Executive Director of the Free Grace Alliance. Grant has an incredible grasp of the Scriptures and an understanding of the original languages. Each time I sit under his teaching, I am blown away with how he sees the “overall team picture” of the body of Christ!
I love teaching/coaching/mentoring individuals to be the best they can be… but truly see more and more that the goal is to be the best we can be for “the team”!
Ephesians 2:10 is a verse I have taught/written about MANY times. In fact, it is one I LOVE to use to motivate serving the Lord.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:10)
After reminding individuals of the incredible Gospel message found in Eph 2:8-9, that our salvation is totally based upon what God has done for us, (“by grace… through faith”), I then have regularly pointed out the idea that the all-seeing God who is not bound by time, (knowing who would “believe” in the finished work of Christ), started designing plays (“good works”) to run (“walk in”)… showing individuals that the God not only wants to use them, but has designed “plays” for them.
BUT in seeing the beauty of the mystery of Jew and Gentile becoming one through the work of Christ… the emphasis on the new team that is found in the verses following in chapter 2, I see verse 10 in a different light…
We (plural) are His workmanship (singular)… the “team” is the beautiful work of art… the good works that God “diagramed” beforehand does involve each of us “playing” our role… but they are “plays” intended for the “team”! WE ARE IN THIS THING TOGETHER! Sometimes one’s role may be to score… or maybe to throw the pass… or maybe to set the screen.
God wants to use us together!!! Teamwork makes the dream
work! Accept and perform your role…
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