In sport, teams train together for years. A healthy team values everyone, knows their individual roles, has a shared goal, and gives it their all for the dream of a championship. God builds teams of people who love each other, represent Jesus in this world, and are on mission together to serve the nations. Are you a part of any teams? 

Who Is God?

We worship one God who exists in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God dwells in perfect unity and community. We are made in God's image (Genesis 1:26-27) and are designed to be connected and caring for each other. Yes, we have an individual relationship with God and one-to-one relationships with each other, but we experience full satisfaction in life through groups as well. We often need to shift our focus from “me” to “we”. When you put your trust in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit lives in you, and you have peace with God the Father. Everyone who decides to follow Jesus is in God's family forever and will spend eternity with God. The glory of Jesus is displayed through our unity (John 17:23). 

Who Are We?

Every person is created by God and valuable to God (Psalm 139). God loves people from every nation, tribe, and tongue. Followers of Jesus are called the body of Christ. There are many parts but one body. There is diversity and unity.  On a football team, eleven players are working together on a playing field for their team.  I played professional soccer as a goalkeeper in America, Scotland, and Zimbabwe. I knew my role was very different from the other ten positions. We didn't want ten more goalies. We needed forwards who could score goals, midfielders who could dribble and pass with skill, and defenders who could stop the opponent's attack. Football teams, like many other teams, are a combination of specialists who learn how to collaborate. God wants to teach us how to work well together off the playing field, too, including the places we live, work, learn, and worship. 

How Can We Unite?

Unity requires humility. The team is best when no one cares who gets the credit. Everyone brings out the best in other people. Sacrifices are made so the team can be as good as possible. Jesus prayerfully picked a team of 12 people (Luke 6:12-13) and invested His life in this team. Do you have a group of people who you are following Jesus with together, studying the Bible, praying and sharing your faith? Is there a healthy church near you where you can serve and love people? Every Christian has a spiritual gift like teaching, leadership, administration, wisdom, helps, etc., and they are given by God to build up other people (Ephesians 4:1-16). The church is not primarily a building, it is the people of God coming together in groups. In healthy groups, people grow spiritually and change the world.  We can often go faster alone but further together. 

What Are Your Next Steps? 

1. Pray: Share with God that you do not want to be selfish or isolated. Life is richest when lived in a community. Ask God who should be your teammates in life to help you follow Jesus. Ask God for courage to start a group if there is no group that currently exists.
2. Focus On Jesus: Begin to meet regularly with people who want to pray, read the Bible, serve, and lead people to Jesus. Plan a specific day and time to continue meeting together.
3. Find A Church: Do more than just attend. Enjoy the worship, friendships and service projects. Have a mindset that you are part of the team to serve, not just be served. Encourage and equip other people. The more generous you are, the more you will sense the joy of the Lord. Make sure the church teaches the Bible and spreads the gospel. 

A championship is a team's greatest accomplishment, but when you are on God's team, you are part of a glorious endeavor and Kingdom that lasts forever and is more significant. God has made it very clear: we are better together!