I have been thinking quite a bit about people working together as a team to accomplish a set goal. In my line of work, it's everyone working to put together a newspaper twice a week. It takes advertising people, graphic arts designers, writers, editors and finally the people who run the press to put all of the elements together for the finished product.
As I looked through my Bible this week, I noticed that there were many times that the people of God pulled together to complete a project. One of the most impressive, was when the tribes of Israel built the tabernacle according to the Lord's specifications.
The Lord told Moses to have the people bring offerings of gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair, ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows; acacia wood; olive oil; spices; onyx stones and other gems. Then God instructed Moses exactly how the tabernacle should be built.
Craftsmen of all sorts were needed to complete the task. They had a goal to reach and with each one completing their own work, the tabernacle was complete.
Their team work wasn't finished though, because whenever the Lord said it was time to move on, each tribe was assigned a specific task to disassemble and carry the tabernacle to the new location.
There were many instances of men working side by side through battles. Some were called to march into the war zone and others were needed to carry supplies, provide food, shelter and first aid for those who endured the battle.
Nehemiah enlisted the support of high priests and the remnants of the tribes of Israel to help reconstruct the wall of Jerusalem and erect the broken gates. Those men had to accomplish the task under threat of death. While some worked on the construction, others stood behind them with their weapons ready to defend their brothers. Both jobs were equally important to get the job done.
Jesus himself built a team of 12 hand-picked disciples to assist him in the work he was doing. There were times when jealousy and anger was evident within the group, but if the team hadn't done their assigned work, we wouldn't be followers of Christ today.
The Apostle Paul never went on a mission alone, he always took others along with him for support and encouragement. He depended on the assistance of others as he fulfilled his mission from God.
We are created to share our talents and abilities for the good of others. One of the best illustrations of teamwork is Paul explaining to the Corinthian church that the foundation of the church is Christ. The teaching he (Paul) brought to the church added to the foundation and the teachings of Apollos added a different dimension. He also explained that the church is like one body with all the members adding their own special gifts to create a healthy church.
When everyone shares their gifts, whatever they may be, and they are used in conjunction with the gifts of others, we have created a tabernacle where the Almighty God is pleased to dwell.
If you don't know what your gifts might be, ask God to reveal them to you and guide you into ways in which to share what you have to offer.
"The man who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building." 1 Corinthians 3:7-9
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