TITLE: Be a Team Player TEXT: Ephesians 4:1-7 THEME: God wants you to operate in His church as a team player.

Stars Every sports team has its stars— the John Elways, Wayne Gretsky’s, Michael Jordans. The fans may not grasp it, but the players themselves understand one basic truth about team sports: stars wouldn't be stars without the support of the team

Neil Amstrong "One small step for man..." will be remembered for generations.

Neil Amstrong "One small step for man..." will be remembered for generations. Neil Armstrong was only one of 218,000 people involved in that single project. He may have gotten most of the glory, but he will be the first to tell you that it was a team effort.

Ephesians 4:11-12 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up…

Ephesians 4:1-7 1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:1-7 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.

Ephesians 4:2-3 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Three key words Be humble

Three key words Be humble …be gentle

Three key words Be humble …be gentle …be patient

Key Question “What attitudes are required for the church to do its work?”

1. The team is more important than me (humility).

TEAM ME

Kenneth Wuest “Humility is the lowliness of mind which comes from a true estimate of ourselves. Humility is built on the awareness of Christ.”

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Tommy Lasorda Kirk was willing to do anything to win—bunt, sacrifice, walk, whatever—because the team's win-loss record was always more important than his own batting average. This is the attitude of a team player.

Two options: Either "Here I am!"

Two options: Either "Here I am!" Or "There you are!"

Key Question “What attitudes are required for the church to do its work?”

2. My job is to encourage others (gentleness).

Don Shula He encouraged his players to get in the habit of encouraging one another on the field—because that's how champions play. Don Shula went on to become the winningest coach in the history of the NFL

Old Saying It's true man doesn't live by bread alone—sometimes he needs buttering up."

Meek The word gentle (or meek) in Greek was used to describe taming a high-spirited horse. It is intended to increase the value of the horse to its master.

Greg Norman "There's no need for me to be cynical anymore. I never thought I could reach out and touch people like that. And the extraordinary thing is that I did it by losing."

1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore, encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”

Key Question “What attitudes are required for the church to do its work?”

3. I will not give up on anyone (patience).

Patience Paul tells us to be patient with one another for the simple reason that no person is a lost cause. We are to keep believing in them, keep encouraging them, until they come around.

Patience Paul expressed this same attitude in the book of Philippians... “I am confident of this, that he who began a good work in your will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

The Disciples Were Fallible James and John were ambitious Peter was impulsive Simon the Zealot was impatient All of the others at one time or another showed cowardice, lack of faith, jealousy, and spiritual thick- headedness. Yet, Jesus kept them all (with the obvious exception of Judas, who betrayed Christ, then killed himself without seeking forgiveness).

Problem It's hard to work as a team when you have to listen to a bunch of honking criticism. We need to be patient with the other players on our team.

Key Question “What attitudes are required for the church to do its work?”

4. I will strive to keep unity on the team (one body 4-6) We are one body.

4. I will strive to keep unity on the team (one body 4-6) We are one body. In life, at home, in the church, we must develop an attitude that says, "This is a team sport, and I'm going to be a team player."

APPLY TO SPECIFIC AUDIENCE: 1.God never intended for you to make your spiritual journey alone. Spiritual maturity happens in the context of community. In order for us to work in community, or as a team, we need humility, gentleness and patience.

APPLY TO SPECIFIC AUDIENCE: 2.Unity is essential for the growth of the church. Unity comes from sharing key values, purposes and goals in common. We share the same Lord, Faith, Baptism serve the same God.

APPLY TO SPECIFIC AUDIENCE: 3.If unity is absent then we either have the wrong attitudes or conflicting purposes values or goals. These must be reconciled before unity can proceed. Paul will address is provides leadership next week.

APPLY TO SPECIFIC AUDIENCE: 4.We must work as a team if we expect to have an impact in our community or our world.

Concordia College Mural Throughout the building, you can hear people whispering, "See that little green spot below the camel's foot? I painted it." Every year in the middle of the summer in Moorhead, Minnesota, thousands of unknown, ordinary people paint a tiny insignificant tile. Six months later, the result is a spectacularly beautiful masterpiece.