"So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." Ephesians 4:11-16 (NIV)
There was much talk about Tom Brady after the Super Bowl and rightly so. Tom is an incredible athlete probably the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) at his position. He is such a cerebral individual who understands not only the game of football but also people. He is a true leader at heart. Most certainly his age and the number of championships he has won factor in the publicity; but in light of Tampa Bay’s victory, he leads the way in the unfolding story.
It was also interesting that as sports broadcasters and analyst experts got their two cents in there was a surprising amount of energy directed towards the TEAM effort and rightly so. The offensive and defensive line play was outstanding. The play of the defence and especially the play of the linebackers was outstanding. So was the play of the special teams. They all pulled together and sacrificed together to taste victory. It was an excellent display of what a well-designed, unified effort can do! As Henry Ford said, “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”
To me, this is how Jesus has designed the church to be. There is an old Kenya Proverb that says, “Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable.” Maturity can only be reached by being “bundled together in Christ.” Our strength comes as a group of people empowered by the Holy Spirit and God’s word to fulfill the vision the Lord has to make disciples. We are a group who have been empowered by different skills and abilities to work alongside each other for the common purpose of building up the Body of Christ, to build the Kingdom. We are a people called together to display God’s love to the world so that they might know what true abundant life is all about. Above all, we are a people called to share a message of grace to the world that needs to know what true forgiveness is all about. We are that called out community, the ecclesia, the team that God has chosen to represent Him. As one person has said, “A successful team is a group of many hands and one mind.” We are a team “of many hands” with the “one mind” that of Christ.
The story is told of two men riding a tandem bicycle up a steep hill. After much effort, they finally made it to the top of the hill. The front rider said, “That was a tough ride.” To which the second rider replied, “Sure was, and if I hadn’t kept the brake on we might have slipped backwards.”
I would like to thanks you, the TEAM, that has not put on the breaks during this covid time, but through dedication and effort has made our congregation a Christ centred success. As we labour together we bring glory to God, reach new heights of productivity and learn how, together, the Body of Christ really works. May His grace and love continue to inspire us as we grow in faith, hope and love.
May God richly bless you
– Pastor Ralph
Kommentit