Monday, August 23, 2010

Building Yourself a Winning Team

by David Jeremiah

At a NASCAR race, the driver is the public's hero. But to the drivers, their teammates are the heroes. The drivers know that without their team members and sponsors, there would be no car for them to race.

It's amazing how the structure of a NASCAR organization parallels the teams that Jesus built during His ministry on earth.

1. The Home Team
• Jesus had 120 disciples who were the core of those who followed Him (Acts 1:15).
• A NASCAR race team can consist of a hundred or more people.

2. The Hands-On Team
• Jesus had seventy disciples to do the work of the ministry.
• A NASCAR team's hands-on crew is up to fifty individuals who actually build the cars.

3. The Road Team
• Jesus had twelve disciples who went everywhere with Him. They spent time with Him and learned to think and act together in accordance with His direction (Matthew 10:1-4).
• A NASCAR team has a crew of a dozen or more at every race who manage the hauler, work in the pit, take care of equipment, and repair the car if it gets damaged.

4. The Pit Team
• Jesus had three disciples-Peter, James, and John-whom He chose to be with Him in "the pits," so to speak-at the crisis moments of His ministry.
• A NASCAR race team has seven individuals who go into the pit and service their team's car when it makes a pit stop. The driver is wholly dependent on his pit crew to support him in those brief moments of "organized chaos."

5. The Team Leader
• Jesus was apparently closer to John than all the other disciples (John 20:2; 21:7, 20).
• A NASCAR team is definitely led by one individual who is closer to the driver than anyone else: the crew chief who leads the hands-on team.

What a Difference Your Team Can Make
A team is like a pyramid. At the bottom is that largest, foundational part of the team that supports the increasingly smaller teams that are drawn from it. Every Christian will be far more likely to win his spiritual race if he has most, if not all, of the multiple teams I've just described.

1. Your Home Team
Today, extended family members are scattered from coast to coast. But they represent a phenomenal support network for those who have stayed in touch, which I strongly encourage you to do.

2. Your Hands-On Team
Your hands-on team is your immediate family. My children challenge me toward maturity now as much as I challenged them when they were younger. How blessed is the man whose wife and children bear their fruit abundantly for all his life (Psalm 128:1-4)!

3. Your Road Team
When eight to twelve individuals meet regularly week after week for prayer, study, and fellowship, a bond is formed that cannot be duplicated any place else (Acts 2:42-47). I strongly urge you to become a faithful member of a small group.

4. Your Pit Team
Invariably, everyone forms a close relationship with one, two, or three others. One's spouse ought to be in that number. A christian needs someone who will go into the pit with him in life's crisis moments (2 Timothy 4:11).

5. Your Team Leader
If you are not daily drawing closer to Christ, your personal Team Leader, then no other team in your life will function smoothly (Philippians 3:10)

The more closely you identify and live within teams that function at the approximate levels of the ones I've described, the greater will be the likelihood of your winning your spiritual race.

Do this: Make a quick written or mental evaluation of the five team levels I've outlined relative to your life. Where are the gaps? Where are your teams strong? Take this up with your Team Leader, Jesus Christ himself, and ask His help in building strong teams that will surround you and support you in the years ahead. And by the way-others need strong team members in their life, too. So be willing to serve in order to be served by others.

LISTEN TO THIS SONG AND REMEMBER HOW GOD SEES YOU!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Disciplines of Endurance - Stand Firm!

by Charles R. Swindoll
 
Tucked away in the folds of Hebrews 11 is a two-word biography worth a second glance: "he endured" (11:27). The "he" refers to Moses. Moses was the one who hung tough, who refused to give in or give up, who decided that no amount of odds against him would cause him to surrender. He had staying power. He possessed the disciplines of durability.

He endured, despite the contempt of Pharaoh, the mightiest monarch of that era. He endured, despite the stubbornness of the Hebrews who grumbled, blamed, complained, and rebelled. He endured, despite the criticism of Miriam and Aaron, his own sister and brother. When ten out of twelve spies came back with their nay-sayings, Moses stood fast. When Korah and Dathan and Abiram led a cold, cunning conspiracy against him, Moses remained "resolute."

Maybe the great Apostle of Grace had such things in mind when he introduced his classic essay on the armor of God by saying, "and having done everything ...stand firm" (Eph. 6:13).
Stand firm when the wicked appear to be winning! Stand firm in times of crisis! Stand firm even when no one will know you compromised! Stand firm when big people act contemptibly small! Stand firm when people demand authority they don't deserve! Stand firm . . . keep your head . . . stay true . . . endure!

I have no idea where this finds you. For all I know, you are stronger than ever, pressing on with a full tank of resolve. That's great. However, you may be getting shaky. Your normally thick hide of moral purity and ethical integrity may be wearing thin. It's possible you've begun to listen too closely to your critics or need others' approval too much. Maybe you've started giving in to the kids in little areas you once resisted because you're tired, sort of shrugging off your better judgment.

Moses endured—even in his eighties. How? The same verse tells us: by focusing his attention on "Him who is invisible." He fixed his heart and soul on the One who, alone, judges righteously. He continually reminded himself that his sole purpose in life was to please the Lord . . . to obey Him . . . to glorify Him . . . to gain His approval at all cost.

Whatever it is you're facing, stand strong. Walk in quiet confidence, not veiled pride. Be sure without being stubborn . . . firm without being unteachable . . . enduring but not discourteous . . . full of truth balanced with grace.

MAY GOD ENCOURAGE YOU AS YOU REFUSE TO GIVE UP, GIVE IN OR GIVE OUT!

Marvin Sapp "Never Could Have Made It"