Teams have always been central to God’s plan to reach the lost and build disciples. Equipping and delegating aren’t secondary to the Great Commission; they’re an important part of it. From David’s mighty men to the missionary teams in Acts, God has used teams to accomplish His purposes. Moses had a Lone Ranger mentality, and he suffered for it. He led the people out of Egypt into the Wilderness. He believed he was the only one responsible to handle the civil, criminal, and family disputes of two million people! (And you thought you had it bad.) He was on the verge of burnout when his father-in-law, Jethro, confronted him and told him to appoint 70 men to help him lead the people. Moses listened and picked the men. I’m not sure if he was wise enough or desperate enough, but he took Jethro’s advice (see Exodus 18:13f). When David was running away from Saul, God gave him some friends who believed in him, supported him, and defended him with their lives. David must have been a great leader because he attracted the very best men in the land to join him in a seemingly hopeless cause. Together, they trusted God and fought like crazy—and they won (see 1 Chronicles 11). When Nehemiah planned to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem after the nation had been devastated by other nations, he devised a shrewd plan. He enlisted all the people to help in the work, and he asked them to build the part of the wall near their homes. They were highly motivated to protect their families, and they completed the task in an incredibly short time. Paul was one of the bravest, most daring men of all time, but he seldom did any work for God without a trusted partner. Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, and others joined him in taking the gospel to the Roman world. Paul was fiercely dedicated, but he knew the value of having a partner with him all the time. Even Jesus, the matchless Son of God, the creator of all that exists, wasn’t a Lone Ranger. He assembled a team of twelve men to be His chosen disciples, but in many accounts, we find a larger entourage of men and women who followed Him wherever He went. To these people, Jesus entrusted the Great Commission, the most sweeping, grand, and glorious enterprise the world has ever known. Today, about two billion people claim to be His followers. We are part of the legacy of those first followers, and we’re now part of His team. Each of us should strive to do the work of the ministry with a gifted, passionate, dedicated team of believers. I used to be a Lone Ranger, but no longer. Now, I never do ministry alone. When I make a home visit, I bring someone along. When I’m speaking at a conference, I take someone with me. When I’m visiting a child in the hospital, I try to take someone on our team or a person who might join our team. I want to take every opportunity to add to the ministry team God has called me to lead. Children are amazing. The opportunity to minister to children is one of the highest honors and deepest pleasures in life. It’s also one of the most challenging. We’re selfish and foolish if we try to do it alone. And we forget that even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Jun 2013 09:52:12 +0000
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